Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is criticizing Republican rival John McCain for questioning his patriotism and his judgment on national security matters.

Obama told the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Orlando, Florida, that McCain was wrong to support the invasion of Iraq.

McCain addressed the group Monday and said Obama had sought to "legislate failure" in the Iraq conflict. McCain also suggested that Obama had placed political ambition before victory in Iraq -- a claim the Illinois senator rejected.

"Instead of just offering policy answers, he turned to a typical laundry list of political attacks," Obama said. "He can run that kind of campaign ... but I believe the American people are better than that."