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Washington (CNN) – Attorney General Eric Holder defended his decision Wednesday to try five suspected 9/11 terrorists in civilian court.

"We are at war and we will use every instrument of national power - civilian, military, law enforcement, intelligence, diplomatic and others –to win," he told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "We need not cower in the face of this enemy. Our institutions are strong."

Holder announced last week that the suspected terrorists - including confessed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - will be tried in civilian court in New York City.

All five suspects have been held in the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Critics of Holder's decision have argued that the suspects should be tried by a military tribunal.

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WASHINGTON (CNN) – Growing partisan tensions over national security issues exploded Friday as several top Republicans ripped Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to try five suspected 9/11 terrorists in civilian court.

The attorney general was accused of risking Americans' security by treating the suspects like "common criminals" with a right to greater
constitutional protections than they would otherwise receive in a military trial.

Five Guantanamo Bay detainees with alleged ties to the September 11, 2001, attacks - including confessed mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - will be tried in civilian court in New York, Holder announced Friday.

"These terrorists planned and executed the mass murder of thousands of innocent Americans. Treating them like common criminals is unconscionable," Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn said in a written statement.

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(CNN) – Barack Obama and John McCain are appearing together at Ground Zero to commemorate the September 11 attacks.

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(CNN) – President Bush is commemorating the attacks of September 11 in a speech at the Pentagon.

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(CNN) – Family members and students representing countries that lost individuals are reading the names of those who died at the World Trade Center site on September 11, 2001. Moments of silence will also be held in observance of the times the first and second planes hit the towers.

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Concerns over a terrorist attack are at their lowest point since 9/11.

(CNN) - Concerns about an impending terrorist strike are at the lowest point on record since the attacks on September 11, 2001, and only about one in ten Americans say that terrorism is the most important issue in deciding their vote for president, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll.

Seven years after the attacks of September 11, just 30 percent of Americans said they thought an attack on American soil is likely sometime over the next several weeks - a number that's down 11 points since last year at that time and down 30 points since the first anniversary of 9/11. Only 14 percent of Americans say an impending terrorist attack is likely in their community.

Watch: Mayor Bloomberg remembers the victims of 9/11

And Americans do appear to be more confident Osama bin Laden will eventually be captured or killed - just about half say the U.S. will ultimately find the 9/11 mastermind, up 7 points from this time last year.

But in frustrating news for the White House, Americans appear to give little credit to President Bush for the lack of a terrorist strike over the last seven years: Only 37 percent believe the president and his policies are the chief reason there has not been a strike on U.S. soil. Overall, he has a 28 percent approval rating, tying his all time low in CNN/ORC polling.

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Bill Clinton will attend the September 11 memorial ceremony at Ground Zero, Thursday.

(CNN) – Bill Clinton will join Barack Obama and John McCain in visiting Ground Zero this Thursday in memory of the victims of September 11, and deliver a speech focused on national security threats.

“But just as we reflect on the past, we must look ahead to ensure we are doing all we can to support families, unite our communities, and protect our country from future acts of terrorism," said the former president in a statement released by his office.

The McCain and Obama campaigns released a joint statement over the weekend announcing that both men will appear together in New York to mark the seventh anniversary of the attacks. The campaigns have also pledged to abstain from all negative campaign ads on that day.

Also Thursday, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama will meet at the former president's Harlem offices - their first extended in-person encounter since the tense primary season.

(UPDATED to clarify McCain and Obama are visiting Ground Zero Thursday, but will not be at the memorial ceremony.)