Thomas Daschle: “I begin by complimenting the distinguished Republican leader on his eloquence and his message this morning. It was 1…”

“I begin by complimenting the distinguished Republican leader on his eloquence and his message this morning. It was 1 year ago today that many of us turned on our television and saw what we could only imagine at the time was a horrible, horrible accident. Soon we realized that it was no accident. Instead, it was the worst terrorist attack on American soil. Later this morning the wing of the Pentagon that was destroyed is being rededicated. That field in Shanksville is once again green. The debris from the site of the World Trade Center has been removed. The heavy equipment and the workers are now engaged in the act of building--not removing. Through the physical scars of that day, we see a nation beginning to be healed. The emotional ones are still raw with our memory. Thousands of families are approaching their second Thanksgiving without a loved one. Children are approaching their second holiday season without a mother--or a father. Empty locker in firehouses still bear witness to the brave men who are no longer there. And so, the Pentagon can be restored. New grass can cover the churned earth of a rural field. New towers can begin to rise where others fell. Seasons and years can pass. Through it all, we will never forget. This day will forever be a part of our national memory. Nine/eleven will forever be our national shorthand for all that we witnessed, all that we have experienced--on that day and the days following.”