Bill Clinton: “In the months following September 11, a new reality took hold in every corner of our country. We saw the National Guard…”

“In the months following September 11, a new reality took hold in every corner of our country. We saw the National Guard standing guard at our airports and in front of Government buildings. Bioterrorism and border security were discussed every day. The skies over New York and Washington, DC were patrolled by our military. And every American believed that these new measures made our Nation stronger and protected us against terrorist attacks. But time has passed and that vigilance has faded. Not by our police officers, firefighters, or emergency response personnel. Not by the brave men and women who are serving in Afghanistan. Not by the workers along our borders and in our ports. But by the Federal Government. We have slipped into an almost piecemeal approach to Homeland Security and that has to change, starting today. "Are we safer today than we were on the morning of September 11, 2001?" The answer is only marginally, because somewhere along the line, we lost our way.”