Look, this isn't an easy topic to write about. The idea of using the bully pulpit to promote good citizenship and volunteerism is a noble one.Go read more and see how it ought to be done.
But not on 9-11.
And not by an administration that has been trying to kill charitable donations since 2009.
But the larger point here is this: 9-11 is the anniversary of the worst attack on our soil, ever. EVER.
All you need to remember on 9-11 is, well, the events of 9-11-2001. Yet, the president is once again trying to obfuscate and confuse by throwing other ideas, albeit mostly noble ones, into the public conscience. This is straight out of the Saul Alinsky playbook - Rule #6: "A good tactic is one your people enjoy."
Volunteering. Helping. Serving. Doing the right thing... Yeah, we like that stuff already, Mr. President. No need to skirt the real issues on 9-11... And by the way, your veiled attempt at blaming Bush for the economy while putting a positive spin on the future economic outlook is tired. Find another tactic.
So this isn't noble at all. It is demagoguery.
Then what should the president be talking about? Well, here's a short list of things he DIDN'T mention:Let's not forget, this Day of Service was organized by, among others, Van Jones and ACORN. The players and the spin may have changed slightly, but this is still an effort to take our eyes off the real issues of 9-11 while still allowing Obama to seem like a leader who holds core American values in high regard.
- The reasons we were attacked and who attacked us.
- The sacrifices made by our troops and their families
- The successes of our troops and the state of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, ten years after the attacks.
- The continuing threats posed by Radical Islamism and how we are fighting those threats through armed force and Islamic outreach.
- Maybe a "shout out" to President Bush, whose policies were, in some cases, adopted by President Obama.
- Maybe a "shout out" to Navy Seal Team 6.
- How the recent uprisings in the Middle East will affect our efforts to fight terrorism in the region as we move forward.
- A big apology for pushing the Ground Zero mosque.