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Bush, Speaking to Veterans, Says Iraq May Not Be Last Strike
By DAVID STOUT
ASHINGTON, Aug. 26 - President Bush defended his policy on Iraq today, declaring that the United States had struck a blow against terrorism in overthrowing the government of Saddam Hussein. And Mr. Bush said the United States might carry out other pre-emptive strikes.
``No nation can be neutral in the struggle between civilization and chaos,'' Mr. Bush told members of the American Legion gathered in St. Louis for the group's convention.
``We've adopted a new strategy for a new kind of war,'' Mr. Bush said, to loud applause. ``We will not wait for known enemies to strike us again. We will strike them in their camps or caves or wherever they hide, before they hit more of our cities and kill more of our citizens.''
``We will do everything in our power to deny terrorists weapons of mass destruction before they can commit murder on an unimaginable scale,'' Mr. Bush said. ``The security of this nation, and our friends, requires decisive action, and with a broad coalition, we're taking that action around the globe. We are on the offensive against terror, and we will stay on the offensive against terror.''
The president also repeated his vision of a Palestinian state living in peace with Israel. But he added, ``A Palestinian state will never be built on the foundation of violence,'' and he said organizations that helped to finance Middle East terrorism under the guise of charitable giving must be thwarted.
Mr. Bush's message of patriotism, conveyed with images from the beaches of Normandy in World War II to the sand of Iraq, seemed to go over well with the American Legion. So did his call for respect for the Stars and Stripes.
``Having fought under the American flag and seen it folded and given to families of your friends, you are committed, as am I, to protecting the dignity of the flag and the Constitution of the United States,'' he said, to loud cheers.
Mr. Bush has never accused Iraq under Saddam Hussein of a direct role in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But he has said many times that Mr. Hussein and his followers are of the same ilk as Al Qaeda terrorists. He asserted again today that what is left of Al Qaeda - ``wounded yet not destroyed'' - knows that the overthrow of Saddam Hussein ``is a defeat for them.''
Mr. Bush was to head back this evening to his ranch in Texas, where he is vacationing. Part of his day in St. Louis included a Republican fund-raiser for Senator Christopher S. Bond, who is running for re-election in 2004. Mr. Bush carried Missouri and its 11 electoral votes in 2000, taking just over 50 percent of the popular vote. Vice President Al Gore got just over 47 percent, with Ralph Nader taking the remainder. |
