Jul 22, 2008 1:26 pm US/Eastern
McCain Attacks Obama's Iraq Policy In N.H.
ROCHESTER, N.H. (WBZ) ―
Several hundred New Hampshire voters packed the historic Rochester Opera House Tuesday to hear from the presumptive Republican candidate for President.
The John McCain campaign chose two Democrats to introduce the senator.
"I'm a life long democrat," said Bill Condon of Barrington. He is working with the group Democrats for McCain. "I've never voted for a Republican and never dreamt I would."
Condon said he first saw Sen. McCain at a picnic during the New Hampshire primary season. "He doesn't have a speech for New Hampshire and a different speech for Iowa. He tells people not what they want to hear, but what they need to hear. If you want to keep things happening, join me in voting for Sen. McCain," he told the crowd.
"Coming back to New Hampshire is almost like coming home," McCain said upon taking the microphone.
He began the Town Hall style meeting by talking about the war in Iraq, reminding the crowd that when everyone declared his candidacy dead last summer, "I said the surge will succeed and we will succeed and we will win the war in Iraq."
McCain criticized his opponent Sen. Barack Obama for opposing the troop surge, and calling for troop withdrawals. "The benefits of this success are tangible," McCain said, "And we cannot let that disappear by doing what Sen. Obama wants to do."
Senator McCain also talked about his mission to achieve energy independence. "This energy crisis is a real one. It's about environment, economy and national security. I have a plan to fix this energy crisis."
"We can become energy independent in a short period of time, but we have to act and we have to act together." McCain said the solution must include using wind, tide, solar and nuclear power, as well as vehicles powered by alternative energy.
He also proposed a short term fix to help deal with the pain in people's pocketbooks. "Why not give a little gas tax holiday so they don't have to pay the gas tax for a while?"
Sen. McCain then took questions from voters. Greg Muller, a disabled Iraq war veteran, told McCain that he is having a difficult time getting benefits from the VA, primarily with problems in the adjudication process.
McCain told Muller that there have been recent improvements to the law, but he would like to see more opportunities for veterans to be able to see the doctors of their choice, rather than in some cases, driving a long distance to a VA hospital.
This was Sen. McCain's third trip to New Hampshire since being declared the presumptive nominee. A recent University of New Hampshire poll shows John McCain trailing Barack Obama in the state by three points. New Hampshire is considered one of the battleground states for the general election in November.
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