Following are excerpts from comments made by members of Maine’s congressional delegation about the testimony Thursday of national security adviser Condoleezza Rice:

Sen. Olympia J. Snowe

“Today Dr. Rice specifically, [systematically] and forthrightly responded to the questions posed by the commission members. Her answers will be crucial to our national understanding of the events that led up to the single greatest tragedy on American soil since Pearl Harbor.

“Significantly, Dr. Rice stated that ‘it was the very first major national security policy directive of the Bush administration – not Russia, not missile defense, not Iraq, but the elimination of al-Qaida.’ This president has made clear in no uncertain terms that our international war on terrorism is the highest priority of this administration.”

Sen. Susan M. Collins

“Dr. Rice answered every question very fully and with a great deal of candor. As a result, the commission and the American people have a much more complete picture of what the administration was working on in the first few months of its term and what its priorities were. … I thought she did a superb job and helped to answer many of the questions that have been raised in recent weeks.”

Rep. Michael H. Michaud

“There were clearly failures in accurately assessing and reacting to the terrorist threats to our country, and there is nothing more important than understanding how these failures occurred and ensuring that they do not happen again. Dr. Rice’s testimony is an important component to understanding why our government was unable to prevent 9-11, and her testimony, combined with the testimony of other current and former White House officials, highlights the continuing discrepancies surrounding that terrible day.”