DENVER -- President George W. Bush spoke with the graduating class of the Air Force Academy Wednesday morning, congratulating them on their hard work through the past four years, but also calling on them to continue to serve with honor and courage and take brave action when necessary.

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Bush To Cadets: Your Country Is Depending On Your Courage 'Taking Fight To Enemy' Our Future Tied To Fate Of Middle East Region

The majority of Bush's commencement speech focused on the war in Iraq, especially since many in the class may soon be sent overseas as part of the war effort. The motto of this year's graduating class is "Parati ad Bellum -- Ready for War."

In his speech he compared the conflict in Iraq to World War II, saying that the war on terrorism is a necessary struggle to secure the nation and defend the peace.

"We will not retreat. The best way to protect America to stay on the offensive," Bush said. "Our enemy can only succeed if we lose our will and faith in our own values. And ladies and gentlemen, our will is strong. We know our duty. By keeping our word and holding firm to our values, this generation will show the world the power of liberty once again."

Bush warned the 981 graduates of the Air Force Academy's Class of 2004 that they could be called on to keep the country secure through the "forward march of freedom." Bush said the United States will "accept nothing less than victory over our enemies."

"For four years you've trained and studied and worked for this moment and now it's come. You're the ones who will defeat the enemies of freedom. Your country is depending on your courage and your dedication to duty. The eyes of the world are upon you. You leave this place at a historic time and you enter this struggle ahead with the full confidence of your commander in chief. I thank each of you for accepting the hardships and high honor of service in the United States military," Bush said.

He ensured graduates that "civilized nations are waging this fight together."

He received a standing ovation after saying, "We are dealing with killers who have made the deaths of Americans, the calling of their lives. And America has made a decision of these terrorists: instead of waiting for them to strike again in our midst, we will take the fight to the enemy."

"I'm confident of our cause in Iraq but the struggle we've entered will not end with our success in Iraq. Overcoming terrorism and bringing freedom to the greater nations in the Middle East is the work of decades. To prevail, America will need the swift, able, transformed military that you will help to build and lead. America will need a generation of Arab linguists and experts on Middle Eastern history and culture. America will need improved intelligence capabilities to track threats and expose the plans of unseen enemies. Above all, America will need perseverance. This conflict will take many turns, with setbacks on the course of victory. Through it all, our confidence comes from one unshakeable belief. We believe in Ronald's Reagan's words, that the future belongs to the free," Bush said.

Bush also singled out Superintendent Lt. General John Rosa for restoring the school's "tradition of honor."

He did not mention the school's sexual assault scandal.

Air Force Academy commanders say the president's visit to the school is a big morale booster after last year's rape scandal. A year ago, Bush scrapped a trip to the academy after dozens of female cadets told 7NEWS that they were raped and sometimes punished for reporting the assaults.

Since then, the school has ousted top leaders and overhauled sexual misconduct policies. Gone are the "Bring Me Men" sign and tough tactics used to intimidate freshmen.

Next week, sophomore Douglas Meester will become the first cadet to stand trial on a sexual assault charge since 7NEWS first broke the scandal.

Appealing To Conservatives

Before delivering a speech at the Air Force Academy graduation, Bush will meet with Focus on the Family leader James Dobson. Dobson is a leading supporter of a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriages.

Bush has said he backs the proposed amendment, which is sponsored by two Colorado Republicans, Sen. Wayne Allard and Rep. Marilyn Musgrave. A spokeswoman for Bush's likely opponent, Democrat John Kerry, said he opposes the proposed amendment and believes the president is using the issue to divide the nation and divert attention from the war in Iraq.

Dobson's group also supports the president's faith-based initiative, which would let religious organizations compete for federal social services contracts. The proposal is popular with religious groups and Bush is pushing it ahead of the fall elections.

Political analysts say Bush is using the trip to reassure conservative voters he still supports their causes -- and to make sure they vote this November.

Bush's likely opponent, Sen. John Kerry, will be in Colorado June 21 for a fund-raiser.

On Tuesday night, the president attended a Republican fund-raiser at the Phipps Mansion in Denver. More than 200 people attended the dinner, at a cost of $5,000 per couple. In that speech, Bush criticized Kerry on his voting record on taxes and again defended the war in Iraq.

The event added more than $2 million to the Bush-Cheney campaign.

The president was greeted by protesters when he arrived for that dinner. Those who stood along Exposition Avenue in the Bonnie Brae neighborhood say the president's motorcade went by so quickly, they barely had five seconds to yell out their opinions. At Civic Center Park, a group of veterans joined together to show support for Kerry.

They say they're upset with the current administration, who they say has not supported funding for medical care and pension benefits for veterans.

This is Bush's seventh visit to Colorado since he was elected. Democrats said Bush's visit suggests Colorado is in play this November. The state also has two prominent congressional races, both to replace retiring Republicans: Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Rep. Scott McInnis.

Mixing Political Travel With Official Travel

President Bush is using Air Force One for re-election travel more heavily than any predecessor, wringing maximum political mileage from a perk of office paid for by taxpayers, according to the Associated Press.

Some people have wondered how the president is able to use the taxpayer-funded jumbo jet for a campaign trip.

Federal election commission guidelines say that when a trip is deemed political in nature, each political traveler must pay the government equivalent of a first-class plane ticket. Usually, that means paying a few hundred or a few thousand dollars for the president and a handful of aides.

But that's still a drop in the bucket considering it costs nearly $56,800 an hour to operate Air Force One. Nevertheless, it's an advantage that many other presidents before Bush have used.

President Bill Clinton frequently was criticized by Republicans for his record-setting use of Air Force One in the campaign season, and Bush is exceeding Clinton's pace.

"It's really something that's abused," said Bill Allison, managing editor of the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, government watchdog group.

"On the one hand, the president can't fly coach," Allison said. "But on the other hand, taxpayers are in essence subsidizing campaign trips, something that goes against the grain of how the political system is supposed to operate."

The White House says it is following both the law and tradition in deciding which events are official, and thus paid for by taxpayers.

Bush has logged more than 68,000 miles this year on Air Force One, all within the continental United States except for a quick run to Mexico in January. With rare exceptions, he confines his travels to the more than a dozen states he and Kerry are fighting hardest for, and to places where he is raising campaign money.

The campaign repaid White House Airlift Operations at least $512,000 from May 2003 through April 2004, including reimbursements for political travel by Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, first lady Laura Bush and political aides.

The reimbursements do not cover the cargo planes that shuttle the president's limousines and helicopters to every event, or travel expenses of White House advance workers who lay the groundwork for the trips.

Four years ago, Bush got 883,748 votes in Colorado to 738,227 for Democrat Al Gore.