George W Bush has been slated for equating the September 11th attacks with the war effort in Iraq.
In a television address to Americans intended to rally public support for his policy in Iraq, President Bush said insurgents in Iraq share the "the same murderous ideology" as the 9/11 hijackers.
Mr Bush made several references to 9/11 in his speech. "They [insurgents] are trying to shake our will in Iraq, just as they tried to shake our will on September 11, 2001," Mr Bush said.
No link between Saddam’s regime and the September 11 attacks has ever been established and polls show only half the American public believe the Iraq operation is connected to the "war on terror".
Mr Bush was ostensibly making the speech to mark the first anniversary of the formal US hand-over of power to the interim government of Iraq. But with growing criticism of his handling of the operation and plummeting opinion poll figures, Mr Bush hoped the speech would reassure Americans that troops were not getting bogged down.
But there was strong adverse reaction his speech, particularly his references to 9/11.
The top Democrat in the House of Representatives told NBC television: "You know the president is on weak ground when he exploits the sacred ground of 9/11 so many times in his speech knowing that there was no connection between 9/11 and the war in Iraq when he initiated his pre-emptive strike."
Leslie Cagan, the national coordinator of the anti-war group, United for Peace and Justice, said: "By bringing that up again, he makes it sound as if we're there because we are going after those people who attacked us on 9/11 and that's not what's happening."
In Britian, Respect MP George Galloway, who was expelled from Labour over his criticism of the attack on Iraq, said "fewer and fewer people are falling for the line" that Iraq is linked to September 11.
"The truth is, as everyone can see, that Zarqawi and the other extremist formations that have sprouted in Iraq are the result of the invasion, not the reason for it," said Mr Galloway.
"All he has guaranteed by his defiant determination to stay in Iraq is the loss of more lives, Iraqi, American and others," the controversial Scotsman said.
Mr Bush also said in his speech to troops at Fort Bragg that he would not be increasing the 138,000 in Iraq and that he would set "an artificial deadline" for remaining there.
More than 1,700 Americans have died in the Iraq war and thousands more have been wounded. But Mr Bush assured Americans "sacrifice ... is vital to the future security of our country".
However, Democrats also claimed there was no coherent policy to address an insurgency that has proved more durable than the White House expected.
Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said: "there is a growing feeling among the American people that the president's Iraq policy is adrift, disconnected from the reality on the ground."
Agencies