The president is due to arrive in Air Force One around 9 p.m.

About 7:30 p.m. a long line of ticketholders waited in the parking lot of a nearby business for a ride in a shuttle van to the greeting area. But with only one 15-passenger van in operation, many gave up and decided to walk the half mile.

Among those coming to see the president in was Tooele City Councilman Steve Pruden and his family.

His 16-year-old daughter Meagan has been to Washington, D.C. and toured the White House. Now, she said, "I'd like to see who lives in it." Bush is scheduled to speak tomorrow morning at the American Legion national convention, being held at the Salt Palace.

Dana Perino, Bush's deputy press secretary, said earlier today that the president's speech and others he will give between now and a Sept. 19 United Nations General Assembly speech "will be a comprehensive look at the state of the war on terror." At the convention, Perino said, "the President will put the violence that Americans are seeing on their TV screens and reading in their papers into a larger context." Bush will acknowledge "unsettling times" in Iraq and Lebanon, Perino said. The speech will touch on the history and politics of the Middle East, then focus on the administration's strategy around the world "to make the nation safer," she said.

Members of Utah's congressional delegation have handed out some 500 tickets to members of the public who wish to greet Bush, who is making his third trip as president to Salt Lake City but his first overnight stay.

Bush was expected to present the President's Volunteer Service Award to Saratoga Springs resident Sam Delis, who organized a clothing donation program for Hurricane Katrina evacuees.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice spoke to the American Legion on Tuesday, pressing their argument that the United States' armed struggle against terror is similar to the global struggle against fascism during World War II.