LYNCHBURG, Va., May 13 (UPI) -- Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., got a standing ovation at Liberty University in Virginia Saturday, but some students questioned his motive for being there.
McCain delivered the commencement address at the Rev. Jerry Falwell's evangelical school in Lynchburg, six years after McCain attacked Falwell during the 2002 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.
McCain urged graduates students to "be respectful of the goodness in each other."
"I have not always heeded this injunction myself, and I regret it very much," he said.
His tone seemed well-suited to mend fences with evangelical leaders, The Los Angeles Times reported.
McCain urged his audience to debate contentious issues, including the war in Iraq.
"It has cost the lives of nearly 2,500 of the best of us," he said. "It has taken innocent life. It has imposed an enormous financial burden on our economy."
However, McCain said he supports the war because "my country's interests and values required it."
Many in the audience either did not know about past differences between McCain and Falwell, or seemed willing to put it behind them -- while others were saw his appearance as a cynical act of political self promotion, the newspaper said.
