01/17/2002

EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-09650

BUSH NEW ORLEANS SPEECH

The United States was shaken by the September eleventh terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The impact was both economic and psychological. Many industries, including airlines and hotels, suffered a major downturn. Americans wondered about their confidence in the future. But as President George W. Bush said, "as every day goes by, the American people are getting more and more confident in our ability to protect ourselves and the ability of our government to respond in a positive way."

"This is a strong country," said Mr. Bush, "And it’s a patient country when it comes to achieving the ultimate objective, which is keeping America safe by finding terrorists where they live and bringing them to justice." That is happening right now.

The initial objective was to destroy the Taleban regime in Afghanistan so it could no longer harbor the al-Qaida terrorist group. "We met that objective," explained Mr. Bush, "And in so doing, we liberated a group of people that had been terrorized." Afghanistan now has a new interim government. And that war-torn country is starting to re-build with the help of the American-led coalition.

The Taleban and al-Qaida didn’t understand America and Americans. As President Bush said, "They thought we were so materialistic that we were soft. They thought we cared more about ourselves than we cared about something greater than ourselves."

The terrorists were mistaken. Mr. Bush said "they didn’t realize how tough we could be if we decided to be tough. They thought we would be impatient, and they’re wrong."

America is not only unleashing the might of its military against the terrorists. It is also unleashing the compassion of the American people. The U-S is both liberating and feeding people in Afghanistan.

The terrorists may have shocked the United States, but America quickly recovered. President Bush said he doesn’t care how long the campaign takes, or where the terrorists hide. The U-S is after them, "and will remain after them until they are brought to justice."

"America must lead the world," said Mr. Bush, "to make sure our children and grandchildren can grow up in a peaceful and secure society."