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Obama, Romney keep politics aside to mark 9/11 anniversary
Source: Agencies |
September 12, 2012, Wednesday
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PRESIDENT Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney muted the partisan anger that has marked their race for the White House, giving Americans a day off yesterday from negative advertising on the 11th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
With the November 6 election less than two months away, however, neither candidate was staying out of sight. Obama observed a moment of silence at the White House before visiting the Pentagon, the target of one of four planes al-Qaida hijacked in attacks that killed nearly 3,000.
At the US defense headquarters, Obama placed a white floral wreath above a concrete slab that said "Sept. 11, 2001 - 937 am." A moment of silence began at 9:37am, when the Pentagon was hit. "Our country is safer, and our people are resilient," Obama said.
The president then visited the graves of recent war dead from Afghanistan and Iraq at Arlington National Cemetery. He later planned to visit wounded soldiers and their families at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Americans marked the anniversary of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. The commemoration was more subdued than in previous years, a reflection of the nation moving on after a decade of remembrance.
Hundreds gathered at the World Trade Center site in New York, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to read the names of the dead.
Some felt that last year's 10th anniversary was an emotional turning point for public mourning. For the first time, elected officials weren't speaking at the New York ceremony.
"I feel much more relaxed" this year, said Jane Pollicino, whose husband was killed at the trade center. "It's another anniversary that we can commemorate in a calmer way, without that 10-year pressure."
At the time of the somber White House observance, Romney was shaking hands with firefighters at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, recalling the sacrifice of first responders to the attacks. Romney later was flying to Nevada to address the National Guard, whose members deployed as part of the military response.
"On this most somber day, those who would attack us should know that we are united, one nation under God, in our determination to stop them and to stand tall for peace and freedom at home and across the world," Romney said in a written statement.
Vice President Joe Biden was attending attend a memorial service in Pennsylvania, where one of the hijacked airliners crashed in the fields of Shanksville.
In a dramatic turnaround from the two previous presidential elections after the 2001 attacks, this year's race has been dominated by the economy rather than national security concerns.
Polls show Obama leading Romney on terrorism and national security issues, but both are a low priority for voters concerned about sluggish economic growth and an unemployment rate still above 8 percent.
With the November 6 election less than two months away, however, neither candidate was staying out of sight. Obama observed a moment of silence at the White House before visiting the Pentagon, the target of one of four planes al-Qaida hijacked in attacks that killed nearly 3,000.
At the US defense headquarters, Obama placed a white floral wreath above a concrete slab that said "Sept. 11, 2001 - 937 am." A moment of silence began at 9:37am, when the Pentagon was hit. "Our country is safer, and our people are resilient," Obama said.
The president then visited the graves of recent war dead from Afghanistan and Iraq at Arlington National Cemetery. He later planned to visit wounded soldiers and their families at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Americans marked the anniversary of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. The commemoration was more subdued than in previous years, a reflection of the nation moving on after a decade of remembrance.
Hundreds gathered at the World Trade Center site in New York, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to read the names of the dead.
Some felt that last year's 10th anniversary was an emotional turning point for public mourning. For the first time, elected officials weren't speaking at the New York ceremony.
"I feel much more relaxed" this year, said Jane Pollicino, whose husband was killed at the trade center. "It's another anniversary that we can commemorate in a calmer way, without that 10-year pressure."
At the time of the somber White House observance, Romney was shaking hands with firefighters at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, recalling the sacrifice of first responders to the attacks. Romney later was flying to Nevada to address the National Guard, whose members deployed as part of the military response.
"On this most somber day, those who would attack us should know that we are united, one nation under God, in our determination to stop them and to stand tall for peace and freedom at home and across the world," Romney said in a written statement.
Vice President Joe Biden was attending attend a memorial service in Pennsylvania, where one of the hijacked airliners crashed in the fields of Shanksville.
In a dramatic turnaround from the two previous presidential elections after the 2001 attacks, this year's race has been dominated by the economy rather than national security concerns.
Polls show Obama leading Romney on terrorism and national security issues, but both are a low priority for voters concerned about sluggish economic growth and an unemployment rate still above 8 percent.
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