September 11 observed—like it or not it is a war on terror
Friday, September 11, 2009 at 10:11AM
Updated on Friday, September 11, 2009 at 4:27PM by
Kay B. Day, Editor
By Kay B. Day
View of New York City from the Empire State Building. A George Washington University report said Manhattan experienced $50-70 billion in insured losses after the September 11, 2001 attack on America. There is no way to gauge the exact cost for all sectors and interests. [Photo by Kay B. Day, 2005]
This morning networks showed footage of planes crashing into buildings, a moment etched into personal history 8 years ago for every one of us. It’s similar to the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated—we remember where we were and what we were doing. I had just returned from taking my youngest daughter to school. 
Over the next couple years I read the books that emerged. Lawrence Wright’s ‘The Looming Tower’ is one of the best. For newly established president George W. Bush, the day was the defining moment of his presidency. Bush’s administration was delayed by Al Gore’s court challenges and a lack of cooperation from President Bill Clinton’s minions in the transition. Meanwhile the welfare of the Republic hung in the balance. Terrorists had planned their attacks for years.
Leftwingers blame Bush for America’s global image. Nothing could be less truthful. Wade through foreign and domestic newspaper archives, read analytical books and talk to experts in national security. Our image began to erode long before Bush, even before Clinton.
