Obama visits hallowed 9/11 ground at Pentagon

[mike r]

Source: Associated Press

President Barack Obama on Saturday recalled "that awful morning" nine years ago when "a sorry band of men" who pervert religion attacked the U.S. in hopes of demoralizing and dividing the country.

"Today we declare once more we will never hand them that victory ... for our cause is just, our spirit is strong and our resolve unwavering," the president said at the Defense Department's headquarters, where a hijacked plane slammed into the Pentagon, killing 184 people on Sept. 11, 2001.

"They may seek to exploit our freedoms, but we will not sacrifice the liberties we cherish or hunker down behind walls of suspicion and mistrust. They may wish to drive us apart, but we will not give in to their hatred and prejudice," Obama said, despite the terrorists' efforts to spark conflicts among faiths. "As Americans we are not — and never will be — at war with Islam."

This year's remembrances of the 2001 attacks took place with growing public suspicion of Muslims, an emotional dispute over an Islamic community center and mosque planned near ground zero in New York City, and a Florida pastor's threat to burn Qurans.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100911/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_sept11

[Xenotime]

1. Obama is so wonderful. So compassionate.

[global1]

2. In Hopes? ...........

"A Sorry Band Of Men" Who Pervert Religion Attacked The U.S. "IN HOPES" Of Demoralizing And Dividing The Country.

Looking at the shape this country is in on Sept 11, 2010 - I would have to say that this 'sorry band of men' were pretty successful in demoralizing an dividing the country.

Actually - they were aided and abetted by another 'sorry band of men' - BushCo and the Repugs.

I guess we can throw in Faux News and maybe the media in general as well.

I'm thinking if Bin Laden really had anything to do with 9/11 2001 - that today somewhere in the world - and my guess is he is being well taken care of in Saudi Arabia - he is celebrating.

[MikeW]

3. why

Do you think the military response would have been any different if the current administration were in power?

What do you suggest we should have done not respond ? Just call up alqueda and say, "hey that wasn't nice, please

dont do it again?"

[robcon]

4. I agree. Al Gore's response would have been nearly identical.

n/t

[HuckleB]

7. Yes, though I'm not certain that The Patriot Act would have been as heinous...

... and I don't think we would have gone into Iraq.

[totodeinhere]

12. His initial response would probably have been the same. But he wouldn't have used it as an

excuse to go into Iraq.

[global1]

5. I Did Not Comment On The Military Response ......

my comments have to do with how this country today is divided and demoralized. I believe that was the goal of Bin Laden and why he attacked us. BushCo fell right into the trap and took the country down the road of two wars and near financial collapse of this country - not to mention the Patriot Act and a loss of a great many of our freedoms. This country was changed that day.

We currently are dealing with the 'mosque issue' in New York and the 'Quran burning' (which I'm glad has been called off).

Wouldn't you say our country is divided and demoralized? Are these not signs of division and demoralization?

That's what my post had to deal with. I did not comment on the military response.

Now maybe - just maybe - there are people both in other countries and in our country that are pleased by the way this has all turned out.

Certainly many have made a lot of money because of this tragedy since 9/11 - like defense contractors, oil companies, private armies (i.e., Blackwater).

I am not pleased - I too want my country back - the way it was on Sept 10, 2001. Call me sentimental.

[MikeW]

6. not going to happen

Blaming everything on Bush is popular but it isnt realistic its just another montra for people who cant deal.

Here's what the country would have looked like no matter who was in charge on that day and after:

1 - There would have been a massive military response

2 - It would have been in Afghanistan.

Iraq most likely wouldnt have happened, then again no one really knows.

As far as the country being divided ... its always been that way and was prior to 9/11. Its never been about holding

hands and signing songs in the US. People go about their daily lives, they go to work, school, earn money and take care of their

families - thats what the Average American does ... they dont dwell on the issues that we do in DU everyday.

As far as people being pleased about the war, maybe im sure there are those who made money off the whole thing but your

statement implies its some grand conspiracy theory.

I dont know what you think the country looked like prior to 9/11 except for extra security and the P. Act but little else

has changed other than a badly damaged economy - which I argue would have happened even if Obama was in power since the agencies

responsible for watching out for that mess were asleep at the switch.

[MilesColtrane]

13. Dick Cheney meeting in secret with oil executives, passing around maps...

of the Iraqi oilfields and pipelines in early 2001

Conflating Saddam Hussein with the 9/11 attackers

Cherry picking intelligence information to make it look like Iraq had a nuclear weapons program

Invading and actually taking over the oil fields in Iraq\

Nah......no conspiracy there.

[MikeW]

16. my comments were not reg. Iraq my comments were to Afghanistan

The 9/11 fools came from AlQ - from training camps in Afghanistan.

[Politicalboi]

14. We didn't respond on 9/11

We allowed 40 minutes to pass from the time the second plane hit the towers to the time it hit the Pentagon. No SAMS to protect D.C. No orders to clear D.C. We all have seen footage of the freeway behind the Pentagon, and it was business as usual. And we only had ONE camera filming the Pentagon attack, and it wasn't even a clear video, but we all somehow accept it as good. Is this what we spend Billions on each year? A government that was as vulnerable as a kitten on 9/11? No fighter pilots anywhere to help at all, but we accept it. Some of us don't believe the governments story, I am one of those. If we even forget about fire taking down steel and concrete which has never happened till 9/11 and never happened again since 9/11. And the fact the buildings fell 10 stories a second, lets examiner how our government didn't respond on 9/11. Hey and welcome to DU.

[MikeW]

17. 17 years as a volunteer firefighter

in an engine company.

I can tell you for a fact that steel deforms at temperatures in building fires and cause roof collapses.

Ive seen foolish citations of the burn temp of jet fuel its a joke.

You kind dont know what the hell happens in a structure fire where do you think that heat goes? Why do you think

when the engines arrive the first thing they do is cut holes in the roof? Its to get rid of smoke and to stop the buildup of

very high temps that cause flashovers.

Then again your a truther so you'll prob. tell me all of my fire training and experience is bogus LOL.

[harmonicon]

18. so...

you think the correct response to the unibomber would have been to bomb the shit out of Montana and instill marshal law there after overthrowing the legal government? Should the response to Oklahoma City have been to carpet bomb Michigan while also overthrowing the government?

[MilesColtrane]

9. The hijackers and Al Qaeda found someone in George Bush who...

subscribed exactly to their religion based, white and black view of the world.

He upped the ante in response and insured the recruitment of hundreds of thousands of more people like them for decades while shredding the principles that this country has upheld for over two hundred years.

[totodeinhere]

11. I agree with that analysis. And Bush was very lucky politically that it happened on his watch.

It along with some horseplay in Ohio allowed him to serve a second term.

[totodeinhere]

10. So you have bought into the conspiracy theory that BuchCo carried out the 9/11 attacks?

How do you explain away evidence that the attacks were being planned several years before Bush took office and before he could have known that he would ever be president? Or do you believe that Clinton was in on it too?

[Ichingcarpenter]

8. For Five Years my Dad Drove from Arlington to Andrews AF Base

To go to work, since we lived in Arlington. He made it to work in less time than the response was by the military that day and he did it in rush hour Washington Traffic, OK it was back in the early 70s but DC traffic sucked even more or less the same as it always does.

That's when I knew something was up that day that didn't make sense.

He also worked at the Pentagon for 8 years before that and I knew
the defenses of the Pentagon since he worked for the Joint Chiefs.


OH, and where was Rumsfeld that day?...... Just saying

[Politicalboi]

15. He was helping the victims

Isn't that what the Secretary of DEFENSE was suppose to do after all? LOL! Even though they had 40 minutes to plan for an attack, why bother, the FAA has it all under control.

[No Elephants]

19. "Hallowed?"

[lunatica]

20. My sentiments exactly

Now the Pentagon is hallowed ground? Hallowed? Really?