President Bush says there has been progress in the campaign against terrorism. But at the same time, he is urging Americans to be patient and look to the long term.
The President says there has been progress on many fronts.
He says the flow of money to terrorist groups is being choked off, the military is being deployed, and many other countries are showing support for the United States. President Bush said, "This mighty nation will not rest until we protect ourselves, our citizens, and freedom loving people around the world."
Mr. Bush says some victories will come easily and others will take time. Well aware that polls show many Americans want quick action, he says this is different kind of war. "We are a patient nation," he said. "We are a nation that has got a long term view. A nation that has come to realize that in order to make freedom prevail, the evildoers will be forced to run and eventually be brought to justice."
The President also stresses that the war against terrorism is not just being waged against suspected mastermind Osama Bin Laden and his al-Qaida organization. He says U.S. authorities arrested a man this past weekend in connection with a 1986 hijacking of an American airliner over Pakistan in which two U.S. citizens were killed.
Mr. Bush calls him a "known terrorist" who has already served 14 years in Pakistan for the crime. But the President says he was still wanted in the United States for the deaths of the two Americans. "This terrorist," he said, "by the name of Zayd Hassan Safarini, is not affiliated with al-Qaida. Yet he is an example of the wider war on terrorism and what we intend to do."
The comments came during a visit to the government agency that handles disaster relief. Employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency are used to dealing with acts of nature. Now, says the president, they are helping the nation recover from acts of war.