Prior to September 11, we thought the world beyond our shores was one world of risk and the world in our continent was another world of risk

Civilized people - Muslims, Christians and Jews - all understand that the source of freedom and human dignity is the Creator.

Nothing that we have authorized conflicts with any law regarding privacy or any provision of the constitution.

To those who scare peace loving people with phantoms of lost liberty, my message is this: your tactics aid terrorists for they erode our national unity and diminish our resolve. They give ammunition to America's enemies and pause to America's friends.

Frankly, the president, during the first opportunity I had to be in a Cabinet meeting, before we started the meeting, he said, Folks, before we begin this meeting, I'm going to call on General Ashcroft and ask him invite the wisdom and presence of God in what we do. And I thought to myself how ashamed I'd been that so many times in my life I had entered upon great important tasks and I had cheated myself and those that I had served of a blessing.

[The war on terrorism isn't a religious war, but] a defense of our right to make moral choices, to seek fellowship with God that is chosen and not commanded.

Our priorities should be: recognizing the voice of God and responding to the voice of God.