Socialist???

- Republican presidential candidate John
McCain yesterday accused Democratic rival Barack Obama of favoring a socialistic economic approach by supporting tax cuts and tax credits that McCain says would merely shuffle wealth, not create it.

"At least in Europe, the socialist leaders who so admire my opponent are upfront about their objectives," McCain said in a radio address. "They use real numbers and honest language. And we should demand equal candor from Senator Obama. Raising taxes on some in order to give checks to others is not a tax cut; it's just another government giveaway."

McCain, though, has a health care plan girded with a similar philosophy. He proposes providing individuals with a $5,000 tax credit to buy health insurance. He would pay for his plan, in part, by considering as taxable income the money a person's employer spends on his or her health coverage.

McCain leveled his charge before a pair of appearances aimed at restoring his lead in critical battleground states. In both North Carolina and Virginia - states that President George W. Bush, a Republican, won in 2004 - McCain has surrendered the lead to Obama in various polls.