John Kerry - America Under Attack

[angrydemocrat]

On Monday night, Sept 10, 2001 the World Affairs Council honored John Kerry and John McCain for their work on behalf of normalizing relations between the United States and Vietnam. "I don't want to exaggerate in any way what happen between me and John Kerry," McCain said in a joint interview at the time. "In some ways, I think it is symbolic of what is happening in our country. There's been a healing and a reconciliation and a friendship amongst people who were divided on the issue of the Vietnam War."

What McCain didn't know, and couldn't know, was that even as he spoke America stood on the brink of a major war. One that would unite the nation and later would divide the country as it became more apparent that this was going to yet be another Vietnam.

On Tuesday morning, John Kerry was entering his Capitol Hill office, planning a quick stop before heading off for a 9:00 a.m. meeting of the Senate Democratic leadership, when a aide broke the news. "John," said Tricia Ferrone, "a plane has crashed into the World Trade Center." Kerry rushed to a television set and stared at a gaping hole in the side of the Manhattan skyline. "This is no accident," he said. There is no way, he told Ferrone, that a pilot could accidentally hit that building in clear flying conditions.

At 9:03 a.m., Kerry was at the leadership meeting, television on, when a second jet slammed into the Trade Center towers. Forty minutes later, the senators heard a loud "boom" in the distance. It was the third jet, crashing into the Pentagon two miles away. The United States was under attack. Seventeen minutes later, the extent of the destruction was becoming apparent to the world as the south tower of the World Trade Center began to crumble.

The phone rang in the Capitol room where the senators had gathered: The White House was being evacuated. Another plane was still in the air, the lawmakers were told, and Washington was a presumed target. Kerry returned to his office across the street in the Russell Office Building to tell his staff to contact his family.

Kerry's shock was turning to anger, he continued to watch the news unfold along side his aide David Wade. About an hour after the World Trade Center Attacks, a fourth jetliner plunged into the countryside eighty miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Frantic calls those aboard indicated that this airplane, too, had been hijacked by terrorists. At 10:28 a.m., Kerry and Wade watched footage of the World Trade Center's north tower crumbling. Seventeen minutes later all federal buildings in Washington were evacuated.

That evening the president addressed a shaken nation. "These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into cahos and retreat. But they have failed. Terrorist acts can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America." The president added that he had "directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them."

Later that evening on CNN's Larry King Live, Kerry called the attacks "an act of war" by a "stealth enemy." He said he was "heartened" by the president's resolve to pursue the sponsors and protectors of terrorists. The United States, Kerry said must respond "boldly and bravely--not recklessly--but boldly." "We must be prepared, absolutely, to move unilaterally, if we need to, to protect the honor and civility that we stand for. And I think everybody in this would support that based on the proper response with the proper information," Kerry said.

For Kerry, the days events had been a national tragedy, and a personal one. His friend Sonia Mercedes Morales Puopolo, a philanthropist and Democratic activist, had been board United Flight 175, the second plane to hit the World Trade Center.

[JohnKleeb]

1. I remember reading about that lady, didn't know she was a friend of his

You know, Kerry has seen a lot of tragedy in his life, losing his friends Droz and Pershing in the war must been tough.

[ginnyinWI]

2. I'll add something I read about that day

On 9/11/2001, someone took a video of the people coming out of the Capitol building when it was evacuated, including members of the House and Senate. I didn't see this video,(wish I could) but they said that many of them were clearly frightened and panicky, running around and holding onto each other. Then out steps a lanky John Kerry by himself, walking calmly and casually, as though he just stepped out to check on the weather. He stands there, off by himself just looking up into the sky.


This makes me think of another Kerry moment: I was watching Cspan showing a live "front porch" meeting Kerry was holding in Ohio in a cul-du-sac in a middle class neighborhood. They had chairs set up in the street for the residents, and Kerry was speaking with a hand-held microphone. At one point a plane flew over nearby, and he reflexively turned around halfway and looked up at it. Then he smiled at what he'd done and joked, "...and all the combat veterans here look up..." That was a "real" glimpse into the man.

[sandnsea]

3. In Portland too

He and a guy in the crowd exchanged words about the helicopter flying above. I had the impression JK was reassuring him that it was security or something, but he always had his eye on the sky. I've noticed that at other events too. The cool part is that was when we noticed the people hanging out of the windows and started cheering and waving at them, and then he addressed the crowd outside and they cheered, and were louder than we were inside the square!

[TayTay]

4. That was referenced in the NYTimes profile

that ran in October. (The famous reduce terrorism to a nuisance lie told by the Bushies.) Frontline had some good footage too in their profile that ran in Oct. Sigh! The Frontline doc made me sad after the election because the Choice was so damn obvious. Let's see, the drunken Daddy's boy who was so screwed up he had to be handed off to people in Alabama who owed Daddy a favor or the standup guy who went and served and then opposed the war on principle. Ooh, must end post now, seeing red, getting angry.....