Salt Lake City ? For evidence that the anti-war movement is gaining momentum, look no further than this pro-Bush stronghold where some jeering protesters stood along the president’s motorcade route Monday holding signs like “Republicans for Peace” and “Bush is a Liar.”

Bush also had his share of cheering supporters waiting for the presidential limousine to pass, and he got an enthusiastic reception for his speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention. But the roadside critics hoisting signs and unfriendly fingers and the throngs of people who gathered for a peace demonstration in a nearby park showed the war debate has reached even the reddest of states.

After more than a week of seclusion at his Texas ranch, Bush is emerging this week for two speeches designed to rally support for the U.S. military involvement in Iraq. His second speech is scheduled for Wednesday in Idaho, with a day off in between at the Tamarack Resort 100 miles north of Boise.

Bush acknowledged the fighting in Iraq is difficult and dangerous. But he told the VFW national convention that it is necessary to keep terrorists out of the United States.

As he did in last year’s election campaign and more recently as war opposition has risen, Bush reminded his listeners of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks – reciting the date five times in a 30-minute speech.

“We’re not yet safe,” Bush said. “Terrorists in foreign lands still hope to attack our country. They still hope to kill our citizens. The lesson of Sept. 11, 2001, is that we must confront threats before they fully materialize.”

Besides his repeated references to Sept. 11 and the war on terror, Bush also spoke of earlier global fights.

President Bush addresses the Veterans of Foreign Wars during their 106th convention Monday in Salt Lake City. Bush defended the war in Iraq in the face of growing skepticism.

“In a single lifetime, many of you have seen liberty spread from Germany and Japan to Eastern Europe to Latin America to Southeast Asia and Africa and beyond,” Bush told the largely gray-haired crowd.

“The generation of men and women who defend our freedom today is taking its rightful place among the heroes of our nation’s history.”

Bush spoke shortly before the Iraqi parliament failed to meet its second deadline to approve a draft constitution amid disagreements between different ethnic groups. Although earlier this month Bush said he believed the Iraqis should have met their original Aug. 15 deadline, he told the VFW that Americans understand the challenge of drafting such a document.

“We know this from our own history,” he said. “The Constitutional Convention was home to political rivalries and regional disagreements.”

Bush’s arguments for war were not new, but they were his first public statements on the war since his national security and defense advisers visited his Texas ranch on Aug. 11. Since then, the limelight has shifted to protesters camping at a neighbor’s ranch, asking that he bring the troops home immediately.

One of the Texas protesters, Celeste Zappala of Pennsylvania, flew to Salt Lake City to speak at the rally. Zappala said the large turnout gave her hope for peace. Zappala’s son Sherwood Baker died while serving with the Pennsylvania National Guard, and she expressed surprise at the rally’s large turnout.

“It amazes me,” said Zappala. “I always thought of Salt Lake as a sleepy, conservative, buttoned-up place.”

One Salt Lake resident who came out for the protest was retired Air Force Lt. Col. George Muller of Salt Lake City. He said he believed the country’s attitude toward the war has shifted.

“It’s like Vietnam all over again, and I opposed that too,” Muller said.

Some of the veterans that Bush addressed said they felt the protests were disrespectful to the troops. Among them was 78-year-old Willie Hunsaker of Brigham City, Idaho, a World War II veteran who got a commemorative pin from Bush for the nearly 1,200 hours he volunteers yearly.

“We’re always going to have protesters, but to protest President Bush for what he’s done, that’s completely asinine,” he said.