After his release as a prisoner of war in Hanoi, John McCain spent a year studying Vietnam at the National War College, trying to understand the historical and geopolitical currents behind a war that had swallowed 5½ years of his life and left him with a battered body.

McCain, who did not regret his service in the war, found fault with political and military leaders in Washington for entering Vietnam without a clear strategy, for underestimating and misunderstanding the enemy, and for fighting the war by half measures.

Though McCain similarly criticized the Bush administration's handling of the first years of the Iraq war, he does not draw parallels today. McCain, who has said he's willing to be the "last man standing" in support of the president's current strategy, told the Monitor he sees Bush's troop increase as the only viable option. However, he's less than certain about its chance for success.

"I think we've got the right strategy. I think we understand the enemy," McCain said Friday. "Whether we're going to succeed or not - I believe we can, but I don't guarantee it, particularly since we've made so many mistakes in the past. But I think we have to try."

In a visit to New Hampshire last month, McCain said withdrawing would mean "a date certain for surrender." In a phone interview Friday, McCain reiterated that the country must give the so-called troop surge a chance "before we start thinking about Plan B." He believes U.S. troop withdrawal would cause the sectarian and anti-American violence in Iraq to ignite throughout the Middle East and beyond.

"It's my job to try to warn (the country) that unlike the Vietnam War, where we just left and came home, that (in this war) they will follow us home," the Arizona senator and Republican presidential candidate said. "They will follow us home, because it's now become part of the struggle against radical Islamic extremism."

Lessons learned

McCain discussed the Iraq war with the Monitor, criticizing the failures of the first four years while explaining his commitment to the president's plan to send about 30,000 more troops in an attempt to pacify Iraq. He also spoke about the lessons he learned from Vietnam and the extent to which that war has influenced his views on Iraq.

McCain has said repeatedly that he doesn't care how or if his advocacy for the troop increase will affect his presidential candidacy; state and national polls increasingly show majority opposition to the war and a desire for U.S. troop withdrawal in the next year.

McCain said he considers it his responsibility to explain the need for the troop increase, though he offers no guarantees for success. At best, he said, it will be a "long and hard and difficult" struggle.

McCain said he believes the current strategy, to extend the U.S. military presence in an attempt to stabilize the country, has the potential to make "slow and tough progress." He defined long-term success in Iraq as a "secure environment in which political, economic and social progress can be made, with the Iraqi military and police taking over responsibilities from the United States and our military withdrawing to enclaves and then eventual complete withdrawal."

He had no estimate for how long it would take to reach that stage. "I don't know," he said. "I know that we'll have some signs in the coming months, but I would remind you that only four of the five brigades necessary for the surge are there, so I'd like to give it a chance before making that kind of prediction."

McCain, a former Navy combat pilot, also spoke about Vietnam, outlining some of the lessons he drew from that war:

• "If you're going to get into a conflict, then you should do whatever is necessary to win."

• "The American people's patience is not unlimited, and you cannot continue to prosecute a conflict indefinitely if the people don't support it."

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