Republican presidential candidate John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin wasted no time at a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids jumping on comments made by Democrat Joe Biden which implied that paying higher taxes is patriotic.

"Raising taxes is not patriotic," McCain told a crowd of about 6,000 at the PS Air hangar at the Eastern Iowa Airport. "It's not a badge of honor. It's just plain dumb."

Biden said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" that he and Barack Obama want to take money and put it back in the pocket of middle-class people. Biden noted that wealthier Americans would indeed pay more, and said: "It's time to be patriotic ... time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time to help get America out of the rut."

• See photos from the event
• Listen to audio of McCain's speech
• Listen to audio of Palin's speech
• Listen to audio from an interview with McCain-Palin supporter Tiffany Horvath. Horvath, a former resident of Wasilla, Alaska, four months ago moved to Bettendorf, Iowa with her husband, Drew. She spoke of Palin as "a petite woman with a huge presence and a proven track record for change" who "wore lipstick while she did it."
• Read IowaPolitics.com coverage of the McCain-Palin event