Washington, Oct 1, 2006 - Winning the global War on Terror is the most important challenge facing our current generation.  Like the “Greatest Generation” before us, we did not ask for this war.  On 9/11, as on November 7, 1941, the enemy leveled a sneak attack on U.S. territory, killing thousands of Americans and shaking our sense of security.

Since that terrible day five years ago, our government has aggressively pursued terrorists and their sponsors, working to ensure that they don’t again succeed in attacking our homeland.  Around the world, U.S. military and intelligence personnel are taking the fight to the terrorists, disrupting their networks, and capturing and killing their leaders. At home, Congress and the Administration are working together to equip our military and intelligence agencies with the tools they need to effectively prosecute the War on Terror.

More work remains to be done, but I believe our persistent offense against terrorists has made America safer today than it was five years ago.

The War on Terror, however, is unlike any other war in our history.  Terrorists don’t wear military uniforms, participate in standing armies, or wage war on military battlefields. They don’t observe the Geneva conventions, don’t respect non-combat targets like mosques or hospitals, and they don’t refrain from killing innocent civilians. Instead, they infiltrate open societies with the express purpose of inflicting mass casualties on innocent men, women, and children.  In doing so, they seek to redraw the battle lines of the 21st century to include our cities, communities, and neighborhoods.

On 9/11, they succeeded in invoking our wrath and determination.  But five years later, some are waning.

Unfortunately, many are suggesting today that we “cut and run,” returning us to a pre-9/11 mindset in a post-9/11 world.  Just last month, a liberal federal judge in Michigan struck down an important surveillance program used by the Bush Administration to prevent terrorist attacks because she thought that journalists, lawyers, and scholars should be able to chat with terrorist suspects unencumbered.

Failing to heed the old adage that “loose lips sink ships,” the New York Times and other liberal media outlets have irresponsibly and repeatedly published classified reports that were leaked, giving terrorists vital information about U.S. intelligence programs and tactics. Further, many in Congress still want to treat terrorists—including 9/11 mastermind Sheik Khalid Muhammad—as criminals with U.S. constitutional rights, granting them all the legal rights and protections afforded to any U.S. citizen.  

The August 2006 plot to blow up ten airplanes en route from London to the U.S., however, reminds us that the terrorist threat remains. Islamic terrorists still seek to carry out large-scale attacks on the American people and U.S. interests.  The stakes are too high for us to grow battle-weary and lower our guard as we pursue terrorists at home and abroad.

As your Representative to the United States Congress, I am committed to pursuing policies that keep terrorists on the run and our homeland safe.

Though the enemy’s face has changed, the task before us today is no less significant than the challenge before America’s Greatest Generation.  Years from now, we will be judged by the resolve, vigilance, and determination with which we faced those who would destroy our way of life.  It’s up to today’s leaders to leave our children an America that’s more secure tomorrow than it is today.  This is my calling, and with your support we will succeed.