'Acts Of War'
In her latest Political Points commentary, CBS News Senior Political Editor Dotty Lynch takes a look at President Bush's response to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
President George W. Bush ratcheted up his rhetoric Wednesday calling the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon "acts of war" — a much tougher George Bush than appeared in the Oval Office address on Tuesday. Last night he was somber and reassuring, reciting the 23rd Psalm. Wednesday's talk was of retaliation and action. Surrounded by two men who helped his father carry out the Persian Gulf War, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Colin Powell, he said the acts were "more than acts of terror, they were acts of war" and vowed the U.S. "would win this war."
In the immediate aftermath of Tuesday's shocking and confusing events, happening at a time when both the president and Secretary of State were out of Washington, there was a vacuum in administration voices reacting to the attacks. President Bush was whisked from Florida to Louisiana to Omaha making a short videotaped statement at midday. For a time, the White House seemed to be caught off guard about what to say and who should say it. Responding to criticism Wednesday about the president's slowness in returning to Washington, Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said it was because they had "credible evidence" that both the White House and Air Force One may have been targeted.
While there was no sweaty and shaken version of Alexander Haig claiming to be "in charge", many in government (including some key administration advisors) were critical that Bush was under cover and that no one in the Bush foreign policy chain was making public statements. The airwaves were dominated by former Clinton administration officials: Madeleine Albright, Sandy Berger, Tony Lake, James Woolsey and Richard Holbrooke. Members of Congress were also giving interviews but many were in the dark since formal briefings were postponed until the president was back and had been briefed.
By Wednesday morning the Bush administration was taking pains to show it was back in stride. The day started with the president's statement at his Cabinet meeting and there were briefings by all the key Cabinet officials: Powell, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Attorney General John Ashcroft, FBI Director Robert Meuller, FEMA Director Joe Albaugh.
The overnight polls showed that the public by 2-1 believes this was "another Pearl Harbor" and by the same margin they believe the attacks would result in the U.S. going to war. Sixty-six percent said that the United States should retaliate.
While the public, the Congress and the world community are coming together to condemn the action, there are undercurrents of criticism and concern. The public believes that the attacks could have been prevented and that U.S. intelligene should have known about the plans in advance. Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress seem prepared to give President Bush the political and financial support he's asked for and to reserve criticism for a later day.
For now, President Bush seems to have carte blanche to take retaliatory measures and spend whatever it takes to restore order and prevent further attacks. But, the new president and his administration are under intense scrutiny and a nervous public is watching and praying that they will be up to the task of restoring the confidence of the American people.
©MMI, CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved