'A struggle for civilization'

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NEW YORK -- President Bush yesterday led the nation in silent remembrances for the almost 3,000 victims of the September 11 attacks, hugging family members and standing solemnly for each moment of silence at the three sites where terrorists crashed four hijacked planes that sunny Tuesday morning five years ago.

After the stops in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the president addressed the nation last night, reminding Americans that ever since the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, the United States has been at war in "a struggle for civilization."

"America did not ask for this war, and every American wishes it were over. So do I. But the war is not over, and it will not be over until either we or the extremists emerge victorious," Mr. Bush said. "We are in a war that will set the course for this new century and determine the destiny of millions across the world."

With midterm congressional elections less than two months away and Democrats charging that Mr. Bush is politicizing the fifth anniversary of September 11, the president urged unity and condemned partisan politics.

"Our nation has endured trials, and we face a difficult road ahead. Winning this war will require the determined efforts of a unified country," he said. "So we must put aside our differences and work together to meet the test that history has given us."

At New York's ground zero, a solemn hush fell over the chasm where the Twin Towers once stood. Thousands of people bowed their heads at 8:46 a.m. to mark the time a plane hijacked by al Qaeda militants slammed into the first tower of the World Trade Center.

Seven stories down in the gaping hole where the 110-story skyscrapers once towered over Lower Manhattan, family members who had come to lay roses in a makeshift reflecting pool fell silent again at 9:03 a.m., when the second tower was struck. Twice more, to mark the moments when each tower collapsed, those in the 16-acre pit fell silent.

"Five years from the date of the attack that changed our world, we've come back to remember the valor of those we lost, those who innocently went to work that day and the brave souls who went in after them," said Rudolph W. Giuliani, New York's mayor during the attacks.

In Virginia, at an early morning Pentagon ceremony to honor the 184 persons killed there, Vice President Dick Cheney also urged Americans to stay united and persevere in the global battle against terror and the war in Iraq.

"In the conduct of this war, the world has seen the best that is in our country," Mr. Cheney said. "We will never forget the day the war began, or the way the war began. Our thoughts remain with the victims of 9/11."