Bush invokes 9/11 in Iraq war

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — President Bush last night warned Americans not to forget the lessons of September 11, declaring that Iraq is the central front in the war on terror and asserting that finishing the military mission there “is vital to the future security of our country.”

“The only way our enemies can succeed is if we forget the lessons of September 11, if we abandon the Iraqi people to men like [Abu Musab] Zarqawi and if we yield the future of the Middle East to men like [Osama] bin Laden. For the sake of our nation’s security, this will not happen on my watch,” he told an audience of 750 troops at Fort Bragg.

The president — delivering a prime-time, televised speech at the home of the 82nd Airborne and Special Operations Forces — acknowledged the “horrifying” TV pictures of death and violence that Americans see each day.

But in his 28-minute speech, he asked and answered a rhetorical question — one that polls show is on the minds of many Americans.

“Amid all the violence, I know Americans ask the question: Is it worth it? It is worth it, and it is vital to the security of our country,” he said.

Mr. Bush said he thinks that despite polls showing Americans are losing confidence in the war, “the American people do not falter under threat, and we will not allow our future to be determined by car bombers and assassins.”

“We have more work to do, and there will be tough moments that test America’s resolve,” he said. “They are trying to shake our will in Iraq — just as they tried to shake our will on September the 11th, 2001. They will fail.”

Mr. Bush again refused to set a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops, but vowed that U.S. forces would “stay in Iraq as long as we are needed — and not a day longer.”

“I recognize that Americans want our troops to come home as quickly as possible. So do I,” he said.

“Setting an artificial timetable would send the wrong message to the Iraqis — who need to know that America will not leave before the job is done. It would send the wrong message to our troops — who need to know that we are serious about completing the mission they are risking their lives to achieve. And it would send the wrong message to the enemy — who would know that all they have to do is to wait us out.”

Before his speech, Mr. Bush met privately with families of 33 Fort Bragg personnel killed in Iraq. One widow gave the president a bracelet engraved with the names of her husband and another soldier killed with him. Mr. Bush wore the bracelet during his speech.

The Army installation, along with the adjacent Pope Air Force Base, has 14,700 troops deployed overseas. According to base officials, 89 persons from the bases have been killed fighting terrorism.

During his speech to troops, the president also rejected calls that he increase U.S. troops in Iraq.

“Sending more Americans would undermine our strategy of encouraging Iraqis to take the lead in this fight,” he said. “And sending more Americans would suggest that we intend to stay forever.”

The audience of troops in dress uniform — who have welcomed the president on previous visits with the official chant of “hoo-ah” — listened respectfully, as they had been asked because of the somber nature of the speech. They applauded only once, when Mr. Bush vowed that the United States “will stay in the fight until the fight is won.”

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