President forecasts toughest conditions ahead for troops

MacDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- President Bush said Wednesday the war in Iraq is far from over and warned that coalition forces will face "the most desperate elements of a doomed regime" as they close in on Baghdad.\nThe president promised to prevail. "We will be relentless in our pursuit of victory."\nHe said Saddam Hussein's highly trained Republican Guard troops are under "direct and intense attack" from coalition forces. "Day by day, Saddam Hussein is losing his grip on Iraq. Day by day, the Iraqi people are closer to freedom."\nBush's visit came as U.S. and British forces began to suffer battle casualties. Nine Marines were killed Sunday in an ambush, and Army helicopters encountered fierce resistance during an attack Monday on Republican Guard units protecting the approaches to Baghdad. One helicopter went down and its two-man crew was captured.\n"The military is making good progress in Iraq, yet this war is far from over," Bush said. "As they approach Baghdad, our fighting units are facing the most desperate elements of a doomed regime." \nWe cannot know the duration of this war, but we are prepared for the battle ahead."\nBush spoke at the headquarters of Central Command, the nerve center of pre-war military planning.\n"I can assure you there will be a day of reckoning for Iraq, and that day is drawing near," Bush said to loud applause. Bush said, "We've seen their daring against ruthless enemies and their decency to an oppressed people. Millions of Americans are proud of our military, and so am I."\nBush spoke before receiving a classified military briefing at the headquarters of the Central Command, whose top general, Tommy Franks, is running the war against Iraq from a forward headquarters in Qatar.\nHe also was having lunch with troops. His breakfast came with a diplomatic dig at French resistance to war: The menu aboard Air Force One listed "stuffed Freedom Toast," instead of French toast.\nThe turn of events in Iraq was reflected in a new poll by the Pew Research Center that showed just 38 percent of the public said the conflict was going well on Monday, down from 71 percent on Friday.\nThe first bodies of fallen American servicemen came back to the United States on Tuesday.\nBlinding sandstorms plagued the American-led advance on Baghdad. Some helicopters were grounded by the weather and combat aircraft taking off from the USS Harry Truman returned a few hours later without dropping bombs on their targets.\nBush spoke hours before meeting at Camp David with principal war ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The British leaders was spending the night at the presidential retreat. The leaders planned a news conference Thursday.\nBush has not traveled within the United States since Feb. 20, a period in which he oversaw final preparations for battle and also a last-ditch effort to win U.N. backing for the war.\nCentral Command is responsible for U.S. military operations in 25 countries, from the Horn of Africa and the Persian Gulf to Central Asia.\nIt is also overseeing Operation Enduring Freedom -- the military's name for the global war on terrorism.