Max Cleland: “I will quote from a distinguished author, Charles Dickens, who said: It was the best of times, it was the worst of…”

“I will quote from a distinguished author, Charles Dickens, who said: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity. It was the season of light, it was the season of darkness. It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. That introduction to ``A Tale of Two Cities'' written by Dickens is apropos of the time we have at hand. Dickens' words speak to us today as we try to make sense of the events of September 11 because, though the darkness and despair were all too readily apparent, I believe we can actually see wisdom and light and hope as this great Nation moves forward in unity and resolve. It is a sad but nonetheless true fact that our country is no more vulnerable to terrorist assault now than it was on September 10. It just feels that way. With the heightened attention to this threat, I would contend that the vulnerability is less now than it was actually before, but that is certainly no guarantee against future attacks.”