Bush concerned for terror strike

WASHINGTON -- President Bush said Monday there is "a pattern of attack" by terrorists in Kuwait, Indonesia and Yemen, raising concerns that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network is on the move again and could strike the United States.\n"This is a reminder of how dangerous the world can be if these al Qaeda are free to roam," Bush said before he left for a political trip to Michigan.\nWhen he appeared on the White House South Lawn in early afternoon to board a helicopter, Bush told reporters he had just called Australian Prime Minister John Howard.\nThe president said he expressed his condolences for the victims of a massive bomb attack in Bali, Indonesia that killed more that 180 people at a nightclub. Two Americans were killed and four injured; many of the victims were Australians, who routinely flock to the resort area.\nBush said the Indonesia bombing, attacks on U.S. troops in Kuwait and the bombing of a French oil tanker in Yemen point to al Qaeda and the need for a global coalition to fight the terrorist group.\n"We just learned a lesson this week. It's going to take a while to succeed," he said.\nStill, he said, the battle against al Qaeda will not distract him from his confrontation with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, even as world leaders question whether America is spreading its troops too thin.\nBush had strong words for Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, saying he planned to talk to her in the near future about the need to crack down on terrorism. "I hope I hear the resolve of a leader who recognizes that any time terrorists take hold in a country, it's going to weaken the country itself," Bush said.\nCiting the spate of attacks in Kuwait and Yemen, in addition to Indonesia, Bush said, "It does look like a pattern of attacks that the enemy, albeit on the run, is trying to once again frighten and kill freedom-loving people."\n"We will fight, if need be, the war on terrorism on two fronts," Bush said in a hurriedly organized question-and-answer session with reporters.\nCloser to home, Bush said the Washington-area sniper attacks that have killed eight people and injured two had made him "sick to my stomach." Noting that frightened parents are ushering their children to school just miles from the White House, Bush said this "is not the America I know."\nThe administration has offered federal law enforcement assistance to local police agencies that have been immersed in the search for the gunman over the past week.\nThe federal government, based on the spate of attacks and fresh intelligence, warned police last week about potential attacks but chose not to raise the national alert level because of a lack of specific, credible information. That remains the case, a senior official said Monday, but the alert status is reviewed daily.\n"I'm concerned about our homeland," Bush said. "Obviously if I knew about a specific piece of intelligence that would indicate a moment or place that the enemy would attack, I'd do a lot about it."\nHe said U.S. allies must worry, too.\n"I think the free world must realize that no one is safe--that if you embrace freedom, you're not free from terrorism," Bush said.\nBush said he did not know whether bin Laden is alive or dead, but the terrorist leader's lieutenants are "roaming around" and dangerous. "We're doing everything we can to bring them to justice," he said.\n"I believe that the attacks on the French vessel in Yemen is connected with this type of terror, that they're related. I believe that the attack on our Marines in Kuwait reflect the international nature of these cells, these killer cells," the president said.\n"Those of us who love freedom must work together to do everything we can to disrupt, deny and bring to justice these people who have no soul," Bush said.\n"It's a sad day for a lot of people around the world, but it's also a day in which we've got to realize we've got a long way to go to make the world more secure and more peaceful," he said.\nBush recently won authority from Congress to disarm Saddam, with force if necessary. He urged that the United Nations threaten consequences if Saddam failed to comply, but said he'll leave it up to diplomats to work out the precise language.\n"Anything we do must make it very clear that Saddam must disarm or there'll be consequences," Bush said. "We'll see how it plays out."\nBush urged Congress, in the last days of its session, to pass his terrorism insurance bill, hold down spending and send him a defense spending bill.