US President Bush said Thursday that "Islamic radicals" are seeking to "enslave whole nations and intimidate the world," and called that a prime reason not to cut and run in Iraq.
"There's always a temptation in the middle of a long struggle to seek the quiet life, to escape the duties and problems of the world and to hope the enemy grows weary of fanaticism and tired of murder," he said.
In a speech before the National Endowment for Democracy, Bush said Islamist groups have made Iraq their major front in a war against civilized society. "The militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the region and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia," Bush stated.
Bush likened the ideology of Muslim militants to communism. And he said they are being "aided by elements of the Arab news media that incites hatred and anti-Semitism." "Against such an enemy, there's only one effective response: We never back down, never give in and never accept anything less than complete victory," Bush declared.
"We are facing a radical ideology with immeasurable objectives to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world," Bush said. Bush sressed the "terrorists" are aided by corrupt charities that direct money to terrorist activities and nations, such as Syria and Iran, calling them "allies of convenience" that back terrorists.
"The terrorists regard Iraq as the central front in the war against humanity. And we must recognize Iraq as the central front in our war on terror," he said.
"Our commitment is clear - we will not relent until the organized international terror networks are exposed and broken and their leaders held to account for their acts of murder," Bush said.
"With every random bombing, and with every funeral of a child, it becomes more clear that the extremists are not patriots, or resistance fighters," Bush said. "They are murderers at war with the Iraqi people themselves."
Bush vowed not to retreat from Iraq or from the broader war on terrorism. "We will keep our nerve and we will win that victory," he said.
