DENVER - A least three groups of protesters interrupted the beginning of Republican presidential candidate John McCain's campaign speech at the University of Denver campus Tuesday morning. [1]

His speech was billed as a foreign policy address.

Two minutes after he started his prepared speech, a protester with a large sign was escorted from the room. It read, "Iraq Vets Against The War."

A few minutes later, a second group of hecklers started yelling and were escorted out. A few minutes after that, a third group started chanting, "No more war." They held up a banner, which could not be read from the back of the room and they were also escorted out.

"I will never surrender in Iraq," McCain said in response to the protesters. "Our American troops will come home with victory and with honor, and they are winning."

The crowd gave him a standing ovation.

"We must continue to deploy a safe and reliable nuclear deterrent. I will seek to reduce the size of our nuclear arsenal to the lowest possible number," he told the crowd.

Regarding the threat of nuclear proliferation, McCain said, "The civilized nations of the world must act as one."

TheDenverChannel has his entire address online.

McCain concluded his speech about 30 minutes after he started and shook a few hands be exiting the Cable Center.

Later in the day, McCain will attend fundraisers in the metro area. McCain said that Western states like Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada will be critical to winning the White House. And he says that as a senator from Arizona he'll enjoy a political advantage over the Democratic nominee.

On Wednesday, Democratic front runner Barack Obama will visit the metro area. Obama plans to talk about urban high school reform at a town hall meeting in Thornton. Mike Johnston of the Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts in Thornton says Obama will tour the school before the town hall meeting. Both Obama events are by invitation only.

President George W. Bush will also be in Colorado Wednesday. Bush will be delivering the commencement address to 950 graduating cadets at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Bush last spoke to graduates at the Academy in 2004.
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