Today, Arizona Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain spoke in Grand Rapids as part of the first in a series of appearances following his win yesterday in the New Hampshire primary. McCain, who won the Michigan Republican primary in 2000, is hoping to repeat that performance by winning the state.

Conventional wisdom--at least among the so-called punditry and in the corporate media--is that McCain won Michigan in 2000 because he appealed to independent, moderate, and even Democratic voters who chose to vote in the Republican primary because he was seen as less offensive than George W. Bush. Since 2000, McCain has frequently been cited as a candidate that can appeal to independents and even Democrats because of his supposedly moderate policies. Such assessments tend to ignore his position on issues, and in 2008, often ignore his policies on Iraq. McCain continues to have one the most aggressive--almost "macho"--postures towards Iraq in the presidential race. Moreover, McCain has not hesitated to make the war about the so-called "threat" of "radical extremist Islam."

At his stop today in West Michigan, McCain made Iraq a central issue in his speech at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. Much of the speech focused on what McCain termed the "transcendental challenge of the 20th century--the threat of radical Islamic extremism." "These people"--it was never clear who fit his definition, which appears to be quite simplistic and flawed--"are bent on our destruction" and is the "greatest force of evil" that the United States has ever faced. McCain said that the enemy has many different forms, from those arrested on our streets to doctors in London who become "jihadists." Iran continues to be a problem, claiming that it sponsors terrorism, seeks the destruction of Israel, and exports the most lethal weapons used by insurgents in Iraq, according to McCain. He said, "My friends, I know how to handle Iran" and said that he would "get Osama bin Laden" even if it meant "following him to the gates of hell."

His comments became more than a little absurd when he said:

"You may have heard in the last few days, there was a young American al-Qaida supporter who tore up his passport on an Internet site. My friends, I'll make that young man regret the day that he tore up an American passport."

The passport was issued to Adam Gadahn, who has recently called for attacks against President Bush. That certainly would have been a more logical way to argue that al-Qaida remains a threat, but would have lacked the aggressive posturing that McCain has relied on during his campaign.

As for Iraq, McCain said that he believes Iraq remains "the central front in 'the War on Terror'." He argued that the United States is succeeding in Iraq and that he is the only one running for president on the Republican ticket who asserted that the Rumsfeld strategy would not work. He claimed that he is the only one who has the necessary experience in federal government with national security issues. Because of this experience, he said that he "would not aim a gun at any of our enemies unless I am willing to shoot it." He acknowledged that the country is divided about the war, but that they are not divided in their love for the U.S. troops. However, it was clear that McCain was not willing to consider the opinions of those who are opposed to the ongoing war.

He repeatedly praised General Petraeus--the architect of "the surge"--and asserted that he is the only one who can set a date to withdrawal US troops. He criticized Democrats who wanted to "set a date for surrender" and said that had Democrats been successful, al-Qaida would have been celebrating its victory in Iraq. Instead, McCain said, "we will never surrender." He completely ignored numerous reports that Iraq is getting worse and that "the surge" has done little to change the reality in Iraq.

McCain also talked a bit about Michigan specifically, telling the audience that he is aware of the economic difficulties in Michigan, citing high unemployment, lost jobs, and the "tough times here in the heartland of America." He said that he won in New Hampshire because he gave the state "Straight Talk," whether it was popular or not. He then told the audience that some of the jobs lost in Michigan simply are not coming back. However, he said that these workers could not be abandoned--that we must take care of them. These "great Americans" cannot be left behind according to McCain, as our country's Judeo-Christian tradition would not allow us to. The current six programs that help displaced workers at the federal level are not working, although he failed to name any of the programs. He said that as a way of addressing this issue, he would work with community colleges to develop programs to reeducate workers and give them new skills. He failed to mention that he supports further trade agreements--such as the recent Peru Free Trade Agreement that was based on NAFTA, which has been devastating for Michigan's workers.

He further cited the need to restore faith and confidence in government. One of the main reasons for this--according to McCain--is out of control spending. He said that he would veto big spending bills, eliminate pork barrel projects, and cited former President Ronald Regan's quote about Congress being like a drunken sailor that doesn't know how to spend its money to summarize the attitude of Congress towards spending. He said all the "wasteful and outrageous spending" in Washington affects interests, people's lives, and their futures. To McCain, reigning in spending requires fixing Social Security and Medicare to make sure that people get their benefits. An example of wasteful spending cited by McCain was $3 million spent on "researching the DNA of bears in Montana," as well as the famous $233 million "bridge to nowhere" built in Alaska. He further said that in his 24 years in government he has never asked for nor received money (such as an earmark) for a single pork barrel project. Aside from promising to veto spending projects, he offered no real specifics beyond advocating for lower taxes.

McCain concluded by saying that his critics--who said that he was at the end of his political career for advocating a more aggressive policy in Iraq--were wrong. McCain said that his message has resonated, and people understand that he is willing to make sure that the deaths of US troops in Iraq were not in vain. He promised the audience that he would lead the country to "prevail" in Iraq while making the 21st century "the American century."