HOLLIS, N.H.—Seizing on the buzz word of the campaign, Sen. John McCain told voters Friday if they're looking for change, they should remember how he helped turn things around in Iraq.
"I'm most proud of the change I brought about in Iraq that saved American lives," McCain said. "No one else was ready to make that kind of reform. I'm proud to stand here as a person who has reformed and reformed and reformed."
The Arizona Republican was an early critic of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and called early on to increase the number of troops in Iraq. He spoke during a brief afternoon stop at the Hollis Pharmacy, where he was mobbed by supporters and the media. He made his way down the cough-cold-allergy aisle before stopping in the eye care section for brief remarks.
McCain said he was happy with his showing in the Iowa caucuses and joked that he had called Fred Thompson demanding a re-count. Thompson edged McCain for third place by mere tenths of a percentage point.
"I'm pleased with how we did in Iowa but I'm most pleased to be in the home stretch here," said McCain.
McCain has focused much of his attention and resources on New Hampshire, where he is in a tight race with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. In a jab at Romney, McCain told New Hampshire voters not to pay attention to money and negative ads.
Romney's campaign released a new Web-based ad Friday arguing that McCain has been in Washington too long and is not as conservative as Romney.
"I know you are examining these candidates, and you can't buy an election in the state of New Hampshire you have to earn it," McCain said. "Tell the candidates you want positive ads. You want to know what their vision is."
But McCain released another negative ad of his own Friday calling into question Romney's leadership and foreign policy experience. A spokesman for Romney responded by pointing out Romney's successes in ensuring security at the Olympics and building up homeland security in Massachusetts.
"We're proud that Gov. Romney has run his campaign on the issues and he will continue to work hard to earn the support of New Hampshire voters right up through the primary," Craig Stevens said.
McCain continued his focus on Iraq later during a town hall meeting at
He listed several elements of what he considers success, including the reduction of American causalities, the removal of U.S. troops from the front lines and having Iraqis take over more responsibility for their government. The hardest measure of success to achieve will be establishing the rule of law, he said.
"That's what bothers me. Frankly, that's my biggest concern: rule of law so that citizens know that they have recourse if their rights are violated," he said.
McCain also offered a blunt answer to an Air Force officer who noted that hundreds of fighter jets recently were grounded because of dangerous structural defects and asked him if he would push to get the next generation of aircraft out more quickly.
"The editorial in the paper yesterday said we need a president who on short notice can make the right calls on the war on terror, but you've had rather long notice in the Senate about the problems the Air Force has been facing," he said, characterizing McCain as having been "hard on the Air Force."
McCain said he's not opposed to getting the newer fighter jets fielded but will continue to fight cost overruns.
As a senator, McCain led congressional hearings that led to the cancellation of $30 billion contracts with defense contractor
"I have to look you in the eye, my friend, and tell you'll I'll be hard on any defense corporation, I'll be hard on any defense official, that wastes the taxpayers' money," he said. "I'm not hard on the Air Force, I'm not hard on the Navy and I'm not hard on the Marine Corps. But I'll tell you what I am hard on: I'm hard on people who waste the taxpayers' hard-earned dollars."
Joining McCain later at a VFW hall in Hudson was the actor and former oatmeal spokesman Wilfred Brimley.
"Couldn't that beat Chuck Norris any day of the week?" McCain joked, referring to the tough guy actor who has endorsed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
