NASHUA – Republican presidential candidate John McCain criticized the decision to destroy CIA interrogation tapes yesterday, saying it confirms enemy suspicions the United States engages in illegal interrogation tactics.

With McCain "as President of the United States, we will never torture another person in the custody of the United States of America," the Arizona senator said.

With one month to go before New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation presidential primary, McCain spoke yesterday at a town hall meeting at a senior center. Well-received by the standing-room-only crowd, he nevertheless faced tough questions on Iraq, climate change and immigration, among other topics.

Challenged on his position on illegal immigrants -- he has been accused of promoting amnesty after co-sponsoring a bill that would allow a path to citizenship for illegals -- McCain said, "I got the message."

He said he would make sure U.S. borders are secure before addressing potential citizenship for any of the estimated 12 million people who are in the country illegally, but, he added, "We have to try to address this issue in as humane a way as possible."

Many of the questions from the audience were on national security issues -- an area in which he is well qualified, McCain said, given his experience in the military and the 5 1/2 years he spent as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

One man questioned McCain's assertion that troops in Iraq want the U.S. to stay in the fight until it's won.

"They don't like it there," McCain said. "They don't want to be there "¦ but they don't want us to pull out of Iraq, because they want us to succeed."

Judi Easton, of Nashua, said she is a registered independent who is committed to voting for McCain in the upcoming primary.

"I think he's a very decent human being," she said, adding she agrees with McCain on most issues, even though she doesn't consider herself conservative.

Another Nashua resident, Edgar Henry, said the most important issue to him is national security, which is why he is deciding between supporting McCain and fellow Republican Rudy Giuliani.

After Henry asked McCain about the "Fair Tax" -- a plan to replace the income tax with a national sales tax -- McCain, who is on the record as opposing the plan, said he would send Henry more information about the proposal, adding he does believe in simplifying the tax code.