SOUTH PORTLAND – Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell urged Americans to remember their basic ideals as the United States seeks to destroy the terrorist networks responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks.

In a speech at the state Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson dinner Saturday, Mitchell said the success of the U.S. campaign requires a difficult balance.

“We must make informed, intelligent choices that are focused and proportionate, respectful of, but not deferential to, others,” Mitchell said in a text of his speech released to media. “We must be, and we can be, true to our ideals, fair and reasoned, and at the same time be strong, vigilant and aggressive in our actions.”

The former senator from Maine made his address as airstrikes on Afghanistan continued for the seventh straight day and that nation’s Taliban leadership refused to hand over Osama bin Laden in a deal that could bring an end to the U.S.-led attacks.

Addressing the crowd at the annual event as “my fellow Americans, fellow Mainers, fellow Democrats,” Mitchell said his listeners were citizens above all. He said that while they support President Bush and military personnel, they have not given up the right to debate important issues.

The use of force is now necessary, Mitchell said, but “that does not mean that we will be justified in any and all military action.” When force is used it should be consistent with “our fundamental values and we must at the same time pursue the search for peace, justice and security in the world,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said the United States retains the right to act unilaterally in critical situations, but stressed that maintaining an international coalition is essential to the effort.

“Buried in the rubble of the World Trade Center is the notion of the United States going it alone, withdrawing from multilateral efforts and repudiating treaties. It is obvious that we can’t do this alone,” he said.

He noted that many people disagree with U.S. policies, and “others resent what they claim to be American exploitation or indifference to their plight.”

Mitchell headed a panel that recommended a peace plan for the Palestinians and Israel, but he did not mention the conflict specifically. He acknowledged that many people hostile to the United States are in Muslim countries, but he stressed that the Muslim world is not monolithic and that the United States could create a “self-fulfilling prophecy if we assume their hostility and think of them and act toward them as one.”

Mitchell emphasized that now is not the time for partisanship, but he said issues important to Democrats such as health care and education remain relevant.