9/11's 'astonishing unity' has given way to bitter partisanship

CNN.com ^ | 12 September 2006

[Aussie Dasher]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Lawmakers stood side by side on the steps of the Capitol and belted out an impromptu rendition of "God Bless America" after the terrorist attacks five years ago.

Democrats and Republicans pulled together, as did the country at large. "We had an astonishing moment of unity," former President Clinton said Monday.

But now, the two political parties couldn't be further apart.

On the fifth anniversary of the terror attacks, Democrats and Republicans struggled for the upper hand on what has become the main issue of the midterm campaigns -- the war in Iraq and its relationship with the broader battle against terrorism.

Both sides insist they aren't politicizing the anniversary. And numerous commemorative events were held at which political harmony was emphasized. Lawmakers even held a scripted encore singing and speaking session on the Capitol steps.

But then things got back to business as usual.

The central question: Are we safer? With control of the House and Senate hanging in the balance, the political rhetoric from the two parties is often 180 degrees apart.

[Pajamajan]

"There was no unity then , other than a cheap Democrat facade"

"holding up signs blaming the US, and pleading for the US not to take the war to Afghanistan"

I recall traitor Ted Kennedy on the floor of the senate talking about the tens of thousands of body bags that would be needed- if we sent troops to Afghanistan-That the Taliban were superior fighters and that it would be a quagmire. I believe the rats were also issuing veiled threats that they wouldn't vote to fund Afghanistan- but then they backed off.

I believe it was Gore?- who came out within days after 9/11 and told us that we should ,first and foremost, ask ourselves what we did to make them so angry. And of course the rats begged us to let the UN handle it.

Come to think of it - someone should do a side by side comparison of rat comments about going to Afghanistan, and their comments about going to Iraq- they are almost identical-body bags, Quagmire, Viet Nam.

Wait.. wasn'tAfghanistan -according to the rats- a "quagmire" and "Viet Nam" about 3 days into the war? (arghhh!)

I agree there was never "unity" . There was only rats in hiding- for a few days- after 9/11.

Today they are back to their tear-the-country-apart, business as usual. Unfortunately.

[dubyawhoiluv]

there was "REALLY NO TRUE UNITY" only an act because the media and the world was watching; they have hated Dubya from day one and I probaley suspect they hated all of the positive press and admiration they recieved from Americans across the country and when you compare Dubya to their immoral,lying,dope smoking,adulterous,american hating,anti-military slug and equally offensive housemate our guy was heads above their former CIC

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

I love the way Donald Rumsfeld handles the press...

[jeffers]

There was no unity, the Liberals faked it because to do otherwise would have been committing political suicide.

That's when they went into stealth mode for a while, and why Time and Newsweek said we were in a "quagmire" after 19 days in Afghanistan.

Iraq brought them back out of the woodwork, because we didn't even try to discuss their preposterous, pie in the sky, opinions.

Liberals only count when there's smooth sailing.

As soon as there is a problem, liberals become a luxury we choose not to afford.

[SkyPilot]

Amen. That is precisely why BJ Clinton, Mad Madeline Albright, Dingy Harry Reid, and Nancy Belagosi have gone insane with anger.

There really never was any mythical "unity." The MSM and the Democrats were just waiting for the patriotic fervor to die down so they could attack.

We have to realize and understand that a strong GOP leader means less power to them. Nothing else matters to them. Not our nation, not lives, not families, not our future. The only thing that matter is their "legacy" and their political fortunes.

[hnj_00]

There is plenty of unity:

1. the lib/dems blame Bush...it was his fault and everything else wrong in the world...vis a vis katrina, etc. - they are totally unified in hatred, self loathing and lust for power,

2. the republicans ... for not calling out the dems on their "blame america first mantra" and not doing anything to cut spending and to secure our borders from the onslaught of illegal alien invaders - they are unified in the silence, lack of action and lack of balls!

3. the msm - (see number 1) - totally complicit and just a mouthpiece for the lib/dems - totally unified behind the lib/dem agenda

If all would actually unite and stand for America, the struggle against the gathering storm of World wide hostilities of islamicfacism, which is being defined as the greatest threat not only of the 21st century but maybe of all of civilization (espcially when these animals have nukes)could be won!

[CaptainK]

Lawmakers stood side by side on the steps of the Capitol and belted out an impromptu rendition of "God Bless America" after the terrorist attacks five years ago.

The Dems were coughing on every word.

[NaughtiusMaximus]

Betraying my country since 1965, man!

[WorkingClassFilth]

The only unity this nation had in the wake of 911 was that average Americans and their sentiments were able to be freely expressed. The treasonous RAT elements in media, academe and government were silenced, knowing that they were highly vulnerable to direct attack and identification. This 'unity' reigned because our internal enemies had nothing to say - for a short time.

Then, creeping like a cat, they began 'questioning' patriotism, asking 'what have we done to deserve this' and all the other smears we have seen and heard a million times since. Rememeber that the big media BANNED 911 images after two weeks because THEY decided it was too inflammatory for Americans to see...

[DustyMoment]

9/11's 'astonishing unity' has given way to bitter partisanship

The nonstop attacks on the president by the Dems, the lies and manipulations of truth and fact have divided this country in a time of war as never before. The hatred and vitriol of the left for Bush and conservatives in general, are tearing this nation apart at its core and the scars from this disgusting period in our history will be as devastating as those from another war we never really recovered from - the Civil War.

This is the legacy that I lay at the feet of the liberal moonbats like Howard Dean, Teddy Chappaquiddick, John F'n Kerry, the Clintons, Reid, Pelosi, Daschle, Nagin, Sheehan and the rest of the moonbat brigade. The damage perpetrated by these leftist nutjobs on this nation is far worse than that done by the Muslim murderers.

[LibLieSlayer]

Fred Barnes:

"democrats do NOT believe in the WOT. They believe that it is only a Bush Election Strategy".

Sums it up nicely.

LLS

[EQAndyBuzz]

You might want to reconsider saying Democrat/Liberal/leftist.

These people are Marxists hell bent on regaining power so they can turn this country over to a global body.

It isn't political parties anymore. It is now an ideological war with the marxists taking control of the Democrat party. They are now after the Republican liberals and with that complete they will take this country into the sewer.

[Verloona Ti]

Immediately after 9/11, I made a point of checking out as many of the EUropean newsites I had in favorites . Within 48-72 hours, I began to see "pragmatic" editorials and columns about how the attacks would benefit the EU. Basically, they believed that the US would have to ratify Kyoto, the ICC treaty, and pretty much any antisovereignty measure and/or legislation meant to torpedo the US economy and give the EU a boost, in exchange for their support in going after the terrorists responsible for 9/11. We haven't lost their friendship and sympathy-we never had it, and all the antiAmerican sentiment from EUrope is nothing more than disappointed rage, that we didn't cripple ourselves economically or surrender our sovereignty to "multilateral" organizaions to win their favor.

Oh, and take a look at this cartoon that appeared yesterday somewhere in the EU:

That's from no parasan, a site that makes fun of French antiAmericanism (and antiAmerican attitudes in the EU as a whole). I HOPE that image is meant to mock OBL and those who think like him.

[bushfamfan]

This country is so far gone. The whole world is insane and we've got more than our share of suicidal, hateful, ignorant fools. The costs are too great. Unfortunately, this country is in the most serious war that threatens its very existence and we are so far away from being able to survive this ordeal. It is a lot like Vietnam in that those idiots who lost us Vietnam with their disunity are going at it again. This is much more serious and yet we are more divided and threatened by the people within just as much as with the terrorists. Demonrats are a threat to this country. They have given us political correctness, they have changed the way we wage war in providing comfort to our enemies and obstructing any tools we need to fight this war. In the next life, they need to live amongst themselves for eternity.

[WOSG]

"
The Dems knew they had appear supportive so they shut up and held all their bitterness and hatred inside waiting for a chance to explode. Part of the reason they have gone so far in the Bush hatred the last few years is that the holding it in for a year was so difficult that it drove many of them nuts."

A very interesting observation.

[WOSG]

Zeppo,

you are right.

The first peel-offs from 'unity' was the "Not in my Name" leftists, and Cong Barbara Lee, who opposed taking action against Bin Laden and the Taliban. They think we deserved the terrorist attack. This was within 2 weeks of the attack.