By Associated Press
Birmingham, AL – President Bush today (Thursday) defended his record on fighting terrorism in the wake of a bleak intelligence report as he flew South to attend a political event for Governor Bob Riley. Bush's chief spokesman, White House press secretary Tony Snow, said the speech will draw a sharp line between Republicans and Democrats on national security. Snow said the president plans to criticize most House Democrats for voting against a White House plan for interrogating, detaining and trying terrorists. And without referring to anyone by name, he will cite comments by some Democratic leaders in Congress in arguing that the opposition party lacks the will to win the war on terror and make Americans safer. The appearance comes amid a continuing clamor over a National Intelligence Estimate that said there is a growing threat of terrorism five years after the September 11th attacks. The document warns that there are more terrorists in the world, in part because of the war in Iraq. The G-O-P fundraiser is projected to raise two-point-five (m) million dollars for Riley and the state G-O-P.