Bush compares war on terror to World War II
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – President Bush on Wednesday compared the war on terrorism to the epic struggles of World War II and the Cold War and warned that victory could take decades.
In a speech to graduating Air Force Academy cadets, Bush also urged Americans to stand behind the war in Iraq, even in the face of future setbacks. His visit to the military academy came as polls show eroding support for the war and growing dissatisfaction with his handling of it.
The themes of Bush’s speech were familiar, but he offered his most detailed explanation yet of his belief that Iraq is a crucial battleground in the broader war on terrorism. His remarks gave deeper insight into the values beneath his decisions on Iraq and the Middle East and set the tone for a month of high-level diplomacy that will start with his departure today for a three-day trip to Europe.
“This is no time for impatience and self-defeating pessimism. These times demand the kind of courage and confidence that Americans have shown before,” Bush told a supportive crowd in the academy’s Falcon Stadium. “Our enemy can only succeed if we lose our will and faith in our own values.”
The military audience repeatedly interrupted Bush with applause. Their strongest response came when he sought to counter critics who contend that the war in Iraq encouraged more terrorist attacks.
“Would the terrorists who beheaded an American on camera just be quiet, peaceful citizens if America had not liberated Iraq? … America has made a decision about these terrorists. Instead of waiting for them to strike again in our midst, we will take this fight to the enemy,” he said to a standing ovation.
“We are confident of our case in Iraq, but the struggle we have entered will not end with success in Iraq. Overcoming terrorism and bringing greater freedom to the nations of the Middle East is the work of decades,” he said. “Above all, America will need perseverance.”
While acknowledging some key differences, Bush drew several parallels between the war on terrorism and World War II. He said terrorists share a grim ideology with fascists such as Adolf Hitler, one that seeks to crush dissent and personal freedom.
“To the oppressed peoples everywhere, we are offering the great alternative of human liberty,” Bush said. “Like their kind in the past, these murderers have left scars and suffering. And like their kind in the past, they will flame and fail and suffer defeat by free men and women.”
He also said the outcome in Iraq would play a big role in determining whether the Middle East moves toward democracy or becomes a haven for terrorists and oppression.
“Just as events in Europe determined the outcome of the Cold War, events in the Middle East will set the course of our current struggle,” he said. “If that region grows in democracy and prosperity and hope, the terrorist movement will lose its sponsors, lose its recruits and lose the festering grievances that keep terrorists in business.”
Bush also reiterated his determination to spread democracy throughout the region. Just days after 22 foreign workers in Saudi Arabia were killed in a terrorist shootout, he served notice that he will continue to pressure the Saudi royal family to move toward democracy and more personal freedom.
“For decades, free nations tolerated oppression in the Middle East for the sake of stability … I have changed this policy,” he said. “We will expect a higher standard of reform and democracy from our friends in the region.”