They're afraid to go near it.With the exception of demonstrators who will be allowed to gather across the street, Ground Zero—the birthplace of the war on terror, where President George W. Bush memorably threw his arm around firefighters on Sept. 14, three days after the 9/11 attacks—will remain in the background at the convention.
In fact, the ash-stained firefighter who stood next to the President when he spoke via bullhorn to rescue workers at the site, Bob Beckwith, told The Observer that he has not been contacted by anyone in connection with the Republican convention. He added that he is not planning to attend any convention-related events.
Ground Zero’s conspicuous absence from the flurry of events beginning in two weeks is noteworthy because New York was chosen to hold its first Republican convention specifically because of the 9/11 attacks. And Ground Zero is where many Americans first came to identify Mr. Bush as a wartime President. There was no mistaking the symbolism when the President, during his tour of the still-smoldering site, climbed atop a wrecked fire truck and told the thousands of rescue workers: "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!"
(snip)
Clearly, then, the Republicans don’t want American voters to forget about Sept. 11. Rather, they want to benefit from the aura of a wartime President, without opening themselves up to accusations of blatant political exploitation.
more…
http://www.nyobserver.com/pages/frontpage2.asp
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
