We have seen the American spirit
in the courage of passengers
who rushed terrorists to
save others on the ground.
We have seen the state of our union
in the endurance of rescuers working
past exhaustion.
We've seen the unfurling of flags,
the lighting of candles, the giving
of blood, the saying of prayers in
English, Hebrew and Arabic.
We have seen the decency of a
loving and giving people who
have made the grief of strangers
their own.
My fellow citizens, for the last nine
days, the entire world has seen for
itself the state of union, and it is
strong.
Tonight, we are a country awakened
to danger and called to defend
freedom. Our grief has turned to
anger and anger to resolution.
Whether we bring our enemies
to justice or bring justice to our
enemies, justice will be done.
All of America was touched on
the evening of the tragedy to see
Republicans and Democrats
joined together on the steps of
this Capitol singing ''God Bless
America.''
And on behalf of the American
people, I thank the world for its
outpouring of support.
America will never forget the
sounds of our national anthem
playing at Buckingham Palace,
on the streets of Paris and at
Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.
We will not forget South Korean
children gathering to pray outside
our embassy in Seoul, or the
prayers of sympathy offered at a
mosque in Cairo.
We will not forget moments of
silence and days of mourning in
Australia and Africa and Latin
America.
Nor will we forget the citizens
of 80 other nations who died
with our own. Dozens of
Pakistanis, more than 130
Israelis, more than 250 citizens
of India, men and women from
El Salvador, Iran, Mexico and
Japan, and hundreds of British
citizens.
Once again, we are joined
together in a great cause.
On September the 11th,
enemies of freedom committed
an act of war against our country.
Americans have known wars,
but for the past 136 years they
have been wars on foreign soil,
except for one Sunday in 1941.
Americans have known the
casualties of war, but not at the
center of a great city on a
peaceful morning.
Americans have known surprise
attacks, but never before on
thousands of civilians.
All of this was brought upon us
in a single day, and night fell on
a different world, a world where
freedom itself is under attack.
The enemy of America is not our
many Muslim friends. It is not our
many Arab friends. Our enemy is
a radical network of terrorists
and every government that
supports them.
They will hand over the terrorists
or they will share in their fate.
Our war on terror begins with
Al Qaeda, but it does not end there.
It will not end until every terrorist
group of global reach has been
found, stopped and defeated.
These terrorists kill not merely
to end lives, but to disrupt and
end a way of life. With every
atrocity, they hope that America
grows fearful, retreating from the
world and forsaking our friends.
They stand against us because
we stand in their way.
We will direct every resource at
our command -- every means of
diplomacy, every tool of
intelligence, every instrument of
law enforcement, every financial
influence, and every necessary
weapon of war -- to the
destruction and to the defeat of
the global terror network.
Our response involves far more
than instant retaliation and
isolated strikes. Americans
should not expect one battle,
but a lengthy campaign unlike
any other we have ever seen.
We will starve terrorists of
funding, turn them one against
another, drive them from place
to place until there is no refuge
or no rest.
And we will pursue nations that
provide aid or safe haven to
terrorism. Every nation in every
region now has a decision to
make: Either you are with us or
you are with the terrorists.
From this day forward, any
nation that continues to harbor
or support terrorism will be
regarded by the United States
as a hostile regime. Our nation
has been put on notice, we're
not immune from attack. We will
take defensive measures against
terrorism to protect Americans.
The only way to defeat terrorism
as a threat to our way of life is to
stop it, eliminate it and destroy it
where it grows.
The hour is coming when America
will act and you will make us proud.
This is not, however, just America's
fight. And what is at stake is not
just America's freedom.
This is the world's fight. This is
civilization's fight. This is the fight
of all who believe in progress and
pluralism, tolerance and freedom.
We ask every nation to join us.
Americans are asking, ''What is
expected of us?''
I ask you to live your lives and
hug your children.
We're in a fight for our principles
and our first responsibility is to live
by them. No one should be singled
out for unfair treatment or unkind
words because of their ethnic
background or religious faith.
And finally, please continue praying
for the victims of terror and their
families, for those in uniform and
for our great country. Prayer has
comforted us in sorrow and will
help strengthen us for the journey
ahead.
Tonight I thank my fellow Americans
for what you have already done and
for what you will do.
In all that lies before us, may God
grant us wisdom and may he watch
over the United States of America.
This is the World's Fight!!!!!
Excerpt from speech givin 9/20/01
by President of the United States,
George W. Bush
