Bush will stress the fight on terrorism to VFW
'This war cannot be won if we treat terrorism primarily as a matter of law enforcement,' President Bush says in remarks prepared for the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
WASHINGTON--President Bush is today renewing his insistence that the fight against terrorism be seen not as a matter of law enforcement but as one requiring the use of "all assets of national power."
In remarks prepared for delivery in Orlando, Fla., to the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Bush is returning to themes at the end of his presidency that he unveiled in the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 -- and setting out markers for his successors..
Without mentioning the two major party candidates vying to succeed him--at least not in the excerpts made public by the White House this morning--Bush makes clear that whoever becomes the 43rd president should adopt his view that attacks in the United States are more than criminal matters.
"This war cannot be won," he says, "if we treat terrorism primarily as a matter of law enforcement."
While law enforcement is essential in fighting such attacks, and some of those responsible for the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center were prosecuted and put in prison, he says, "Al Qaeda terrorists came back to finish the job."
"The lesson of this experience is: in this war, we must use all assets of national power to keep the pressure on the enemy, keep the terrorists on the run, and keep the American people safe from harm," Bush says.
And, in case either Sen. Barack Obama, about to claim the Democratic presidential nomination, or Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee-to-be, should think otherwise, Bush says, "America's future leaders must always remember that the war on terror will be won on the offense--and that is where America's military must stay."
He urged his successor to take full advantage of the expanded intelligence capabilities, including wiretapping, that his administration has won from Congress.
"This administration has used all these tools to stop new attacks," he says. "And these tools will be available for future administrations to protect the American people for years to come."
The president also used the speech to remind his audience of the support the government is providing veterans: The Department of Veterans Affairs, he said, is receiving $94 billion, nearly double the amount it received when he took office nearly eight years ago.
james.gerstenzang@latimes.com
