Bush draws line between Sept. 11 and Jan. 6
So many moments of the weekend’s Sept. 11 commemorations were achingly poignant — the cadence that marked the readings of the names of the fallen; the bells that pierced otherwise silent memorials; our flag flown around the world.
They marked 20 years since the horrific downing of the Twin Towers, the attack on the Pentagon and the passenger revolt that crashed an airplane into a field in Pennsylvania to avert another terrorist attack.
There was so much more. Buglers played melancholy “Taps” at several memorials. At Windsor Castle, the British Army’s Welsh Guards performed a perfect rendition of “The Starspangled Banner” to remember the lives of almost 3,000 people in the United States who died that day.
The sacrifices remain fresh — from the first responders who ran to, not away from danger, to those who honored parents they never met.
Yet among all those 9/11 events, one by the sitting U.S. president at that time stood out not only in honoring the lives that were lost, but warning us that more remain in danger.
Perhaps only former President George W. Bush, a Republican, could have delivered such remarks on 9/11. So far, he has not been harshly criticized by members of his own party for the paper-thin reference to insurrectionists and supporters of former President Donald Trump.
Bush’s remarks were a powerful reminder that a line connects Sept. 11, 2001, to Jan. 6, 2021, when a group of domestic terrorists took over the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying the results of a free, fair election.
Eight short months have passed since insurrectionists left a Trump rally to converge on the Capitol steps. There, they overwhelmed Capitol police and ransacked the building as members of Congress ran for cover.
It’s remarkable that the former president chose the 20th anniversary to say that “in the weeks and months following the 9/11 attacks, I was proud to lead an amazing, resilient, united people.”
Those days seem distant now, he said, lamenting the “anger, fear and resentment” that has permeated our politics.
It has been fueled by far-right sources of disinformation, including Trump himself, who opted out of official memorials Saturday. Instead, he made stops at a New York police precinct and a fire station to express his support for first responders.
Then he criticized President Joe Biden for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, a decision Trump set in motion during his presidency.
Trump ended the day at a boxing match during which he provided live commentary.
That stood in bizarre contrast to the nation’s commemorations in which Bush appealed to those fomenting the divide.
There’s “little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home,” he said. “But in their disdain for pluralism, in their disregard for human life, in their determination to defile national symbols, they are children of the same foul spirit, and it is our continuing duty to confront them.”
His words weren’t just a warning to us all, but an appeal aimed directly at those who believe the Jan. 6 insurrectionists are heroes and patriots.
Bush’s message was needed. Security experts warn domestic terrorists are planning attacks similar to that of Jan. 6.
“A malign force seems at work in our common life that turns every disagreement into an argument, and every argument into a clash of cultures. So much of our politics has become a naked appeal to anger, fear, and resentment,” Bush said.
He ended in a cadence of hope-filled declarations.
“On America’s day of trial and grief, I saw millions of people instinctively grab for a neighbor’s hand and rally to the cause of one another. That is the America I know,” he said.
“At a time when religious bigotry might have flowed freely, I saw Americans reject prejudice and embrace people of Muslim faith. That is the nation I know.
“At a time when nativism could have stirred hatred and violence against people perceived as outsiders, I saw Americans reaffirm their welcome of immigrants and refugees. That is the nation I know.
“At a time when some viewed the rising generation as individualistic and decadent, I saw young people embrace an ethic of service and rise to selfless action. That is the nation I know.”
Each refrain was met with sustained applause.
“This is not mere nostalgia,” the former president said. “It is the truest version of ourselves.” His words grew prayerful.
“It is what we have been,” he said, “and what we can be again.”