Bush: War is Ideological Struggle of 21st Century

President Bush is trying to rally support for the war on terror. He has launched a series of speeches that will lead up to a major address at the united nations in mid-September. In Utah Thursday, the President's focused on Iraq as part of the struggle between freedom and terror in the Middle East. With the spectre of the 5th anniversary of Sept. 11 looming, Bush told a crowd of American Legion veterans withdrawal from Iraq could not be more wrong. "The war we fight today is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century," said Bush. Bush described Iraq as key to a struggle pitting America and the West against a worldwide network of radicals who see free societies as a threat to Islam. He compared America’s enemies to the fascists, Nazis, and communists of the past. And like them, Bush said, today's terrorists – including al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and Hezbollah-- fight against the advance of freedom opposing democracies in Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Iraq. He said the battle for Iraq is central to the ideological struggle. Bush stated that although the war will be difficult and long, America won't leave until victory is achieved. "If we give up in the streets of Baghdad, we'll face terrorists in the streets of our own cities. We can stop fighting them in other parts of the world, but they'll not stop fighting us," he said. The White House said the President's speeches on the freedom agenda aren't intended to be political. Still, Bush’s call to stay the course in Iraq is sure to be a focal point for Republicans and Democrats during this fall's midterm elections.