War on terror winnable, Bush says

President Bush declared at two campaign stops Tuesday that the United States can win the war on terrorism, although it might never lead to a formal peace treaty.

Bush used speeches in Nashville, Tenn., and Alleman, Iowa, to clarify a statement he made on NBC on Monday that raised questions about his outlook in the war on terror.

When asked on the "Today" show if the United States could win the war on terror, Bush said: "I don't think we can win it. But I think you can create conditions so that those who use terror are less acceptable in parts of the world."

But Bush drew applause Tuesday when he told about 5,000 delegates at the American Legion's annual convention in Nashville, "Make no mistake about it, we are winning and we will win. We will win by staying on the offensive. We will win by spreading liberty."

He repeated that message to about 13,000 supporters later in the day at the Farm Progress Show, an annual agricultural exhibition, in Alleman.

Bush attacked Democratic opponent Sen. John Kerry on Tuesday's campaign swing for not supporting troops in battle and for reversing his support of troop re-deployments from old Cold War theaters of Europe and Asia to more pressing areas in the world. He also said Kerry is inclined to raise taxes.

The president cited a 40 percent increase in spending on veteran services since taking office: "We're getting the job done for our veterans."

But American Legion officials issued a statement shortly before Bush spoke, saying that the president's budget of "$2.5 billion" falls short of what is needed for veterans' health care.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who has taken a more visible role in the president's re-election bid in recent weeks, traveled with Bush the day after delivering a prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention.

In Iowa, McCain affirmed his faith in Bush's commitment to win the war on terror, the centerpiece of the president's re-election bid.

"We're in a struggle, my friends . . . that's going to last for a long time," McCain said. "This president has not wavered. He will not falter. He will not fail. We will not fail. He will lead us for four more years and we will win and we will prevail."

The Kerry campaign said the president is flip-flopping on whether the war on terror can be won.

"What today showed is that George Bush might be able to read a speech saying we can win the war on terror, but as we saw yesterday, he's clearly got real doubts about his ability to do so and with good reason," Kerry spokesman Anthony Coley said.

Kerry will address the American Legion convention Wednesday morning.

The president received several rounds of applause during his roughly 25-minute Nashville speech, but one of the loudest was when he went on the offensive against Kerry.

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