Had we seen an earthquake, or the results of a powerful storm, the devastation and loss would have been awful - but our country has seen terrible tragedies before: fires, earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes. We prayed for the lost, rebuilt for the survivors, and strengthened our laws, dikes, weather warnings and earthquake predictors. We prepare for an eventual recurrence of acts of nature: But 9-11 was not a natural catastrophe: these events were deliberate, conceived, organized and ruthlessly executed by human beings. And so, their significance must be assessed differently - and the actions to prepare for 'next time' must be different, also.

It is customary at occasions such as this for some old person to pass on his accumulated pearls of wisdom and life story to the young. But this is not a custom…

They killed in the name of God. But they are not the first. This began in pre-history; the tragedy is that it persists today. Some would characterize the event…

... they said, 'Sir, we want to tell you a joke.' I said, 'You don't have time to tell me a joke.' They said, 'Oh, you gotta hear this one.' So I came in, they…

The targeted assassination policy is a correct one. It is inconceivable that terrorists could operate freely without the ground quaking under their feet.

America decided we were going to stand by and let Americans die at the hands of terrorists a long time ago.

'We were not prepared intellectually. Those of us in the national security field still carried the baggage of the Cold War. We thought in concepts of coalition…