Horowitz: After 9/11 Bush Brought Us Together
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
As we marked the 15th anniversary of 9/11 this past weekend, a number of commentators compared how unified we were as a country then to how divided we are today. That unity 15 years ago was due in large measure to the proactive leadership of President George W. Bush.
Six days after 9/11, while the nation was still reeling from the loss of nearly 3,000 lives and the feeling that each new day could bring another terrorist attack, Bush made a special visit to the Islamic Center of Washington, D.C. to make it clear that our fight was not with Islam itself nor was it with Muslim-Americans who were as patriotic and appalled by the senseless carnage as the rest of us.
President Bush exclaimed “These acts of violence against innocents violate the fundamental tenets of the Islamic faith. And it's important for my fellow Americans to understand that…. The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don't represent peace. They represent evil and war.”.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAnd Bush spoke out strongly about the importance of not lashing out against our fellow Muslim citizens and treating them with the respect they deserve: “America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country. Muslims are doctors, lawyers, law professors, members of the military, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, moms and dads. And they need to be treated with respect. In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat each other with respect. Women who cover their heads in this country must feel comfortable going outside their homes. Moms who wear cover must be not intimidated in America. That's not the America I know. That's not the America I value."
Standing up for American values at home and marshaling an effective military response abroad, earned President Bush an approval rating of more than 70% in the wake of 9/11. The bi-partisan Congressional Leadership stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
Certainly, both major party Presidential candidates and any one else who aspires to a leadership position could learn something valuable from studying George W. Bush’s post 9/11 actions. But the person with the most to learn is the Republican nominee. This past year, when we experienced terrorist attacks that were certainly scary and damaging, but nowhere near the scale of 9/11, Donald Trump responded by appealing to people’s fears and worst instincts. He called for a ban on all Muslims visiting or immigrating to the United States and pointed the finger of blame at the American Muslim community. To incite anti-Muslim prejudice, he repeatedly said that he saw thousands of Muslims in Jersey City celebrating the destruction of the World Trade Center Twin Towers, and to this day, despite the fact it never happened, he has not retracted the false claim.
President Bush recognized that enlisting the cooperation of the American Muslim Community was a key to preventing terrorism at home and making common cause with the more than 1 billion Muslims around the world was critical to our strategic response to degrading terrorist organizations abroad. It is too bad that this year’s Republican nominee refuses to follow the example of our most recent Republican President and embrace these elemental truths, instead of appealing to prejudice and dividing the nation.
Rob Horowitz is a strategic and communications consultant who provides general consulting, public relations, direct mail services and polling for national and state issue organizations, various non-profits and elected officials and candidates. He is an Adjunct Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island.
Related Articles
- Horowitz: Key Republicans Refuse to Board the Trump Bus
- Horowitz: National Park System Turns 100
- Horowitz: Millennials are Now Nation’s Largest Generation
- Horowitz: Unpopular Presidential Nominees Create Opening for Libertarians
- Horowitz: Social Media Continues Growth as a News Source
- Horowitz: Rhode Island’s Presidential Primary Today Counts
- Horowitz: President Obama and Stephen Curry Recruit Mentors
- Horowitz: Obama Visit Puts Exclamation Point on New Era for US-Cuba Relations
- Horowitz: American Workers Taking Steps to Upgrade Skills
- Horowitz: Reagan Democrats are Dead or Republicans
- Horowitz: Harsh Anti-Immigrant Campaign Rhetoric Not Swaying Most Americans
- Horowitz: Trump Fails to Pivot
- Horowitz: Landing GE Demonstrates Raimondo’s National Profile is Good For RI
- Horowitz: Clinton Should Follow Kaine’s Lead on Email Response
- Horowitz: Donald Trump is the Gift that Keeps Giving to the Clinton Campaign
- Horowitz: Americans With Different Political Views No Longer Talk to Each Other
- Horowitz: New Rules for Heavy Trucks & Buses Bring More Progress on Climate Change
- Horowitz: Springsteen Concert - A Welcome Antidote to the Dispiriting Presidential Campaign
- Horowitz: Tim Kaine is an Excellent Pick
- Horowitz: Mike Pence - The Best of Some Bad Options
- Horowitz: Hillary Clinton’s Running-mate
- Horowitz: Military Leaders Making a Difference on Gun Control Debate
- Horowitz: USA 240 Years Old and Still Going Strong
- Horowitz: Comey Puts Country First
- Horowitz: The Trump Immigration Debacle
