On 8 December 1941, the day after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his legendary A date that will live in infamy address, asked a joint session of Congress to declare war on Japan. Thirty and three minutes later, war was declared, with only Rep. Jeanette Rankin (R-Montana) opposed. There have been times when Congress acted quickly.
FDR’s Infamy Speech remains the gold standard for calls to action following an attack on the United States; a standard not met by George W. Bush’s response to the 9/11 attack. For a comparison of these speeches, and the speech I believe Bush should have delivered, see my post from 11 September 2006.