When I was growing up it was 'Communists'. Now it's 'Terrorists'. So you always have to have somebody to fight and be afraid of so the war machine can build more bombs guns and bullets and everything.
American credibility in the war on terrorism depends on a strong stand against all terrorist acts whether committed by foe or friend.
With those attacks the terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States. And war is what they got.
The terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States - and war is what they got.
Four years ago I promised to end the war in Iraq. We did. I promised to refocus on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11. We have. We've blunted the Taliban's momentum in Afghanistan and in 2014 our longest war will be over. A new tower rises above the New York skyline al Qaeda is on the path to defeat and Osama bin Laden is dead.
To a considerable extent we are faced by a technology arms race with terrorists. The communications revolution has made it easier for terrorist groups to reach out to vulnerable individuals with their violent extremist ideology and propaganda. It has also facilitated fundraising recruitment and training.
Countries across the world are taking action now to help them track paedophiles and terrorists who abuse new technology to plot their horrific crimes.
This is technology that will not go away. And to risk it moving into the hands of a terrorist group like al Qaeda or to other focused enemies of the United States would have tragic consequences.
If the terrorists have the sympathy of people it's much harder to find them. So we need people on our side and that leads us to be responsible leaders of the world show some concern with the problems.
When terrorists attacked the symbols of our national unity and strength they failed to realize that they were just symbols of our strength. The real strength of our nation comes from our people - not our buildings.
Terrorists have failed to trigger mass conflict between Muslims and non-Muslims in Europe. We should draw strength from that fact.
Guerrilla wars and even more so terrorist assaults are conducted only by forces with insufficient strength to carry out a real war.
And the truth is those who are terrorists only have to succeed once and those of us who are trying to build an inclusive society have to succeed every time.
There are many who lust for the simple answers of doctrine or decree. They are on the left and right. They are not confined to a single part of the society. They are terrorists of the mind.
In a sad twist of fate the bill to reauthorize the Patriot Act was debated on the floor of the House of Representatives the same day that terrorists struck again.
The sad fact is that the same terrorist scenarios if they occurred in five different States there could be five different sets of responses to the American people. We need at a minimum a level of coordination on communicating threats to the public.
I'm proud of my invention but I'm sad that it is used by terrorists.
It's a bit odd that nobody seems to be using the correct technical term to describe organized Islamic terrorists. They are not a faction of a religion or a social movement. They are a cult. A suicide cult.
Let me say this loud and clear. There is a world of difference between terrorist acts and the Islamic Shari'a. Islam is not only a religion but a way of life. And at its heart lie the sacred principles of tolerance and dialogue.
I say to the Taliban: surrender the terrorists or surrender power. It's your choice.
London in the '70s was a pretty catastrophic dump I can tell you. We had every kind of industrial trouble we had severe energy problems we were under constant terrorist attack from Irish terrorist groups who started a bombing campaign in English cities politics were fantastically polarized between left and right.
You cannot make peace with terrorists. The normal dividing lines between war and peace do not apply.
If terror groups are to be defeated it is national governments that will have to do so. In nations like India governments will have to call on the patriotism of citizens to fight the terrorists. In a nation like Pakistan the government will have to be persuaded to deal with those in their midst who are complicit.
Liberals become indignant when you question their patriotism but simultaneously work overtime to give terrorists a cushion for the next attack and laugh at dumb Americans who love their country and hate the enemy.
The dark shadow we seem to see in the distance is not really a mountain ahead but the shadow of the mountain behind - a shadow from the past thrown forward into our future. It is a dark sludge of historical sectarianism. We can leave it behind us if we wish.