WASHINGTON - Comparing his war on terrorism to World War II, United States President George W. Bush vowed yesterday that he would "seize this moment" to carry his fight to wherever it was needed.
Some leading Democrats have questioned Bush's strategy in taking the war past Afghanistan.
So far the US is helping the Governments of the Philippines, Georgia and Yemen.
Bush has also offered help to other nations committed to cracking down on militants linked to al Qaeda.
"I can assure you I am not going to blink, and I'm not going to get tired, because I know what is at stake," Bush said during a news conference.
"History has called us to action and I am going to seize this moment for the good of the world, for peace in the world and for freedom."
Bush insisted the US had a "clear mission" in its war on terrorism and dismissed any similarity with Vietnam, where America got bogged down in a quagmire and ultimately lost more than 50,000 troops.
"I believe this war is more akin to World War II than it is to Vietnam," he said. "This is a war in which we fight for the liberties and freedom of our country."
He added: "There was too much politics during the Vietnam War. There was too much concern in the White House about political standing."
Bush's policy in the second phase of the war is to deny sanctuary to al Qaeda-linked militants wherever they might be.
But he pledged the US would not wantonly deploy troops to meet the goal. He also ruled out a military draft.
"The idea of denying sanctuary is vital to protect America," he said. "and we're going to be obviously judicious and wise about how we deploy troops.
"I learned some good lessons about Vietnam. First, there must be a clear mission. Secondly, the politics ought to stay out of fighting a war."
Asked if the US would be willing to go into countries such as Indonesia and Somalia where its troops would probably not be welcome, he left the question open.
"Let me put it to you this way. We will take actions necessary to protect American people. And I'm going to leave it at that."
* US Vice-President Dick Cheney gained valuable Arab support yesterday for the pressure campaign against Iraq.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Egypt would push Iraq to accept international arms inspectors.
"We will try hard with Saddam Hussein to accept the UN inspectors to go there," Mubarak said at a joint news conference with Cheney.
"We are going to meet some of his special envoys and tell them that this is a must."
Asked whether Saddam should be toppled if he did not admit inspectors, Mubarak left the door open to further action.
"If there is nothing happening, we'll find out what could be done in that direction," he said.
Cheney is on a tour of 11 Middle East states seeking support for the US-led war on terrorism and its goal of keeping weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of Saddam.
Mubarak's comments on Iraq were a welcome development for Cheney, whose Middle East swing got off to a rocky start when Jordan's King Abdullah warned him against attacking Iraq.
Mubarak said he understood that Saddam would accept the return of the inspectors, through negotiations with the United Nations.
The US has insisted on unconditional inspections of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capabilities.
Mubarak also offered cautions on Iraq, saying "every possible effort" should be made to resolved the impasse over weapons inspections "without inflicting more suffering on the Iraqi people".
He said it was also vital to maintain Iraq's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
- REUTERS
Story archives:
Links: War against terrorism
Timeline: Major events since the Sept 11 attacks
Bush vows to 'seize the moment'
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
