Bush uses his 9/11 speech in Shanksville to condemn ‘violent extremists at home’

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Former President George W. Bush used his 9/11 anniversary speech in Shanksville, Pennsylvania to condemn ‘violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home,’ calling them ‘children of the same foul spirit.’ 

Bush also used his address to tell veterans and servicemembers that their sacrifices in the War on Teror weren’t for nothing.

And the former leader pushed the nation to display the same sort of unity that was present in the days following the September 11, 2001 attacks. 

‘Many Americans struggled to understand why an enemy would hate us with such zeal,’ Bush said. ‘The security measure incorporated into our lives are both sources of comfort and reminders of our vulnerability. And we have seen growing evidence that the dangers to our country can come not only across borders but from violence that gathers within.’  

The former Republican president noted that there is ‘little cultural overlap between violent extremists abroad and violent extremists at home’ except for their ‘disregard of human life.’ 

‘In their determination to defile national symbols they are children of the same foul spirit and it is our continuing duty to confront them,’ Bush said – an apparent refrence to both the 9/11 hijackers and the January 6 Capitol insurrectionists. 

Bush also aimed to assuage concerns voiced by veterans and servicemembers that their time in Afghanistan was all for naught – with the Taliban quickly taking over the country ahead of President Joe Biden’s August 31 messy pull-out. 

‘One thing is certain, we owe an assurance to all who have fought our nation’s most recent battles,’ Bush said. ‘Let me speak directly to veterans and people in uniform.’

‘You have shielded your fellow citizens from danger. You have defended the beliefs of your country and advanced the rights of the downtrodden. You have been the face of hope and mercy in dark places. You have been a force of good in the world,’ said the former commander-in-chief. 

Nothing that has followed, nothing, can tarnish your honor or diminish your accomplishments,’ Bush stated. ‘To you and to the honor of dead, our country is forever grateful.’

Bush recalled that in the weeks following the attacks, ‘I was proud to lead an amazing, resilient, united people.’ 

‘When it comes to the unity of America, those days seem distant from our own,’ he said. ‘Malign force seems at work in our common life. That turns every disagreement  into an argument and every argument into a clash of cultures.’ 

‘So much of our politics has become a naked appeal to anger, fear and resentment,’ he continued. ‘That leaves us worried about our nation and our future together.’ 

Bush said that he had come to Pennsylvania ‘without explanations or solutions.’ 

‘I can only tell you what I’ve seen – on America’s day of trial and grief I saw millions of people instinctively grab for a neighbor’s hand and rally to the cause of one another. That is the America I know,’ Bush said to applause. 

‘At a time when religious bigotry might have flowed freely, I saw Americans reject prejudice and embrace people of Muslim faith. That is the nation I know,’ he said. 

‘At a time when nativism could have stirred hatred and violence against people perceived as outsiders, I saw Americans reaffirm their welcome to immigrants and refugees. That is the nation I know,’ Bush continued. 

Bush also defended millennials, who he said were described as ‘individualistic and decadent,’ saying they embraced an ‘ethic of service’ and ‘selfless action.’ 

‘This is not mere nostalgia – it is the truest version of ourselves,’ he said. ‘It is what we have been. And what we can be again.’  

During Bush’s speech, President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were en route to Shanksville, as they’ll go to all three sites Saturday where people perished on 9/11. 

Earlier President Biden and the first lady attended the New York City ceremony at Ground Zero.    

The Bidens filed into the event with former President Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and former first ladies Michelle Obama and ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  

Biden didn’t speak at the ceremony in New York – as he chose to release a video Friday sharing his reflections instead. 

Members of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, also attended the New York memorial service.    

Vice President Kamala Harris was attending Saturday morning’s ceremony in Shanksville – and then join up with Biden at the Pentagon. 

Former President George W. Bush, who was president during the attacks, will deliver remarks in Shanksville. Former First Lady Laura Bush was at his side at the Flight 93 National Memorial, which has grown out of the southwest Pennsylvania field where the fourth plane crashed. 

Former President Donald Trump said on Fox News on Friday that he will travel to Ground Zero to mark the attacks’ 20th anniversary, but didn’t specify timing. 

He didn’t run into Biden on Saturday.  

Trump’s ex-attorney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani – who was mayor during the attacks – attended the Ground Zero ceremony. 

Giuliani was among the high-profile Trump allies who pushed the so-called ‘big lie’ – that Biden wasn’t the legitimate winner of the 2020 election. 

Trump sent out a statement complimenting Giuliani Saturday morning. 

‘Congratulations to Rudy Giuliani (for the 20th time!), the greatest Mayor in the history of New York City, for having shown such leadership and doing such an incredible job during and after the attack on our Nation!’ the ex-president said. 

Biden avoided some additional awkwardness at Saturday’s ceremony by signing an executive order that ordered a review of the classified documents related to the attack – something 9/11 families, first responders and survivors have demanded. 

The president had been told by nearly 1,800 Americans impacted by the terror attacks last month not to come to any of the 20th anniversary events unless he declassified documents that potentially show Saudi government links to the September 11, 2001 hijackers.   

Biden’s order makes no mention of Saudi Arabia.  

‘When I ran for president, I made a commitment to ensuring transparency regarding the declassification of documents on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America,’ Biden said in a statement. ‘As we approach the 20th anniversary of that tragic day, I am honoring that commitment.’ 

‘Today, I signed an executive order directing the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to oversee a declassification review of documents related to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s September 11th investigations. The executive order requires the Attorney General to release the declassified documents publicly over the next six months,’ Biden said in a statement last Friday. 

Saturday’s ceremony in New York included a playing of the National Anthem and bells chiming for when each of the four planes crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and finally a field in Somerset, County, Pennsylvania – sparing either the White House or the U.S. Capitol. 

Family members read the names of the deceased, giving tributes to husbands, wives, uncles, sisters, brothers and children who were among the 2,977 killed. 

Bruce Springsteen played ‘I’ll See You In My Dreams,’ after a bell chimed at 9:03 a.m., marking when Flight 175 hit the second World Trade Center tower.  

General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke at the Pentagon.