It’s time to restore America’s middle class and for the country to recapture the respect of the world, said Sen. Joe Biden.

“The first step to reclaiming American leadership is to end the war in Iraq,” said the Democratic vice presidential candidate during a whirlwind campaign stop at Nansemond River High School Saturday morning.

His comment drew rousing cheers from the crowd of approximately 900 to 1,000 supporters, who came from across Hampton Roads to hear Biden speak at the North Suffolk school.

“We will end it responsibly … by laying out a time line to get out of Iraq,” Biden said. “We can’t keep spending $10 billion a month in Iraq. It’s time to bring the Americans home and give Iraq back to the Iraqis.”

Achieving the Obama-Biden goals would be “profoundly simple,” Biden said. The government needs to lower taxes for working Americans, to provide affordable healthcare, to do more to help people at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure and to make it easier for students to get a college education.

“When middle class is hurting, America is hurting,” said Biden. “…If you can help Wall Street, you sure as heck oughta be able to help Main Street.”

The government also needs to invest in infrastructure – roads, buildings and broadband – that will attract more jobs, he said.

Biden also called for the government to take a more aggressive role in investing in alternative energy sources, including wind, solar and bio-fuel sources, to “free us from the grip of oil.”

The Democrats are also proposing to help fund college educations for students who commit to working in the hospitals and schools of underserved communities, Biden said.

He urged voters to work aggressively during the final days of the campaign, saying the country can’t afford another four years with the Republicans at the helm.

Presidential candidate Barack Obama will work to bring the country together, Biden said.

“We have to end this … division,” Biden said. “We are not a black America or a white America. We are all Americans.”