Bush vows war on terror

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Vowing not to be cowed, President Bush pledged a crusade against terrorists Sunday as top administration officials zeroed in on Saudi exile Osama bin Laden and Afghanistan’s Taliban militia for possible retribution for last week’s terrorist attacks.

As Bush sought to rally Americans to get on with their lives and jobs, administration officials asserted on Sunday talk shows that nations that harbor terrorists would face the "full wrath" of the United States.

They emphasized the battle against terrorism would be long and include legal, diplomatic and economic offensives as well as military action.

Vice President Dick Cheney disclosed that after suicide hijackers slammed planes into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon on Tuesday morning, Bush ordered the military to shoot down any commercial aircraft that disobeyed orders to turn away from Washington’s restricted air space.

Bush, upon returning to the White House from Camp David, said: "I gave our military the orders necessary to protect Americans. Of course, that was difficult."

Bush, who was in Florida at the time of the attacks, added: "Never did I dream we would be under attack this way."

The president also said that the nation and its limping economy were resilient and would bounce back.

"Tomorrow when you get back to work, work hard like you always have." he told Americans. "My administration has a job to do. … We will rid the world of evil doers."

"This crusade, this war on terrorism, is going to take awhile. And American people must be patient," Bush said.

Cheney, appearing on NBC’s "Meet the Press," had harsh words for Afghanistan, where bin Laden has operated since 1996, and the Taliban, the Muslim fundamentalist militia that controls most of Afghanistan.

"The government of Afghanistan has to understand that we believe they have, indeed, been harboring a man who committed and whose organization committed this most egregious act," Cheney said. "They have to understand, and others like them around the world have to understand, that if you provided sanctuary to terrorists, you face the full wrath of the United States of America."

Secretary of State Colin Powell used the same "full wrath" language in his TV appearances. Powell said the Taliban faces a simple choice: deliver bin Laden or face near-certain retaliation.