and on the other side we have another insomnia advocate

Bush, Speaking to Veterans, Says Iraq May Not Be Last Strike

By DAVID STOUT

ASHINGTON, Aug. 26 - President Bush defended his policy on
Iraq today, declaring that the United States had struck a blow against
terrorism in
overthrowing the government of Saddam Hussein. And Mr. Bush
said the United States might carry out other pre-emptive strikes.

``No nation can be neutral in the struggle between civilization and
chaos,'' Mr. Bush told members of the American Legion gathered in St.
Louis for the
group's convention.

``We've adopted a new strategy for a new kind of war,'' Mr. Bush said,
to loud applause. ``We will not wait for known enemies to strike us
again. We will
strike them in their camps or caves or wherever they hide, before they
hit more of our cities and kill more of our citizens.''

``We will do everything in our power to deny terrorists weapons of mass
destruction before they can commit murder on an unimaginable scale,''
Mr. Bush
said. ``The security of this nation, and our friends, requires decisive
action, and with a broad coalition, we're taking that action around the
globe. We are on
the offensive against terror, and we will stay on the offensive against
terror.''

The president also repeated his vision of a Palestinian state living in
peace with Israel. But he added, ``A Palestinian state will never be
built on the foundation
of violence,'' and he said organizations that helped to finance Middle
East terrorism under the guise of charitable giving must be thwarted.

Mr. Bush's message of patriotism, conveyed with images from the beaches
of Normandy in World War II to the sand of Iraq, seemed to go over well
with the
American Legion. So did his call for respect for the Stars and Stripes.

``Having fought under the American flag and seen it folded and given to
families of your friends, you are committed, as am I, to protecting the
dignity of the
flag and the Constitution of the United States,'' he said, to loud
cheers.

Mr. Bush has never accused Iraq under Saddam Hussein of a direct role in
the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But he has said many times that Mr.
Hussein and his
followers are of the same ilk as Al Qaeda terrorists. He asserted again
today that what is left of Al Qaeda - ``wounded yet not destroyed'' -
knows that the
overthrow of Saddam Hussein ``is a defeat for them.''

Mr. Bush was to head back this evening to his ranch in Texas, where he
is vacationing. Part of his day in St. Louis included a Republican
fund-raiser for
Senator Christopher S. Bond, who is running for re-election in 2004. Mr.
Bush carried Missouri and its 11 electoral votes in 2000, taking just
over 50 percent
of the popular vote. Vice President Al Gore got just over 47 percent,
with Ralph Nader taking the remainder.
-- -Kraig Grady
North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island
http://www.anaphoria.com
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