Five Years Later: America Divided/World Support Squandered

"Who would have guessed, as a shocked country rallied round the flag, that five years later partisan divisions would be deeper than ever? Who would have guessed, as the president pledged that 'the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon,' that five years later Mr bin Laden would still be at liberty and America would be bogged down in Iraq?" [Economist, 8/31/06]

Washington, DC - Immediately after 9/11, international support for America was strong, on the domestic political front, bipartisanship was the norm, and Americans were united in their resolve to deal with those responsible for the 9/11 attacks. After five years of failed Republican leadership, President Bush's go-it-alone policies have hurt our alliances around the world, and bipartisanship has been replaced by Republican smear campaigns.

"Five years of failed Republican leadership have squandered the bipartisan unity here at home and hurt America's alliances around the globe following 9/11," said Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Stacie Paxton. "President Bush's failed go-it-alone policies have strained our alliances and have hurt our ability to engage the world in the global war on terror. The President has squandered the unity and goodwill every American felt in response to the terrorist attacks and prevented us from finding political solutions to the biggest questions we face every day. This is just one more example of Bush Republicans' record of failure. America needs representatives in Washington who put America's best interests first. Democrats are offering a new direction for America."

WORLD SUPPORT: Support For The United States After 9/11 Was Strong...

Bush Said "Universal Support" For The United States Following 9/11. In a public phone call with New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and New York Governor George Pataki, Bush noted that, "I'm pleased with the outpouring of support. Jiang Zemin, Vladimir Putin; had a great visit this morning with His Royal Highness, Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. I will continue to stay on the phone. And there is universal support for the American people, sadness in their voice; but understanding that we have just seen the war of the 21st century. And there is universal approval of the statements I have made, and I am confident there will be universal approval of the actions this government takes." [Remarks by the President In Telephone Conversation with New York Mayor Giuliani and New York Governor Pataki, 9/13/01]

World Expressed Support For America; Bush's Challenge Was To Convert Support Into Action Supported By Other Nations. "Expressions of support for America in its time of trial have come from not just traditional allies such as its partners in NATO, but from rivals such as China, and even from countries America has branded as sponsors of terrorism, such as Sudan and Cuba. In the Middle East, in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, there were a few scenes of ghoulish jubilation, and Iraq's government has been gloating. But elsewhere there was unanimous condemnation of the atrocity. One challenge now facing Mr Bush's administration is finding a way to convert that unanimity into rhetorical and practical backing for as yet undefined military action, whose targets are expected to include Washington's 'prime suspect', Osama bin Laden, a Saudi Arabian terrorist based in Afghanistan." [Economist.com, 9/19/01]

...Five Years Later, Bush's Go-It-Alone Policies Have Hurt America's Credibility

Iraq War Continues To Hurt America's Image Around The World. "America's global image has again slipped and support for the war on terrorism has declined even among close U.S. allies like Japan. The war in Iraq is a continuing drag on opinions of the United States, not only in predominantly Muslim countries but in Europe and Asia as well. And despite growing concern over Iran's nuclear ambitions, the U.S. presence in Iraq is cited at least as often as Iran - and in many countries much more often - as a danger to world peace." [Pew Global Attitudes Project]

Favorable Opinions Of US Have Fallen In Most Of the 15 Countries Surveyed By Pew. According to Pew, "favorable opinions of the United States have fallen in most of the 15 countries surveyed. Only about a quarter of the Spanish public (23%) expresses positive views of the U.S., down from 41% last year; America's image also has declined significantly in India (from 71% to 56%) and Indonesia (from 38% to 30%)." [Pew Global Attitudes Project]

Key U.S. Ally, Turkey, Turning Away From War On Terror. In Turkey, a key U.S. ally in the war on terror, many "are increasingly turning away from the war on terror. More than three-quarters of Turks (77%) oppose the U.S.-led war on terror, up from 56% in 2004," according to Pew. [Pew Global Attitudes Project]

BIPARTISANSHIP: High Degree Of Bipartisanship After 9/11...

September 2001: High Degree Of Bipartisanship Expected To Last. "Domestically, support for the president is likely to remain stronger much longer. Congressional leaders from both parties are exhibiting an unusual degree of bipartisanship and cooperation, and the sight of the second airplane plowing into the World Trade Center is certain to keep American sentiment behind whatever the president decides to do. Both President Bush and House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R) have drawn praise from Democratic members of Congress, and the cooperation evident among members of both parties has created considerable good will that is likely to last for a fair amount of time." [Stuart Rothenberg, cnn.com, 9/20/01]

...Five Years Later, Republicans Have Erased The Bipartisanship By Using 9/11 As A Political Weapon

2004: Cheney: If Kerry Is Elected, "We'll Get Hit Again." "Vice President Cheney warned on Tuesday that if John F. Kerry is elected, 'the danger is that we'll get hit again' by terrorists, as the Bush campaign escalated a furious assault on the Democratic presidential nominee that has kept Kerry from gaining control of the election debate." [Washington Post, 9/8/04]

2006: Boehner: Democrats "More Interested In Protecting Terrorists" "'I listen to my Democrat friends, and I wonder if they're more interested in protecting terrorists than in protecting the American people,' he said. One of his listeners, offering Boehner the chance to rescind that charge, asked if he really meant to accuse Democrats of treason. 'I said I wonder if they're more interested in protecting the terrorists,' he replied, repeating more than clarifying. 'They certainly don't want to take the terrorists on in the field.'" [Washington Post, 9/13/06]

NATIONAL UNITY: Americans United In Going After Terrorists...

After 9/11, The Country Was United In Their Desire For Military Action. "Though the numbers fluctuate slightly depending on the type of military response included in the questions, most respondents -- around 90 percent - to a myriad of polls conducted in the last week strongly support military action against those responsible for the attacks." [Chattanooga Times Free Press, opinion, Wes Hasden, 9/20/01]

...Five Years Later, Americans Are Deeply Divided And Opposed To Bush's Policies

Public Disapproves Of Bush's Handling Of Iraq War; Don't See Connection Between Iraq And War On Terror; GOP On Offensive And Smearing Democrats. "A CNN poll released last week found 58 percent of Americans oppose the Iraq war; 53 percent don't see it as part of the war on terror. Sixty-five percent in an August CBS/New York Times poll disapproved of Bush's handling of the Iraq war. Faced with such numbers, and with many experts predicting GOP losses in Congress, Bush has gone on the offensive with a series of hard-hitting speeches comparing terrorist leaders to Adolf Hitler. GOP Chairman Ken Mehlman has called war critics 'defeato-crats.'" [McClatchy Newspapers, 9/11/06]