The United States needs to remain in Iraq, McCain said, until the Iraqi military becomes more capable and the Iraqi government becomes more effective.
"Is this hard and tough? Yes. Is it difficult? Yes. Can we win or succeed? I believe we can," said McCain, an Arizona Republican.
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"When we lost the war in Vietnam, we came home. It was over," he said. "I'm convinced that if we lose this conflict and leave, they will follow us home."
According to several national polls, McCain has lost ground with potential voters during the past several months while former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has gained voters.
According to a Hart/Newhouse poll published in the Wall Street Journal, 24 percent of voters said earlier this month they would vote for McCain. That number is down from 29 percent who said the same thing in December 2006. Conversely, Giuliani has gone from receiving 34 percent of respondents' votes to 38 percent during that same period.
Many pundits say McCain's stance on the war and continued support for Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq is the reason for his recent drop in the polls.
McCain on Thursday verbally attacked the members of Congress pushing a resolution calling for a timetable to the Iraq war. The resolution calls for troops to begin leaving Iraq in four months and getting all troops that are not needed for protection, training Iraqi troops and fighting terrorists out by March 31, 2008.
McCain called the plan "another meaningless resolution" that is "something that would absolutely be vetoed by the president anyway."
"You set a date for withdrawal, you set a date for defeat," McCain said. "You tell the bad guys, 'Hang on, we are leaving' on a certain date."
On immigration, McCain said securing the borders is a vital part of ensuring national security. He said the United States needs a temporary worker program in which immigrants would need a tamperproof visa in order to get a job.
He called for a "meaningful" Immigration Reform Act that would not grant amnesty to the 12 million people who are already living in the United States illegally.
McCain called for more sanctions on Iran, noting the United States has "huge problems" in regards to Iran exporting people and equipment into Iraq and its possible development of nuclear weapons.
McCain also championed ethanol production - sans the subsidies - but pushed even harder for nuclear energy to help alleviate the nation's dependence on foreign oil.
"Eighty percent of French electricity is generated by nuclear power," he said. "We ought to do the same thing."
Nearly 300 people packed themselves into a standing-room-only area of the Quality Inn and Suites on 13th St. to be a part of McCain' visit. The crowd included veterans, college students and other residents from around Mid-Iowa. The makeup was mixed as some came to listen, others came to support McCain and others came to push their own agendas on the Arizona senator.
Skip Frohling, 58, of Sheldahl, said he was not sure yet which presidential candidate - Democrat or Republican - would receive his vote in November 2008.
"We need a good solid man or woman of the people that people can really trust," he said. "I am looking for that kind of person."
On whether McCain was that man, Frohling said, "I think he could be, but I don't know yet."
Iowa State University student Elizabeth Dahlstrom, 22, said she has already made up her mind: McCain will get her vote.
"He is a really strong person, and he's got a lot of integrity, character and experience," she said. "I just feel like he would be a president that would know what he is doing, unlike a lot of the people who are running."
William Dillon can be reached at 232-2161, Ext. 361, or William.Dillon@amestrib.com.
