MCCAIN SWINGS THROUGH GRANITE STATE

EXETER -- Republican presidential hopeful John McCain said he's
satisfied with his campaign's financial health during a stop in the
state Saturday afternoon.

With the third quarter fundraising deadline approaching today,
McCain's numbers are expected to be lower than his Republican rivals,
former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor
Rudolph Giuliani. But McCain said he expects to do fairly well.

"Money doesn't matter that much. How you do in Town Hall meetings ...
matters," he said.

Fundraising concerns took a back burner to a number of other issues
McCain addressed during a backyard "Septemberfest" gathering at the
Exeter home of Rockingham County Commissioner Maureen Barrows and her
husband, Cal.

The Arizona senator and Vietnam veteran was about half an hour late
and wasted no time getting to the issues. He spoke for about 20
minutes before fielding questions for more than an hour from the
crowd of about 150 people, who were enjoying bratwurst, beer and
cider around tables decorated with red, white and blue balloons.

McCain answered questions on health care, immigration, medical
marijuana, energy policy and reducing government spending, among
other topics.

"I would like to hear him back off a little bit on keeping the troops
there," Wayne Patten of Exeter said while waiting for the senator to
arrive.

But McCain did not back down when he addressed the war, stating that
he trusted and respected U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus' recent
recommendation that troops not be drawn down beyond pre-surge levels.
Petraeus is the top allied military commander in Iraq.

McCain said the American people need to give the strategy a chance
and the time to succeed.

"If we leave, I believe with all my heart and all my mind we will pay
a heavier price, and there will be genocide and chaos," he said.

But no one issue dominated the day.

McCain began his speech by addressing the current violence in
Myanmar, also known as Burma, echoing remarks he made earlier in the
day at a house party in Rye.

He said both the United States and Myanmar's neighbors need to be
tougher on the military junta responsible for this week's brutal
crackdown on demonstrators.

"These thugs have started executing and killing people in the streets
right and left," he said. "We should go to (The Association of
Southeast Asian Nations) and say kick these guys out. ... We should
be putting every sanction on them that we can think of. We should
have every place in the world talking about how this kind of thing
doesn't work anymore."

McCain also addressed a question from Franklin Pierce College student
Jonathan Perri about the senator's stance on federal raids on medical
marijuana patients in the 12 states that have passed legislation to
protect such patients.

"It would not be a town-hall meeting in New Hampshire without some
young man sent to talk about medical marijuana," McCain said
lightheartedly.

He said he would not arrest "sick and dying" patients as the question
was posed, but does not approve of the use of medical marijuana.

A senior from Phillips Exeter Academy asked McCain why he had not
voted on the Matthew Shepard Act passed Thursday, which gives the
federal government more jurisdiction to prosecute hate crimes and
includes protections for gay, lesbian and transgendered victims.

McCain, who was the only senator absent from the vote, said he does
not believe sexual orientation should be a part of judicial
decision-making.

"I support equal opportunity and rights for all people, but I don't
support the hate crimes bill," McCain said.

After leaving Exeter, McCain was headed to a town hall meeting in
Epping and is expected to visit Derry and Hollis on Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.