The U.S. vision, he said, was not only threatened by terrorists and tyrants, but also "by the faceless enemies of human dignity: plague and starvation and hopeless poverty, and America is at war with these enemies, as well."
The president's remarks, delivered at a commencement ceremony at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., came on the heels of the Department of Homeland Security raising the nation's alert status to the "orange," or high, indicating a strong threat of terrorist attack.
That warning change followed the bombings earlier this month in Saudi Arabia and Morocco and increased "chatter" - intercepted communications between suspected terrorists that usually presage a new attack.
"America will not relent in the war against global terror," Bush said. "We will hunt the terrorists in every dark corner of the earth.
"Our country has been attacked by treachery in our own cities, and that treachery continues in places like Riyadh and Casablanca. We have seen the ruthless intentions of our enemies. And they are seeing our intentions: We will press on until this danger to our country and to the world is ended."
Bush extolled the virtues and prowess of U.S. military forces in the Iraq war and in the war to topple the Islamist Taliban regime of Afghanistan. He also praised the humanitarian efforts later undertaken by U.S. forces.
In recent weeks, Bush has repeatedly said the conflicts and other actions against terrorists and their networks had diminished and disrupted al-Qaida - the group held responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington - but he has also warned the organization still poses a danger.
The bombing in the Saudi capital, which was believed the work of an al-Qaida cell, and the raising of the threat level, underscored his point.
Critics on Capitol Hill and elsewhere, however, believe the administration's focus on terrorism was blurred by the conflict in Iraq and more could have been done to destroy al-Qaida and capture its leader, Osama bin Laden, who is believed alive somewhere in southwest Asia.
The Coast Guard, now part of the Department of Homeland Security, plays a key role in defending America's coastal waters.
Bush said in the war on hunger and disease, the United States was leading the way with his administration's $15 billion, five-year Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief for 14 African and Caribbean nations. The rest of the world, however, needs to get more involved as well.
"When I travel to Europe next week, I will challenge our allies to make a similar commitment, which will save even more lives," he said. "I will remind them that the clock is still ticking, that ever single day 8,000 more people will die from AIDS in Africa. There will be 14,000 more new infections.
"I will urge our European partners, and Japan, and Canada to join a great mission of rescue, and to match their good intentions with real resources."
Nearly 30 million people in Africa are believed to be infected with HIV/AIDS, including 3 million children.
The Bush plan will help provide drugs for treatment and increase care for those afflicted.
Bush also touted U.S. food aid to help the world's starving, but in doing so took a swipe at Europe for impeding U.S. efforts.
"We can greatly reduce the long-term problem of hunger in Africa by applying the latest developments of science," he said, " ... by widening the use of new high-yield bio-crops and unleashing the power of markets, we can dramatically increase agricultural productivity and feed more people across the continent," he said.
"Yet our partners in Europe are impeding this effort. They have blocked all new bio-crop because of unfounded, unscientific fears. This has caused many African nations to avoid investing in biotechnologies for fear their products will be shut out of European markets."
He urged Europe to drop its objections to bio-crops and join in their development. He also called on European nations to stop subsidizing their agricultural exports, which impedes competition from poorer nations.
Copyright 2003 by United Press International.
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