Bush- U.S. will not let North Korea be threat to freedom

ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- In a star-spangled sendoff, President Bush told hundreds of fatigue-clad U.S. soldiers Saturday that "America will not blink" from the fight against terrorism and Osama bin Laden. He vowed to bring that message to Asia.

Amid cheers of "USA! USA!", the commander in chief made a quick refueling stop at this snowy Air Force base to rally U.S. troops and raise $400,000 for the Alaska Republican Party. He was leaving from here for a three-nation Asian trip that ends Friday.

In a cavernous fighter jet hangar, Bush pledged to tell his global counterparts, "Either you're with us or you're against us. Either you stand for freedom or you stand for tyranny. And the good news is many nations have heard that message."

A fighter jet was parked nearby, next to a hand-painted sign that read, "God Bless America." Getting in the snowy spirit of things, Bush briefly donned a fur-lined parka.

Seven-day trip

Japan, South Korea and China -- the stops in Bush's seven-day trip -- all support his war on terrorism to different extents. But with the battle in Afghanistan yielding successes, Bush is starting to brace the American public and world leaders for a lengthy war against terrorists across the globe.

"This cause is more than just an individual," Bush told the self-dubbed Arctic Warriors. "Oh, I know sometimes the people on the airwaves like to say, 'Well, so, bin Laden is hiding here and he's hiding there.' But this cause is much bigger than a single person. This is about fighting terror wherever it hides. This is about defending America and our friends and allies."

Air Force One landed on a snow-swept runway, carrying Bush and a large delegation that included Secretary of State Colin Powell and Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice stepped gingerly into the snowy tarmac, covered head to toe in a black coat, hood and scarf.

Bush pledged to press Chinese leaders on trade issues impacting U.S. farmer and, in touting his energy plan, urged Congress to open for oil drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

Before leaving Washington, Bush said the dividing zone between North and South Korea is "one of the most dangerous places on earth." The United States will resist any move by the communist North to use its arsenal to menace peace and freedom, he said.

Bush said he supports South Korean efforts for a dialogue of friendship and reconciliation with North Korea. But, he added, "I will remind the world that America will not allow North Korea and other dangerous regimes to threaten freedom with weapons of mass destruction."