WASHINGTON - Republican presidential hopeful John McCain on Wednesday threw his weight behind the new US strategy in Iraq, saying it was the right way ahead, but stressing that victory remained uncertain.
"We, who are willing to support this new strategy ... have chosen a hard road. But it is the right road. It is necessary and just," McCain said in a speech at the Virginia Military Institute.
McCain is the Republican candidate most supportive of the war in Iraq -- though he has harshly criticized President George W. Bush's handling of it.
He has also strongly backed Bush's "surge" plan to send nearly 30,000 extra troops to Iraq to quell sectarian violence in Baghdad and Al-Anbar province.
The alternative, McCain said, would be "to take advantage of the public's frustration, accept defeat, and hope that whatever the cost to our security the politics of defeat will work out better for us than our opponents."
He told his audience of young cadets and soldiers just returned from Iraq that after visiting Baghdad earlier this month he was optimistic the additional troops were having an effect on security in the Iraqi capital.
"We still face many difficult challenges in Iraq. That is undeniable. But we have also made, in recent weeks, measurable progress in establishing security in Baghdad and fighting Al-Qaeda in Anbar province," he said.
"While these glimmers are no guarantee of success, and though they come early in the implementation of the new strategy, I believe they are cause for very cautious optimism.
"But the hour is late and, despite the developments I just described, we should have no illusion that success is certain."
A Vietnam War hero with an accomplished career as a lawmaker over 20 years in Congress, McCain has long been seen as a likely favorite on the Republican side for the 2008 US presidential race.
He has taken a strong position on the war in Iraq, being among the first to call for the resignation of former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, whose handling of the conflict had been sharply criticized.
McCain has also pushed for extra troop reinforcements for Iraq.
"For my part, I would rather lose a campaign than a war," he said Wednesday.
But in recent weeks he has scrambled to overhaul his campaign strategy as he lags behind in fundraising and in the polls.
Wednesday's solemn speech was part of his efforts to breathe new life into his campaign, as he sought to address deep public concerns over the war now into its fifth year.
"I understand the frustration caused by our mistakes in this war. I sympathize with the fatigue of the American people. And I regret sincerely the additional sacrifices imposed on the brave Americans who defend us," he told the audience.
But he attacked his Democratic rivals who control Congress for seeking to tie funding for the war to a timetable for withdrawing from Iraq, accusing them of cynicism.
"Responsible political leaders 'statesmen' do not add to the burdens our troops carry," he said.
"That is what Democrats, intentionally or not, have done by failing to provide them with the resources necessary to succeed in their mission."
04/11/2007 19:52 GMT