Only Jim McDermott.

 McDermott knighted by king of Lesotho

Jim McDermott, congressman and doctor, has added another title: knight.

McDermott, D-Wash., was knighted by the king of Lesotho during an Aug. 22 ceremony at the Royal Palace in Maseru, his office said Friday.

"His Majesty Letsie III, by the Grace of God, Sovereign of the Kingdom of Lesotho, is pleased by these presents to appoint Jim McDermott Knight Commander of The Most Dignified Order of Moshoeshoe," the official citation reads.

According to Lesotho officials, Most Dignified Order of Moshoeshoe recognizes distinguished leadership, particularly in the political sphere.

The knighthood acknowledges the Seattle lawmaker's leadership on the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which has enabled Lesotho to become the No. 1 African exporter of apparel to the United States. McDermott sponsored the act, which has directly created 50,000 jobs in Lesotho, his office said.

This is worth thinking about tonight and for quite some time, but on 11 September 1990 President George H.W. Bush said the following:

We stand today at a unique and extraordinary moment. The crisis in the Persian Gulf, as grave as it is, also offers a rare opportunity to move toward an historic period of cooperation. Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective — a new world order — can emerge: a new era — freer from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit of justice, and more secure in the quest for peace. An era in which the nations of the world, East and West, North and South, can prosper and live in harmony. A hundred generations have searched for this elusive path to peace, while a thousand wars raged across the span of human endeavor. Today that new world is struggling to be born, a world quite different from the one we've known. A world where the rule of law supplants the rule of the jungle. A world in which nations recognize the shared responsibility for freedom and justice. A world where the strong respect the rights of the weak. This is the vision that I shared with President Gorbachev in Helsinki. He and other leaders from Europe, the Gulf, and around the world understand that how we manage this crisis today could shape the future for generations to come.

Six years ago today I woke up to an ordinary day and headed downstairs for some coffee on my way toward work. My wife was up. I don’t remember if I turned on the television or if it was already on. I don’t remember if I was flipping through the channels or not.

I do remember being surprised to hear that three, or was it four, planes had been simultaneously hijacked by terrorists and that one of them had flown into the world trade center. There was all sorts of chatter on the television. I remember my reaction when I watched the second plane fly into the world trade center on live television.

I was shocked when I heard about the first plane. I was outraged when I watched the second one. I remember distinctly turning to my wife and telling her that this wasn’t just terrorism, this was an act of war.