President Bush’s radio address
Good morning. This is a day of remembrance for our country. And I am
honored to be joined at the White House today by Americans who lost so
much in the terrible events of September the 11th, 2001, and have felt
that loss every day since.
Three years ago, the struggle of good against evil was compressed into
a single morning. In the space of only 102 minutes, our country lost
more citizens than were lost in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Time has
passed, but the memories do not fade. We remember the images of fire,
and the final calls of love, and the courage of rescuers who saw death
and did not flee.
We remember the cruelty of enemies who murdered the innocent, and
rejoiced in our suffering. We remember the many good lives that ended
too soon — which no one had the right to take.
And our nation remembers the families left behind to carry a burden of
sorrow. They have shown courage of their own. And with the help of
God's grace, and with support from one another, the families of terror
victims have shown a strength that survives all hurt. Each of them
remains in the thoughts and prayers of the American people.
The terrorist attacks on September the 11th were a turning point for
our nation. We saw the goals of a determined enemy: to expand the
scale of their murder, and force America to retreat from the world.
And our nation accepted a mission: We will defeat this enemy.
The United States of America is determined to guard our homeland
against future attacks. As the September the 11th commission
concluded, our country is safer than we were three years ago, but we
are not yet safe.
So every day, many thousands of dedicated men and women are on duty —
as air marshals, airport screeners, cargo inspectors, border patrol
officers, and first responders. At the same time, Americans serving in
the FBI and CIA are performing their daily work with professionalism,
while we reform those agencies to see the dangers around the next
corner. Our country is grateful to all our fellow citizens who watch
for the enemy, and answer the alarms, and guard America by their
vigilance.
The United States is determined to stay on the offensive, and to
pursue the terrorists wherever they train, or sleep, or attempt to set
down roots. We have conducted this campaign from the mountains of
Afghanistan, to the heart of the Middle East, to the Horn of Africa,
to the islands of the Philippines, to hidden cells within our own
country.
More than three-quarters of al-Qaida's key members and associates have
been detained or killed. We know that there is still a danger to
America. So we will not relent until the terrorists who plot murder
against our people are found and dealt with.
The United States is also determined to advance democracy in the
broader Middle East, because freedom will bring the peace and security
we all want. When the peoples of that region are given new hope and
lives of dignity, they will let go of old hatreds and resentments, and
the terrorists will find fewer recruits. And as governments of that
region join in the fight against terror instead of harboring
terrorists, America and the world will be more secure.
Our present work in Iraq and Afghanistan is difficult. It is also
historic and essential. By our commitment and sacrifice today, we will
help transform the Middle East, and increase the safety of our
children and grandchildren.
Since September the 11th, the sacrifices in the war on terror have
fallen most heavily on members of our military, and their families.
Our nation is grateful to the brave men and women who are taking risks
on our behalf at this hour.
And America will never forget the ones who have fallen — men and women
last seen doing their duty, whose names we will honor forever.
The war on terror goes on. The resolve of our nation is still being
tested. And in the face of danger we are showing our character. Three
years after the attack on our country, Americans remain strong and
resolute, patient in a just cause, and confident of the victory to
come.
Hodges says he didn't validate memos
for CBS... is Dan Rather lying?
NYPost article: "In another challenge to CBS, Killian's
boss, retired Maj. Gen. Bobby W. Hodges, told ABC News that he regards
the documents as a computer "fraud," never saw them in the 1970s and
didn't validate them for CBS. A senior CBS official had claimed to the
Washington Post that Hodges had validated the documents. During his
national news broadcast, Rather claimed "partisan political
operatives" are challenging the memos but omitted the fact that
Killian's widow and son dispute them...”
The NewYorkPost has a news story that reveals CBS anchor Dan Rather
may have caught in their own fraudulent claims. At issue: the Bush
memos and CBS’s claim that retired Major Gen. Bobby W. Hodges had
validated the memos. The problem: Major Ge. Hodges denies he validated
them.
On his CBS News show Friday, Rather there's no "definitive evidence"
to refute the authenticity of documents about President Bush's
National Guard service — and closed with this:
"If any definitive evidence to the contrary of our story is found, we
will report it. So far there is none."
Meanwhile, the ‘unimpeachable’ CBS evidence continues to be
questioned. CBS/Rather made much about their analysis expert, Marcel
Matley. But according to the Post article:
But Matley is primarily a handwriting expert whose expertise in
document evaluation has been challenged by the head of the American
Board of Forensic Document Examiners.
Matley spoke only about a signature and initials purported to be those
of the late Lt. Col. Jerry Killian — "they are his signatures" —
though two of the four memos are unsigned.
Another glaring problem: the documents obtained by CBS are not
originals. They are only photocopies, and this sends up a big red flag
with document experts. Excerpt from Post article:
Allan Haley — a typeface expert at Agfa Monotype — said anyone who
claims to definitively authenticate a photocopy "is either guessing or
is a fool."
But perhaps the more insulting claim during Rather’s Friday rebuttal
was this: Rather said ‘partisan political operatives’ were challenging
the memos. Did he mean to include Killian’s widow and son as
‘political operatives’??? Both are hotly contesting the validity of
the documents. Killian’s widow says her deceased husband did not type.
And Killian’s son says they are not authentic.
Kennedy’s rant
"Because of the Bush administration's arrogant ideological
incompetence and its bizarre 'mission accomplished' mentality, our
troops and our intelligence officers and our diplomats had neither the
resources nor the guidance needed to deal with the worsening
conditions that steadily began to overwhelm them and continue to do
so," Sen. Ted Kennedy said.
"It is preposterous for the administration to pretend that the war in
Iraq has made America safer," he added. "No president in America's
history has done more damage to our country and our security than
George W. Bush, " Kennedy said.
Kerry’s radio address
Good morning, this is John Kerry.
Three years ago today, on a bright September morning, a young couple
took their three-year old daughter on her first airplane flight –
American Flight 11, from Boston to Los Angeles. On that morning, a
security guard stood watch at the World Trade Center, proud that in
just six days, he would become an American citizen. He had already
told his wife to wear her nicest dress to the ceremony. On that
morning, a firefighter left his pregnant wife, and reported for duty
at Rescue Company 4 to fill in for someone else. It was supposed to be
his day off.
On September 11, 2001, they and nearly 3,000 others were living out
the daily rhythm of life in a nation at peace. But on that morning, in
a single moment, they were lost, and our land was changed forever.
In the hours after the attacks, we drew strength from firefighters who
ran up the stairs and risked their lives so that others might live.
From rescuers who rushed into smoke and fire at the Pentagon. From the
men and women of Flight 93 who sacrificed themselves to save our
nation’s Capitol. They didn’t think twice. They didn’t look back. And
their courage lifted our nation.
That was just the beginning. In the days that followed, we saw an
outpouring of love as people across America and around the world asked
themselves, "What can I do to help?" How can I, as the Scripture says,
help repair the breach? [Isaiah 58:12]
In Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, Christians and Jews came together
to attend services at a local mosque. They came to support their
Muslim friends and neighbors – and together, they prayed as one.
The people of Akron, Ohio wanted to do something for the firefighters
of New York. So they dug deep into their pockets and donated enough
money to buy a fire truck, two ambulances, and three police cars.
And in Reno, Nevada, two little girls started a penny drive to help
the families of the victims. They hoped, as one of them put it, to
"make their hearts feel better."
So while September 11th was the worst day this nation has ever seen,
it brought out the best in all of us.
I know that for those who lost loved ones that day, the past three
years have been almost unbearable. Their courage and faith have been
tested in a way they never imagined. But day after day, they have held
on. And day after day, they and we have found hope and comfort and
strength by the quiet grace of God.
We are one America in our prayers for those who were taken from us on
September 11th and for their families. And we are one America in our
unbending determination to defend our country – to find and get the
terrorists before they get us.
A poet once wrote that those who have left us "…have a silence that
speaks for them at night…They say: our deaths are not ours; they are
yours; they will mean what you make them…They say: we leave you our
deaths. Give them their meaning."
In the past three years, with countless acts of bravery and kindness –
large and small – Americans have given meaning to those lives. That
terrible day has renewed our sense of purpose. And in the years ahead
we will share its lessons with our children and grandchildren. We will
tell them that on September 11th, ordinary men and women became heroes
at a moment’s notice – and so can you. We will tell them that we were
strong because we took care of each other – and so can you. We will
tell them that we came together in tragedy, chose confidence over
fear, and that our love for America far outshone the darkness of those
who hate us.
Finally, we will tell them that on September 11th and the days that
followed, we learned in the hardest way possible that the American
spirit endures. It is that spirit which leads us to defy the
terrorists and affirm that freedom will win. It is that spirit which
sustains the families of September 11th as they rebuild their lives.
And it is that spirit which will guide us as we rebuild those towers –
stronger, higher, and more beautiful than ever before. Just like
America.
to read past Daily Reports