Date: 22/09/2001
The terrorist network, he asserted in a resolute, hard-hitting speech, includes thousands of operatives in more than 60 countries, which suggests the awesome scope of the task that he has set for the US and for those who stand beside it.
"I will not relent," he pledged.
Some in the Bush Administration would prefer to focus the campaign more narrowly, concentrating on the operations of Osama bin Laden, the main suspect in the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon on September 11. That, they argue, would constitute a much more realistic goal - though still a hard one to achieve - and make easier the assembly of an extensive, actively engaged international coalition.
It was a solemn moment, fraught with drama and charged with history. What flows from it will go some distance toward defining the still young and largely untried Administration and may profoundly affect the US's future.
Tremendous public support for Mr Bush was reflected in the warmth of the reception he received on Capitol Hill. He rose to the occasion, finding at times the eloquence that has eluded him so often in the past.
Mr Bush took some steps towards reassuring that segment of the American public that is afraid, particularly those in Washington and New York who fear further terrorist attacks. The most dramatic of these was the appointment of Governor Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania, a former Vietnam veteran whom Mr Bush considered as his running mate last year, to head a new Office of Homeland Security.
The nation and its leaders are confronted with the probability of an enemy within - cells of bombers or hijackers, lurking unsuspected in dark or not-so-dark corners of American society. Nothing quite like it has ever faced the US before, and there is no easy way to root out the potential terrorists. Only dogged police work will work, and that takes time.
"I ask you to be calm and resolute," Mr Bush said bluntly, "even in the face of continuing threats."
He is still to find a way to satisfy the desire of many Americans for a dramatic early retaliation while keeping apprehensive European and Middle Eastern allies on board.
"He is walking a very fine line," a former national security officer commented, "and he is walking it in completely unknown territory."
The New York Times
Story Picture: Courage in the face of sorrow ... Lisa Beamer, widow of Todd Beamer, who died on the United Airlines flight that crashed in Pennsylvania, is applauded on Capitol Hill after being recognised by President George Bush during his address. Photo: AFP/Luke Frazza
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