Bush says US 'at war'

AFP via Yahoo! News ^ | Sunday September 16, 12:43 AM | AFP

[Pericles]

Sunday September 16, 12:43 AM

Bush says US 'at war'

CAMP DAVID, Maryland, Sept 15 (AFP) - President George W. Bush declared the United States "at war" Saturday against "barbarians" who led terrorist strikes on New York and Washington, including the man he called the "prime suspect:" Osama bin Laden.

"We're at war," said Bush, who met at the presidential retreat here with top national security aides to plan what he promised in his weekly radio address will be a "sweeping, sustained, and effective" retaliation for the attacks.

"The conflict will not be short," he said five days after hijackers used fuel-heavy airliners as guided missiles, levelling the World Trade Center and hitting the Pentagon in attacks that may have killed more than 5,000 people.

For the first time, Bush confirmed what senior US officials have been saying all week: bin Laden, a Saudi extremist who allegedly runs a global terrorist network from bases in Afghanistan, "is what we would call a prime suspect."

"If he thinks he can hide and run from the United States and our allies, he will be sorely mistaken," Bush told reporters, vowing to do "whatever it takes ... for as long as it takes" to hunt down and punish those responsible.

"We will find those who did it. We will smoke them out of their holes, we'll get them running, and we'll bring them to justice," said Bush, who on Friday visited weary emergency workers combing the ruins of the twin World Trade Center towers, and has seen first hand the devastation wrought at the Pentagon.

The US leader again delivered a stern warning to nations that turn a blind eye to terrorists on their soil: "Those who fed them, those who housed them, those who harbored terrorists will be held accountable for this action."

Bush cautioned those who would read the nation's heartbreak -- or his own squelched tears in recent public appearances -- as a sign of weakness.

"Behind the sadness and the exhaustion, there is a desire by the American people to not seek only revenge but to win a war against barbaric behavior, people that hate freedom and hate what we stand for," he said.

"I will not settle for a token act. Our response must be sweeping, sustained and effective. We have much do to, and much to ask of the American people," he cautioned his fellow citizens.

"You will be asked for your patience; for, the conflict will not be short. You will be asked for resolve; for, the conflict will not be easy. You will be asked for your strength, because the course to victory may be long," he said.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell praised the global outpouring of support for the United States, singling out Pakistan -- neighbor to Afghanistan, where bin Laden resides -- for offering "whatever might be required" by Washington.

And Powell also said international pledges of support and cooperation with the United States were forging "a coalition that will stay intact, that will be built upon over time."

"We have to do is not just go after these perpetrators, and those who gave them haven, but the whole curse of terrorism that is upon the face of the earth. And this is a campaign that we have begun this week and we will stick with it until we are successful," said Powell.

[Pericles]

[DCBryan1]

YOUR DAMN RIGHT WE ARE AT WAR! LOOK AND LET THESE IMAGES BURN INTO YOUR MIND FOREVER AND FILL YOU WITH TERRIBLE RESOLVE FOR JUSTICE!

This is an American! Some mother's son! Avenge his death!

NEVER FORGET!

NEVER FORGIVE!</font size>

These are dead Parents, Sons, Daughters, Brothers, Sisters, Friends, Family, Americans!

NEVER FORGET!

NEVER FORGIVE!</font size>

[Pericles]

With this thou shall conquer

[Pericles]

NEVER EVER!!!

[patriciaruth]

"You will be asked for your patience; for, the conflict will not be short. You will be asked for resolve; for, the conflict will not be easy. You will be asked for your strength, because the course to victory may be long"--President George W. Bush.

[Anonymous2]

the war we refused to acknowledge has hit home and now we shall make it completely undesirable to harbor, finance, support or even cheer murdering terrorists.

[Japedo]

But the top of this says Sunday September 16, 12:43 AM Its not That time anywhere in the USA right now, and its still Sat. here.....??? what am I missing?

[lormand]

"Our government has been too busy putting 100,000 donut cops out on our steets and declaring war on the American people with SWAT nazis to bother with silly little things like TERRORISTS. Now we have to call up 50,000 reservists to defend ourselves!"

DemocRATS threw out the ballot boxes of our Military personel in last years Presidential election, yet they want the sons and daughters who are still alive and failed to get aborted to fight and win this war. My blood boils in RAGE!

[Pericles]

You do know the earth rotates on its axis, right? What time is it in Europe right now?

[TransOxus]

If the attack is only on Afghanistan, then the U.S. will fail again to curb the true evil. Pakistan is a snake in the grass like Clinton's pal Arafat. Every Middle Eastern country should get their full share of nuclear assured destruction from Uncle Sam until they convert to Christianity and become a vassal state of the U.S.- supplying oil and cheap Arab slave labor with no immigration allowed.

[lormand]

UNLEASH THE DOGS OF WAR!

[BurkeanCyclist]

I don't mean to carp, but I would wish for one change in the rhetoric. Instead of "punish," officials should say "destroy."

[ItsBacon]

He got this from AFP through Yahoo Singapore.

[Japedo]

DONT demean me, YOU have this as posted from Yahoo, with NO time zone other then USA on it. ITS NOT sunday here is all that's all im saying, ITS NOT SUNDAY in camp david either! SO tell me where this "NEWS" is comming from?? BUSH declared "WAR" already the day this happend on who ever did this! THIS is not "breaking news"!

[Japedo]

Okay, thank you, thats all I wanted to know.! :)

[FReethesheeples]

bump

[Pericles]

all our nerves are on edge these days. After the congressional vote, it is official we ar at war and this was Bush's first official announcement as such.

[The Old Hoosier]

"I will not settle for a token act. Our response must be sweeping, sustained and effective. We have much do to, and much to ask of the American people," he cautioned his fellow citizens.

[good1]

I have been hearing about the huge task of eradicating all of the "terrorists cells" in many countries. I don't think we should be too worried about these at this time. The most important thing right now is to cut these cells off at the root, i.e. Afganistan, Pakistan, the PLO, Lybia, Syria, etc. If we cut off their means of support and money, they will be seriously hindered in manifesting the hate in their hearts. Later, we can take up the work of rooting out and destroying these cells.

The Taliban and Iraq have been begging for the top spots on our hit list, and I think they should have it. It would be good to go into these countries;, destroy their chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons; conviscate their nation's treasuries and inform them that they have made a nice contribution to the victim's families, fire fighters, police officers, and service members who were murdered Sept. 11th. If any monies remain after this, it will be used to rebuild the WTC and Pentagon; thank you very much.