Bush's remarks at the National Cathedral

“We are here in the middle hour of our grief. So many have suffered so great a loss, and today we express our nation's sorrow. We come before God to pray for the missing and the dead, and for those who loved them.

On Tuesday, our country was attacked with deliberate and massive cruelty. We have seen the images of fire and ashes and bent steel.

Now come the names, the list of casualties we are only beginning. They are the names of men and women who began their day at a desk or in an airport, busy with life. They are the names of people who faced death and in their last moments called home to say, be brave and I love you.

They are the names of passengers who defied their murderers and prevented the murder of others on the ground. They are the names of men and women who wore the uniform of the United States and died at their posts.

They are the names of rescuers -- the ones whom death found running up the stairs and into the fires to help others. We will read all these names. We will linger over them and learn their stories, and many Americans will weep.

To the children and parents and spouses and families and friends of the lost, we offer the deepest sympathy of the nation. And I assure you, you are not alone.

Just three days removed from these events, Americans do not yet have the distance of history, but our responsibility to history is already clear: to answer these attacks and rid the world of evil.

War has been waged against us by stealth and deceit and murder.

This nation is peaceful, but fierce when stirred to anger. This conflict was begun on the timing and terms of others; it will end in a way and at an hour of our choosing.

Our purpose as a nation is firm, yet our wounds as a people are recent and unhealed and lead us to pray. In many of our prayers this week, there's a searching and an honesty. At St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, on Tuesday, a woman said, "I pray to God to give us a sign that he's still here."

Others have prayed for the same, searching hospital to hospital, carrying pictures of those still missing.

God's signs are not always the ones we look for. We learn in tragedy that his purposes are not always our own, yet the prayers of private suffering, whether in our homes or in this great cathedral are known and heard and understood.

There are prayers that help us last through the day or endure the night. There are prayers of friends and strangers that give us strength for the journey, and there are prayers that yield our will to a will greater than our own.

This world He created is of moral design. Grief and tragedy and hatred are only for a time. Goodness, remembrance and love have no end, and the Lord of life holds all who die and all who mourn.

It is said that adversity introduces us to ourselves.

This is true of a nation as well. In this trial, we have been reminded and the world has seen that our fellow Americans are generous and kind, resourceful and brave.

We see our national character in rescuers working past exhaustion, in long lines of blood donors, in thousands of citizens who have asked to work and serve in any way possible. And we have seen our national character in eloquent acts of sacrifice. Inside the World Trade Center, one man who could have saved himself stayed until the end and at the side of his quadriplegic friend. A beloved priest died giving the last rites to a firefighter. Two office workers, finding a disabled stranger, carried her down 68 floors to safety.

A group of men drove through the night from Dallas to Washington to bring skin grafts for burned victims. In these acts and many others, Americans showed a deep commitment to one another and in an abiding love for our country.

Today, we feel what Franklin Roosevelt called, "the warm courage of national unity." This is a unity of every faith and every background. This has joined together political parties and both houses of Congress. It is evident in services of prayer and candlelight vigils and American flags, which are displayed in pride and waved in defiance. Our unity is a kinship of grief and a steadfast resolve to prevail against our enemies. And this unity against terror is now extending across the world.

America is a nation full of good fortune, with so much to be grateful for, but we are not spared from suffering. In every generation, the world has produced enemies of human freedom. They have attacked America because we are freedom's home and defender, and the commitment of our fathers is now the calling of our time.

On this national day of prayer and remembrance, we ask almighty God to watch over our nation and grant us patience and resolve in all that is to come. We pray that He will comfort and console those who now walk in sorrow. We thank Him for each life we now must mourn, and the promise of a life to come.

As we've been assured, neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities, nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth can separate us from God's love.

May He bless the souls of the departed. May He comfort our own. And may He always guide our country.

God bless America.”

“Amen. I wonder if he wrote that himself?”

“I saw that.
I would like to have heard something more intelligent from Willy Jeff Clinton.
That would have been a treat!”

“null”

“Yesterday, Clinton's daughter was asked what she thought of this disaster, and she really didn't have anything to say. I don't really care for her. She's already a political bitch, carefully counting her words, even when people out there were looking for some sympanthy or kind words from her.”

“Maybe Chelsea heeded bacpac's comments: "Decorum calls for past Presidents (and daughters) to stand down unless asked by the sitting President. It is a matter of courtesy and dignity." Got a problem with THAT?”

“kleetn, I can't tell if you are being serious or not, but a person can express themselves without getting into the political end of it. I don't expect her to say kill those b@stards.”

“A case of damned if she does and damned if she doesn't...”

“i like chelsea.

her mom is satan, but she will move out, soo.”

“...soon.”

“She's already a political bitch? Go figure...she's had people like you hanging on her every word or non-word since she was 12. Maybe she's shy, maybe she is not eloquent, maybe she is afraid to say the wrong thing because people will jump all over her if she does...of course, maybe they'll do that even if she says nothing...”

“Oh for goodness sake!
Maybe Chelsea is;
shy
not terrribly articulate
afraid she was going to lose it and cry!

Not all of us are blessed with poise and grace!@%^>”

“bongo, I respect what you are saying. I'm not looking to string the girl up, but I can't believe she would appear in public, and not be ready with an answer to questions the entire family knew would come.

I do wish Colin Powell had more of a political background right now to help him out. He just had to answers questions from newspeople, and he was a little flustered. Remember he is new at being a politician.”

“Why would we expect Chelsea to say anything? She is not a past president. She hasn't held any elected office (that I am aware of). Her father is no longer in office. Why would we expect her to comfort us?”

“I didn't expect Chelsea to say anything as an ex-president's daughter, but just as a person, a human being, like everyone else is doing.”

“Great!

So now posting the text of an important and moving speech by our President has turned into the "Chelsea Sucks" thread.

Maybe we all need to go hiking folks. You know, fresh air, exercise...”

“LH-yep, sorry for the snipe on my part, I understand the frustration, just didn't like seeing it get focused on someone that is in that position by birth only (the Bush gals haven't been saying much either).

For Powell, I am sure its also a bit--"what do I say, what do I not say for national security issues..." He's been one of the few that i actually see as trying to be be as honest as possible. Of course that means he is stumbling a bit too. I don't see it affecting his credibility though. Now, don't get me started on Ari Fliescher (sp?)...”

“Maybe you should send Chelsea a letter and give her a good reaming.

Bad Chelsea!”

“Joy: What stood out to me was that the President was clearly comfortable with the words he was speaking. If you assume that to be true, then perhaps it doesn't really matter how many of the words he originally wrote. I know that I appreciated what he had to say.”

“Good idea violin. I'm going hiking tonight and I'm taking my pack, just in case I want to spend the night.”

“I like Bush's words during the mass, someone who has a better memory can help me here. To paraphraze, this war will end at a time of our choosing. Sorry, that's the best I could do, there's more to it.”

“Sorry, I totally spazzed on this one & forgot that lee posted the speach. This is the part that I particulary enjoyed hearing, but at the same time think about the lives that will be lost for fulfill it:

This conflict was begun on the timing and terms of others; it will end in a way and at an hour of our choosing.”

“Lipstick, I also think those words are nice to hear, but I'm not sure that church is the best place to speak about retribution. Just my opinion.”

“I was surprised to hear Billy Graham talk about retribution, since we all know it will involve killing people.”

“Give me a break newgirl. The whole speech was about unity and strength. The only threatening line was the one just pointed out. If he'd been up there rattling a sword, then I might agree.”

“For all of you that are not near a tv, President Bush just made his way through the crowd of rescuers at the WTC. It brought a smile to my face to watch everyone's spirit rise to see him. Everyone was shouting "U.S.A., U.S.A."

Bush said a few words over a megaphone to the crowd. I'm appreciating that he doesn't go on and on. He made his words quick, and even kidded with the crowd. It was great to see.”

“thanks Lee I wasn't available to see it live. The Chelsea bashing got the thread going the wrong way but I apreciate your other thoughts LH.Lets all follow Violin.”

“I read the speech above and it sounded pretty good. Calling upon people to pray and ask for God's guidance is pretty good stuff at this point in time.

newgirl - Talking about "justice" in a church is OK. Retribution is a Biblical principle that is well established in the Old Testament. The taking of innocent life is a violation of the 6th Commandment.”

“Good speech. Very well done. I can do without the bickering here though.”

“Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly????














You would be too if Janet Reno was your father.”

“After a few uncertain hours at the begining, Bush has done well in this crisis. I am glad to see his approval rating soar - now is a time for supporting our leadership and in this crisis Bush had provided the kind of leadership America can get behind.”

“I re-read Bush's remarks just now. That speech reminds me of the Gettysburg Address in a few respects. It is very well done and I believe will make it on a list of classic Presidential speeches somewhere down the line.”

“I missed the speech, but was glad to see it posted..you TT folks are wonderful whenit comes to providing needed information, whether it be political, gear info, trail reports, underwear preferences upcoming trips, tankers full of beer, fake or real breasts..

We are united in our grief but divided in what to eat for breakfast..go figure

Diversity is our STRENGTH!!!!”

“Well said, TX!

I need to get laid in the worst way.

How diverse are you feeling right now?”

“aww..didn't your date take care of you the other night? What a shame!

I MIGHT be able to pencil you in perhaps..uh..2003?”

“Pencil? I'm prepared to put meat on the table.

You seem a little sharper than normal.”

“oooooo check the other thread..if I am sharper than normal, I can help you..

ps. Don't waste good meat by putting it on the table..it will spoil (eg)”