Introducing her husband to an assembled crowd of fellow Republicans in Northern Kentucky on Saturday night, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao said Senator and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was playing a crucial role in preventing the “Europeanization” of American labor law.

“In my department alone, we are seeing many, many new additions that speak to a movement to turn America into Europe…If [Democrats] have the House, the Senate, and the Presidency as they expect and hope for in November of 2008, our country will be more like France,” said Chao. “The one man – along with his colleague, Senator Jim Bunning – who is holding this tide back is my husband, Leader McConnell. We call him the firewall.”

Chao told the audience at the Fourth Congressional District Lincoln-Reagan Day dinner in Hebron that Republicans needed a big showing in November to guarantee McConnell’s re-election, among others.

“I love coming to Northern Kentucky, because you are the bloodline of our party.This coming November, Northern Kentucky has got to produce like it has never produced before to assure a Republican victory straight up and down the ticket,” remarked Chao. “So, we are relying upon you.”

McConnell received a warm greeting from the crowd, and spoke for nearly thirty minutes on campaigns and policy. Coming on the heels of his own campaign’s outpouring of praise for the Commanding General of forces in Iraq, David Petraeus, many of the Senator’s remarks focused on the nation’s ongoing wars.

McConnell defended the decision to go to war, and suggested proposed troop withdraws would lead to more attacks on the United States.

“We know for sure the decision to get on offense in the wake of 9/11 is the reason we haven’t been attacked again here at home,” said McConnell. “Nothing would make us feel better for the moment than to welcome [American troops] home…We could even stage a ticker tape parade, but we’d be kidding ourselves. This is an international, multi-country problem. Most people that are serious about this know there is nobody to negotiate with. They want to kill us, they’ve already demonstrated that. Unless you stay on offense, and deal with them where they are mostly located, you get them right back here. I bet you share my view that I’d rather fight them in Baghdad and Kabul than in Washington or New York.”

In the midst of his discussion on war policy, McConnell singled out Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama’s war opposition and political experience, although he did not reference the Illinois Senator by name.

“I fear the two Democrats – and one in particular – are incredibly naïve. It may have been very easy for him, since he was in the State Senate 4 years ago, to kind of avoid the topic or be against it. I’m sure that was the popular thing to do in his State Senate district,” said McConnell. “But this is the big leagues now, and you are aspiring to lead the most important country in the world. Your decisions have consequences. At what point do you turn off the demagoguery and start being a real responsible leader?”

Senator McConnell further swiped at Obama when discussing the two candidates in the Democratic Presidential primary.

“The Democrats have a choice. They’ve got a Senator from New York who was born in Illinois,” said McConnell. “And they’ve got a Senator from Illinois apparently born in a manger.”

McConnell also suggested Obama’s low poll numbers in Kentucky would damage whichever Democratic Senate candidate faces McConnell in November, should Obama be on the top of the ticket.

“Early indications are the guy who seems like he was born in a manger is not going over too well in the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” said McConnell. “John McCain is going to carry the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the guy running for U.S. Senate – whoever he may be – is going to have that guy tied right around his neck, you can bet on it.”

Among the seven Democratic candidates vying for the Senate nomination, Louisville businessman Bruce Lunsford maintains a large lead.

McConnell also acknowledged he would be getting help on his campaign from a veteran of the two highly-competitive past victories of 4th District incumbent Congressman Geoff Davis (R-Hebron).

“If you ask anyone in Washington who ran the best campaign on the Republican side in 2006, they’ll say it was Geoff Davis,” said McConnell. “That’s why I got his campaign manager, Justin Brasell, running my campaign.”

Brasell previously managed Davis’ 2004 open-seat victory over Nick Clooney and 2006 re-election over former three-term Congressman Ken Lucas.

Note: Check back soon for more from the 4th District Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner