Presidents united in memory of passengers on downed plane
There are so many poignant images competing for attention this weekend. One came from Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where two former Presidents -Bush and Clinton- joined Vice President Biden to commemorate the passengers of United Flight 93.
They were the ones who tried to storm the cockpit, forcing the hijackers to crash the plane into a field rather than the White House or the Capitol. It is one of the most compelling stories of that day. It has entered 9/11 folklore as a chilling story of heroism. The British film director turned it into a stark and terrifying film.
Some of the details of what exactly happened on the plane are still disputed. Some people still cling to the belief that the plane was in fact shot down by the US air force, saying this was something which could never be admitted.
President Bush referred to the heroism of the passengers today by calling their action the first counter offensive in the war on terror.
But it was the subsequent counter offensives in this strange, shadowy and troubling conflict that have defined America as much as the events of 9/11 itself. From Guantanamo Bay to Afghanistan, America continues to live with the costs and legacies of 9/11 in a way which no one could have imagined. At the same time events are shaping the world which have nothing to do with 9/11.
The Arab Spring, the quicksand of transition from dictatorship to democracy are all events that are still unfolding, forcing America to play catch up. I would love to hear what George Bush, the man who promoted his freedom agenda with military clout, really thinks about events on the streets of Cairo, Tunis or Tripoli.
Does he think the removal of Saddam Hussein planted the seed of liberty? Personally I think it may have delayed it. America was so intent of pursuing the jihadi extremists it soft peddled holding the likes of Muammar Ghaddafi or Hosni Mubarak to account. It relied on them to fight its war on terror.
Obama did even less than Bush to back the rhetoric of human rights a d liberty with actions. That was then. We are now in unchartered, scary territory. The events around the Israeli embassy in Cairo this weekend are indeed sobering.