"Now, almost two years after he voted for the war in Iraq, and almost 220 days after switching positions to declare himself the anti-war candidate, my opponent has found a new nuance. He now agrees it was the right decision to go into Iraq," Bush told 10,000 cheering supporters, many of them veterans, today in Pensacola, Fla.

"After months of questioning my motives, and even my credibility, Senator Kerry now agrees with me that even though we have not found the stockpiles of weapons we all believed were there, knowing everything we know today he would have voted to go into Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein from power," Bush noted, with former rival Sen. John McCain at his side.

"I want to thank Senator Kerry for clearing that up," the president said.

Introducing the president, McCain said that defeating terrorism "is the great test of our generation." He praised Bush for leading "with great moral clarity."

"He has not wavered. He has not flinched from the hard choices," the senator said.

Editor's note: