Bush Likens Era to the Cold War

Bush told the graduates of the United States Military Academy that "the final outcome depends on your leadership."

"The war began on my watch -- but it's going to end on your watch," he said during a brief appearance under gloomy skies in West Point, N.Y., before returning to Camp David outside Washington for the weekend. "Your generation will bring us victory in the war on terror.

"My call to you is this: Trust in the power of freedom, and be bold in freedom's defense," he continued. "Show leadership and courage -- and not just on the battlefield. Take risk, try new things, and challenge the established way of doing things. Trust in your convictions, stay true to yourselves -- and one day the world will celebrate your achievements."

In addressing commencement at West Point, Bush was fulfilling a tradition of speaking to graduates each year at a military academy. But Saturday's speech came as public confidence has plummeted in his leadership -- particularly in his policies toward Iraq.

It was no coincidence that Bush, whose approval ratings are mired in the low 30s, mentioned Truman -- who was controversial in his time but is now viewed by many as one of the nation's great presidents.

Bush appeared with the cadets two days after he and British Prime Minister Tony Blair used a rare joint news conference to point to victories in Iraq, though they both admitted missteps in a war that has grown far bloodier and more protracted than either expected.

Bush's parallels with Truman underscored White House efforts to minimize the effect of day-to-day setbacks on public opinion and to couch the effort in broad historical terms that might help soothe discontent as Republicans seek to retain power despite an already bruising campaign year.

Many surveys show that the war, along with high gas prices and ethics scandals, could lead to widespread GOP losses -- potentially strangling any hope for Bush to enact his agenda during his last two years in office.

The president listed what he said were similarities between the Truman-era birth of the Cold War and his own decisions to invade Iraq: enemies, he said, who pursue a "murderous ideology that despises freedom, crushes all dissent, has territorial ambitions, and pursues totalitarian aims."