London Terrorist Attacks

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 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.

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