President Bush says the United States is at war, and he vowed to hunt down the terrorists responsible for Tuesday's devastating terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
President Bush said Saudi exile Osama bin Laden, who is believed to be in Afghanistan, is a prime suspect in the attacks. Speaking to reporters today (Saturday) at the presidential retreat in Camp David, Maryland, the President said Saudi exile bin Laden cannot hide from the United States.
Mr. Bush called on the U-S military to be ready to take action.
In his weekly radio address, President Bush said he will not settle for a token response and instead will take sweeping, sustained and effective action. He urged the American people to be patient because he said the conflict will be long and difficult.
Mr. Bush met with his national security team at Camp David to discuss response to the attacks, in which hijackers crashed airliners, destroying the World Trade Center in New York and damaging the Pentagon near Washington.
Congress Friday overwhelmingly authorized President Bush to use "all necessary and appropriate force" against the terrorists and anyone who harbors them.
The vote in the Senate was unanimous. There was only one dissenting vote in the House of Representatives.
Lawmakers also approved a 40-billion-dollar emergency fund to help victims and their families, boost security and pay for the cost of hunting down those responsible.
In another development Friday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ordered the activation of at least 35-thousand military reservists, who will help regular army units protect military bases and patrol U-S airspace.