President George W. Bush said today the United States and Britain would not be intimidated by "thugs and assassins" in the aftermath of the London bombings.
"People of Great Britain must understand how, how strongly America stands with them during these trying times," Mr Bush said to a packed auditorium in Atlanta where the audience applauded his comment and gave a standing ovation.
US President George W Bush
"Like our country, the citizens of that country will not be intimidated by thugs and assassins," Mr Bush said in the opening to a speech on Medicare and Social Security.
In the war on terrorism, "we're facing an enemy that has got an ideology based upon hate," Mr Bush said. "These folks believe in a dark vision of the world where there is no such thing as dissent or religious liberty."
He said the way to protect America was to stay on the offence and spread the ideology of democracy and freedom that competes with their ideology.
The Bush administration has been emphasizing that spreading democracy in the Middle East would help protect Americans at home in the aftermath of the September 11th, 2001, hijacked plane attacks.