Bush calls Yemen attack a reminder of goals of 'extremists'

With Gen. David H. Petraeus at his side in the Oval Office, President Bush said he saw in the attack today at the U.S. embassy in Yemen a reminder that danger still lurks.

Petraeus, who just one day earlier took part in a command handover as he completed his assignment leading the U.S. forces in Iraq, is taking over as head of U.S. Central Command, responsible for U.S. military operations across the Middle East.

The attack was a reminder too of the importance of Petraeus' new job, Bush said.

"We are at war with extremists who will murder innocent people to achieve their ideological objectives," the president said.

Their goal, he added, is to kill, "to try to cause the United States to lose our nerve and to withdraw from regions of the world. And our message is, is that we want to help governments survive the extremists."

-- James Gerstenzang

Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press