For the 9/11 Families, A Day Without Answers

The Washington Post ^ | 4/9/2004 | David Montgomery

[Utah Girl]

Condoleezza Rice didn't apologize to families of the Sept. 11 victims the way former counterterrorism official Richard Clarke did, but neither did she run and hide. Engulfed by a scrum of photographers after nearly three hours on the hot seat yesterday, she made her way immediately to the relatives in the front rows of the Senate hearing room. She told Helga Gerhardt -- eyes red and wet with tears, holding a picture of her dead son -- that she was sorry for her loss. She greeted Rosemary Dillard -- widow of a passenger on the plane that slammed into the Pentagon -- and said she remembered her from a memorial ceremony a year after the attacks.

Neither Gerhardt nor Dillard, as it happened, was completely enthusiastic about Rice's testimony under oath before the Sept. 11 commission, but neither were they harsh critics. Their judgment of the Bush administration's handling of the terrorist threat is somewhere in the middle. And they left the hearing knowing not much more than they did when they came.

"Now it's even more confused than it was before," said Dillard, who wore a red heart-shaped lapel pin marked "AA77" -- American Airlines Flight 77, which had carried Eddie A. Dillard to his death.

[Utah Girl]

A few feet away, Debra Burlingame saw it differently. Her brother Charles F. Burlingame III was the pilot of the plane that was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon. On her lapel was pinned his picture and the same heart pin worn by the widow of passenger Dillard.

"The fact is, it wasn't our government who killed my brother and 3,000 people," she said. It was 19 hijackers and their sponsors. . . . We have new enemies we face. Those are the guys I want to get in the name of my brother." Her eyes began to tear up.

[Utah Girl]

I feel for the 9/11 families, but enough is enough. Hindsight is grand and one can see the threads coming together. Some of the families are never going to be satisfied, no matter what.

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[ilgipper]

I must have missed Debra on the Today show. When was she on?

[GeronL]

"The fact is, it wasn't our government who killed my brother and 3,000 people," she said. It was 19 hijackers and their sponsors. . . . We have new enemies we face. Those are the guys I want to get in the name of my brother." Her eyes began to tear up

At least somebody who gets it is quoted. Almost a shock these days they would even run a quote from someone who doesn't bash Bush.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Why isn't anybody asking for an apology from Islamic jihad?

What is the point of demanding an apology from someone who did not commit the crime?

[Utah Girl]

You've got me. I'm not in their shoes, but if it were me, I'd be cheering the Bush administration to go get those terrorists and to do whatever reforms are necessary so that it wouldn't happen again.

[MHGinTN]

And why has noone demanded that sinkEmperor apologize for his failure to deal directly with terrorism, instead of lobbing missiles up camel butts and into empty tents (delayed in that strike to time it with his 'hearings' woes!). And why hasn't anyone demanded of Clarke that he tell the truth regarding TWA Flight 800 and the CIA 'fix' that covered the clinton-gore butts until they could get the elections behind them? And why ... oh never mind. The alphabet networks are on their kneepads for the clinton machine even unto this day.

[Alberta's Child]

I think it was Burlingame who made the comment that "some of these family members will never be satisfied, no matter what they hear."

[FlashBack]

Agreed!
Why they would be "attacking" those that are doing everything they possibly can to serve up some justice to those responsible is beyond me...I am not in their shoes but I still feel that their anger is misdirected and I hope that they will see the light sooner rather than later.

[bolobaby]

I sent him the following email:

You wrote:

"Condoleezza Rice didn't apologize to families of the Sept. 11 victims the way former counterterrorism official Richard Clarke did..."

I reply:

Which was how, exactly? Clarke's insincere "mea culpa" was followed by hours of finger pointing. It's not an apology to say "I failed you... but just look at everyone else! They are the ones that REALLY let you down!"

While we are on the subject of trying to figure out which administration to blame for 9/11, why don't we simply settle on blaming the bin Laden administration?

Finally, consider this...

We have been asking the questions, "What could we have done better? What signs did we miss? Was there any way to prepare for 9/11?"

Are the people of the United States truly this *hypocritical*? Now that 9/11 has happened, we KNOW what is possible. We know that terrorists can - and will - strike without notice in the most destructive manner possible. Yet - even though the people of this country have more information than EITHER administration had prior to 9/11 - how many have prepared themselves? How many have taken steps to protect themselves and their families in the event of a crisis? Do you have a crisis kit at home? In your car? Have you stockpiled an adequate supply of food and water in the event of an emergency? Have you taken into consideration any of the protective measures outlined by the Department of Homeland Security?

Most Americans have not. With 20/20 hindsight they expect their government to have omnisciently protected them from the unthinkable, but now that 9/11 has past, very few have taken the personal responsibilty to protect THEMSELVES.

Write an article on THAT, my friend.

[RJayneJ]

There is a bunch of the families that are not going to take a settlement. The reason they pushed so hard for this commission is they need evidence, because they intend to sue. They need to blame someone.

[Texasforever]

ding ding ding we have a winner!