Political Quotes

“I remember Tuesday, September 11, very clearly. Room 219 is where Senator Daschle held his Tuesday morning leadership meeting, which started at 9 o'clock. I was the first Senator in that room. John Breaux of Louisiana came in a short time later, and he said: Something is going on in New York. Flip on the TV. And we did, and there was a tower burning, and we were thinking, how could an airplane run into that tower? We basically didn't pay any attention to that TV. We turned it off because there was a meeting there. We assembled for a meeting, Senator Daschle called it to order, and just a short time after the meeting was started, he got a note. Somebody came in and took him out, and he came in and said: We have to vacate the building. There is an airplane headed toward the Capitol. So of course we all hurriedly left 219. I remember that day so very clearly. Senator Nickles was my Republican counterpart, Senator Trent Lott was Senator Daschle's counterpart, and the four of us were taken off the west front of the Capitol to a secret location, where we spent most all the day. The Vice President was there and kept us informed as to what was going on. As we left 219, Mr. President, you could look out the window and see the smoke billowing out of the Pentagon. It was a very difficult day for all of us. Yesterday, we observed the 10th anniversary of those attacks, but the truth is I remember that day as if it were only yesterday.…”