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Sunday, July 29, 2007

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GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Saturday he will not relent in his fight against Democrats in Congress who want to set a date for withdrawing troops from Iraq.

"We will not allow the United States of America to lose this war," the Arizona senator told a packed crowd at a restaurant.

McCain led GOP efforts to defeat legislation this month that would force the withdrawal of combat troops. Doing so, he said, would mean chaos and genocide.

"If the war's lost, who won? Al-Qaida? Tell that to the 160,000 brave young Americans who are serving and sacrificing in Iraq today as we speak," he said. "It's disgraceful."

McCain's poll numbers have fallen nationally, largely due to his stances on Iraq and his embrace of the defeated immigration bill.

Answering a question from the crowd, McCain said he will not change his stance, even if it means the defeat of his campaign.

"I'll take my stand on this war, my friend," he said. "I would much rather lose a campaign than a war."

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At a question-and-answer session later at a Spartanburg restaurant that has become a traditional stop for Republican candidates, McCain said he wonders whether Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to be an ally of the United States.

"I look into his eyes and I see three letters - a K, a G and a B," McCain said told a crowd of several hundred at the Beacon. "I don't think Russia is going to become the old Soviet Union, but I do think he's going to cause us difficulties."

About four protesters outside the restaurant carried Confederate flags and shouted "John McCain, down the drain." One man inside the Beacon apologized and told McCain the protesters did not represent South Carolina.

McCain then traveled to Aiken, near the state line with Georgia, to attend an event in a private home.

© 2007 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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