[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15400-15401]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        LONDON TERRORIST ATTACKS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, today I rise to express my condolences 
to the victims and their families after last Thursday's depraved and 
savage terrorist attacks in London. I also rise to pledge my, and I am 
sure the entire U.S. Senate's, steadfast support for the people of 
London and the United Kingdom as they stand resolute--as they always 
have--in the face of terror.
  On July 7 of last week, bombs exploded in three subway trains of the 
London Underground. A fourth ripped open a city bus. At least 52 are 
dead, and hundreds are wounded.
  Just as a personal note, I have a daughter living in the London area. 
Just a month ago, I put her on the subway right near where one of the 
bombs went off. So I was among the many Americans who were frantically 
interested in getting word on our own relatives after the attacks, 
which is another indication of just how closely tied the United States 
and the United Kingdom are.
  These killers, whoever they are, have an utter disregard for human 
life. They indiscriminately kill innocent people. The explosions were 
timed to go off during the morning rush hour, to kill the maximum 
number of people.
  But we should not be surprised by the barbarity of July 7. We have 
seen it before. On September 11, 2001, the same impulse of evil that 
touched London stretched over the ocean to the United States and 
murdered 3,000 of our own.
  Ever since the terrorist attacks of September 11, America has waged a 
global war on terror. We resolved that day to pursue the terrorists and 
bring

[[Page 15401]]

them to justice before they could strike American soil again. This 
latest attack has changed nothing. We are still defiant in the face of 
terror. We are still committed to following terror wherever it may 
hide, wresting it out from the swamps and shadows where it takes 
harbor, and destroying it.
  The United Kingdom has been a strong and steadfast ally throughout 
the war on terror. Her resolve is only strengthened by this latest 
attack. Our British cousins will fight the terrorists with the same 
heroic mettle their forefathers used to face down Hitler during World 
War II. Sixty years ago, Americans tuned their radios to hear of 
British courage during the German bombing of London. Today, we see that 
same British courage on television. Many Londoners returned to ride the 
Underground and buses the very next day, unbowed by the terrorists.
  Prime Minister Tony Blair has led his country magnificently in the 
war on terror. He follows in the footsteps of previous Prime Ministers 
who have steeled their nation's spine in times of challenge: Margaret 
Thatcher and Winston Churchill. I have no doubt Prime Minister Blair 
will respond to these attacks with the same courage and resolve as his 
predecessors, and he obviously has all of our full and unqualified 
support.
  America and Great Britain united will never yield to the terrorists. 
We will defeat them, and at the same time, we will spread justice and 
liberty to combat their call to oppression and death. Our cause, which 
speaks to the noblest parts of the human soul, will win, just as it has 
throughout our shared and glorious history.
  May God bless America and the United Kingdom.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Iowa is recognized.

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