Remembering 9/11
Thursday's lead editorial.
Seven years after the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, Americans will remember the more than 2,700 killed and the thousands wounded on Sept. 11, 2001, their families and the many who worked heroically that day and for months following the attacks.
Once again, the names of the victims will be read. Once again, the horrifying images of that day — the crowds running from billowing smoke clouds, the twin towers collapsing, the gaping hole in the Pentagon, the stark field in Pennsylvania — will be seen.
Each of us will have our own way of remembering. Some will say a prayer. Others may tell the 9/11 story to those who were too young to remember much from that day. Some memories may be through donations, whether of money, blood or of services.
Campaigning will come to a halt today as both presidential candidates attend ceremonies at ground zero in New York City. “All of us came together on 9/11 — not as Democrats or as Republicans but as Americans,” Barack Obama and John McCain said in a joint statement. “On Thursday, we will put aside politics and come together to renew that unity.”
Our next president will need such unity, as he faces the problems facing our nation seven years after 9/11.
The United States is no closer to capturing al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden than it was the day his followers flew their planes into the Pentagon and twin towers. Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA’s bin Laden unit, gave a blunt assessment on the likelihood of capturing the elusive terrorist, who may — or may not be — hiding in mountainous Pakistan: “Our options are terrible,” he told The Washington Post. “The new president will inherit a fish that is really starting to smell.”
Whoever wins in November, our next president will have to focus on Afghanistan — from finding bin Laden to dealing with the growing violence orchestrated by those aligned with a re-emerging Taliban. President Bush recently announced a 15 percent increase in U.S. troops for that country while also announcing an 8,000-troop withdrawal from Iraq by early 2009. Our next president is likely to make similar troop moves, shifting attention from Iraq to Afghanistan.
Another likely act is to appoint a person to coordinate efforts against weapons of mass destruction. That is what the bipartisan Partnership for a Secure America has recommended. Led by former members of the 9/11 Commission, the partnership warns that “a nuclear, chemical or biological weapon in the hands of terrorists remains the single greatest threat to our nation.” A Cabinet-level coordinator would be able to mesh the counterproliferation actions of some dozen agencies, helping to set priorities and create an overall strategy.
Ultimately, any winning strategy must be based on turning U.S. enemies into friends. Our next president must take actions that lead to fewer, not more, Islamic militants and sympathizers. That is the best defense against another 9/11.