Mike Levin: “through our rage at the terrorist attacks on our people and our free institutions shines a focused determination to…”

“through our rage at the terrorist attacks on our people and our free institutions shines a focused determination to recover our loved ones and friends who are still lost, and to assist their loved ones to cope with the devastating void into which they have been plunged. Our fury at those who attack innocence is matched by our united determination to protect our citizens from more terror and by our resolve to track down, to root out, and to relentlessly pursue terrorists and those who would shelter or harbor them. Last night, at the Pentagon, I joined Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, Senator Warner, and General Shelton in sharing that determination with the American people. That resolve is reflected by the fact that the Pentagon is functioning and the men and women who work there are assisting the heroic recovery efforts, although a few feet away loved ones and friends are still missing or presumed to have been killed, and while the smoke of the savagery is still permeating the Pentagon. The President, last night, spoke for all Americans and all civilized people everywhere about his commitment to recover, to deter, and then to root out and destroy the terrorists. Debate is an inherent part of democracy. And while our democratic institutions are stronger than any terrorist effort to shake them, in one regard we operate differently in times of national emergency.”