Republican presidential candidate John McCain took one look at a nursing school's training mannequin and asked if the dummy's name was Hillary.

Campaigning Thursday at the University of South Carolina Upstate nursing school, McCain couldn't resist a swipe at Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"I was very glad to meet the dummy, named 'Hillary,'" McCain said to laughter after a tour of the school. "Is that the name?"

It wasn't. The dummy, or human simulator, doesn't have a name.

McCain said the training aid was remarkable.

"We have to do whatever is necessary to encourage young men and women to enter this profession," the Arizona senator said. "It's vital. As I person who spent sometime in hospitals, I know how vital they are."