President Bush says he is confident the British public will not be intimidated by the bombing of London buses and trains. The president says Britain can count on America's support.
President Bush says the people of Great Britain must understand how strongly Americans stand with them during these trying times. "I'm confident that, like our country, the citizens of that country will not be intimidated by thugs and assassins," he said. "They understand what we know. They understand what the citizens of this country understand, that we will hold true to our principles of human rights and human dignity and the freedom to worship. We are not going to let anybody frighten us from our great love of freedom."
British officials are asking the public for help in tracking down those responsible for four small explosions Thursday, two weeks after similar bus and train bombings killed 56 people.
President Bush told a meeting of senior citizens in the southern state of Georgia that terrorists want to intimidate those trying to spread freedom. "They have designs. They have goals," said the president. "They want to topple governments. They want us to retreat from the world, so they can spread their ideology of hate."
President Bush says the only way to protect against another attack in America is to stay on the offensive by fighting terrorists abroad, instead of at home, while confronting what he calls "this ideology of hate" with an ideology of democracy and freedom.
Some Britons believe Prime Minister Tony Blair's support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq has made Britain a target for terrorist attacks.
Prime Minister Blair and President Bush both reject that suggestion. Mr. Bush says he firmly believes the action the U.S. military is taking today to defend America will bring peace for generations to come.