Bush Warns of 'totalitarian Islamic empire' in Iraq

Invoking the name of the Sept. 11, 2001 mastermind, President Bush today vowed to prevent al Qaeda from establishing a violent "totalitarian Islamic empire" in Iraq, which he called the ultimate goal of Osama bin Laden.

"We know what the terrorists intend to do because they've told us," said Bush in a speech related to the release earlier today of an updated National Strategy for Combating Terrorism. "They hope to establish a violent political utopia across the Middle East, which they call a 'Caliphate' -- where all would be ruled according to their hateful ideology. Osama bin Laden has called the 9/11 attacks -- in his words -- 'a great step towards the unity of Muslims and establishing the Righteous Caliphate.'"

Quoting from recent video taped messages purported to feature bin Laden, President Bush likened bin Laden to Vladimir Lenin and Adolf Hitler, and told the Military Officers Association of America that he had no intention of planning immediate troop withdrawals from Iraq. "If we retreat from Iraq, if we don't uphold our duty to support those who are desirous to live in liberty 50 years from now, history will look back on our time with unforgiving clarity and demand to know why we did not act," he said. "I'm not going to allow this to happen and no future American president can allow it either."

Also See:
Full Transcript of President Bush's Speech
White House Releases New Terror War Strategy