# President Obama not attending 11 Sep events in NYC



## vonGarvin (11 Sep 2009)

I saw this buried within a news story on ctv, and I am not sure what to think of it:


> One figure who will be conspicuously absent from the now-familiar ceremonies in New York will be U.S. President Barack Obama.
> 
> Perhaps seeking to distinguish himself from his predecessor, George W. Bush, who consistently attended World Trade Center anniversaries to galvanize support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama will steer clear of the event.
> 
> Instead, he will attend the lower-profile memorial at the Pentagon and then meet with the families of the 184 people who died when a jet slammed into the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense.


The vice president will be in NYC.  Maybe it's just me, but the focus of remembrance for the events that day, rightly or wrongly, is on the WTC.  Again, maybe just me, but I would figure that the President would be at the WTC site.  My opinion is that he is playing politics.


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## George Wallace (11 Sep 2009)

Security concerns perhaps?  A prominant anniversary.  A very prominant public figure.  

Could it also be that the celebration of the anniversary is also changing from remembering the dead, to an annual day of "service and remembrance"?


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## Old Sweat (11 Sep 2009)

MR, I think you are right. He has just given his critics in the media, the blogosphere and on talk radio a big stick to swing at him. There are already a few of the wilder members of his circle of friends and accquaintances who either claim the US government was complicit in 9/11, or that the US got what it deserved. Now stir in a few of his comments re the failings of capitalism and/or corporate responsibility and sprinkle with his middle name. 

At the very least his decision was crass. I fear it can be spun into something much worse.


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## gcclarke (11 Sep 2009)

I think that President Obama should have attended the NYC memorial solely because it is his first one as President, and to avoid giving his political opponents extra ammunition. And clearly, also two years from now, he also should make sure to be in NYC. 

That having been said, I see no problem with making less and less of a big spectacle of this anniversary as time goes on. Eventually, let those people who lost family and friends in the attacks mourn in peace if they wish, and let the rest of us mind our own business.


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## Sythen (11 Sep 2009)

gcclarke said:
			
		

> That having been said, I see no problem with making less and less of a big spectacle of this anniversary as time goes on. Eventually, let those people who lost family and friends in the attacks mourn in peace if they wish, and let the rest of us mind our own business.



oh I completely agree.. While we're at it, Remembrance Day is too much effort.. Come on now its been close to 100 years.. The past can't hurt us and what can we possibly learn from it? Its best to let it be forgotten, right? *heavy sarcasm*


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## dapaterson (11 Sep 2009)

There was also one attack on Washington, and a second failed attack that was likely also headed for Washington; the President being in Washington would appear to be an appropriate gesture.

He was also in a no-win situation.  Imagine, if you can, a speech where he mentionned the rescue workers at ground zero risking their own health to save others - no doubt someone would claim he was "playing politics with his health care bill".

Besides, the 2011 commemoration will mark the 10th anniversary and I am certain POTUS will be in the Big Apple for that.  Permitting a more quiet, introspective remembrance without the gong show that accompanies every President everywhere is entirely appropriate, IMHO.


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## Jammer (11 Sep 2009)

So where sould Obama be...NYC? Shanksville PA...? So he decided to be at the Pentagon, he had to go somewhere!


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## MARS (11 Sep 2009)

Another take on why he might be staying away:

Reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from today’s Globe and Mail

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/obama-plans-low-key-911-anniversary/article1282996/

-------------------------------------------------
Obama plans low-key 9/11 anniversary 

Jessica Leeder

From Friday's Globe and Mail 
Last updated on Friday, Sep. 11, 2009 08:38AM EDT


As the 11th hour strikes Friday morning, a hush will ripple across the United States to mark the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks – and the first with President Barack Obama at the helm. 

Rather than join the throng of politicians attending the annual World Trade Center ceremony, Mr. Obama is slated to meet victims' families at a more intimate, lower-profile memorial at the Pentagon, a strategic move observers suggest is aimed at managing the tepid support for the war in Afghanistan. 

“You're playing with fire if you're escalating a war people don't support. That's what Obama is doing,” said Ivan Eland, director of the Center on Peace and Liberty at the Independent Institute , a non-partisan public-policy think tank. “He's just trying to keep the lid on the crisis that Bush started,” Mr. Eland said, adding: “I don't think Obama is above taking advantage of a crisis, but I'm not sure mentioning 9/11 helps him out.” 

By backing away from George W. Bush's tradition of using the anniversary of 9/11 to shore up support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr. Obama is giving himself the leeway to “withdraw from Afghanistan without accomplishing what Bush originally intended to” without suffering political repercussions, Mr. Eland said. 

At the same time, the President is wary of being perceived as soft on terrorism and national security – a frequent criticism lobbed by right-wing commentators who have sought to portray his support for the new National Day of Service and Remembrance (an annual commemoration Mr. Obama signed into law in April designed to encourage and pay tribute to volunteerism and community service on the anniversary of 9/11) as a sign of his weakness on the issue. 

In place of Mr. Obama, who spent last Sept. 11 at Ground Zero while campaigning for the presidency, Vice-President Joe Biden and his wife Jill will visit the site along with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, according to a statement from the White House Thursday. 

“What you're seeing is an administration that is being incredibly cautious when it comes to Afghanistan,” said Robert Pape, a University of Chicago political scientist who specializes in terrorism and international security. 

Since winning his country's highest office, Prof. Pape said, Mr. Obama and his advisers have been forced to steep themselves in the complicated matrix of issues plaguing Afghanistan far more deeply than they had intended. It was the pullout from Iraq, not the buildup in Afghanistan, that dominated Mr. Obama's foreign-policy agenda during the election campaign. Since then, however, his administration has sought to deepen U.S. involvement in Afghanistan despite waning public support for the war. 

The fact that the Obama administration appears to have chosen a low-key approach to commemorate 9/11 is a sign that it recognizes the public is suffering from “a tremendous amount of terrorism fatigue” that could ultimately prove polarizing, Prof. Pape said. 

“The Obama administration really isn't pushing for a dramatic shift” in Afghanistan, he said. “They're sort of moving things along the edges, which is a very appropriate thing, given that this foreign-policy team and Obama himself are only now coming to grips with Afghanistan.” 

The President's caution notwithstanding, public approval of his handling of Afghanistan and Iraq has fallen, according to an Associated Press poll released this week. Peter Feaver, a Duke University expert on war and public opinion who worked in the Bush White House, told The Associated Press that the public is confused over “where the President's gut is on this issue.” 

What is clear is that Mr. Obama does not intend to define his presidency by the way he handles the leftovers from Mr. Bush's “war on terror.” It's an approach many find refreshing. 

“We're just getting down to the point where politicians don't use 9/11 to bait people into supporting [wars],” Mr. Eland said. “I'm hoping we can now have the debate on causes for 9/11 and maybe change our policy so we can reduce our chances of having other terrorist groups or al-Qaeda attack us.” 
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## gcclarke (11 Sep 2009)

Sythen said:
			
		

> oh I completely agree.. While we're at it, Remembrance Day is too much effort.. Come on now its been close to 100 years.. The past can't hurt us and what can we possibly learn from it? Its best to let it be forgotten, right? *heavy sarcasm*



Remembrance Day is an event devoted to the fallen in all conflicts, and as such continually refreshes its meaning for as long as the concept of armed conflict exists.

Any ceremonies commemorating Sept 11 will be commemorating that single event. A much more apt comparison would be Pearl Harbour Remembrance Ceremonies, which do indeed still exist, but are certainly less important now than they were back in the day.

I'm not saying that Sept 11 ceremonies should stop happening completely, but I do think it is natural that over time they should start to lose the massive amount of focus they currently receive. I mean, really, 14 years from now, is anyone here really going to care all that much that it's the 22nd anniversary of Sept 11th? There's probably some of us that might not even notice.


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## vonGarvin (11 Sep 2009)

Jammer said:
			
		

> So where sould Obama be...NYC? Shanksville PA...? So he decided to be at the Pentagon, he had to go somewhere!


When people say "9/11" or "September 11" or any other derivative of that day, people instinctively think of the World Trade Center.  The vast majority of victims died there.  One could refer to it as the "main effort".  Obama was there last year when he was campaigning for the Big Job.  Now that he has it, combined with some angles (previously posted in this thread), he's starting to show his true colours, IMHO.  
If he were Republican, then more of the media would take notice, I believe.  If he were white (I know, I know, he's neither "black" nor "white", being of mixed race, but I digress), then the media would take notice, I believe.

Well, maybe not take notice, but would emphasise the fact, or even criticise him.  But the fact is he's political stripes are from the left, and he's a visible minority, so people may fear of being labelled either "redneck facists/racists" when all they are doing is criticising his actions for what they are, vice making unfounded personal attacks on him.  He's the president, for crying out loud!  He should be at the Main Effort for the 9/11 remembrance!

(My opinion, it was free, and worth every penny!)


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## gcclarke (11 Sep 2009)

Midnight Rambler said:
			
		

> He's the president, for crying out loud!  He should be at the Main Effort for the 9/11 remembrance!



He's the president, for crying out loud! He should have the power to choose to make his focus for this particular anniversary the military personnel who also lost their lives that day.


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## dapaterson (11 Sep 2009)

gcclarke said:
			
		

> I'm not saying that Sept 11 ceremonies should stop happening completely, but I do think it is natural that over time they should start to lose the massive amount of focus they currently receive. I mean, really, 14 years from now, is anyone here really going to care all that much that it's the 22nd anniversary of Sept 11th? There's probably some of us that might not even notice.



I'm not so sure of that.  Certain events remain vividly imprinted in people's minds.  As always, Stephen Sondheim puts it beautifully:



> MAN 1
> My God--!
> 
> MAN 2
> ...


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## vonGarvin (11 Sep 2009)

gcclarke said:
			
		

> He's the president, for crying out loud! He should have the power to choose to make his focus for this particular anniversary the military personnel who also lost their lives that day.


Yes, he has the power, I'm not debating that.  His decision was made, and I believe it was a poor one.  Imagine the Governor General attending the Remembrance Day ceremonies at Headline Ridge!  (It's part of the Gagetown Training Area, and there is a ceremony out there every year).  I just suggest that since he has The Big Job, that he probably should attend The Big Ceremony.

As pointed out elsewhere, he's trying to distance himself.  He has had a member of his "inner circle" resign over the ludicrous and unfounded beliefs that GW et al had something to do with the attacks.  

As I stated: his true colours are coming to the fore.  In this case, his inexperience.


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## gcclarke (11 Sep 2009)

dapaterson said:
			
		

> I'm not so sure of that.  Certain events remain vividly imprinted in people's minds.  As always, Stephen Sondheim puts it beautifully:



You're right about that. Eventually the story we all tell our kids about where we were when 9/11 happened will be as boring as the story our parents told us about where they were when Kennedy was killed, Man landed on the Moon, Paul Henderson scored that goal to beat the Soviets, etc.

I'm not implying that we will ever forget what happened. I'm just saying that commemorating it will become less and less of a priority as time passes. 

Edit: Specifically, you were referring to my "not even notice" comment. I'm not going to forget what happened. But I don't doubt that the day will come n number of years from now when someone asks me what day it is, and my answer is "Thursday" rather than "9/11".


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## Shec (11 Sep 2009)

gcclarke said:
			
		

> ... where they were when Kennedy was killed, Man landed on the Moon, Paul Henderson scored that goal to beat the Soviets, etc.



I can recall where I was when each of those events occured.  Thanks for dating me.  And now back to watching "When Dinosaurs Roamed America"


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## gcclarke (11 Sep 2009)

Shec said:
			
		

> I can recall where I was when each of those events occured.  Thanks for dating me.  And now back to watching "When Dinosaurs Roamed America"



Ahhh my bad. My Generation's Parents. Sorry.

I'll let you get back to your family videos....  ;D

And yes, you brought that last crack upon yourself.


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## BlueJingo (11 Sep 2009)

From what I can see at least he attended a memorial. And perhaps the families of the 184 people killed at the Pentagon feel better knowing that the President cared enough about their losses too.

And it's not like nobody went to NYC. So I don't understand what people are so angry about.


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## observor 69 (11 Sep 2009)

New York Times

September 12, 2009

*Obama Speaks at 9/11 Commemoration *   

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

WASHINGTON — On a gray rainy day in the nation’s capital — so unlike the bright sunny morning eight years ago when terrorists slammed planes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon — President Obama called upon Americans to “renew our common purpose” with a day of service and remembrance of the Sept. 11 attacks.

“Through their own lives and through you, the loved ones they left behind, the men and women who lost their lives eight years ago today leave a legacy that still shines brightly in the darkness and that calls on all of us to be strong and firm and united,” Mr. Obama said during a memorial service at the Pentagon. “That is our calling today and in all the Septembers still to come.”

Mr. Obama and his wife Michelle began the day of commemoration on the White House South Lawn, where they and some 200 members of the White House staff observed a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the moment the first plane struck the north tower of the World Trade Center. 

It had been raining heavily here, but stopped moments before the Obamas emerged. A bell rang three times and they bowed their heads. They placed their hands over their hearts while a bugler played taps. 

The president took a deep breath before he and Mrs. Obama turned silently and walked back into the White House. The staff, including Rahm Emanuel, the chief of staff, and David Axelrod, the senior adviser, stood silently by for a few moments more. 

Then the rain resumed.

Mr. Obama then traveled across the Potomac River to speak briefly at the Pentagon, where American Airlines Flight 77, hijacked by five terrorists after taking off from Dulles International Airport bound for Los Angeles, crashed at 9:37 a.m. 

An outdoor memorial now marks the spot with 184 benches, each representing one victim of the attack — 59 on the plane, and 125 on the ground. Mr. Obama placed a wreath there, after addressing an audience that included Defense Secretary Robert Gates, military officials and family members of the victims.

“Mindful that the work of protecting America is never finished, we will do everything in our power to keep America safe,” Mr. Obama said.

Mr. Obama is observing his first Sept. 11 as president — eight years ago he was still a state senator in Illinois — and is hoping to use the anniversary and the ones that follow to encourage a spirit of volunteerism. At noon in Washington, there is to be a service at the National Cathedral, and a number of organizations are bringing together students and others for a day of volunteer service, in answer to Mr. Obama’s call.

“On a day when others sought to sap our confidence, let us renew our common purpose, let us remember how we came together as one nation, as one people, as Americans united,” Mr. Obama said. “Such sense of purpose need not be a fleeting moment.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/12/us/12capital.html?ref=global-home&pagewanted=print


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## Jammer (11 Sep 2009)

...MR...I didn't think you guys in G-Town worked Friday afternoons.
I think the GG should at least go out to Blue Mountain for Nov 11 this year... ;D


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## Blackadder1916 (11 Sep 2009)

To add some perspective to the discussion - where did the previous incumbent spend the seven 9/11 anniversaries that occurred during his time in office.

http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/september11/archive.html

I would have guessed that he attended at least one ceremony at "Ground Zero" on that date, but judging by the press releases from his office, he did not.  Perhaps someone else can find something that pinpoints his whereabouts for those dates.


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## tomahawk6 (11 Sep 2009)

Not being a Bush fan I can see that you didnt bother to note what Bush was doing on either Sept 10 or the 11th of subsequent years. Bush didnt want to politicize the tragic day so he didnt do a yearly pilgrimmage to NYC. But the families of the fallen knew that he cared. Obama and wife observed the day in DC but does it look like it was an inconvenience ?






WASHINGTON - U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and first lady Michelle Obama (R) observe a moment of silence for 9/11 victims on the South Lawn of the White House September 11, 2009 in Washington, DC. Today marked the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.



> Sept. 11, 2008  President Bush Attends Dedication of 9/11 Pentagon Memorial
> Sept 11 2007    President Bush and the White House staff observed a moment of silence
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/11/AR2007091100673.html
> 
> ...


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## gcclarke (11 Sep 2009)

Ummm that was a separate ceremony at the time of the first plane striking the WTC. He then later hastened on to another ceremony at the Pentagon in time for the anniversary of that attack. 

Yes, he wasn't as inconvenienced as his VP was, who he sent to NYC for those ceremonies, but at the same time, he also has a much busier job than the VP.


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## vonGarvin (11 Sep 2009)

arguably, the pres' job is more important.  I think my only argument is that the NYC memorial, first as POTUS, was more important, IMHO.


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