Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • 6

6 CHICAGO TRIBUNE SECTION 1 WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2001 U.S. UNDER ATTACK DIFFICULT CHOICES lisl mulls low hwi. to i i i -v N-. i '-I-' 'r. I a.

A )) i IJn i Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (left) of South Dakota embraces Sen, Charles Schumer THE CAPITOL mm last eight years that has consistently targeted Americans." 'Dealing with sewage' Johnson added that the United States has been much too reluctant to take on terrorism head-on as if it were a military threat. "Part of this is that the U.S. doesn't have the political will, the stomach for it," Johnson said. "Well, you know what? When you are dealing with sewage, you've got to get in the sewer. These people are not operating in nunneries." Members of Congress, calling the attacks a watershed event for the nation, said one of Bush's options should be to call on America's allies to play a greater role in combating terrorism.

James Lindsay, a former national security official in the Clinton administration, said that while "there is a strong sense that war has been declared on America," the U.S. should use extreme caution in declaring war on a country that might be patrons of terrorists and wind up killing thousands of civilians. "We would be perpetrating what we abhor," he said. "We don't believe in collective punishments. It is individuals who perpetrate acts, not groups." Lindsay said the attacks have major implications for peace and war in the Middle East.

If groups there are found to have been responsible for the attacks and the U.S. responds with strong military action, he said, "there is a likelihood of escalating the problem." In retaliating, Vince Cannis-traro, a former director of the CIA's counterterrorism division, said the U.S. should not wait for evidence of a kind required for court trials. "You have to have intellectual conviction on solid analysis. If bin Laden did it, we are going to have 'The search is under way for those who are responsible for these evil attacks.

We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these attacks and those who harbor them, President Bush in his nationwide address from the White House to go in and remove the Taliban "I don't think the U.S. has a co herent anti-terrorism policy. They have been treating terror ism as a law-enforcement problem for a long time, like it's an organized gang or the The fact that the World Trade Center was the target indicated to terrorist experts that groups associated with bin Laden were involved, as he was suspected to be involved in the 1993 trade cen ter bombing. But Milt Bearden, former CIA station chief in Afghanistan, said the United States should not reflexively assume that bin Laden was behind the attack. "It's the old bin Laden answer, but sometimes the easy answer is not the answer, he said.

"Our response will serve to define us as to what kind of nation we are. A lot of people are inclined to bomb something, anything, it doesn't matter, Bearden said. "I think we have used that card up. We should be sure we're right. But bombs are apt to be part of any U.S.

retaliation. The ques tion is how far Bush will go. Now, said Lindsay, after the worst terrorist attack on the United States, "this is going to be a very tough moment for the president. This will really test his mettle, not only as a leader of the American people but as a leader of the American military. "There will be a lot of political pressure to do something.

I hope the president will resist the understandable urge to lash out blindly." lawmakers staid tiiitec Strong response weighed against Harming innocents By William Neikirk and Steve Hedges Washington Bureau WASHINGTON In the wake of Tuesday's surprise attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, President Bush faces enormous pressure to escalate America's restrained and measured war against terrorism. Tin the period ahead, Bush feces difficult choices that could draw the country into war or lead to U.S. -caused civilian casualties abroad as he weighs retaliation to the tragic attacks that many Americans compared to another Pearl Harbor. Bush's key decision will be whether to go after those responsible with more firepower and aggressive actions than have been attempted by past presidents plagued by terrorismfrom Ronald Reagan to Bill Clinton. If he opts for a stronger action, he also puts to the test America's relationship with its allies and its foreign policy in many hot spots around the world, especially in the Middle East, itself a hotbed of terrorism.

A shocked and angry country now appears more likely to unite behind a tougher White House stance that risks civilian casualties in the interest of protecting American lives and may not be as forgiving of its leaders if U.S. raids fail again. The old surgical strikes of the past, with cruise missiles as the main weapon, may now seem too tame in comparison to the heavy loss of life in New York and Washington. In a nationwide address from the White House, Bush signaled that the country's anti-terrorism policy is about to undergo a major toughening. "The search is under wav for those who are responsible for inese evu anacKS, ne said, we will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these attacks and those who harbor them." Prime suspect U.S.

national security officials fingered Osama bin Laden, the wealthy Saudi exiled in Afghanistan, as the prime suspect ip the case, but said further investigation is needed. But bin Laden, harbored by the ruling Taliban, eluded Clinton-ordered missile attacks in 1998 aimed at him and his terrorist organization. The Taliban on Tuesday denied involvement in the attacks. In February, CIA Director George Tenet called bin Laden and his organization, Al Qaeda, the "most immediate and serious threat" to U.S. national security.

Foreign policy and terrorism experts said proving who was responsible for the attacks will be difficult but agreed that it took a great degree of sophistication and coordination to conduct them. That alone appeared to some experts to indicate that another country may have provided assistance to the terrorists. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called the attacks an act of war and said the United States should not hesitate to retaliate against any country that may have had a hand in it. This sentiment was widely shared by many political leaders in Washington.

Terrorism experts voiced a wide range of views on whether to pursue bin Laden based on current intelligence. Larry Johnson, a former terrorism expert at the State Department, said the U.S. should retaliate against the Afghanis for what he suspected was bin Laden's role in the attacks. "The options are everything from conventional air strikes to cruise missiles up to and including tactical nuclear weapons," he said. "It was Osama bin Laden, n6 doubt.

His is the only terrorijst organization in the 1 i I Reuters photo by Brendan McDermid on Tuesday outside the Capitol. occasion to call for greater military spending; others used it to severely criticize the intelligence community. "It's the most horrible thing that ever happened to our cojin-try," said Rep. Henry Hyde chairman of the House International Relations Committee. "It is a shock to know how vulnerable we are when four airliners from three major airports are hijacked almost at wUl.

We have had a charmed life until now, and it's all over." Others denounced the nation's intelligence apparatus for not providing warning of the attacks. "Our intelligence system failed," said Rep. Curt Weldon a member of the Special Oversight Panel on Terrorism and the Committee on Armed Services. "Look at this," he said, sweeping his arm across the direction of 1st Street, which separates the Capitol from the Supreme Court building. "This is a war zone." Weldon said lawmakers who have been advocating more money for education and health care would be forced to reconsider and shore up the military.

"I'm a teacher married to a nurse none of that matters today," he said. Sen. John Warner former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, cautioned against damning the nation's intelligence agencies. "I think we should await assessment until we have the facts," he said. Members of the House Speaker's Working Group on Terrorism met at police headquarters and said terrorists were mistaken if they thought they could shut down the U.S.

government. "As you can see, Congress is open for business," said Rep. Jane Harmon the group's ranking member, as she stood in the street, shut out of the Capitol. "The terrorists would love to see our government in exile and on the run," said Rep. Tim Roemer a fellow com-mitte'e memhpr.

"That's not going to happe" Congress vows to support Bush, get back to work By Jill Zuckman Washington Bureau WASHINGTON Republican and Democratic members of Congress drew together in the fading light Tuesday evening on the steps of the Capitol pledging to work together and to support President Bush in fighting terrorism. "Our prayers and thoughts and words of consolation go out to all those who have suffered. But one thing that happens here in this place is when America suffers, and when people perpetrate acts against this country, we as a Congress and as a government stand united and we stand together," House Speaker Dennis Hastert said, to the applause of several hundred representatives and senators arrayed behind him. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle announced that Congress would convene Wednesday, with both chambers set to consider a joint resolution condemning the attacks and supporting the search for justice. With that, lawmakers sang "God Bless America" in an unusual expression of emotion.

For much of the day, members of Congress watched events unfold from home after the Capitol was evacuated for the first time in the nation's history. Daschle was meeting Tuesday morning with his leadership team a dozen Democratic senatorswhen the news came on television about planes crashing into the World Trade Center. As Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) watched the screen, he saw words scrolling across the bottom saying that the Pentagon had been bombed and announced it to his colleagues. "Everyone stood up, looked out the window and saw smoke billowing up," Durbin said.

The senatirs left the Capitol and heard sonic boom as i 1- 1 TV lit it J2 Members of Congress bow their Capitol in a salute to the victims American fighter jets blasted skyward from Andrews Air Force Base. Not knowing the source of the blast, police officers told the legislators to hurry home. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) was walking up the steps of the Senate on Tuesday morning to preside over the chamber when a security officer turned him away. He stood on the lawn of the Capitol, watching the evacuation.

"I don't know yet what military answers exist," he said. "As bad as it is, this is just the tip ofjwhat it Reuters photo by Win McNamee heads in silence outside the of the terrorist attacks. could be." Not knowing what to do, many members of the House and Senate shuttled in and out of the Capitol Police headquarters for briefings. Congressional leaders, including Daschle and Hastert, were taken to a "safe and secure" location where they could be in contact with Bush, said Lt. Dan Nichols, a spokesman for the Capitol Police.

Lawmakers denounced the terrorist acts and agitated for a speedy return to the historic domed building. Some used the.