Bush Braces Troops for War

President Bush told thousands of troops here Friday to be prepared for a possible war against Iraq, declaring they would be fighting “not to conquer anybody but to liberate people” if Saddam Hussein does not comply with U.N. demands to rid his country of weapons of mass destruction.

While stopping short of predicting war, he portrayed a possible conflict in Iraq “in the coming months” as part of the broader war against terrorism and not just a matter of bringing “a bunch of cold-blooded killers” to justice.

“America seeks more than the defeat of terror,” he told the cheering troops. “We seek the advance of human freedom in a world at peace. That is the charge history has given us, and that is the charge we will keep.”

The president’s remarks on Iraq came a day after he denounced North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in highly personal terms.

Bush’s seesawing remarks between Iraq and North Korea underscored his crowded foreign policy agenda at a time when analysts and some lawmakers are expressing concern about the Bush administration’s ability to focus on two confrontations half a world apart.

The president himself perhaps unwittingly revealed those tensions earlier in the week. During a brief question-and-answer period Thursday, Bush interrupted a reporter as she began to ask him: “If we do have to go to war and -- “

“With which country?” Bush asked.

In his address to the troops here, the president drew a distinction between his approaches in dealing with Iraq and North Korea, as he has done previously.

Even when confronting “the threat of outlaw regimes who seek weapons of mass destruction,” Bush said, “different circumstances require different strategies -- from the pressure of diplomacy, to the prospect of force.”

Bush has adopted a bellicose stance toward Baghdad, as he methodically assembled an international coalition that is prepared to forcibly disarm Iraq. By contrast, he has chosen the diplomatic route to deal with Pyongyang’s efforts to expand its nuclear arsenal.

“In the case of North Korea, the world must continue to speak with one voice -- to turn that regime away from its nuclear ambitions,” the president said.

“In the case of Iraq, the world has already spoken with one voice. The Iraqi regime has a duty under Security Council resolutions to declare and destroy all of its weapons of mass destruction. That’s what the world has said. That’s what the United States expects from Saddam Hussein.”

Bush went on to call Iraq “a grave threat” to America, and denounced its failure to account for its large stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons.

“The Iraqi dictator did not even attempt to submit a credible declaration,” the president said. “We can now be certain that he holds the United Nations and the U.N. Security Council and its resolutions in contempt.”

Still, Bush left Hussein a way out.

“Saddam Hussein knows precisely what he can and must do to avoid conflict,” the president said. “And even now, he could end his defiance and dramatically change directions.... We certainly prefer voluntary compliance by Iraq.”

Bush spoke to about 4,000 Army personnel in a gymnasium at Ft. Hood, which already has dispatched 1,300 of its troops abroad, from Kuwait to South Korea. An additional 1,600 base personnel are preparing for overseas deployment.

Still others, as Bush noted, may soon join them on “essential missions.”

“We’re being tested,” he said. “We can’t wait for another attack to employ the full power of America in this cause. We’re acting now to protect the American people and to shape a future of peace.... This war, like others, is not going to be won on the defensive. So we’re going to take this fight to the enemy.”

Time and again, the soldiers responded to Bush’s remarks with a collective “Hoo-ah” -- an Army Rangers cheer that signifies approval.

Bush, who was accompanied by First Lady Laura Bush and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, saw a demonstration of an Abrams tank, a Bradley Fighting Vehicle, a mobile command center, an Apache helicopter and a Paladin howitzer.

Ft. Hood, which bills itself as “Home of America’s Hammer,” is the base of operations for the 1st Cavalry Division, a highly mobile unit that relies on helicopters and tanks. The base also is home to the 4th Infantry Division, which uses advanced digital systems far more sophisticated than those used in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Ft. Hood supplied 25,000 soldiers for that conflict, but few of its troops have been involved in Afghanistan, according to a base spokesman.

Bush’s visit here came as he neared the end of a two-week holiday break at his ranch near Crawford, Texas. He is to return to Washington on Sunday.

After his address here, the president had lunch in a base cafeteria with 13 soldiers, including two from California: Sgt. Kenneth Burdick, communications expert from San Bernardino; and Spc. Maurice A. Peoples, a mechanic from Los Angeles.

Bush ate roast beef, mashed potatoes and a serving of corn. But he turned down the broccoli.