President Bush compared the fight against terrorism to both world wars and other great conflicts of the 20th century as he tried to reassure an increasingly skeptical public on Monday to support U.S. military involvement in Iraq. As he did in last year's election campaign and more recently as war opposition has risen, Bush reminded his listeners of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 _ reciting the date five times in a 30-minute speech.

Besides his references to Sept. 11 and the war on terror, Bush also spoke of earlier global fights.

"In a single lifetime, many of you have seen liberty spread from Germany and Japan to Eastern Europe to Latin America to Southeast Asia and Africa and beyond," Bush told the largely gray-haired crowd.

"The generation of men and women who defend our freedom today is taking its rightful place among the heroes of our nation's history."