McCain's presidential bid 'linked to Iraq outcome'

Arizona senator John McCain, his presidential bid faltering and his support for the unpopular Iraq war unflinching, is seeking to convince Americans that the conflict is “necessary and just”.

“I know the pain war causes. I understand the frustration caused by our mistakes in this war,” the former Vietnam prisoner of war says in a speech to be delivered today. “But I also know the toll a lost war takes on an army and a country.”