DERRY – Republican Presidential hopeful John McCain said yesterday he has failed at convincing everyone he is serious about securing the country's borders.

That was in response to Rachel Swinford, who said she's sick of the country not enforcing immigration laws that are already on the books. She said she can't understand why it's so difficult for politicians to move forward on border control.

"You're talking about winning a war in Iraq, and you can't win one in California," Swinford told McCain.

McCain has taken heat over his support for a failed bill that would've allowed immigrants to stay in the United States as guest workers and seek citizenship. Yesterday, he told Derry Rotary Club members there are a lot of immigrants who are hard workers. If they're taking jobs that Americans don't want, he said, there should be a way to do so.

During the campaign stop at the Marion Gerrish Community Center, McCain said he believes the country is probably not spending enough on securing the borders. He said he wanted to give guest workers the chance to stay in the country for up to 10 months at a time, while not bringing their families over the border.

"We failed to convince you and a majority of Americans that we were serious about securing the border," McCain told Swinford.

After the speech, Swinford said she was pleased McCain gave her an honest answer. If he continues what he's doing, she said, she'll support him.

McCain also said yesterday he believes changes in veterans' care will be expensive, but needed. He was reacting to a presidential commission's report, released Wednesday, that recommended sweeping changes to veterans' care that would that would boost benefits for family members helping the wounded, establish an easy-to-use Web site for medical records and overhaul the way disability pay is awarded.

McCain said the system, as it stands, is often "bureaucratically cumbersome" for veterans. McCain said the war is just as tough on soldiers in Iraq than it was on soldiers of previous generations.

"Every American that I've met supports the men and women who are serving and, believe me, it means a great deal to them," said McCain, a former prisoner of war.

The nine-member panel, led by former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., and Donna Shalala, health and human services secretary during the Clinton administration, also recommended stronger partnerships between the Pentagon and the private sector to boost treatment for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

About six of the 35 proposals require legislation, while the rest call for action primarily by the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs. The expected price tag for the whole package was about $500 million each year, with added costs that could push it to $1 billion in later years.

McCain also reiterated his support for continued fighting in Iraq, saying pulling out would cause chaos in the region. He said he understands why Americans are skeptical of the war, but insisted progress is being made.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.