George W. Bush on 9/11: A Message of Unity; Have We Forgotten?

I still remember my shock when I drove by the Pentagon, smashed on 9/11, only a few miles from my childhood home. Today, on the anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 terror attacks against the United States, let us look once again, with the perspective of history, to remember the statement that President George W. Bush made at the end of his brief epideictic speech on the evening of that terrible day. The message resonates to this day. It was a message of unity. His message was that all Americans must unite to do what is right. It is a message we have forgotten. In our increasingly contentious age, this is a lesson we must remember above all others.

“This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.”

Yes, President Bush promised to hunt down the terrorists and their sponsors with all the might that he could muster. Vengeance was not, however, his closing message. The ultimate goal for which he spoke was not to destroy his enemies, but to work for “justice and peace.” His announced goal was not to destroy, but “to defend freedom.” He talked about what was “good and just in our world.”

Most important, however, was his assurance of national unity: “This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace.”

In other words, to triumph, we must work together. Yes, soon after, President Bush made terrible mistakes as he responded to 9/11 with ideological violence. The invasion of Iraq failed to uncover any trace of the supposed weapons of mass destruction. The invasion of Afghanistan ended only after seemingly endless decades of miserable failure under one president after another. More innocent people died during the War on Terror than on 9/11. Bush’s nation-building exercises in western Asia left the world as insecure as ever. Indeed, Bush’s foreign policy was a case study in impulsive decision-making. 

Pentagon after 9/11 attack

None of that belies the wisdom of what Bush said the evening of the attacks. He called for unity. He spoke for “justice and peace.” Yes, in the months and years that followed 9/11, the cold light of reality failed to illuminate Bush's subsequent ill-considered decisions. Yes, reality indeed won out. It always does. Let us not, however, ignore the vision. Some people today say they want to “make America great again.” We can only do that if we remember our values. So, as we try to learn from the mistakes of the past, let us also affirm and celebrate our values. Even if we sometimes forget those values, it is never too late to look back and recover them. We need to do so today. Justice, peace, and freedom. We cannot have one unless we have all three.

Of course, let us never forget the courageous 9/11 rescue workers who sacrificed their lives when they ran toward danger while everyone else fled. 

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President George W. Bush’s “9/11 Address to the Nation:” An Appeal for Unity

George W. Bush and the American Vision

George W. Bush and the American Vision, Part 2

George W. Bush Used His Prestige to Call Out the January 6 Terrorists

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Research note: The reader who wishes to understand the tragic failures of 9/11 and the War on Terror might start with Richard Clarke, Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror, and Bob Woodward, Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account of the Decision to Invade Iraq. 

Images: George W. Bush, White House photo; Pentagon, FBI photo via Wikimedia Commons