Wendy Sherman: “Yesterday we suffered the greatest loss of American life on American soil since our Civil War. I fear that we are…”

“Yesterday we suffered the greatest loss of American life on American soil since our Civil War. I fear that we are reacting as if a few hundred Americans died at the hands of a small band of terrorists. I fear that we will just launch a dozen cruise missiles and call it a day like we did after our embassies were bombed in East Africa. Let us wake up! There are probably 10,000 or more dead Americans. That is four times the number that died at Pearl Harbor. I do not know whether Osama bin Laden is responsible, but I join the distinguished gentleman from California in demanding that Afghanistan extradite bin Laden to the United States because we do know that bin Laden killed Americans on the U.S.S. Cole and bombed our embassies in East Africa. But let me go further. If the Taliban government refuses, we should go to war. It is a war we can win, as we won the war in Kosovo, chiefly with air power and with the support of local allies. The Northern Alliance of Afghanistan shelled Kabul last night. That alliance may have suffered the death or the severe wounding of its leader, General Masoud at the hands of bin Laden's assassins just 2 days ago. However, the Northern Alliance is intact, and if the Afghan Government does not surrender bin Laden by the end of this week, then the Northern Alliance should be the best armed rebel army in the world by the end of this month.”