Sen. John McCain’s visit to Minneapolis for a fundraiser Thursday was met with protest by members of the peace community and labor groups. McCain’s big-buck event — tickets ran from $1,000 to $50,000 — snarled traffic in parts of downtown and the venue, the Minneapolis Hilton, was flanked by at least two dozen law enforcement officers from three jurisdictions.

Labor groups marched from the Minneapolis Convention Center to the Hilton urging McCain to end tax breaks for oil companies and comparing McCain to President Bush. At the Hilton, peace organizers called for an end to the war in Iraq.