A Message from DNC Chair Howard Dean on 9/11 Anniversary

An email message from the Chairperson of the Democratic National Committee, Howard Dean, M.D.:

Today we remember many things.

We remember where we were. We remember the scenes on television.

We remember the victims who were murdered. We remember the families and loved ones they left behind.

We remember the heroes who charged into danger to save lives.

We remember a moment of unity at home and around the world, where people rallied around a single mission and a common sense of justice that must be done.

Today we face many challenges at home and abroad. And too often it's too easy to be distracted by the politics, the pundits, and the posturing.

We must always remember that the dangers we face know no political party, and the solutions and leadership we need now go beyond ideology.

We must meet these challenges head-on -- remembering to stand together in action as we live together under threat. We are all Americans.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

We will not be silent.

Today we remember many things.

And tomorrow, back on the campaign trail, we will remember to take with us the plain truth and a commitment to true justice for all those whose lives were transformed on this day five years ago.

This is a day of sadness and remembrance for all Americans.

George Bush and the Republicans have been trying to squeeze partisan advantage out of this occasion all week, despite protestations to the contrary. Last night Bush laid two wreaths on the memorial at Ground Zero with three other Republican officials in attendance (former mayor Rudy Guliani, Gov. George Pataki and current mayor Michael Bloomberg), but Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Hilary Clinton were not invited. Well, they may think and act as though they own this day, and indeed claiming it may be the last sharp arrow in their political quiver, but they are wrong.

I am proud of the leaders of my party for speaking out on this day.