Here's the Text of the speech:


President Bush's address Thursday to a joint session of Congress, as 
transcribed by eMediaMillWorks Inc.: 


Mr. Speaker, Mr. President Pro Tempore, members of Congress, and fellow 
Americans: 

In the normal course of events, presidents come to this chamber to report 
on the state of the Union. Tonight, no such report is needed. It has 
already been delivered by the American people. 

We have seen it in the courage of passengers who rushed terrorists to 
save others on the ground. Passengers like an exceptional man named 
Todd Beamer. And would you please help me welcome his wife Lisa Beamer 
here tonight? 

We have seen the state of our Union in the endurance of rescuers working 
past exhaustion. 

We've seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles, the giving 
of blood, the saying of prayers in English, Hebrew and Arabic. 

We have seen the decency of a loving and giving people who have made the 
grief of strangers their own. 

My fellow citizens, for the last nine days, the entire world has seen 
for itself the state of union, and it is strong. 

Tonight, we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend 
freedom. Our grief has turned to anger and anger to resolution. Whether 
we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice 
will be done. 

I thank the Congress for its leadership at such an important time. 

All of America was touched on the evening of the tragedy to see 
Republicans and Democrats joined together on the steps of this Capitol 
singing ``God Bless America.'' 

And you did more than sing. You acted, by delivering $40 billion to 
rebuild our communities and meet the needs of our military. Speaker 
Hastert, Minority Leader Gephardt, Majority Leader Daschle and Senator 
Lott, I thank you for your friendship, for your leadership and for your 
service to our country. 

And on behalf of the American people, I thank the world for its 
outpouring of support. 

America will never forget the sounds of our national anthem playing at 
Buckingham Palace, on the streets of Paris and at Berlin's Brandenburg 
Gate. 

We will not forget South Korean children gathering to pray outside our 
embassy in Seoul, or the prayers of sympathy offered at a mosque in 
Cairo. 

We will not forget moments of silence and days of mourning in Australia 
and Africa and Latin America. 

Nor will we forget the citizens of 80 other nations who died with our 
own. Dozens of Pakistanis, more than 130 Israelis, more than 250 citizens 
of India, men and women from El Salvador, Iran, Mexico and Japan, and 
hundreds of British citizens. 

America has no truer friend than Great Britain. 

Once again, we are joined together in a great cause. 

I'm so honored the British prime minister has crossed an ocean to show 
his unity with America. 

Thank you for coming, friend. 

On Sept. 11, enemies of freedom committed an act of war against our 
country. Americans have known wars, but for the past 136 years they have 
been wars on foreign soil, except for one Sunday in 1941. Americans have 
known the casualties of war, but not at the center of a great city on a 
peaceful morning. 

Americans have known surprise attacks, but never before on thousands 
of civilians. 

All of this was brought upon us in a single day, and night fell on a 
different world, a world where freedom itself is under attack. 

Americans have many questions tonight. Americans are asking, ``Who 
attacked our country?'' 

The evidence we have gathered all points to a collection of loosely 
affiliated terrorist organizations known as al-Qaida. They are some of 
the murderers indicted for bombing American embassies in Tanzania and 
Kenya and responsible for bombing the USS Cole.

Al-Qaida is to terror what the Mafia is to crime. But its goal is not 
making money. Its goal is remaking the world and imposing its radical 
beliefs on people everywhere. 

The terrorists practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been 
rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics; a 
fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of Islam.

The terrorists' directive commands them to kill Christians and Jews, to 
kill all Americans and make no distinctions among military and 
civilians, including women and children. 

This group and its leader, a person named Osama bin Laden, are linked 
to many other organizations in different countries, including the 
Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. 

There are thousands of these terrorists in more than 60 countries. 

They are recruited from their own nations and neighborhoods and brought 
to camps in places like Afghanistan, where they are trained in the 
tactics of terror. They are sent back to their homes or sent to hide 
in countries around the world to plot evil and destruction. 

The leadership of al-Qaida has great influence in Afghanistan and 
supports the Taliban regime in controlling most of that country. In 
Afghanistan we see al-Qaida's vision for the world. Afghanistan's people 
have been brutalized, many are starving and many have fled. 

Women are not allowed to attend school. You can be jailed for owning a 
television. Religion can be practiced only as their leaders dictate. A 
man can be jailed in Afghanistan if his beard is not long enough. 

The United States respects the people of Afghanistan - after all, we 
are currently its largest source of humanitarian aid - but we condemn 
the Taliban regime. 

It is not only repressing its own people, it is threatening people 
everywhere by sponsoring and sheltering and supplying terrorists. 

By aiding and abetting murder, the Taliban regime is committing murder. 
And tonight the United States of America makes the following demands on 
the Taliban. 

Deliver to United States authorities all of the leaders of al-Qaida who 
hide in your land. 

Release all foreign nationals, including American citizens you have 
unjustly imprisoned. Protect foreign journalists, diplomats and aid 
workers in your country. Close immediately and permanently every 
terrorist training camp in Afghanistan. And hand over every terrorist 
and every person and their support structure to appropriate 
authorities. 

Give the United States full access to terrorist training camps, so we 
can make sure they are no longer operating. 

These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion. 

The Taliban must act and act immediately. 

They will hand over the terrorists, or they will share in their fate. 

I also want to speak tonight directly to Muslims throughout the world. 
We respect your faith. It's practiced freely by many millions of 
Americans and by millions more in countries that America counts as 
friends. Its teachings are good and peaceful, and those who commit 
evil in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah. 

The terrorists are traitors to their own faith, trying, in effect, to 
hijack Islam itself. 

The enemy of America is not our many Muslim friends. It is not our 
many Arab friends. Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists and 
every government that supports them. 

Our war on terror begins with al-Qaida, but it does not end there. 

It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been 
found, stopped and defeated. 

Americans are asking, ``Why do they hate us?'' 

They hate what they see right here in this chamber: a democratically 
elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our 
freedoms: our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom 
to vote and assemble and disagree with each other. 

They want to overthrow existing governments in many Muslim countries 
such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. They want to drive Israel out 
of the Middle East. They want to drive Christians and Jews out of vast 
regions of Asia and Africa. 

These terrorists kill not merely to end lives, but to disrupt and end 
a way of life. With every atrocity, they hope that America grows 
fearful, retreating from the world and forsaking our friends. They 
stand against us because we stand in their way. 

We're not deceived by their pretenses to piety. 

We have seen their kind before. They're the heirs of all the murderous 
ideologies of the 20th century. By sacrificing human life to serve 
their radical visions, by abandoning every value except the will to 
power, they follow in the path of fascism, Nazism and totalitarianism. 
And they will follow that path all the way to where it ends in history's 
unmarked grave of discarded lies. 

Americans are asking, ``How will we fight and win this war?'' 

We will direct every resource at our command - every means of diplomacy, 
every tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every 
financial influence and every necessary weapon of war - to the 
destruction and to the defeat of the global terror network. 

Now this war will not be like the war against Iraq a decade ago, with 
a decisive liberation of territory and a swift conclusion. It will not 
look like the air war above Kosovo two years ago, where no ground 
troops were used and not a single American was lost in combat. 

Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated 
strikes. Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign 
unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes 
visible on TV and covert operations secret even in success. 

We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, 
drive them from place to place until there is no refuge or no rest.

And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. 
Every nation in every region now has a decision to make: Either you are 
with us, or you are with the terrorists. 

From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support 
terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime. 
Our nation has been put on notice, we're not immune from attack. We 
will take defensive measures against terrorism to protect Americans.
 
Today, dozens of federal departments and agencies, as well as state and 
local governments, have responsibilities affecting homeland security. 

These efforts must be coordinated at the highest level. So tonight, I 
announce the creation of a Cabinet-level position reporting directly to 
me, the Office of Homeland Security. 

And tonight, I also announce a distinguished American to lead this 
effort, to strengthen American security: a military veteran, an 
effective governor, a true patriot, a trusted friend, Pennsylvania's 
Tom Ridge. 

He will lead, oversee and coordinate a comprehensive national strategy 
to safeguard our country against terrorism and respond to any attacks 
that may come. 

These measures are essential. The only way to defeat terrorism as a 
threat to our way of life is to stop it, eliminate it and destroy it 
where it grows. 

Many will be involved in this effort, from FBI agents, to intelligence 
operatives, to the reservists we have called to active duty. All 
deserve our thanks, and all have our prayers. 

And tonight a few miles from the damaged Pentagon, I have a message 
for our military: Be ready. I have called the armed forces to alert, 
and there is a reason. 

The hour is coming when America will act, and you will make us proud. 

This is not, however, just America's fight. And what is at stake is not 
just America's freedom. 

This is the world's fight. This is civilization's fight. This is the 
fight of all who believe in progress and pluralism, tolerance and 
freedom. 

We ask every nation to join us. 

We will ask and we will need the help of police forces, intelligence 
services and banking systems around the world. The United States is 
grateful that many nations and many international organizations have 
already responded with sympathy and with support - nations from Latin 
America, to Asia, to Africa, to Europe, to the Islamic world. 

Perhaps the NATO charter reflects best the attitude of the world: An 
attack on one is an attack on all. The civilized world is rallying to 
America's side. 

They understand that if this terror goes unpunished, their own cities, 
their own citizens may be next. Terror unanswered cannot only bring 
down buildings, it can threaten the stability of legitimate 
governments. 

And you know what? We're not going to allow it. 

Americans are asking, ``What is expected of us?'' 

I ask you to live your lives and hug your children. 

I know many citizens have fears tonight, and I ask you to be calm and 
resolute, even in the face of a continuing threat. 

I ask you to uphold the values of America and remember why so many have 
come here. 

We're in a fight for our principles, and our first responsibility is to 
live by them. No one should be singled out for unfair treatment or 
unkind words because of their ethnic background or religious faith. 

I ask you to continue to support the victims of this tragedy with your 
contributions. Those who want to give can go to a central source of 
information, libertyunites.org, to find the names of groups providing 
direct help in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. 

The thousands of FBI agents who are now at work in this investigation 
may need your cooperation, and I ask you to give it. I ask for your 
patience with the delays and inconveniences that may accompany 
tighter security and for your patience in what will be a long struggle. 

I ask your continued participation and confidence in the American 
economy. Terrorists attacked a symbol of American prosperity; they 
did not touch its source. 

America is successful because of the hard work and creativity and 
enterprise of our people. These were the true strengths of our economy 
before Sept. 11, and they are our strengths today. 

And finally, please continue praying for the victims of terror and 
their families, for those in uniform and for our great country. 
Prayer has comforted us in sorrow and will help strengthen us for the 
journey ahead. 

Tonight I thank my fellow Americans for what you have already done and 
for what you will do. 

And ladies and gentlemen of the Congress, I thank you, their 
representatives, for what you have already done and for what we will 
do together. 

Tonight we face new and sudden national challenges. 

We will come together to improve air safety, to dramatically expand the 
number of air marshals on domestic flights and take new measures to 
prevent hijacking. 

We will come together to promote stability and keep our airlines flying 
with direct assistance during this emergency. 

We will come together to give law enforcement the additional tools it 
needs to track down terror here at home. 

We will come together to strengthen our intelligence capabilities to 
know the plans of terrorists before they act and to find them before 
they strike. 

We will come together to take active steps that strengthen America's 
economy and put our people back to work. 

Tonight, we welcome two leaders who embody the extraordinary spirit of 
all New Yorkers, Gov. George Pataki and Mayor Rudolf Giuliani. 

As a symbol of America's resolve, my administration will work with 
Congress and these two leaders to show the world that we will rebuild 
New York City. 

After all that has just passed, all the lives taken and all the 
possibilities and hopes that died with them, it is natural to wonder 
if America's future is one of fear. 

Some speak of an age of terror. I know there are struggles ahead and 
dangers to face. But this country will define our times, not be defined 
by them. 

As long as the United States of America is determined and strong, this 
will not be an age of terror. This will be an age of liberty here and 
across the world. 

Great harm has been done to us. We have suffered great loss. And in our 
grief and anger, we have found our mission and our moment. 

Freedom and fear are at war. The advance of human freedom, the great 
achievement of our time and the great hope of every time, now depends 
on us. 

Our nation, this generation, will lift the dark threat of violence from 
our people and our future. We will rally the world to this cause by our 
efforts, by our courage. We will not tire, we will not falter, and we 
will not fail. 

It is my hope that in the months and years ahead life will return 
almost to normal. We'll go back to our lives and routines, and that is 
good. 

Even grief recedes with time and grace. 

But our resolve must not pass. Each of us will remember what happened 
that day and to whom it happened. We will remember the moment the news 
came, where we were and what we were doing. 

Some will remember an image of a fire or story or rescue. Some will 
carry memories of a face and a voice gone forever. 

And I will carry this. It is the police shield of a man named George 
Howard, who died at the World Trade Center trying to save others. 

It was given to me by his mom, Arlene, as a proud memorial to her son. 
It is my reminder of lives that ended and a task that does not end. 

I will not forget the wound to our country and those who inflicted it. 
I will not yield, I will not rest, I will not relent in waging this 
struggle for freedom and security for the American people. 

The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain. 
Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we 
know that God is not neutral between them. 

Fellow citizens, we'll meet violence with patient justice, assured of 
the rightness of our cause and confident of the victories to come. 

In all that lies before us, may God grant us wisdom, and may he watch 
over the United States of America. 

Thank you.