Bush: Lack of terror attacks ‘not a matter of luck’

President Bush said Wednesday that it is “not a matter of
luck” that the country has been without a terrorist attack since Sept. 11, 2001.

Bush, speaking at the U.S. Army War College, argued that,
on the evening of that day, “Virtually no one would have predicted that more
than seven years would pass without another terrorist attack on our soil.

{mosads}“It’s not a matter of luck,” he added. “It is a tribute
to the dedicated men and women who work day and night to defend our great land
and the result of tough decisions that we began making immediately after
September the 11th.”

Bush touted the steps his administration has taken to
protect the country, such as taking the fight to the terrorists and countries
harboring them, creating the Homeland Security Department and addressing the
danger to U.S. and Middle East security that Iraq posed.

The president said the U.S. also recognized that the war
on terror is more than a battle that can be fought with weapons alone.

“It is an ideological struggle for hearts and minds. And
to prevail, we must counter the terrorists’ hateful ideology with a more
hopeful alternative based on liberty and justice. So after removing the threatening
regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq, we refused to take the easy course of trading
one strongman for another,” Bush stated.

“Instead, we stayed to help young democracies emerge as
beacons for hope for people across the Middle East, increased our support for
democratic reformers and dissidents around the world,” he added. “We expanded
our efforts to combat the conditions of despair and hopelessness that give rise
to rage and radicalism.”

Bush also reiterated that his administration had foiled
several high-profile terrorist attacks.

However, he stressed that the fight against terrorism is
not over, saying that it will be “generational conflict.”

The
president stated that his administration had put in place a federal government
that is much better equipped to deal with terrorism. Bush did not mention
President-elect Obama in his remarks or offer any advice on what the incoming
administration should do to continue to keep the country safe.