Political Quotes

“a year ago we stood in this Chamber trying to recover from the shock that no longer were U.S. interests threatened by terrorists; but the United States itself, our people, our way of life, our very existence was the target of terrorists. We were awakened and disbelief turned to a commitment, a commitment that we would work together as one Nation, one government, and take every appropriate and necessary action to prevent another day like September 11, 2001. We afforded the President the resources and the broad support to ensure a swift, effective and successful campaign against a global terrorist network that killed thousands of our citizens on that fateful day a year ago. That campaign was built on the impression, the understanding that our military objectives must also have a political objective, a requirement that was underscored by Secretary of State Colin Powell when he was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and so it was that we not only dismantled the al Qaeda operations inside Afghanistan, but also helped the Afghan people free themselves from the oppression of the Taliban regime, thereby diminishing future threats from Afghanistan by helping democracy to finally take root. What we are authorizing the President today and the resolution that is before us, Madam Speaker, is not much different than what we afforded him a year ago. We steadfastly supported this effort a year ago as the debris of the World Trade Center continued to burn.”