Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, I rise today to share some of my thoughts on this very special day, a day that commemorates one of the darkest days in our Nation's history.

Those of us who listened this morning to the recitation of the names of those killed in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon found in those names both a message of grief and one deep in sorrow.

Also in those names was a profound message of how deeply the world is interwoven. The reading of these names was, for me, an unforgettable message of our diversity.

My sorrow, my sympathy, my condolences go to those who have lost so much. For many, they have lost everything; yet they still have their spirit, their hope, and their determination, and they still have the love of a very sympathetic Nation.

On September 11, we all felt as if the loss was too much to bear, as if it would be impossible to go on. But out of the ashes of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, we in Congress returned to work. We tried in our legislative ways to address the terrorist threat.

Within a week of the attack, we approved a resolution authorizing the President to use force against those who would perpetuate or harbor the terrorists.

Within a month, we approved the USA Patriot Act, which authorized our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to take the necessary steps to root out the terrorist threat and to protect the Nation.

In May of this year, we approved the border security and visa reform legislation, which overhauled the way this Nation allows immigrants and visitors into the country.

In June, we approved a bioterrorism bill that included strict certification requirements for laboratories that handle anthrax, smallpox, and more than 30 other deadly pathogens.

At the same time, the United States launched a war against terror. In Afghanistan, the U.S. forces, working with the Northern Alliance, ousted the Taliban, fought Al-Qaeda troops, and made it possible for Hamid Karzai to be elected President--Afghanistan's first democratic election.

U.S. special forces were also sent to the Philippines, to Yemen, and Georgia to train local troops on how to fight the war against terror. We have broken up Al-Qaeda cells in Spain, France, Morocco, and Singapore, preventing planned attacks.

In the financial world, the Treasury Department began examining the financing of terrorist organizations, freezing more than $34 million in terrorist assets.

Now the Senate is considering two additional steps to defend our Nation: a bill to create a new Department of Homeland Security and a comprehensive review of the intelligence failures that led to 9/11.

I would expect the Senate to approve the homeland defense bill in the coming weeks, and, hopefully, it will be signed into law by the end of the year.

On September 17, the Intelligence Committees of both the House and the Senate will open their first hearings on our intelligence review, which has been going on now for 6 months.

One year has now passed. The Nation has shown its resolve and resiliency. Now we must show our staying power.

For me, what emerged from 9/11 were four specific points:

First, we must stay the course on the war on terror. We must ferret out, bring to justice, one by one, group by group, those Al-Qaeda, or others, who would simply kill because they hate.

Secondly, we must make this country as safe as possible: eliminate loopholes in laws, prevent fraudulent entry into our country, ensure thatdeadly chemicals and biological agents are properly handled, and see that the national security is protected, wherever possible.

Thirdly, we have to reinforce the hallmarks of America: liberty, justice, freedom. Despite this crisis, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights remain strong and central to our way of life.

Finally, we need to celebrate our democracy, and the way we do that is simple: We make it work. We produce for our people. We pass good legislation. We administer the programs. We show that democracy offers solutions to the real problems of our society.

Let me say one thing about remaining vigilant in the war against terror. Much of the Al-Qaeda organization remains intact, including two-thirds of the leadership, and possibly Osama bin Laden himself.

Afghanistan is our beachhead in the war on terror. We cannot lose it or we lose the war on terror. Yet Afghanistan's leadership is fragile. Just last week there was an attack on President Karzai's life.

We have an obligation to provide for the security of Afghanistan and its leaders and ensure that the nation does not fall under the control of regional warlords. We must ensure that the Afghan economy becomes upwardly mobile.

We have work to do to find those in hiding, whether in Pakistan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, Southeast Asia, and, yes, in our own country. Al-Qaida remains poised to do their dirty deeds.

America learned on September 11 a very simple and sobering lesson--that there are people in the world who would destroy us if they could. We must remember this fact and do all we can to stop them.

This means staying the course and winning the war against terror. This means keeping focused on the immediate threat from Al-Qaeda, and this means looking for new ways to strengthen our Nation's homeland defense.

As we all consider the past year, let us remember all of those who perished in the attacks and in their memory rededicate ourselves to doing all we can to making our Nation strong and preventing a similar attack in the future.

I yield the floor.