U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss stopped in Cedartown Thursday afternoon as part of a tour of the state leading up to the Nov. 4 election.

A stage was set up in the downtown area, next to Polk County Courthouse No. 2. Chambliss arrived around 4:30 p.m. and mingled with the crowd that was arriving to greet him. He took the stage around 5 p.m. and headed back out of town before 5:30 p.m.

About 65 people were gathered to hear Chambliss speak -- including campaign staff, local Republican candidates, Cedartown and Chamber of Commerce officials, and police officers detailed to provide security for the event.

One lone protester yelled out "Liar!" as Chambliss was speaking, but from a distance. She could barely be heard from the edge of the crowd and Chambliss did not appear to notice her.

A couple of other rude comments were yelled out of passing cars on Main Street.

However, the crowd up front was supportive and cheered Chambliss as he took aim at the Democratic leadership and his opponent for the Senate seat.

Chambliss is in a tight race with Democratic challenger Jim Martin, whom Chambliss lambasted as being "wrong" on many issues of great importance to Georgians.

Martin wants to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq immediately, surrendering that country to a terrible fate, Chambliss said.

"I want us to return home from Iraq too ... but I want us to leave with a victory," Chambliss said, to cheers.

Chambliss also stumped for Republican presidential candidate John McCain. In addition, Chambliss spoke about energy policy and the financial bailout of banks and Wall Street firms -- an issue that he has come under criticism for, due to his support for the $700 billion bailout bill.

"The United States is a very resilient nation ... the people of the U.S. are a very resilient people," Chambliss said.

Chambliss also spoke on energy policy, saying he's proud of the bipartisan effort he took part in, which helped lead to the end of a national moratorium that had prevented new drilling for oil off the outer continental shelf (offshore drilling). It is imperative that the nation explore for new sources of oil, while also investing heavily into alternatives, he said.

Chambliss spoke in favor of developing more wind and solar power resources, in addition to greater investments in nuclear power generation. But it is also esssential that the nation invest in research for alternatives to gasoline and diesel fuel to power automobiles, he said.

"Your children and grandchildren will be pulling up to the 7/11 and fueling up on something different than we do today," Chambliss predicted.

He also spoke in favor of reserach into improved batteries to support electric and hybrid vehicles.

Joining Chambliss on stage was U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, whose 11th District includes Polk County.

Gingrey urged Republican supporters to vote and not be discouraged by polling data that predicts a Democratic win on Nov. 4. He said he doesn't believe all that data is accurate.

Republican voters' participation is essential in order to prevent what Gingrey described as "a nightmare scenario." He said if Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama takes the White House, and Democrats also win enough seats in the Senate to have a filibuster proof majority (60 seats) -- then the nation is going to swing hard to the left and the middle class will suffer.

"Nationalized healthcare, no tax breaks for hard-working American small business owners ... all the Bush tax cuts will be reversed," Gingrey said.

Also urging Republicans to get out and vote was Alec Poitevint, former Republican state party chairman for Georgia.

"We need Shelby and John McCain ... to live the American dream," Poitevint said.

Every Republican vote counts and he urged supporters to get out, knock on doors and get other Republicans out to the polls.

"The people who don't want Saxby to go back to Washington have already voted," he said.