Former President George W. Bush called on Americans to reject the policy of “fear and resentment” on its twentieth anniversary the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which go back to the unit he witnessed in the months following that fateful day.
Bush, who was president at the time of the attacks, delivered a speech Saturday morning at a memorial service near Shanksville, Pa. the US Capitol.
“In the weeks and months following the 9/11 attacks, I was proud to lead an incredible, resilient, united people,” Bush said before stressing that “when it comes to the unity of America, those days seem away from ours “. ”
“Evil force seems to work in our common life that turns every disagreement into an argument and every argument into a clash of cultures, ”the former president explained.
He said “much of our politics has become a call to anger, fear and resentment. This leaves us worried about our nation and our future together.”
Bush said that while it comes “without explanation or solution,” he wanted to recall unity among Americans after the plane crash in Pennsylvania, New York City and Arlington, Va.
“On the day of trials and pain in the United States, I saw millions of people instinctively take the hand of a neighbor and come together for the cause of others,” he noted.
“This is the America I know,” he added, eliciting applause from the crowd gathered at the memorial service.
Bush, who after the attacks launched the invasion of Afghanistan that sparked America’s longest war, said he wanted to speak directly Saturday to those who served in U.S. military operations for the past two decades.
“The cause you pursued during the call of duty is the noblest that America offers,” he said. “You have protected your fellow citizens from danger. You have defended the beliefs of your country and advanced the rights of the oppressed. ”
“You have been the face of hope and mercy in dark places,” he continued. “You have been a definite force for the world.”
Bush went on to say that “nothing that has followed, nothing, can tarnish your honor or diminish your achievements.”
“For you and for the honor of the dead, our country is always grateful,” he added.
The anniversary of the 9/11 attacks comes after the widely criticized withdrawal of the Biden administration from Afghanistan when the Taliban consolidated power in the country two decades after the US overthrew the militant group.
Bush, who joined the Shanksville ceremony with former First Lady Laura Bush, as well as Vice President Harris and the second gentleman Doug Emhoff
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Bush said that while there is often “little cultural overlap between the two,” he argued that they are “children of the same evil spirit, and it is our duty to continue to confront them.”