Bush is safe in saying Tuesday this is one war, against one enemy, making Iraq simply a continuation of the hunt for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.

At the beginning of his speech Tuesday night Bush said:

“The troops here and across the world are fighting a global war on terror,” he said. “The war reached our shores on September the 11th, 2001.”

An article in the current issue of Newsweek puts the foregoing into this context:

In other words: forget about the Downing Street memos and Colin Powell’s now discredited speech at the United Nations. This is one war, against one enemy, making Iraq simply a continuation of the hunt for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. Or, as Bush put it, “Iraq is the latest battlefield in this war.” He might as well have stood in front of a picture of the Twin Towers.

It’s easy to see why this approach is so attractive to the White House. The president’s response to 9/11 remains a potent memory in public opinion. So potent that it still drives the only positive numbers in the president’s performance ratings. Bush has disapproval ratings of more than 50 percent on the economy, energy and health care, according to the latest Gallup poll. On Iraq, 58 percent disapprove of his handling of the war. But on terrorism, the president has maintained the support of the people: 55 percent approve of his performance.