Tom Ridge

I am saddened that this job is even necessary. But it is necessary. So I will give it everything I have. The task is enormous.

if the Brazilian government thinks it's in their interests (to fingerprint and photograph Americans), so be it.

They are insidious, ... a vast paradox of personalities and groups, some spontaneous, some very methodical, yet they are all intent on doing us harm.

These credible sources, ... suggest the possibility of attacks against the homeland around the holiday season and beyond.

Asked last Sunday whether the Capitol was the intended target on CNN's Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer ... There was some dispute as to whether it was the White House or U.S. Capitol. And I don't think we'll ever know.

an idea on paper to a reality in large part.

I'm not trying to condone the sloppiness or inaccuracy of the work that was done, ... We saw that ourselves.

we're concerned about targets beyond these and are working to get more information about them.

based upon advanced information.

We had specific information that needed to be acted upon relative to the Air France flights.

there was specific information regarding those flights.

The quality of this intelligence, based on multiple reporting streams in multiple locations, is rarely seen and is alarming in both the amount and specificity of the information,

These are pieces of information that we could trace comfortably to sources we deem to be credible.

with as much information as possible as quickly as possible.

Protecting this information is critically important. Shut them down and you shut down America as we know it,

All other systems failed, so they decided to use the Internet to create their own call centers. It shows the application of what you do to help our first responders.

Liberty is the most precious gift we offer our citizens.

But we feel very strongly that it is a very, very important part of how we prosecute domestically the war on terrorism.

It was serious enough from our perspective ... a credible enough theory that at least we ought to tell folks we are mindful of it and that you ought to be mindful of it out there as well,

Take some time to prepare for emergency.

that those who would do us harm may choose that date or any time around the commemorative period to do us harm again.

This is the right move at the right time for the right reasons,

God forbid, there may come a time when the local authorities or national authorities will tell you that you've got to use them. But for the time being, we just don't want folks sealing up their doors or sealing up their windows,

This war on terrorism is going to continue for an indefinite period of time.

I think we've accomplished a great deal in a short period of time, ... We have to be right a billion-plus times a year. ... The terrorists only have to be right once.