John McCain in Meet the Press: Meet the Candidates 2008 series, with Tim Russert

On Immigration: Certify border is secure; only then allow guest workers

A: Yeah, but look, the lesson is, it isn't going to come. The lesson is they want the border secured first. I come from a border state. I know how to fix those borders with walls, with UAVs, with sensors, with cameras, with vehicle barriers. They want the border secured first. And I will do that, and, as president, I will have the border state governors certify those borders are secured. And then we will have a temporary worker program with tamper-proof biometric documents, and any employer who employs someone in any other circumstances will be prosecuted. That means a lot of people will leave just normally because they're not going to be able to get their job. Then we have to get rid of two million people who have committed crimes here. We have to round them up and deport them. As far as the others are concerned, we were in an ongoing discussion when this whole thing collapsed.

On War & Peace: Timetable for withdrawal is a white flag of surrender

A: I'm talking specifically about whether we should have maintained the surge in Iraq and, in April 2007, whether we had to have timetables. Gov. Romney said there had to be timetables, although they had to be secret.

Q: Gov. Romney said he never suggested a specific timetable, you're being dishonest.

A: When he was asked should there be a timetable for withdrawing the troops, he said, quote, "There's no question [the US & Iraq] have to have a series of timetables."

Q: When Sen. Clinton suggested timetables, you said was waving the white flag of surrender. Is Gov. Romney waving the white flag?

A: What Sen. Clinton said was that you would set a timetable, within 60 days, of complete withdrawal from Iraq. To me that's surrender.

Q: Is Gov. Romney suggesting surrender?

A: I don't believe that Gov. Romney's statement indicated anything but that we were going to have a timetable for withdrawal

On War & Peace: Staying for 100 years OK, if US casualties are low

A: I understand the frustration and the sorrow of the American people over the sacrifice that has been made. It was badly mishandled for nearly four years. And some people talk about the impatience of the American people. I'm proud, frankly, of the patience. But on the issue of how long we stay there, I think that's a false argument. The point is, how many Americans are going to be harmed there? Right next door in Kuwait, we have military bases. We have troops in South Korea & Bosnia. It's not a matter of American troop presence, it's a matter of American casualties. And I believe that by next November, I can show the American people significant more progress & significant withdrawals. We have to succeed there.

On Homeland Security: Improve human intelligence to get Osama bin Laden

A: Most importantly, I'll improve our human intelligence.

Q: How?

A: Well, we're going to recruit, and send people in who can blend into the culture, into the tribal communities. I didn't say it was going to be easy. But I will get him. And why is it so important? One, he killed 3,000 Americans. But two, he is recruiting & instructing radical Islamic extremists who want to destroy everything we stand for. This guy is a continuing threat.

On Immigration: 2003 "amnesty" didn't mean rewarding illegal behavior

A: Look, I have said time after time that no one can be reward for illegal behavior. The context of that conversation, don't you call that "amnesty." I have said in hundreds of hours of debate on the Senate floor, we reward no one for illegal behavior They have to pay fines. They have to take the naturalization. About two million people here in this country who have come illegally, have committed crimes here in America, and they have to be deported immediately.

On Immigration: Round up and deport two million aliens who committed crimes

A: You round them up and you find them.

Q: Two million people, though? Logistically, how do you do that?

A: It's very hard, but what's the choice? Having people who are breaking our laws in our country illegally? But the other aspect of it is that people come forward, and those that don't come forward, then obviously it's easier to identify them, and then we address their situation according to how long they've been here, what their record is, but they cannot be rewarded for illegal behavior. In other words, they can't be put in front of anybody else.

Q: Fourteen million illegal immigrants here, let's say two million have committed crimes. The remaining 12 million: they will stay?

A: I have said in debate after debate, it's not that they will stay, it depends on their category. I'm deporting any soldiers' grandmothers. We have to address this in a humane and compassionate fashion.

On Principles & Values: People want the truth, even if they disagree

: I'm pleased. I know we were at a very low point. We've been traveling around the country telling people the truth. And here in New Hampshire people, frankly, don't mind it if you disagree with him as long as they think that you're telling them the truth. We had our 100th town hall meeting here yesterday, and we had some very spirited exchanges. I think that's what the people of New Hampshire want.

Q: You said this last week: "The American people have lost their trust and confidence in their government. Our failures at Katrina, the war in Iraq, corruption and spending in Washington." That's a denunciation of George W. Bush.

A: Well, it's certainly a criticism, but I also have pointed out, we've not had another attack on the US. I think he deserves credit for that. He led this nation after 9/11 and united us.

On Tax Reform: Voting against Bush cuts then for them: not a mistake

A: I also said that the major reason why I was opposed to it was because there was no spending cuts. Reagan had tax cuts, but we had spending cuts that went right along with it.

Q: But you voted the third time for the tax cuts, but there weren't spending cuts.

A: No, but I thought that we ought to keep the tax cuts permanent, because if I had voted in the other way, that would have had the effect of increasing taxes.

Q: Do you believe that voting against the Bush tax cuts was a mistake?

A: Of course not.

Q: Bob Novak wrote in his column, "McCain has admitted to me that those tax votes were a mistake."

A: I can't account for Bob Novak's comments or anybody else's comments

On War & Peace: Ok with American presence in Iraq for 100 years

So you'd be all right with having US troops in Iraq for the next 100 years?

A: Most importantly, so would the American people if Americans aren't dying. We have a base in the neighboring country of Kuwait. We have a base in Turkey. We have a base in Japan, Germany. We've had bases there. It's not American presence that bothers the American people, it's American casualties. And if Americans are safe wherever they are in the world, the American people don't mind that. So what I believe we can achieve is a reduction in casualties to the point where the Iraqis are doing the fighting and dying, we're supporting them, and, over time, then it'll be the relation between the two countries.