FORT LAUDERDALE  Republican John McCain said he won't try to "separate" himself from a weakened President Bush or his unpopular handling of the war in Iraq to try to win the general election against Barack Obama, who has made opposition to the war a focus of the Democratic campaign.

During an interview Thursday with USA TODAY, McCain also made it clear that he would emphasize his steadiness and experience — particularly on national security issues — to counter the vibrancy and oratory skills that have made Obama a sensation on the campaign trail.

"I believe that people are interested very much in substance," McCain said. "If it was simply style, William Jennings Bryan would have been president." (Bryan, a noted orator, lost three presidential elections as the Democratic nominee in 1896, 1900 and 1908.)

McCain discussed his campaign strategy in broad, general terms but his comments suggest voters will see a significant contrast this fall between the 71-year-old Arizona senator — a Navy veteran who was a prisoner of war during Vietnam — and Obama, 46, the first-term senator who has made history as the first person of color to lead a major-party presidential ticket.

The interview came as McCain, who has waited since March for Democrats to resolve their marathon nomination fight, turns his attention to his newly tapped opponent and tries to assuage disaffected conservatives within the Republican Party.

McCain touched on a range of priorities: the need to create more jobs and help Americans deal with a slumping economy, the role of race in the fall campaign and his search for a running mate.

"I eagerly look forward to the contrast between my experience and knowledge and judgment and (Obama's) inexperience," McCain said.

On Tuesday, as Obama claimed enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination, McCain praised him for his "eloquence and spirited campaign" and then proceeded to say the Democrat was too out of touch with Americans and not ready for the White House.

In the interview, McCain continued to focus on what he called Obama's inexperience, describing him as a novice who believes in "big government" and "doesn't understand."

Americans "didn't find out about me yesterday," said McCain, who has been in the Senate for 21 years. "They're just getting to know Senator Obama," whom McCain noted was once named the most liberal senator by National Journal magazine.

McCain said he believes the biggest difference between him and Obama is how they view the role of the federal government. He contends that Obama wants the government to "make decisions that I think individuals, businesses and families should make."

Obama frequently has criticized McCain as running for Bush's third term — a slap at ties between the two Republicans, especially on Iraq. McCain voted in 2002 to give Bush the authority to use military force against Saddam Hussein's regime, while Obama — who was in the Illinois Legislature at the time — emphasizes that he was against the war from the beginning.

McCain is also a vocal supporter of Bush's "surge" strategy to temporarily boost U.S. troop levels in Iraq as a way to quell sectarian violence. McCain says Obama lacks firsthand knowledge of conditions in Iraq because the Illinois senator has not been there since 2006.

"It's very clear that the surge is winning this war," said McCain, whose most recent trip to Iraq was in March. He said he has no plans to return to Iraq, which he has visited eight times, before the November election.

As for his ties to his onetime rival Bush, McCain stressed that he is not trying to distance himself in the fall to win over independents, who are a key part of the electorate in battlegrounds such as New Hampshire and Oregon.

"I'm not trying to separate myself," he said. "I'm trying to point out my own record and my own plan of action to solve our housing, energy, economic and national security challenges."

However, McCain has criticized Bush's handling of Hurricane Katrina relief as "terrible" and "disgraceful," vowing never to respond as slowly as Bush did to a natural disaster.

McCain also supports mandatory curbs on carbon emissions as a way to reduce global warming; Bush prefers industries cut their pollution voluntarily.

McCain acknowledged he has not given much thought to what would legislation he would send to Congress first. But he said his priority will be to curb federal spending and said "three important aspects" of his campaign will be reform, prosperity and peace.

Among McCain's other comments:

• On town hall meetings with Obama. McCain said he pitched his idea of holding joint town hall meetings with Obama on Wednesday, when he called his Democratic rival to congratulate him on securing the delegates needed for nomination. McCain said Thursday he is still trying to hold an event with Obama next week in New York.

The Obama campaign seemed intrigued by the proposal, and so are others. "We're hearing from cities all over America that are saying, 'Come to our city, we'll make all the arrangements.' " McCain said.

The campaigns have begun to discuss terms, but neither side has made a commitment.

• On picking a running mate. McCain said he hopes to settle on one before the GOP convention starts Sept. 1 in St. Paul, but he offered no timetable.

Late last month, the senator met in Arizona with one of his primary rivals, Mitt Romney, and governors Charlie Crist of Florida and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, but McCain's campaign said the No. 2 slot on the GOP ticket wasn't discussed. Romney has emerged as one of McCain's most active supporters and fundraisers, making several TV appearances on McCain's behalf.

•On campaign finance. McCain, whose campaign nearly unraveled last summer from money woes, said he has not decided whether to accept about $85 million in public financing for the fall campaign.

The senator, author of sweeping changes in 2002 to campaign finance laws aimed at limiting the influence of special interests, has improved his fundraising haul lately but lags far behind Obama, who has set records with his $265 million take so far. McCain has raised about $90 million.