Bush Salutes Terror Attacks Victims
By SCOTT LINDLAW
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - The men who struck America one month ago "died in vain," President Bush said Thursday, pledging the military will have "every resource, every weapon, every means" necessary to triumph in a worldwide war on terrorism.
"They will be isolated, surrounded, cornered until there is no place to run or hide or rest," he said of the al-Qaida network and terrorists around the globe.
The commander in chief spoke at a somber ceremony at the Pentagon on a day of sunshine as bright as Sept. 11, the date of the deadliest terrorist attacks ever on American soil. The ceremony took place on the opposite side of the Pentagon from where terrorists struck one month ago, dooming 189 to their deaths. A separate observance was held in New York, where more than 5,000 perished in attacks on the World Trade Center.
Bush also received an update from his Cabinet on a broad range of government anti-terrorism activities, including the freezing of $24 million in assets of Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida network. "I want the terrorists to know we're after them in all kinds of ways," he said.
He urged the Senate to pass his energy plan to make the nation less reliant on foreign oil. The House passed his package, but the legislation has stalled since the Sept. 11 strikes.
Vice President Dick Cheney did not attend the Cabinet meeting. In a sign of continued concern over fresh terrorist attacks, he has been staying at a secure location outside the White House.
Elsewhere, there were signs of recovery. After a swift drop in the days following the attacks, the stock markets stood near or marginally above their pre-attack levels.
The Dow Jones industrial average was about 200 points below its close on Sept. 10, having fallen 1,369 points after the attacks. The Nasdaq composite and Standard & Poor's 500 indexes traded within points of their closes of a month ago.
Inside the Pentagon, war planners oversaw the five-day-old aerial attack on terrorist targets in Afghanistan. The skies deemed safe for round-the-clock bombing runs, officials said military targets were being chosen in part on the basis of information provided by the northern alliance forces battling to overthrow the ruling Taliban militia, linked to bin Laden.
But Gen. Henry Osman, briefing reporters at the Pentagon, said, "Coordination is probably too strong a word." Asked why, he said, "It's in the political side," a reference to the administration's reluctance to become too close to any of the rival factions inside Afghanistan.
Outside the Pentagon, machine gun-toting troops stood guard in camouflage, providing security for a service that drew not only the president and first lady, Laura Bush, but also former President Bill Clinton, dozens of members of Congress, relatives of the attacks victims and a throng of thousands of guests.
Similar ceremonies were held in New York, where the mighty twin towers of the World Trade Center crumpled after being hit by a pair of hijacked jetliners. There were more deaths that day when a fourth hijacked plane crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside following an on-board struggle between passengers and the terrorists.
The hijackers "were instruments of evil who died in vain," said the president. "The terrorists have no true home in any country or culture or faith. They dwell in dark corners of earth and there we will find them," he promised.
The Pentagon ceremony was a blend of prayer, hymn-singing and speech-making, and included a mournful honor roll of the dead, with names scrolled on video screens for the crowd to see.
"We remember them as heroes," said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. "And we are right to do so."
Bush's own remarks blended words of praise for the dead, comfort for their survivors, and resolve for the fight ahead.
"This week I have called the armed forces into action. One by one, we are eliminating power centers of a regime that harbors the al-Qaida terrorists. We gave that regime a choice _ turn over the terrorist or face your ruin. They chose unwisely."
To the members of the armed forces in attendance, he pledged, "You will have everything you need. Every resource, every weapon, every means to assure full victory for the United States in the cause of freedom."
Bush also summoned members of his Cabinet to a White House meeting during the day, and called a prime time news conference for 8 p.m. EDT, the first of his nine-month presidency.
Mrs. Bush began the day at a Georgetown bookstore, encouraging children to read all they can about different cultures lest fear during the U.S. war on terrorists turn to prejudice and hate.
"If you can be educated about everything _ for instance, about every religion _ you can be tolerant," the first lady said.
The president pledged not to relent in his effort to eradicate terrorism.
"They try to hide, but we're going to shine the light of justice on them," Bush said Wednesday.
Bush was re-emphasizing that his campaign has multiple fronts, releasing what the administration described as substantial progress in blocking funds of terrorists and their associates.
"We're halting their money," Bush said. "We've got allies around the world helping us close the net."
Last month, Bush moved to freeze assets of bin Laden, an exiled Saudi multimillionaire, and 26 other people and organizations with suspected links to terrorism. The administration said recently that $6 million has been blocked and 50 bank accounts frozen, 30 in this country and 20 overseas.
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