Political Quotes

“We return to Capitol Hill, ending the summer recess with strong conflicting emotions. Today is the 11th anniversary of 9/11, the horrific attacks that rocked the Nation and were especially poignant for us on Capitol Hill. As representatives of the government we had sworn to uphold and defend, these senseless, despicable acts exposed a real vulnerability. We all remember what we felt as we were watching the Twin Towers collapse, the plane crashing into the Pentagon, and then yet another plane going down in a lonely field in Pennsylvania, destined for us here on Capitol Hill. People came together in an outpouring of support for one another and for our Nation. There was a sense of resolve, unparalleled at any time since the cowardly attacks on Pearl Harbor. The response of the government since then, however, has been somewhat mixed. We have protected the United States so far against any repeat attack, but at great cost. We have thrown money at the problem. We have had significant bureaucratic overreach, particularly in terms of personal liberties. We will be paying the costs of the horribly misguided war in Iraq for generations to come. After an original, terrific response routing the Taliban in Afghanistan, we took our eye off the ball. We allowed Osama bin Laden almost another decade of life and mischief. Later, we were sucked back into Afghanistan on the terms of the Taliban and al Qaeda, not on our terms.…”