Mr.
Speaker, Mr. President Pro Tempore, members of Congress,
and fellow Americans:
In
the normal course of events, presidents come to this
chamber to report on the state of the Union. Tonight, no
such report is needed. It has already been delivered by
the American people.
We
have seen it in the courage of passengers who rushed
terrorists to save others on the ground. Passengers like
an exceptional man named Todd Beamer. And would you
please help me welcome his wife Lisa Beamer here
tonight?
We
have seen the state of our Union in the endurance of
rescuers working past exhaustion.
We've
seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles,
the giving of blood, the saying of prayers in English,
Hebrew and Arabic.
We
have seen the decency of a loving and giving people who
have made the grief of strangers their own.
My
fellow citizens, for the last nine days, the entire
world has seen for itself the state of union, and it is
strong.
Tonight,
we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend
freedom. Our grief has turned to anger and anger to
resolution. Whether we bring our enemies to justice or
bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done.
I
thank the Congress for its leadership at such an
important time.
All
of America was touched on the evening of the tragedy to
see Republicans and Democrats joined together on the
steps of this Capitol singing ``God Bless America.''
And
you did more than sing. You acted, by delivering $40
billion to rebuild our communities and meet the needs of
our military. Speaker Hastert, Minority Leader Gephardt,
Majority Leader Daschle and Senator Lott, I thank you
for your friendship, for your leadership and for your
service to our country.
And
on behalf of the American people, I thank the world for
its outpouring of support.
America
will never forget the sounds of our national anthem
playing at Buckingham Palace, on the streets of Paris
and at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.
We
will not forget South Korean children gathering to pray
outside our embassy in Seoul, or the prayers of sympathy
offered at a mosque in Cairo.
We
will not forget moments of silence and days of mourning
in Australia and Africa and Latin America.
Nor
will we forget the citizens of 80 other nations who died
with our own. Dozens of Pakistanis, more than 130
Israelis, more than 250 citizens of India, men and women
from El Salvador (news
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sites), Iran, Mexico and Japan, and hundreds of
British citizens.
America
has no truer friend than Great Britain.
Once
again, we are joined together in a great cause.
I'm
so honored the British prime minister has crossed an
ocean to show his unity with America.
Thank
you for coming, friend.
On
Sept. 11, enemies of freedom committed an act of war
against our country. Americans have known wars, but for
the past 136 years they have been wars on foreign soil,
except for one Sunday in 1941. Americans have known the
casualties of war, but not at the center of a great city
on a peaceful morning.
Americans
have known surprise attacks, but never before on
thousands of civilians.
All
of this was brought upon us in a single day, and night
fell on a different world, a world where freedom itself
is under attack.
Americans
have many questions tonight. Americans are asking, ``Who
attacked our country?''
The
evidence we have gathered all points to a collection of
loosely affiliated terrorist organizations known as al-Qaida.
They are some of the murderers indicted for bombing
American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya and responsible
for bombing the USS Cole (news
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sites).
Al-Qaida
is to terror what the Mafia is to crime. But its goal is
not making money. Its goal is remaking the world and
imposing its radical beliefs on people everywhere.
The
terrorists practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism
that has been rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast
majority of Muslim clerics; a fringe movement that
perverts the peaceful teachings of Islam
The
terrorists' directive commands them to kill Christians
and Jews, to kill all Americans and make no distinctions
among military and civilians, including women and
children.
This
group and its leader, a person named Osama bin Laden (news
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sites), are linked to many other organizations in
different countries, including the Egyptian Islamic
Jihad, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
There
are thousands of these terrorists in more than 60
countries.
They
are recruited from their own nations and neighborhoods
and brought to camps in places like Afghanistan (news
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sites), where they are trained in the tactics of
terror. They are sent back to their homes or sent to
hide in countries around the world to plot evil and
destruction.
The
leadership of al-Qaida has great influence in
Afghanistan and supports the Taliban regime in
controlling most of that country. In Afghanistan we see
al-Qaida's vision for the world. Afghanistan's people
have been brutalized, many are starving and many have
fled.
Women
are not allowed to attend school. You can be jailed for
owning a television. Religion can be practiced only as
their leaders dictate. A man can be jailed in
Afghanistan if his beard is not long enough.
The
United States respects the people of Afghanistan - after
all, we are currently its largest source of humanitarian
aid - but we condemn the Taliban regime.
It
is not only repressing its own people, it is threatening
people everywhere by sponsoring and sheltering and
supplying terrorists.
By
aiding and abetting murder, the Taliban regime is
committing murder. And tonight the United States of
America makes the following demands on the Taliban.
Deliver
to United States authorities all of the leaders of al-Qaida
who hide in your land.
Release
all foreign nationals, including American citizens you
have unjustly imprisoned. Protect foreign journalists,
diplomats and aid workers in your country. Close
immediately and permanently every terrorist training
camp in Afghanistan. And hand over every terrorist and
every person and their support structure to appropriate
authorities.
Give
the United States full access to terrorist training
camps, so we can make sure they are no longer operating.
These
demands are not open to negotiation or discussion.
The
Taliban must act and act immediately.
They
will hand over the terrorists, or they will share in
their fate.
I
also want to speak tonight directly to Muslims
throughout the world. We respect your faith. It's
practiced freely by many millions of Americans and by
millions more in countries that America counts as
friends. Its teachings are good and peaceful, and those
who commit evil in the name of Allah blaspheme the name
of Allah.
The
terrorists are traitors to their own faith, trying, in
effect, to hijack Islam itself.
The
enemy of America is not our many Muslim friends. It is
not our many Arab friends. Our enemy is a radical
network of terrorists and every government that supports
them.
Our
war on terror begins with al-Qaida, but it does not end
there.
It
will not end until every terrorist group of global reach
has been found, stopped and defeated.
Americans
are asking, ``Why do they hate us?''
They
hate what they see right here in this chamber: a
democratically elected government. Their leaders are
self-appointed. They hate our freedoms: our freedom of
religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and
assemble and disagree with each other.
They
want to overthrow existing governments in many Muslim
countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. They
want to drive Israel out of the Middle East. They want
to drive Christians and Jews out of vast regions of Asia
and Africa.
These
terrorists kill not merely to end lives, but to disrupt
and end a way of life. With every atrocity, they hope
that America grows fearful, retreating from the world
and forsaking our friends. They stand against us because
we stand in their way.
We're
not deceived by their pretenses to piety.
We
have seen their kind before. They're the heirs of all
the murderous ideologies of the 20th century. By
sacrificing human life to serve their radical visions,
by abandoning every value except the will to power, they
follow in the path of fascism, Nazism and
totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the
way to where it ends in history's unmarked grave of
discarded lies.
Americans
are asking, ``How will we fight and win this war?''
We
will direct every resource at our command - every means
of diplomacy, every tool of intelligence, every
instrument of law enforcement, every financial influence
and every necessary weapon of war - to the destruction
and to the defeat of the global terror network.
Now
this war will not be like the war against Iraq a decade
ago, with a decisive liberation of territory and a swift
conclusion. It will not look like the air war above
Kosovo two years ago, where no ground troops were used
and not a single American was lost in combat.
Our
response involves far more than instant retaliation and
isolated strikes. Americans should not expect one
battle, but a lengthy campaign unlike any other we have
ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes visible on TV
and covert operations secret even in success.
We
will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against
another, drive them from place to place until there is
no refuge or no rest.
And
we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to
terrorism. Every nation in every region now has a
decision to make: Either you are with us, or you are
with the terrorists.
From
this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or
support terrorism will be regarded by the United States
as a hostile regime. Our nation has been put on notice,
we're not immune from attack. We will take defensive
measures against terrorism to protect Americans.
Today,
dozens of federal departments and agencies, as well as
state and local governments, have responsibilities
affecting homeland security.
These
efforts must be coordinated at the highest level. So
tonight, I announce the creation of a Cabinet-level
position reporting directly to me, the Office of
Homeland Security.
And
tonight, I also announce a distinguished American to
lead this effort, to strengthen American security: a
military veteran, an effective governor, a true patriot,
a trusted friend, Pennsylvania's Tom Ridge.
He
will lead, oversee and coordinate a comprehensive
national strategy to safeguard our country against
terrorism and respond to any attacks that may come.
These
measures are essential. The only way to defeat terrorism
as a threat to our way of life is to stop it, eliminate
it and destroy it where it grows.
Many
will be involved in this effort, from FBI (news
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sites) agents, to intelligence operatives, to the
reservists we have called to active duty. All deserve
our thanks, and all have our prayers.
And
tonight a few miles from the damaged Pentagon (news
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sites), I have a message for our military: Be ready.
I have called the armed forces to alert, and there is a
reason.
The
hour is coming when America will act, and you will make
us proud.
This
is not, however, just America's fight. And what is at
stake is not just America's freedom.
This
is the world's fight. This is civilization's fight. This
is the fight of all who believe in progress and
pluralism, tolerance and freedom.
We
ask every nation to join us.
We
will ask and we will need the help of police forces,
intelligence services and banking systems around the
world. The United States is grateful that many nations
and many international organizations have already
responded with sympathy and with support - nations from
Latin America, to Asia, to Africa, to Europe, to the
Islamic world.
Perhaps
the NATO (news
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sites) charter reflects best the attitude of the
world: An attack on one is an attack on all. The
civilized world is rallying to America's side.
They
understand that if this terror goes unpunished, their
own cities, their own citizens may be next. Terror
unanswered cannot only bring down buildings, it can
threaten the stability of legitimate governments.
And
you know what? We're not going to allow it.
Americans
are asking, ``What is expected of us?''
I
ask you to live your lives and hug your children.
I
know many citizens have fears tonight, and I ask you to
be calm and resolute, even in the face of a continuing
threat.
I
ask you to uphold the values of America and remember why
so many have come here.
We're
in a fight for our principles, and our first
responsibility is to live by them. No one should be
singled out for unfair treatment or unkind words because
of their ethnic background or religious faith.
I
ask you to continue to support the victims of this
tragedy with your contributions. Those who want to give
can go to a central source of information,
libertyunites.org, to find the names of groups providing
direct help in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
The
thousands of FBI agents who are now at work in this
investigation may need your cooperation, and I ask you
to give it. I ask for your patience with the delays and
inconveniences that may accompany tighter security and
for your patience in what will be a long struggle.
I
ask your continued participation and confidence in the
American economy. Terrorists attacked a symbol of
American prosperity; they did not touch its source.
America
is successful because of the hard work and creativity
and enterprise of our people. These were the true
strengths of our economy before Sept. 11, and they are
our strengths today.
And
finally, please continue praying for the victims of
terror and their families, for those in uniform and for
our great country. Prayer has comforted us in sorrow and
will help strengthen us for the journey ahead.
Tonight
I thank my fellow Americans for what you have already
done and for what you will do.
And
ladies and gentlemen of the Congress, I thank you, their
representatives, for what you have already done and for
what we will do together.
Tonight
we face new and sudden national challenges.
We
will come together to improve air safety, to
dramatically expand the number of air marshals on
domestic flights and take new measures to prevent
hijacking.
We
will come together to promote stability and keep our
airlines flying with direct assistance during this
emergency.
We
will come together to give law enforcement the
additional tools it needs to track down terror here at
home.
We
will come together to strengthen our intelligence
capabilities to know the plans of terrorists before they
act and to find them before they strike.
We
will come together to take active steps that strengthen
America's economy and put our people back to work.
Tonight,
we welcome two leaders who embody the extraordinary
spirit of all New Yorkers, Gov. George Pataki and Mayor
Rudolf Giuliani.
As
a symbol of America's resolve, my administration will
work with Congress and these two leaders to show the
world that we will rebuild New York City.
After
all that has just passed, all the lives taken and all
the possibilities and hopes that died with them, it is
natural to wonder if America's future is one of fear.
Some
speak of an age of terror. I know there are struggles
ahead and dangers to face. But this country will define
our times, not be defined by them.
As
long as the United States of America is determined and
strong, this will not be an age of terror. This will be
an age of liberty here and across the world.
Great
harm has been done to us. We have suffered great loss.
And in our grief and anger, we have found our mission
and our moment.
Freedom
and fear are at war. The advance of human freedom, the
great achievement of our time and the great hope of
every time, now depends on us.
Our
nation, this generation, will lift the dark threat of
violence from our people and our future. We will rally
the world to this cause by our efforts, by our courage.
We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not
fail.
It
is my hope that in the months and years ahead life will
return almost to normal. We'll go back to our lives and
routines, and that is good.
Even
grief recedes with time and grace.
But
our resolve must not pass. Each of us will remember what
happened that day and to whom it happened. We will
remember the moment the news came, where we were and
what we were doing.
Some
will remember an image of a fire or story or rescue.
Some will carry memories of a face and a voice gone
forever.
And
I will carry this. It is the police shield of a man
named George Howard, who died at the World Trade Center
trying to save others.
It
was given to me by his mom, Arlene, as a proud memorial
to her son. It is my reminder of lives that ended and a
task that does not end.
I
will not forget the wound to our country and those who
inflicted it. I will not yield, I will not rest, I will
not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and
security for the American people.
The
course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is
certain. Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have
always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral
between them.
Fellow
citizens, we'll meet violence with patient justice,
assured of the rightness of our cause and confident of
the victories to come.
In
all that lies before us, may God grant us wisdom, and
may he watch over the United States of America.
Thank
you.
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