The Face of Heroes
"JohnHuang2" on the first 9/11 anniversary
It was Thursday morning, two days after the terror attacks of September 11. Standing behind his desk in the Oval Office, the President telephones New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Gov. George Pataki, offering words of comfort and support, pledging to provide "anything it takes to help New York."
"I can't tell you how sad I am -- and America is -- for the people of New York City", he told them, pouring his heart out. His words genuinely conveyed the grief, the anguish, the hurt and sorrow gripping a nation grappling in the aftermath of 9/11, the worst -- and most deadly -- terrorist attack ever visited on American soil.
After the phone call, which was televised live, the President spoke with reporters, one of whom asked if he could "give us a sense as to what kind of prayers you are thinking, and where your heart is for yourself as you ... "
"Well, I don't think about myself right now", Bush interjected. "I think about the families, about the children," he added, choking back tears. "I'm a loving guy and I'm also someone, however, who's got a job to do, and I intend to do it."
When history is written, that brief exchange will go down as Bush's defining moment. It captured the essence of who he is: Compassionate, yet firm; kind, yet resolute; humble, yet determined; consoling, yet resolved; warm, yet tough; dignified, yet defiant.
But, above all, a leader with clarity of purpose and a strategy for victory.
It may not be politically correct to say it, but darn it, I'll say it anyway: Among the heroes of 9/11, is President George W. Bush.
You know it, I know it, and, most importantly, the American people know it.
The press, the pundits, the Democrats deny it, of course -- derisively. Republicans, spineless as ever, won't dare suggest it.
Yet, think about it: Why does Bush remain so immensely popular, lo! 12 months after 9/11, long after conventional wisdom predicted his star would fade? And this, despite a headwind of negative press, a hostile media, collapsing stock market, a "limping" economy, the Enron smear, the 9/11 smear, endless second-guessing, endless attacks, at home and abroad -- you name it.
Yet, none of it stuck, the President's approval ratings refused to budge, prompting some in the media to calling him the 'teflon President'.
They still don't get it. The sustained appeal Bush enjoys has nothing to do with teflon, nor Karl Rove, nor tactics, nor polls, nor focus groups nor wily political maneuvering. This isn't 'slick marketing' -- it's bonding. Simply stated, this President forged a bond with the people, one of almost unprecedented dimensions. It's a bond rooted in trust. People trust him, what he says, what he does -- they believe in him.
Amid the staggering trauma in the 9/11 aftermath, Bush became a pillar of strength, a wellspring of solace. Amid the intense sorrow and shock, his comforting voice helped heal the wounds, the wrenching pain and distress. His unflappable resolve, clear grit and determination lifted the nation off its back: America's 'can-do' spirit was rekindled. Amid the rubble, Bush promised defiantly to rebuild. His soaring optimism rallied the country, boosted morale; a wave of patriotism swept the nation.
He also brought sharp moral clarity to the table, much to the bitter chagrin of a media elite steeped in moral relativism. He called the perpetrators 'evil doers', vowing to find them, 'dead or alive'.
The bottom line is this: Leadership. Bush's leadership. It's key. His 'take-charge', pull-no-punches verve was catalyst for national recovery, it put the wind back in America's sails. The President more than 'rose to the occasion', he set the nation on a course to victory.
In Afghanistan, America made quick work of the Taliban, liberating a country from the clutches of one of the world's most repressive regimes, and depriving al-Qaeda its headquarters for operations.
But the War on Terror didn't stop with Afghanistan. From former Soviet Georgia to the Philippines, America was on the offensive, taking the battle to the enemy, putting a global network of terrorists on the run. To date, thousands of al-Qaeda fighters have been killed or captured; indeed, Osama bin Laden, terror mastermind himself, may well be among the dead. Some of his chief body guards are in custody at Gitmo.
Ignoring a torrent of media complaints, the President in November signs an executive order authorizing creation of special courts -- military tribunals -- to try captured terrorists, fulfilling his promise to bring swift justice to the perpetrators.
On the home front, the battle was joined as well. Muslim "charities" suspected of funneling money to terrorist groups were shut down, and the office of Homeland Security was established. Immediately after 9/11, the Justice Department rounds up over 1,000 suspects for questioning, issuing deportation orders for 300,000 illegals.
"Taking suspected terrorists in violation of the law off the streets and keeping them locked up is our clear strategy to prevent terrorism within our borders," said U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.
The upshot: No major terrorist attack since 9/11.
"For those who have lost loved ones, it's been a year of sorrow," the President told the nation tonight, a year to the day after hijacked airliners slammed the World Trade Center and Pentagon building, killing thousands of innocents and thrusting America to war.
"For members of the military, it's been a year of sacrifice and service, far from home," he added.
"For all Americans, it's been a year of adjustment, of coming to terms with the difficult knowledge that our nation has determined enemies, and that we are not invulnerable to their attacks," the President observed, adding that "the attack on our nation was also an attack on the ideals that make us a nation; our deepest national conviction is that every life is precious because every life is the gift of a creator who intended us to live in liberty and equality. More than anything else, this separates us from the enemy we fight."
The President's address, delivered live from Ellis Island, capped an emotional day of commemorative ceremonies and solemn speeches, marking the painful first anniversary of 9/11. It was a day mixed with sorrow and victory, grief and triumph, pain and defiance, anguish and pride, agony and hope, trial and conquest.
It was a day of remembrance, America honoring her 9/11 heroes, both living and fallen, as well as the thousands who perished that day.
The President's Midland, Texas roots were on full display today. He showed, yet again, he is one of us, one with the people. Visiting Ground Zero wasn't without substantial risks to him physically, with America at war and the target of terrorists galore. To U.S. Secret Service, Ground Zero is a security nightmare. It took guts, it took courage to be there, but that's George W. Bush for ya.
For many 9/11 families who greeted him there, President Bush doubtless brought a measure of closure. You could see it in the eyes of widows as they hugged him, kissed him or cried on his shoulders; you could see it in the eyes of fathers who lost a son or daughter the day the towers fell. The hole of Ground Zero was today filled to the brim with love overwhelming.
If Clinton shrunk the presidency, George W. Bush has, less than two years in office, restored it to greatness again. And if September 11th was the face of evil, September 11th, the anniversary, will be remembered as the face of heroes.
Anyway, that's...
My two cents
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