'Amen, Brother': McCain and Palin Call for 'Peaceful Revolution'

March 26, 2010 -- Sarah Palin appeared today with Sen. John McCain to urge Arizona voters to re-elect McCain and help lead a peaceful political revolution in the United States.

"There's something going on out there, my friends, there's something going on, and it's a revolution," said McCain. "It's a peaceful revolution, but we're going to take on this Obama Care. "

It was the first time the two have campaigned together since the former running mates lost the 2008 presidential election.

The pair slammed what Palin called the "lame stream media" for suggesting that disgruntled conservative activists might resort to violence and damage Republican chances in November.

"Let me clear the air right now," said Palin. "We might as well call it like we see it. In respect to the Tea Party movement, the beautiful movement, everyone here today, we are all part of that movement. . . We are all that Tea Party movement."

McCain predicted Republicans would win big in November.

"We're going to take it on in the courts because it's unconstitutional. We're going to take it on in the Senate. We're going to take it on in the streets. We're going to take it on in voter registration. And my friends, we're going to take it on November the 2nd when we take control of the House and the Senate."

McCain and Palin made their remarks at a campaign rally in Tucson, Ariz..

Campaign officials say McCain invited Palin, who is popular among conservative activists, to campaign by his side because he is being challenged on the Right in a Republican Senate primary by former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz.

The primary takes place Aug. 24.

The audience, which appeared 3,000 strong, seemed to be very much a crowd for Palin and her remarks, garnering widespread live coverage on cable television.

Palin's decision to stump for McCain has drawn criticism from some of her most conservative supporters who do not like the centrist reputation that McCain carved for himself during his 2000 presidential campaign and through part of the Bush years on issues such as tax cuts and comprehensive immigration reform.

Palin tried to address those concerns by portraying McCain as someone who has long been motivated by the "common sense conservative principles" touted by Tea Party activists. In particular, the former Alaska governor praised McCain for opposing President Obama's health care overhaul and stimulus package. Palin also saluted McCain for urging Obama to listen to commanders on the ground and beef up the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.

McCain and Palin Set to Appear Together Saturday

One issue which went conspicuously unmentioned was the fact that both McCain and Palin backed the Wall Street bailout during the 2008 presidential campaign.

Palin rejected the charge, from what she says is the liberal media, that Tea Party activists are "inciting violence because we happen to oppose something in the Obama administration."

When a man in the audience shouted out "we do it with our votes," Palin shouted back, "Amen, brother – that's what you do it with, with your vote."

Today's McCain and Palin reunion comes just a few months after the senator was forced to defend his top 2008 campaign aides from criticism leveled at them in "Going Rogue," Palin's memoir.

McCain told Reuters in November, "I think it's just time to move on. There's been a lot of dust flying around in the last few days, and I just wanted to mention that I have the highest regard for Steve Schmidt and Nicolle Wallace and the rest of the team."

Following Friday's event in Tucson, McCain and Palin are scheduled to stump together Saturday at a 12:00 p.m. ET rally in Mesa, Ariz.

Palin then heads to Nevada to take aim at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. She's the featured speaker at a Tea Party Express rally in Reid's hometown of Search Light, Nev.

She then travels to Henderson, Nev., where she will appear at an event with conservative commentator Ann Coulter.

ABC News' Matt Loffman contributed to this report.