Evan Bayh: “I do not speak often on the floor of the Senate. Frankly, it has been my observation that we have too many speeches and…”

“I do not speak often on the floor of the Senate. Frankly, it has been my observation that we have too many speeches and not enough action in this town. But some events are so profound that they demand our reflection. The tragedy along the Gulf Coast is such a time. This Sunday will be the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, attacks that opened our eyes to the dangerous world we live in, made real the existence of evil, and shook our national complacency forever. Last week we witnessed a tragedy of equal proportions, not a terrorist attack, but an act of nature made more tragic by the violation of the bedrock American value of community and the fundamental promise implicit between our Government and our people. Our Government failed at one of the most basic functions it has, providing for the physical safety of our citizens, and in so doing raised questions about who we are as a people, what makes us special, and whether our leaders understand. I am not going to dwell on the horror of the past week which we as a Nation witnessed and which the people of the Gulf Coast experienced. Among the horrors, we also witnessed countless episodes of tremendous heroism and heartwarming generosity, and we saw Americans rise up to play the role the Government should have played by getting money, food, water, clothes, even opening their homes to complete strangers. That is the best of America.…”