VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — John McCain says he knows Americans are worried the current financial crisis could determine the nation's future and he promised to fight for a new direction for the country.

The Republican presidential nominee unveiled a tough new campaign speech today as polls showed him trailing Democrat Barack Obama nationally and in several battleground states.

McCain appeared with running mate Sarah Palin in Virginia, a normally reliably Republican state that he's been forced to defend this year as the economic crisis deepens.

In a clear reference to his experience as a Vietnam prisoner of war, McCain said he once had feelings of hopelessness, but, as his prepared remarks put it, "I will never let them in again. I'm an American. And I choose to fight."