Bush Outlines Steps to Close 9/11 Security Gaps

President Bush said Thursday that stepped-up security at home and U.S. operations overseas had made the United States better able to prevent a terrorist strike than it was five years ago. But, he said, “America still faces determined enemies, and we will not be safe until those enemies are finally defeated.”

Delivering what he called a progress report on closing security gaps that the Sept. 11 strikes exposed, the president said the nation had learned it must aggressively seek out terrorists and those who harbor them overseas -- a statement he has made increasingly often as opposition to the war in Iraq has mounted in the United States.

Citing terrorist actions since 2001 in Britain, Russia, Spain, Indonesia and elsewhere, the president said, “We’ve seen that the extremists have not given up on their dreams to strike our nation.”

As he spoke, to an invited audience of Chamber of Commerce officials and others assembled by a public policy research institute in this Atlanta suburb, Senate Democrats in Washington highlighted what they presented as setbacks and mistakes in the anti-terrorism campaign and in Iraq.

The Democrats called for a shift in course to more directly target terrorist operatives and begin to draw down U.S. troops in Iraq.

The Senate Democrats said their plan, which they unveiled at a Capitol Hill news conference, would boost efforts by special operations forces “to kill and capture terrorists” overseas; better track nuclear weapons materials; and expand rail, air, port and other transportation security, among other provisions.

“Republicans have ignored the lessons of 9/11 and failed to make America as safe as we can and should be,” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said in a statement issued by his office as Bush was speaking in Georgia. “They want to ‘stay the course’ in the face of failure. We won’t. We’ll change course in Iraq.”

The long-distance debate between Bush and the Democrats went to the heart of the political battle now at center stage in Washington: With the Republican majority in the House and possibly the Senate at risk in the November elections, each party is vying to convince voters that it is better prepared to protect the country.

The president’s speech was his third in three days, and fourth since Aug. 31, about the campaign against terrorism, the war in Iraq and efforts the administration has taken to improve security. The speaking campaign is built around the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and is leading up to a Sept. 19 address at the United Nations General Assembly.

The speeches are setting Republicans’ debate for what they’ve dubbed “Security September,” an effort to keep the political focus on security matters in the closing weeks of the congressional session before the election.

In his 45-minute address, Bush called on Congress to approve his Terrorist Surveillance Program, under which the National Security Agency has intercepted the international phone and e-mail communications of some people in the United States without court warrant. Disclosure of the program in December touched off sharp debate in Congress and in court. A federal judge in Michigan ruled last month that the surveillance was unconstitutional, but she stayed her order to end the program while the government appeals.

Senate Democrats used procedural tactics Thursday to delay a vote that would have sent to the floor legislation to authorize the program. Lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns about the surveillance program, and four bills are under consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee, with several more in the House.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), sponsor of a White House-backed bill, expressed frustration with Democrats. Specter said he was weighing whether to ask Senate leaders to bypass his committee and send his legislation directly to the floor.

Bush, in his speech, sought to show that his administration had learned from the Sept. 11 attacks and taken steps to prevent new terrorist strikes. He said that by ousting the Taliban government in Afghanistan soon after the 2001 attacks, the United States had demonstrated that any nation providing support for Al Qaeda or other terrorists was in jeopardy.

Describing gaps that the Sept. 11 hijackers exploited to enter the United States, Bush said the nation had moved to “correct weaknesses in our immigration and visa systems.” He also said obstacles had been removed that had kept intelligence agents and criminal investigators from working together and sharing information.

“At every level, America’s law enforcement officers now have a clear goal: to identify, locate and stop terrorists before they can kill people,” the president said.

Bush also drew attention to increased screening of airplane passengers and cargo.

While the president focused on the steps taken to prevent new attacks, he made no reference to troublesome markers in the fight overseas.

In Afghanistan, Taliban militants have been showing new strength for several months, and NATO’s commander, speaking in Belgium, called for reinforcements in southern regions, where Taliban forces have achieved battlefield successes.

The Defense Department said Thursday that 145,000 U.S. troops were in Iraq -- more than at any time since December, and 15,000 more than a month ago. Tours of some 3,500 have been extended in the wake of growing sectarian violence in Baghdad. The Pentagon said the increase stemmed from an overlap as new troops arrive before others leave.

james.gerstenzang@latimes

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Times staff writer Maura Reynolds contributed to this report.