Tom Price: “international terrorism is an issue of life and death, not just for each of us individually but for our Nation and our…”

“international terrorism is an issue of life and death, not just for each of us individually but for our Nation and our way of life. We did not want this fight. We didn't invite this fight. We did not wish to engage in this battle. However, once our enemy crossed over the line and confirmed for us and the world that they were unwilling to respect international law, respect individual liberty, and respect the sovereignty of nations, and that they were willing and desirous of engaging in mortal battle, no other option was left to us or to the civilized world. Abu Musab al Zarqawi, on January 23, 2005, said this: ``We have declared a fierce war on this evil principle of democracy and those who follow this wrong ideology.'' So this discussion over the past few days comes down to a fundamental question: What is the appropriate strategy and tactic to adopt to win the war on terror? Will we withdraw and simply defend a policy of isolation and containment, or will we aggressively combat terrorism and take the battle to our enemy? Now, this war is unlike any other in history. Our enemy has no single home. It recruits and trains its army from nations around the world. The only unifying element is hate, hate for democracy and hate for liberty. Thankfully, we have stayed the course. Thankfully, we have persevered in both Iraq and Afghanistan, because the greatest threat to terrorism is freedom and liberty and democracy in the Middle East and beyond.…”