Evan Bayh: “it is a privilege for me to join my esteemed colleague Senator Specter from Pennsylvania and Senators Lieberman and…”

“it is a privilege for me to join my esteemed colleague Senator Specter from Pennsylvania and Senators Lieberman and McCain in this effort to implement the 9/11 Commission recommendations to defend our country. This is a bipartisan undertaking. We have proven we can rise above partisan politics. It remains to be seen whether we can rise above the bureaucratic inertia, gridlock, and turf jealousy that all too often afflict the Federal Government. I believe we must and I believe we can, if we are to uphold the weighty responsibility placed on us by our fellow American citizens. The most important thing we can bring to this task is a sense of urgency. What began as a wake-up call on September 11 may not be answered following this November 2, unless we maintain the momentum generated by the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. All too often the country's attention, this body's attention, can be diverted into other arenas, keeping us from taking a difficult but necessary action that sustained focus and attention can achieve. So I am very insistent that we regain the momentum, bring a sense of urgency and purpose to this calling, because it is what will be necessary to break down some of the barriers that too often in the past have kept us from doing what we now know to be important in terms of defending this country. Our proposal is the most comprehensive one before the Congress.”