Secretary of State Colin L. Powell

That experience has served him well, both before and particularly after the events of September 11, 2001, the day of the greatest tragedy on American soil since Pearl Harbor. The Secretary has stood shoulder to shoulder with the President and the other members of the President's cabinet in fighting the war on terrorism. As he has often said, "winning that war is our first priority, and it will remain so for as long as necessary."

Secretary Powell has stressed that fighting the war on terrorism is not just a military but also a diplomatic task, and that the two go hand in hand. As he said in a major address at George Washington University on September 5, 2003, "We do not see the war against terrorism and the nurturing of constructive relationships among the major powers as competing tasks. We conduct the war on terrorism with an eye turned toward great power cooperation. And we seek enhanced great power cooperation with an eye turned toward success in the war on terrorism."

The Secretary has also led the State Department in major efforts to solve regional and civil conflicts - in the Middle East, between Israel and its Arab neighbors; in Sudan, Congo, and Liberia; in the Balkans, in Cyprus, in Haiti, in Northern Ireland and elsewhere. Secretary Powell has been particularly concerned with the peace and security of Afghanistan and Iraq, countries where winning the peace is as important as Coalition battlefield victories.

Secretary Powell has also been devoted to grasping opportunities as well as to confronting the global and regional security challenges of the 21^st century. He has been at the forefront of the administration's efforts to advance economic and social development worldwide - in the fight against HIV/AIDs, in the promise of the Millennium Challenge Account, and in pursuing a freer trading and investment climate worldwide. These efforts, too, are not separate from the nation's security agenda. As the Secretary said at Princeton University on February 20, 2004, "we must build a better future even as we deal with the security challenges before us. That is how we'll overcome those challenges, because it's not enough to fight against a negative, like terrorism. We must focus on what inspires us, on what brings the good people of the world together. We've got to fight for the positive -- for liberty, for freedom, for democracy."

Indeed, in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary Powell affirmed that our main purpose is to extend democracy, prosperity, and freedom to every corner of the world. It is a process that is establishing a balance of power that favors freedom across the globe.