President's Radio Address [Remembering 9/11]

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This Monday, our Nation will mark the 5th anniversary of the attacks of September the 11th, 2001. On this solemn occasion, Americans will observe a day of prayer and remembrance, and Laura and I will travel to New York City, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon to take part in memorial ceremonies. Our Nation honors the memory of every person we lost on that day of terror, and we pray that the Almighty will continue to comfort the families who had so much taken away from them.

On this anniversary, we also remember the brutality of the enemy who struck our country and renew our resolve to defeat this enemy and secure a future of peace and freedom.

So this week I've given a series of speeches about the nature of our enemy, the stakes of the struggle, and the progress we have made during the past five years. On Tuesday in Washington, I described in the terrorists own words what they believe, what they hope to accomplish, and how they intend to accomplish it. We know what the terrorists intend, because they have told us. They hope to establish a totalitarian Islamic empire across the Middle East, which they call a Caliphate, where all would be ruled according to their hateful ideology.

Osama bin Laden has called the 9/11 attacks, "A great step towards the unity of Muslims and establishing the righteous [Caliphate]." Al Qaeda and its allies reject any possibility of coexistence with those they call "infidels." Hear the words of Osama bin Laden: "Death is better than living on this earth with the unbelievers amongst us." We must take the words of these extremists seriously, and we must act decisively to stop them from achieving their evil aims.

On Wednesday at the White House, I described for the first time a CIA program we established after 9/11 to detain and question key terrorist leaders and operatives, so we can prevent new terrorist attacks. This program has been invaluable to the security of America and its allies, and helped us identify and capture men who our intelligence community believes were key architects of the September the 11th attacks.

Information from terrorists held by the CIA also helped us uncover an al Qaeda cell's efforts to obtain biological weapons, identify individuals sent by al Qaeda to case targets for attacks in the United States, stop the planned strike on a U.S. Marine base in Djibouti, prevent an attack on the U.S. consulate in Karachi, and help break up a plot to hijack passenger planes and fly them into Heathrow Airport or the Canary Wharf in London.

Information from the terrorists in CIA custody has also played a role in the capture or questioning of nearly every senior al Qaeda member or associate detained by the U.S. and its allies since this program began. Were it not for this program, our intelligence community believes that al Qaeda and its allies would have succeeded in launching another attack against the American homeland. We have largely completed our questioning of these men, and now it is time that they are tried for their crimes.

So this week I announced that the men we believe orchestrated the 9/11 attacks had been transferred to Guantanamo Bay. And I called on Congress to pass legislation creating military commissions to try suspected terrorists for war crimes. As soon as Congress acts to authorize these military commissions, we will prosecute these men and send a clear message to those who kill Americans: No matter how long it takes, we will find you and bring you to justice.

As we bring terrorists to justice, we're acting to secure the homeland. On Thursday in Atlanta, I delivered a progress report on the steps we have taken since 9/11 to protect the American people and win the war on terror. We are safer today because we've acted to address the gaps in security, intelligence, and information sharing that the terrorists exploited in the 9/11 attacks. No one can say for sure that we would have prevented the attacks had these reforms been in place in 2001 -- yet, we can say that terrorists would have found it harder to plan and finance their operations, harder to slip into our country undetected, and harder to board the planes, take control of the cockpits, and succeed in striking their targets.

America still faces determined enemies. And in the long run, defeating these enemies requires more than improved security at home and military action abroad. We must also offer a hopeful alternative to the terrorists' hateful ideology. So America is taking the side of democratic leaders and reformers and supporting the voices of tolerance and moderation across the Middle East. By advancing freedom and democracy as the great alternative to repression and radicalism, and by supporting young democracies like Iraq, we are helping to bring a brighter future to this region -- and that will make America and the world more secure.

The war on terror will be long and difficult, and more tough days lie ahead. Yet, we can have confidence in the final outcome, because we know what America can achieve when our Nation acts with resolve and clear purpose. With vigilance, determination and courage, we will defeat the enemies of freedom, and we will leave behind a more peaceful world for our children and our grandchildren.

Since September 11, 2006:

* The nation has successfully tested and deployed an initial National Missile Defense systems in California and Alaska. Sensors and communications in space and at sea are part of the overall architecture.

* Except for some occasional video appearances, Osama bin Laden hasn’t been heard from.

* Iran has become of greater concern. Ahmadinejad is almost a household name. He has long range missiles and is apparently working on nuclear weapons and defies the U.N. He has famously said.

* North Korea has apparently gained nuclear weapons and has a few long-range missiles of questionable reliability.

* The U.S. government was reorganized and the Department of Homeland Security was created. Unfortunately, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may have suffered in the process. At least the people of New Orleans suffered and one can argue how much of that was ineptitude, bad organization, a lesson in the ravages of Mother Nation or other factors. Hurricane Katrina, and the government response, would seem to be one of the major events impacting on the American psyche in the last five years.

* Juxtaposed to Katrina is the American and international response to the earthquake and tsunami in Thailand – an event featuring an outpouring of remarkable American generosity, organizational skill and caring.

* Kofi Annan is a household name and almost no conservatives believe he has done or can do any good. In fact, most believe he does more harm than good.

* France has proven itself spineless.

* The all volunteer U.S. military continues to meet recruiting goals.

* Tony Blair stood tall with the president of the United States and will be retired for it.

* Political correctness means we still search ninety year old grandmothers at airports as often as we search men of Arab ancestry.

* Vice President Cheney and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld have named the terrorists “Islamo-fascists.” Some Democrats have done the same to the aforementioned.

* Colin Powell is out, Condi Rice is in.

* In 2001, “Reba” was a TV series, along with “7th Heaven.” Movies included Gosford Park, American Pie 2 and Hannibal.

This the text of Rep. Sherrod Brown's radio address for the Democrats:

"Good morning. This is Congressman Sherrod Brown, Ohio candidate for the United States Senate.
"On Monday, our country marks a tragic day - - the five year anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Five years have passed, but the pain has not. All of us still bear memories of that terrible day and the lives that were lost.

"But those painful memories also harbor images of hope and determination. In the wake of that day’s tragic events, we saw the best that America had to offer. Neighbor helped neighbor to pick up and recover. City helped city to rebuild. And leaders in Washington worked together, not as Democrats and Republicans, but as Americans willing to do whatever it took to prevent another attack.

"Five years later, we need to see that commitment again. The truth is – five years after the 9/11 attacks – America is not nearly as safe as we can be and we must be.

"My home state of Ohio has three cities listed as “high risk” for a terrorist attack – Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati – yet those cities do not have the homeland security funds that they need.

"We ask our grandmothers to take their shoes off at airports, yet only 6 percent of the cargo entering our ports is inspected. Our borders remain open. Our chemical and nuclear plants remain vulnerable. Our courageous first responders lack the right equipment and sufficient resources, and not enough has been done to protect our rails, and our roads, and our metro systems.

"These are serious matters of national security, and they demand a serious response. Unfortunately, at the White House and in Congress, all we see is inaction and delay.

"The most glaring example is what’s happened to the recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission. Two years ago, this commission – with equal numbers of respected Republicans and respected Democrats – announced a number of common-sense steps the government could take to protect Americans from another attack. Some were haphazardly implemented by Republicans in Congress. Many others were completely ignored.

"It’s unacceptable that this Republican government hasn’t done at all it can to protect Americans in the five years since the September 11th attacks. That’s why Democrats are pushing for a new direction. We have a plan to give Americans the real security they deserve... And it starts by charting a new course in Iraq.

"While Iraq was not part of the war on terror before we invaded, it’s now a training ground for terrorists and a recruiting tool for the leaders of al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. Our military readiness has plummeted to levels not seen since Vietnam…diverted resources from the War on Terror… and made America less safe.

"This anniversary of 9/11, we must refocus our efforts on the War on Terror by ending our open-ended commitment in Iraq and by redirecting our efforts to destroy al Qaeda.

"Democrats will fight for this goal even as the President and as Congressional Republicans stubbornly insist on staying a failed course.

"It’s time for a new direction.

"Families in Ohio want the same thing as families across the nation – to trust that our government is doing all it must to keep our loved ones safe.

"Five years after 9/11, the Democrats’ top priority is to implement tough and smart strategies to keep Americans safe. Nothing, nothing is more important than protecting our country.

"I’m Sherrod Brown. Thank you for listening.''

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