Kirk Watson: “The success of the 9/11 bill (S. 2845) is a great victory for America. It will make America safer by establishing a…”

“The success of the 9/11 bill (S. 2845) is a great victory for America. It will make America safer by establishing a single individual who will be responsible for coordinating our intelligence and who will be accountable to Congress and the American people. The bill's success also demonstrates that our democratic process works and that Americans can come together in a bipartisan way to overcome the narrow interests of a few and meet the greatest challenge of our age head-on. It is fitting that the 9/11 bill is being considered by the House today on the 63rd anniversary of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, a day on which 2,400 Americans died. The parallels between 9/11 and Pearl Harbor are striking. In each instance there were warning signs before the attack, and in each instance our government failed to connect the dots. Whether at Pearl Harbor or the World Trade Center, surprise is everything involved in a government's failure to anticipate effectively. The events of 9/11 defined a generation and laid bare our nation's lack of preparation and a national strategy to deal with the new threat of terrorism. Passage of the 9/11 bill cannot by itself defeat the terrorist threat. A vote in Congress will not capture Osama bin Laden or stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction. But today we have given the U.S. Government new tools to deal with a new enemy who, as enemies of old, threatens our liberty and way of life.”