Sen. John McCain’s “No Surrender” tour roared into Waterloo on Wednesday.  The Republican presidential candidate appeared onstage with veterans from Iraq and Vietnam at American Legion Post 138.  McCain strongly voiced his concerns about leaving Iraq during the tour stop. 

He opened with a joke before settling into a serious defense of the current strategy in Iraq.  He also recalled his previous opposition to the way the war was being managed.  While taking questions from the audience, he kept a promise he’d made earlier in his speech and invited members of a team from the One.org campaign to share the stage with him.

McCain also held up a glossy copy of MoveOn’s “General Petraeus, or General Betray Us?” ad and criticized it on stage.

Video below the fold.

During this three-minute video, we hear from the local group.  At one point, McCain appeared to want the microphone back from the group’s leader, but the nonpartisan group was well-received by the packed legion hall.

In this video, the Arizona senator talks about the debate “on the Senate floor and across America” about the war.  He also affirms his faith in Gen. David Petreaus and angrily denounces the Moveon.org attack ads that ask if  Petreaus should be called “General Betray Us.” 

Also in this video, Heather Robinson discusses her conversation with the senator about Middle East foreign policy.  Robinson served in the National Guard.