9/11+7

Written by Matt Fay | 11 September 2008

9/11+ 7

By: Matt Fay


It is hard to believe that it has been seven years since that fateful Tuesday morning. In some ways it seems like just yesterday, in others, a lifetime ago. It would be hard for anyone not to remember where they were or what they were doing when the Twin Towers collapsed. There were acts of heroism and bravery that most could not fathom - the FDNY rushing into the towers to evacuate survivors before the collapse, the passengers of United flight 93 taking the plane down before it could be crashed into yet another building. The political establishment even seemed to step up their game at a time when the country needed them most. Today, seven years later, there will be many remembrances - those by family of the victims, firefighters and police who were there or lost friends, and many others too numerous to name.


A few months ago I came across a transcript of President George W. Bush's speech to a joint session of Congress on September 20, 2001. Reading it brought a flood of memories rushing back. Coming from a man who has made a living mangling the English language (as well as the Constitution), this was an inspiring, uplifting speech. It came across as heartfelt in a day and age when even those most heartfelt speeches come across as schlock from the worst Hollywood hack. More than that, it was exactly what the country needed at the time.


Michael Scheuer, in a review of former Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet's memoir At the Center of the Storm, described one of the most maligned public figures in recent memory, saying: "It's impossible to dislike Tenet, who is smart, polite, hard-working, convivial and detail-oriented. But he's also a man who never went from cheerleader to leader." This could easily be a description of Tenet's former boss. The speech Bush gave on September 20 was a cheerleader speech. At times, a president needs to act as a cheerleader. One of Ronald Reagan's finest qualities was inspiring the electorate with talk of "Morning in America" and the country being a "Shining city on a hill." The problem with Bush, as it was with Tenet, is that he never made the necessary transition from

cheerleader to leader.


On September 20, 2001 the country was still nursing a fresh wound. It needed a gentle hand to help it heal. Discussions of blowback from American policies in the Middle East as a possible reason for the attacks would have, perhaps, been inappropriate at that time. But when an explanation was offered it was that "They hate what we see right here in this chamber -- a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms -- our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other." Are there Islamic fundamentalists who hate these things about America? - sure. And again, at the time, perhaps a more gentle explanation was needed, but in the seven years that have passed this line has not been changed, altered, or further examined by the Bush Administration or political establishment at large. It has been accepted reflexively, not examined forensically. There has been no attempt to look past the idea that Al Qaeda and its surrogates are "...sacrificing human life to serve their radical visions -- by abandoning every value except the will to power -- they follow in the path of fascism, and Nazism, and totalitarianism." In seven years the political elite have argued that examining the reasons, such as the American governments support for Arab tyrannies or its turning of a blind eye to China's brutal repression of Uighar Muslims while championing political rights for Tibet, for Al Qaeda's war against the United States is an act of justifying their cause or methods, instead of seeing it for what it truly is - a means to defeating a dangerous foe.


Moving past a radical misinterpretation of America's enemy, President Bush made an attempt to reach out to the American people - a people hurt but longing to be involved and take action. He said,


"Americans are asking: What is expected of us? I ask you to live your lives, and hug your children. I know many citizens have fears tonight, and I ask you to be calm and resolute, even in the face of a continuing threat. I ask you to uphold the values of America, and remember why so many have come here."


There are very few who would find fault with the president's sentiment in these few sentences. It was then that he uttered words that still ring hollow in many a patriotic American's ears (even though most followed his advice): "I ask your continued participation and confidence in the American economy." In other words: Go shopping - or as historian and international relations scholar Andrew Bacevich interpreted it: "Go to Disney World."


It is very rare that a president enjoys 90% approval ratings from the country he serves. There is much a president can do with a country backing him to that extent. After giving the American people the "soft touch" that was, perhaps, necessary at that moment, it was the responsibility of the president - an exceedingly popular president at the time - to give the American people the hard truth. They needed to be told that America was spending money at an unsustainable rate. They needed to be told that the growing debts of both the American government and its people were a danger to national security. They needed to be told that continued dependence on Middle Eastern oil aided the Saudi royal family in funding Wahabbist Islamic schools that bred much of the hatred of America that they claimed was the main reason for the 9/11 attacks. They needed to be told that oil prices would go much higher and that great sacrifices would need to be made from all sectors of society to rebuild America's economic infrastructure so it would no longer be built on consumer debt and loans from foreign countries like China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.


He told them that 9/11 changed everything, and then told them to change nothing.


The problem is not so much that these things were said at the time. Many, both inside and outside of government, still did not truly grasp what was happening. Again, perhaps the soft touch was what was needed at the time. But seven years later there is no longer that excuse. Seven years later the American people need to be told the truth and no longer be treated as children. After seven years the American people deserve that much. The family and friends of those killed on September 11, 2001 deserve nothing less than compassion and support. The rest of the country deserves competent policies and honest answers.