Columbus, Ohio–

John McCain spoke about an old foe this evening, not a political opponent but cancer. He addressed the LIVESTRONG summit–a town hall sponsored by the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The conference focused on the discussion of all issues surrounding cancer: treatment, health insurance, funding, care, and eradication of the disease. The goal of the summit is to “make cancer part of the national dialogue and advance progress in the cancer fight.”

McCain had prepared remarks, but left them to speak about his own battle with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, which he fought in four separate instances:

“I was in a battle not a war, like some of the people–brave Americans that Lance just pointed out, but I was in a battle with melanoma and I know and I know somewhat at least to a small degree how tough that battle can be,” McCain said, “We all know especially from a state like Arizona that I love dearly. Arizona gets a lot of sun in Arizona and we know the rising incidences just of melanoma in my state and we know about the tragedy and havoc.”

He didn’t get into his personal struggle, but said enough to identify with the survivors and family members in the audience. They gave the candidate a standing ovation at the end of his address.

McCain pledged to increase funding to the National Cancer Institute as president, but wouldn’t commit to an exact amount—even when pressed by the event’s hosts, Lance Armstrong and journalist Paula Zahn.

McCain told the crowd that he quit smoking after being a two-pack a day smoker and said that in the Senate he worked on legislation to curb the use of tobacco products. He said the tobacco lobby defeated him and that there was an agreement made with the tobacco companies and the United States’ attorneys general to use cigarette tax money for cancer treatment and anti-tobacco advertising. But, the funds are not being used properly.

The mention lead Paula Zahn to ask McCain several questions about his faith in the United States Congress. After the candidate’s speech, there was a discussion with the hosts and Zahn asked McCain if he would support a federal tax on tobacco. McCain said he would not because he is not confident that the money would go to anti-tobacco advertising, “So my first thing that would have to happen is I’d have to be assured that that money could be put in the right place, and to tell you the trust, I am not confident that the Congress of the United States would do that.”

Upon hearing that, Zahn pressed McCain on the cigarette tax asking if he could be persuaded if he was sure the money was going to the right place. McCain said he does not trust Congress, “It would have to be proven and frankly the constitution of this Congress, they couldn’t prove it to me, because I don’t believe them. I don’t. I’ve seen corruption in the Congress, okay? We have former members of Congress now residing in federal prison. So, we’d have to clean up Congress, and I think the American people are ready to do that.”

Zahn continued to ask the Republican nominee-in-waiting about his distrust of Congress asking if he meant that members of Congress were being bought and sold by the powerful tobacco lobby. He answered that the reason that his legislation failed was the influence of tobacco companies on Congress and that, “the tobacco companies played a very big role in making sure that legislation did not pass the United States Senate.”

Zahn asked if Congress feared the tobacco lobby and McCain said just the opposite and instead members of Congress were rewarded by, “campaign contributions and many other ways, there’s many ways that that happens in Washington.” McCain often rails against “out-of-control spending” by Congress and cutting Congressional earmarks, but tonight McCain went further telling the audience that he does not trust Congress— a stinging rebuke for the place he has worked for over 25 years.

The speech was not without some politics and some humor. He mentioned his opponent’s trip to Europe and after days of jabbing the press covering Barack Obama he continued, “Well now you have billed this event as a Presidential Town Hall, and I sincerely hope that the next president is here this evening. My opponent, of course, is traveling in Europe, and tomorrow his tour takes him to France. In a scene that Lance would recognize, a throng of adoring fans awaits Senator Obama in Paris — and that’s just the American press.”

Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor made it clear that his organization does not endorse either candidate and ended the town hall with a message for John McCain’s rival, “Senator Obama could not be here, but he does not get a pass, we fully expect senator Obama to talk about the same issues and we expect him to talk about the very same disease. We will make sure that he tells us that.”