MTV.com - think - Bush Insists Iraq War Is 'Worth It' In Sober Speech

President invoked 9/11 terror attacks, called on Americans to join military

Invoking the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 five times, President Bush took to the airwaves Tuesday night in an attempt to bolster sagging support for the war in Iraq.

At times contradicting recent statements by his own vice president and secretary of defense, the President gave a sober, stern-faced assessment of how long U.S. troops could remain in the conflict and urged Americans to support their military over the July 4 holiday weekend by flying flags and writing to soldiers.

"I recognize that Americans want our troops to come home as quickly as possible," said the President in his 30-minute speech. "So do I." Standing in front of more than 740 uniformed members of the military at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the speech comes as the President's approval rating has hit an all-time low and polls show that a majority of Americans feel the war was not worth starting and that it has not made the country safer from terrorist attacks (see "Polls: Americans Tiring Of Iraq War, Less Happy With Bush"). more