Kent Conrad: “I rise today not as a Democrat or as a Republican, but as an American. The vicious, premeditated terrorist attack on our…”

“I rise today not as a Democrat or as a Republican, but as an American. The vicious, premeditated terrorist attack on our country cannot stand. We are joined in common purpose to defend our Nation and to strike back against those who have committed these crimes against humanity. Operating under the cloak of secrecy, they destroyed the lives of thousands of men, women, and children who were completely innocent. Those innocents were not combatants in any cause. They were merely traveling to rejoin their families, or going to work, or heading for a holiday. They were harming no one. But terrorists bent on destruction transformed airliners into flying bombs and attacked them, attacked us, and attacked America. Let the word go out that we will not be deterred, we will not be defeated, we will not be denied basic justice. These evil perpetrators of mindless violence will be pursued and found, and they will be held to account. Let these adversaries understand that they have aroused the awful wrath of a mighty nation. We are united, we are determined, we are committed, and we will prevail. God bless America.”