Sen. John McCain of Arizona walked a tightrope yesterday, distinguishing himself from President Bush while declaring that his "great challenge" is to unite the dispirited conservative base of the party Bush leads.

In an hourlong interview with Dispatch editors and reporters, McCain continued to strongly defend the Bush administration's troop-surge strategy in the Iraq war. He also said he has strong disagreements with the president and rejected notions that his presidency would effectively be a third term for Bush.

McCain said Democratic attempts to portray him as a clone of the unpopular president won't work, because voters will judge him on his own ideas, record and qualities, not "whether I am 'attached' to President Bush or not."

Fresh off Tuesday wins in Wisconsin and Washington and hoping to win enough delegates in Ohio, Texas and other March 4 primary states to mathematically clinch the Republican nomination, McCain cast an eye toward the general election.

"If I am able to win enough delegates a week from next Tuesday, then we will probably unite the party earlier than any time there has been a contested primary for the Republican nomination," McCain said.

But he acknowledged that polls show voters generically view Democrats more favorably than Republicans and that he will need the support of a united GOP to win in November. The party's conservative base, McCain said, feels betrayed by the failure of Bush and congressional Republicans to cut spending.

"That's really my great challenge, is to energize our party. … I don't think you can really energize your base just by attacking the opposition. You do it by a strong, positive vision for the future of the country. It's not going to be easy."

McCain, who is 173 delegates shy of securing the nomination, was in the midst of a three-day swing through Ohio yesterday and said he expects to return to the state often as the GOP nominee. He also said he respects former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's decision to remain in the GOP race.

McCain said he would be happy to have Bush "campaign with me or do whatever he can to help me attain the presidency," saying the president "deserves some credit for the fact that there's not been another attack on the United States of America since 9/11."

The two Democratic presidential candidates, Sens. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Clinton of New York, have criticized McCain for saying it would be "fine" with him if some U.S. forces are in Iraq for "maybe 100" years, if Americans are not being harmed.

McCain said yesterday that he never meant to suggest that the United States still will be fighting a war in Iraq in 100 years. But after the war is won, he said, there will be negotiations for making Iraq secure, and the length of any U.S. presence would depend on the Iraqis.

"I believe that it's very likely we would have some security arrangement such as helping with training, equipping, et cetera, et cetera for a long period of time," McCain said. "But if a government came to power in Iraq, freely elected, that said we want the Americans out, I would certainly respect that."

When asked how it will be clear that the war has been won, McCain replied, "When our troops are basically back in support roles and American casualties are virtually zero, and the Iraqi government and military are functioning effectively."

He added, "Every day, we see improvement in that area."

Despite his support for Bush's Iraq policy, McCain said he would take a different tack on global warming, torture and relationships with the nation's allies.

"I would declare my commitment to entering into an international, global agreement on climate change," McCain said, noting that it would have to include India and China.

McCain said he would close the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and move the terrorism suspects being held there to Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Guantanamo, McCain said, "has become a symbol" that has been used against the United States, especially on the Internet, in "an ideological struggle with al-Qaida."

On the issue of torture, McCain, who was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, said, "I would declare we will never torture another person in custody of the United States of America."

But the Arizona senator also said Bush should veto legislation that would prevent the use of waterboarding and other methods of torture to get information from terrorism suspects, even though McCain opposes waterboarding.

McCain said he voted against the bill because it would restrict interrogation techniques to those in the Army field manual -- and that there are other methods that aren't "cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment."

"I clearly stated then and have stated now that waterboarding is torture and illegal," he said.

jhallett@dispatch.com

mniquette@dispatch.com