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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?
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
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, Iran, Mexico and Japan, and
hundreds of British citizens.
America has
no truer friend than Great Britain.
(APPLAUSE)
Once again,
we are joined together in a great cause.
I'm so honored
the British prime minister had crossed an ocean to show his unity
with America.
Thank you for
coming, friend.
(APPLAUSE)
On September
the 11th, 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 Qaeda. They are some of the
murderers indicted for bombing American embassies in Tanzania and
Kenya and responsible for bombing the USS Cole.
Al Qaeda 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, 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 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 Qaeda has great influence in Afghanistan and supports the
Taliban regime in controlling most of that country. In Afghanistan
we see Al Qaeda'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.
(APPLAUSE)
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 Quaeda who hide
in your land.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
Our war on
terror begins with Al Qaeda, but it does not end there.
It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has
been found, stopped and defeated.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
Many will be
involved in this effort, from FBI 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, 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 service 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 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 can not only bring down
buildings, it can threaten the stability of legitimate governments.
And you know
what? We're not going to allow it.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
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
September 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.
(APPLAUSE)
We will come
together to give law enforcement the additional tools it needs to
track down terror here at home.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
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, Governor George Pataki and Mayor Rudolf Giuliani.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
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 (ph), as a proud memorial to her son. It
is my reminder of lives that ended and a task that does not end.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
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.
(APPLAUSE)
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