John McCain is outlining what voters can expect by the end of his first term if they elect him president.

The Republican presidential candidate says that by 2013, Iraq still may be suffering from decades of sectarian tension, but it will be "a functioning democracy." He says there may be "spasmodic" violence there and in Afghanistan but it will be considerably reduced. He also predicts that Osama bin Laden will either be dead or captured.

McCain says he'll make sure government spending has been curbed, by using his veto pen if all else fails.

He's also conceding that he won't be able to accomplish any of it alone. He says the "mindless, paralyzing rancor" of partisan politics must come to an end, and pledges to usher in an "era of problem solving." McCain says he'll hold weekly news conferences and British-style question periods in joint meetings of Congress.