Five years after 9/11, U.S. still not safe: Bush

(When were we "safe"?)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Five years after the September 11 attacks, the United States is safer but "we are not yet safe" from a significantly degraded but still dangerous al Qaeda threat, the White House said in a report on Tuesday.

A White House "national strategy for combating terrorism" was published as the United States prepares to observe the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks and the Bush administration faces criticism from Democrats over whether it has done enough to safeguard Americans from more attacks.

"Since the September 11 attacks, America is safer, but we are not yet safe," the 23-page report concluded.

The report comes as Bush is trying to help his Republican party retain control of the U.S. Congress with an American electorate weary of the Iraq war.

The report predicted the war on terrorism will last a long time and that terrorists have declared their intention to acquire and use weapons of mass destruction to inflict catastrophic attacks against the United States and its allies.