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Bush speaks at West Point

In a speech to graduates, the president likens the war on terrorism to battling the Cold War threat of communism.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published May 28, 2006

WEST POINT, N.Y. - The 861 Army cadets President Bush addressed on Saturday gleefully tossed their caps into the air to mark their graduation, their futures tied to the war against terror.

"The reality of war has surrounded you since your first moments at this academy," Bush told the first class to arrive at the U.S. Military Academy after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Bush told the graduates that the future of U.S. security rests with their ability to lead a march for freedom across the globe, especially in the Middle East.

"My call to you is this: Trust in the power of freedom, and be bold in freedom's defense," he said.

Bush's advice to the graduates, clad in white slacks and gray jackets, came during a 35-minute foreign policy address in which he likened the war against Islamic radicals to the Cold War threat of communism.

"The war began on my watch, but it's going to end on your watch," he said. "Your generation will bring us victory in the war on terror."

While Bush addressed the graduates, about 250 protesters marched with mock coffins outside the academy's grounds.

In his speech, the president took a subtle jab at Syria and the nuclear ambitions of Iran, and said decades of excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to keep America safe.

"This is only the beginning," Bush said. "The message has spread from Damascus to Tehran that the future belongs to freedom, and we will not rest until the promise of liberty reaches every people in every nation."

Last year's graduating class was dubbed the "Class of 9/11" because the attacks occurred just weeks into their plebe year.

President Truman told the class of 1952 at West Point that the push for global peace depended on the active and vigorous work to bring about freedom and justice across the world.

"That same principle continues to guide us in today's war on terror," said Bush, who compared his moment in presidential history to that of Truman's.

Bush also recounted his strategy for fighting terrorism, saying that the U.S. continues to view anyone who harbors a terrorist equally guilty of being a terrorist. He received loud applause, muffled only by the cadets' white gloves, when he told of his doctrine of pre-emptive strikes, attacking enemies abroad before they can attack U.S. soil.

President's radio address cites courage, sacrifice of veterans

WASHINGTON - In his weekly radio address, President Bush on Saturday also celebrated the contributions of veterans and active-duty military ahead of the Memorial Day holiday, saying that the service of U.S. troops in Iraq has produced democracy for that country and have helped make Americans safer.

"Because of their courage and sacrifices, Iraq has a free government that will be a strong and capable ally in the global war on terror," the president said.

To commemorate Memorial Day on Monday, Bush is scheduled to make remarks at Arlington National Cemetery and will place a wreath at the cemetery's Tomb of the Unknowns.

The president also is to sign legislation to bar demonstrators from disrupting military funerals at national cemeteries.

[Last modified May 28, 2006, 05:39:39]