Special report: fifth anniversary of 9/11 terror attacks

U.S. President George W. Bush delivers a speech on the country's anti-terror war, in Washington D.C., Sept. 5, 2006.(Xinhua Photo/Reuters) Photo Gallery >>>

    WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Before and through the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. President George W. Bush is using his presidential power to full advantage to make war on terror a central issue for this year's midterm elections.

    By delivering a series of speeches highlighting antiterror successes, Bush and his top strategists hope they can shape the November elections into a referendum on which party can best protect America.

    However, the new political strategy is seen by analysts as risky as a double-edged sword which is effective but could also cut the swordsman himself, given the fact that the political landscape in the United States and public opinions have changed a lot in the post-9/11 years.     

    OLD STRATEGY WITH NEW TACTICS

    Frank Newport, an analyst for the nonpartisan Gallup Poll, said Bush's recent security pitch is a replay of the strategy that helped the party win congressional seats in 2002 and contributed to Bush's re-election in 2004.

    But the political landscape has shifted. Bush's standing with voters and support for the Iraq war have slipped. Voters are also less impressed with the president's handling of terrorism.

    In September 2002, 75 percent of Americans felt that the war on terror was going well or somewhat well, according to Gallup.

    By 2004, the figure had fallen to 59 percent. Now only about half of Americans think it's going well.

    Bush's approval rating has been hovering around 40 percent these days, compared with the record high of 90 percent shortly after 9/11.

    It is evident that the increasingly unpopular Iraq war has neutralized Bush and his fellow Republicans' traditional strength in security issues.

    A recent Gallup survey found although supporters of his overall antiterror policy still outnumber opposers, an unprecedented majority of 61 percent opposed the war.

    A CNN poll showed that 53 percent thought the Iraq war is not part of the war on terror, while a Pew poll demonstrated that 68 percent picked the war as the top reason why the country is less respected around the world these days.

    Moreover, an AP poll found 60 percent thought the Iraq war has increased terror threats rather than reducing them.

    Meanwhile, the reputation of the war on terror has been frequently dented by scandals at home and abroad, such as the abuse of detainees, the killing of innocent Iraqis, the CIA secret prisons and the unwarranted domestic spying program.

    Trying to find a solution to these problems, Bush has changed tactics while playing the old "terrorism" card once again.

    For example, his first public acknowledgement of secret CIA prisons on Wednesday has surprised many and received tentative welcome from human rights watchdogs.

    Bush then used the disclosure to justify his push for legislation that would allow military tribunals to try terror suspects.

    By doing so, the president has made sure that he grabbed the headlines of all media outlets and turned a scandal into a platform to promote his unpopular ideas about the war on terror.

    It is not coincidental that the Pentagon released a timely new Field Manual which bans some harsh interrogation techniques criticized by the international community.

    While amplifying the antiterror successes, an updated counterterrorism strategy which came freshly out of the White House also conceded that great challenges are still ahead.

    Bush also tried to distance himself from the unpopular war in Iraq, giving fewer emphasis on it in his speeches.