McCain reiterates opposition to troops withdrawal from Iraq

US Republican presidential candidate Senator John  McCain (R-AZ) unbuckles his flight helmet as he  arrives at Sather Air Base in Baghdad, March 16,  2008. Picture taken March 16, 2008.  (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

McCain's comments seemed to diverge to some extent from the Bush administration, which has been criticized for employing a go-it-alone policy on foreign affairs.

But McCain reiterated that he would not advocate the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. His Democratic rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have both pledged to gradually withdraw U.S. troops if elected.

Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, criticized McCain's speech as "empty rhetoric" that does nothing to distance him from the policies of the Bush administration.

"His new appreciation for diplomacy has no credibility after hemimicked President Bush's misleading case for a unilateral war of choice when it mattered most," Dean said.

McCain was on his first visit to California after becoming the presumptive Republican presidential nominee last month.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei