First came the shock and disbelief. Now comes the hard realization of what occurred, and with that, a growing thirst for revenge.
Speaking to the nation on Wednesday, President Bush pledged to mount a global war against terrorism following Tuesday's attacks on "freedom and democracy" in New York City and the nation's capital, and the hijacking that resulted in a plane crash in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. And Congress is swiftly joining the fight. "This battle will take time and resolve," said Bush. "But make no mistake about it. We will win."
America's NATO allies bolstered Bush's case for military action, declaring the terrorist attacks an assault on the international alliance itself. Bush sought to build a global alliance with phone calls to leaders of France, Germany, Canada, Britain and Russia. By Wednesday he had spoken twice to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In England, Queen Elizabeth II ordered an unprecedented tribute to victims of the attacks. A special Changing of the Guard was scheduled to feature a military band playing "The Star-Spangled Banner," followed by two minutes of music and funeral music.
"I think everybody is so angry they want to hit somebody," Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said as lawmakers discussed an initial installment in the $20 billion range for the anti-terrorism effort. "But before we hit somebody we need to know who that is."
As the FBI and other information groups cast their nets across the globe for possible leads and suspects, rescue teams continue to clear out debris on the attack sites -- New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C., as well as the crash site of the plane that went down in Pennsylvania.
Your Reaction
