Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, meanwhile, were still consumed in an increasingly bruising fight to win the Democratic nomination, a contest that some in the party feared would weaken its chance to regain the presidency.

McCain emerged victorious in the Republican nomination contest weeks ago. And with seven months remaining before the November general election, polls indicate a tight race with either Obama or Clinton.

In his speech Monday, McCain portrayed himself as a patriot who was born into a family of American warriors devoted to honor, courage and duty.

"I am the son and grandson of admirals," McCain said. "They were my first heroes, and their respect for me has been one of the most lasting ambitions of my life. ... They showed me how to love my country, and that has made all the difference for me."

He did not mention either of his potential opponents in his speech. Nor did he discuss the war in Iraq or the weakening economy and spike in home foreclosures — issues on which he will be hammered by either Democrat.

However, McCain earlier Monday told reporters on his campaign bus that he was surprised at the Iraqi government's crackdown on Shiite militias.

"It's still a very fluid situation," he told reporters, saying it could be 48 hours or so before the outcome of several days of fighting in Basra was known.

McCain said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had acted without consultations with the United States, adding, "I was surprised because I didn't think he'd do it yet." He added that he had thought the military focus would remain on Mosul before shifting to the port city in the southern part of the country.

McCain's support for the Iraq war is a central tenet of his presidential campaign.

A prisoner of war in Vietnam at a time his own father commanded all U.S. forces in the Pacific, McCain said, "He prayed on his knees every night for my safe return. ... Yet, when duty required it, he gave the order for B-52s to bomb Hanoi, in close proximity to my prison."

The Arizona senator spoke at a restored opera house that is part of Mississippi State University, near a naval air field named for his grandfather. It was the first stop on a week-long tour that his campaign called a "Service to America Tour," an attempt to introduce him to the public as his party's candidate for the fall campaign.

On the Democratic side, Clinton has continued to reject calls from some key Obama supporters to drop out of the presidential race for the good of her party, declaring she will stay until the last state primary votes are counted.

Former President Bill Clinton underscored his wife's determination against statistically long odds of overcoming Obama's pledged delegate lead. He said in California on Sunday that a "vigorous debate" was good for the party and those who want to see the former first lady quit the contest should just "chill out."

Obama agreed that the tough campaign was healthy if frustrating before a crowd of about 20,000 at Pennsylvania State University.

"As this primary has gone on a little bit long, there have been people who've been voicing some frustration," Obama said.

"I want everybody to understand that this has been a great contest, great for America. It's engaged and involved people like never before."

Obama said Clinton should stay in the race, even after Sen. Patrick Leahy last week became the first leading Democrat to openly call on Clinton to abandon her bid and back Obama. But Leahy's sentiment is shared by many activists worried that a drawn-out nominating contest only bolsters McCain.

Other Obama supporters have echoed that view while stopping short of asking Clinton to withdraw. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson on Sunday called Obama's lead all but insurmountable, while Massachusetts Senator John Kerry said the contest would be reaching "a point of judgment" very soon.

As she has fought through three-months of primary voting, Clinton has been able count on a deep well of support from women voters, many of whom see the attempt to push her out of the race now as the work of a male-dominated party structure.

In California, Clinton beat Obama by a margin of 59% to 36% among women. She bettered him by 54% to 45% among women in Ohio, an important general election battleground state.

Obama, in turn, has walloped Clinton among men in nearly every state. He has prevailed among women in just a handful of places, including his home state of Illinois and states with large black populations.

In vowing to continue her campaign until August if necessary, Clinton is now taking on her own party in insisting that votes in Michigan and Florida be counted.

She won both contests, but the national party had said in advance the contests would not count because state Democrats defied national party rules by holding the contests ahead of schedule. Obama had taken his name off the Michigan ballot for that reason and neither candidate campaigned in those states.

Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak proposed a plan Monday that would award delegates based partly on Michigan's Jan. 15 primary results and partly on the popular vote in all the nation's presidential primaries. No agreements have been reached on holding new contests.

Clinton trails Obama by 1,624 to 1,499 in national delegates, including both those pledged as a result of state primaries and caucuses as well as superdelegates — elected and party officials who can vote for whomever they wish.

Obama picked up one more superdelegate endorsement Sunday, from Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. Klobuchar becomes the second female senator to endorse Obama, joining Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill. Overall, Obama has the support of 13 senators.

Clinton also has the support of 13 senators, including six women.

Enlarge By Mary Altaffer, AP Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, left, speaks to Rachel Lee, right, petting the dog of her son, Dustin Lee, who was killed by an IED while serving in Iraq. McCain's wife Cindy and Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., join them on the "Straight Talk Express" in Meridian, Miss., Monday.

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