Five times, President Barack Obama has come before the American people to reckon with the legacy of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the anniversary of that awful day. Each time, he has tailored his message to the moment, at different points stressing themes of service, resilience, tolerance, reconciliation.
This year, with the threat of the Islamic State militant group looming, Obama’s rhetoric of remembrance is circling back to earlier days and striking a less triumphant tone.
In an address to the nation about the terrorist threat, a day ahead of Thursday’s 9/11 anniversary, Obama said, “We cannot erase every trace of evil from the world, and small groups of killers have the capacity to do great harm. That was the case before 9/11, and that remains true today.”
He was speaking to a public that is increasingly worried about Islamic extremism. Six in 10 Americans now are very concerned about the rise of Islamic extremism around the world, the largest share since 2007, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center
“The picture of the United States winding down the war on terror has become harder to sell in the last couple of years,” says Peter Feaver, a Duke University expert on war and public opinion. “The old rhetoric that we are just about to win the war on terror can’t be sustained.”
A look back at how Obama has framed his 9/11 message over the past five years.
(AP)
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One Response
The war will never be won unless we identify the enemy and are dedicated to defeating them. It’s not “terrorism”, that’s just a weapon, it’s Islamic extremists. Bush said, “Either your with us or against us” and maintained an alliance with Saudi Arabia” who covertly supports them. Egypt and Israel should make an alliance with America to fight them with no holds barred. Every Mosque should be suspect and every young Arab should be scrutinized. This a fight to the death. Of course there are nice Moslems out there, but there were nice Japanese and nice Germans too. We have to become independent of their oil and the Keystone Pipeline is needed for our survival.