Remembering 9/11
Posted: Thursday, September 11, 2008 9:23 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:
Security
The Washington Post: “The joint appearance at Ground Zero today by Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama will not only commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks but also will mark a rare moment in the campaign when both candidates focus on terrorism, an issue that has lost prominence for American voters as the deadly attacks recede in the public memory.”
Per Politico’s Mike Allen, “The two presidential candidates will call a truce in New York City on Thursday night for a conversation, on the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, about what their administrations would do to encourage public service. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) are expected to shake hands onstage in between separate conversations co-moderated by Richard Stengel, managing editor of Time magazine, and Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent of PBS' ‘The NewsHour.’”
”Several cable networks plan to cover the Nation of Service forum (8 p.m. Eastern), the centerpiece of a two-day ServiceNation Summit 2008, named for a non-profit group that encourages voluntary service and civic engagement.”
The Los Angeles Times notes McCain and Obama are closer on their anti-terrorism policies than their rhetoric might imply. "But beneath the harsh rhetoric, the two candidates -- who meet today in New York City to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks -- seem to be moving toward consensus on their broad-brush strategies, an unexpected development in what was the most contentious issue in the presidential race four years ago. ‘The process of political campaigning has exaggerated the differences of the two candidates on trivial issues,’ said Brian Michael Jenkins of the Rand Corp., who is regarded as one of the world's leading authorities on terrorism. He has studied the issue in the last seven presidential races. ‘But when it comes to where the campaigns have outlined their platforms on Iraq, Afghanistan and national security, there isn't a great deal of difference.’”
“Both McCain and Obama have pledged to retool much of the Bush administration's self-declared war on terrorism, saying it has been heavy-handed, too militaristic and unpopular at home and abroad."
