Political Quotes

“eleven years ago today, on a crisp early autumn morning much like today's, I was at the Supreme Court for the semiannual meeting of the Judicial Conference when I got word of the first attack of 9/11. I quietly informed Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who was presiding over our meeting. Soon afterward we heard a muffled ``bump,'' followed by a report that a car bomb may have gone off across town at the State Department. Of course, we later learned that this had been the sound of another plane, as it slammed into the Pentagon. I remember later that day, evacuating my staff from the Russell Senate Building. I remember crossing along the West Front of the Capitol as two fighter jets streaked up the Mall. I remember the unnatural stillness of a big city in shock, similar only to what I saw as a law student at Georgetown, when a pall descended over Washington after the news that President John F. Kennedy had been killed. At this morning's meeting of the Judicial Conference in that same room where we met 11 years ago on this date, several participants offered reflections about this somber anniversary. I noted that much of what holds our country together in times of crisis is the integrity of the three branches of our constitutional government. In recent times, for temporary political gain, there too often has been the temptation to tear down our foundational institutions, undermining the public's faith and confidence in our system.…”