Jay Rockefeller: “a brutal and cowardly act of terrorism has taken thousands of lives, destroyed great symbols of U.S. power and wealth…”

“a brutal and cowardly act of terrorism has taken thousands of lives, destroyed great symbols of U.S. power and wealth, and stolen from every one of us a measure of the joy and confidence that Americans take as our birthright. As the poet Yeats once wrote, ``everything is changed, and changed utterly.'' In this dark hour we all stand with President Bush and the military and intelligence leadership of this Nation in the search for the propagators of this great evil, and for an appropriate and strong response. America must respond to this crime, this act of war, rapidly and decisively, with an intensity and determination that reflect the outrage every American and I feel. A response whose violence and magnitude makes it clear to every terrorist that their lives are in danger, and makes it clear to every nation that the cost of supporting terrorism is too high to bear. We will not hesitate to put the strongest military on earth to use as it was intended: to protect the lives, safety and property of American citizens, everywhere in the world. But we must also respond with a defiant embrace of our way of living.”