Click to play videoNew London, US: US President George W Bush says the Iraq war cannot be compared with the Vietnam War.
He said this in his address to the Coast Guard Academy graduates in New London, Connecticut on Wednesday.
Speaking to the 228 graduates, Bush stressed upon the importance of staying to fight in Iraq to prevent further attacks in the US.
He said the al-Qaeda's presence in Iraq represents a direct threat to the US.
Of late, the White House has had trouble selling its war strategy to the American public.
Critics of the war insist that US troops are in the middle of fights among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds.
Bush's critics also accuse him of trying to minimise the role of sectarian fighting in Iraq and justify an unpopular war by focusing on links to Bin Laden and al-Qaeda.
Bush portrayed the Iraq war as a battle between the US and al-Qaeda and shared pieces of intelligence to contend Osama bin Laden was setting up a terrorist cell in Iraq to strike targets in America.
Bush said on Wednesday that while the September 11 attacks occurred in 2001, Americans still face a major threat from terrorists.
The White House has repeatedly said the US and its allies will be successful when the Iraqis can sustain, govern and defend themselves, yet Bush used his speech to stress the threat from al-Qaeda activities in Iraq.
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