U.S. President George W. Bush speaks on Iraq in the Cross Hall of the White House on April 10, 2008. (UPI Photo/Dennis Brack/POOL)

WASHINGTON, April 21 (UPI) -- Commentators seem to have missed one point from U.S. President Bush's recent major speech on Iraq. He identified two enemies that America is fighting in Iraq -- al-Qaida with its ideology of terror, and Iran, the bulwark of Islamic fundamentalism.

Let's note that both enemies are ideological. For Bush, the Iraq war is a major front in the new battle against the evil after the U.S. victory in the Cold War. He believes that in upholding values of freedom in the 21st century, America is leading the battle against a hostile and dangerous ideology.

Just before the start of the war in the spring of 2003, Bush said that the main threat faced by America emanated from Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction (which have never been found).

But in reality, Washington's plan was not at all limited to overthrowing the Iraqi dictator. Bush announced that his goal was to build a "democratic" Iraq that would be a model for other Middle Eastern countries and an American ally in the war on terrorism. Five years later the United States continues to fight a war it seems no nearer to winning, and Iraq is by no means a functioning democracy. It is not quite clear who controls that country, if anyone does, and what will happen to it in the future.

Now Bush has pointed to a new threat. He is worried that Iraq's Shiite population, and later on the whole of the country, may find itself under Iran's control. He has essentially offered the Iranian leadership an ultimatum: "The regime in Tehran also has a choice to make. It can live in peace with its neighbor, enjoy strong economic and cultural and religious ties. Or it can continue to arm, train and fund militant groups, which are terrorizing the Iraqi people and turning them against Iran." He added: "If Iran makes the wrong choice, America will act to protect our interests and our troops and our Iraqi partners."