Newt correctly applauds the Bush administration’s recent communication efforts:
“I just read all the speeches in one sitting this weekend. They set out the mortal threat to our civilisation that America and our allies have to wrestle with,” said Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker. “The president is staking his presidency and his place in history on his courage to tell the truth, even if at times it is politically inconvenient. These speeches were a deliberate, systematic effort to reframe the threat for the country, at an historic level, which went beyond partisan politics.”
Yet he criticised the administration for how long it had taken to present a more systematic defence. “They probably should have from day one followed a more open policy of engaging the civilised world in this discussion.”
And his criticism is spot on as well. There have been periods of silence in this administration that are just mystifying.
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A way 911 could have gone:
Upon hearing that his nation was under terrorist attack, the immediate response of the Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces was to run for his duty station. Upon arrival at the Capitol, he went directly to the Pentagon and held a press conference on the roof. He took full responsibilty for failing to deter the attack and promised to study every possible factor of that failure and get control over every last one. He took full responsibility for every impact the attack would have and could yet have if not tended to carefully and comprehensively. He went on to explain that America has now been called to a type of challenge that it has not ever been called to before. He explained that in such a challenge the goal has nothing to do with territory or anything tangible. “The goal of the challenger is the modification of behavior. To win this challenge, we must not modify our behavior. We can make it better. We can make it stronger. We can make it more effective and more efficient and more reaching. But if we change it, we lose. Whatever way you live your life, live it well. Whatever plans you have, do them well. Whatever was knocked down, put it back up. Whether it be tangible or intangible, if it was knocked down by the challenger, put it back up and do it quickly. So long as America bears the scar of a missing building or a confidence shaken, the terrorist has a mark to brag about. Remove those marks at all haste. I will not allow our fallen citizens or buildings to become some form of encouragement to more terror or a twisted mark of victory for even a single terrorist to point to. I will talk to you again as soon as I get to New York.”
In New York, the President held a press conference as close to ground zero as could safely be done without disturbing rescue efforts yet where he and ground zero could both be seen. He again took full responsibility for failing to prevent the attack. He expressed his grief in losing so many lives. “I will honor the fallen by honoring the lives they wanted to live. I will honor them by promoting and defending the values they lived for and worked for. I will honor their families by keeping their country strong, their paths well guarded, and by doing my part to win this challenge.” The President then faced the cameras full on and asked the terrorists to pay attention. “Death is not defeat. Buildings put down will be put back up. You win nothing. In this country, we do not base decisions upon fear. We base decisions upon what we want and upon what we value and upon the wisdom we have earned. If we base a decision upon what your behavior has been or might be, we would bind ourselves to you. We will not be bound to you. We work openly and spend courage. You work in secret and spend fear. Your chosen method of communicating with America was ill advised. Justice has heard you. People have not. Justice is now calling for you. Honor justice by coming openly to face it. Be heard by people. You will dishonor yourselves if you choose not to. That choice will also make it necessary for justice to come to you.”
The President knew that it was going to be a difficult task for people to get back on airplanes especially so he held yet one more press conference. This time the location was on board flight 93 as it flew its scheduled route for the first time after the FAA opened up the airways again. He would set a very important example for the population to follow and, at the same time, in a wonderful way, honor the passengers of the last flight 93 who apparently had overwhelmed the terrorists onboard and prevented them from reaching their target.
The consequence of that leadership:
The people of America rallied behind their leader and followed his examples and his advice. They memorialized their fallen and worked through their grief privately, away from terrorist eyes. They put buildings back up – stronger, taller, better – but back up quickly to cover the wounds, help the country heal, and remove any mark a terrorist could point to. They not only kept their travel plans but planned a bit more, just to make a point. The administration did study every factor that allowed a successful attack and got a good control over every one and gained a wealth of new knowledge and put that to work as well. As knowledge was gained, it was given to the population so people could study their vulnerability and make an accurate assessment of their risk and determine the best course of action for themselves.
No power was given to the terrorists. Not a drop. They not only had to cringe in suffering their failure but had to expend most of their time and resources for doing little more than concealing themselves from the justice that was seeking them out. A justice that now had arms reaching out from nearly every country in the world. With all the lessons learned by America, shared with and learned from other nations, with the admiration and respect of all nations (and terrorists), with the focus of decisions based solely upon free world values, with the skillful application of those lessons enforced by those decisions, the terrorists’ thoughts of striking again were relegated to the status of daydreams for now. Terrorists in all camps were seen as they are: criminal thugs and killers no different than a criminal on any street or in any prison anywhere on earth. Governments avoid them. Recruits are hard to enlist. Members are recalcitrant and support is declining. The one government that did abet and shield the criminals was taken down for its criminal behavior. No other government aspired to criminal status. No other government, no people, no land would ever again abet al Qaeda.
“When terror is the principle tactic, courage is the principle factor.
The party that spends the most courage will win.” – Steve Brungard
“The place for violence is directly in the path of violence oncoming. All else is criminal” – Steve Brungard