Political Quotes

“Madam President, consider these ominous words: To the loved ones of the victims who are here in this room . . . to those who are watching on television, your government failed you. Those who you entrusted with protecting you failed you. And I failed you. We tried hard, but that doesn't matter, because we failed. Those are not my words. They contain a sentiment I hope none of us ever has to convey to the American people. Those are the words of Richard Clarke, the senior White House official who was in charge of counterterrorism efforts in the previous administration when the September 11 terrorist attacks occurred. Mr. Clarke's testimony before the 9/11 Commission was apologetic, remorseful and tragic because he knew, he knew like no one else, our government had failed, failed to act on repeated warnings. This failure led to 9/11 and the largest loss of life on American soil at the hands of a foreign enemy since December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor. Today, the national alarm security bells are ringing once again. This time, however, the enemy is not in a terrorist training camp learning how to make an explosive device or commandeer an aircraft. The enemy is not trying to sneak its way into the United States. The enemy we face does not need to hijack an airplane in order to wreck the American economy and to cause widespread loss of life. The only tool this enemy needs is a computer and access to the Internet.…”