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American Morning
How Has September 11th Impacted American Culture?
Aired December 27, 2001 - 08:39 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, when we look back at 2001, all the events seem overshadowed by September 11th, but other things did happen.
And CNN's Paula Zahn puts some of them in perspective for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: This the season when we look back at year gone by, but 2001 has been almost like two years to some of us, before, and after September 11th.
And to help us put all of that in perspective, former Education Secretary William Bennett, now Co-Director of Empower America, joins us from Washington. Thank you very much for joining us during the holidays.
WILLIAM BENNETT, CO-DIRECTOR, EMPOWER AMERICA: Thank you, Paula.
ZAHN: Let's reflect a little about what some see as two distinct years here. Pre-September 11th, post-September 11th. And I don't think there is anyone that embodies that transformation more than President Bush. And I'd like for you to take us back to his inauguration, where the dominant question of the day was, "Can this man lead a country that had just come through such a divisive election?"
BENNETT: Yeah, I remember very well. I remember the words in December and January were, "Will he be able to govern? Will half the country reject him?" A full 50 percent, in terms of votes, went for the other guy. Would he be able to command any attention? Any respect? Would he be able to get any agenda done? He now stands at 86 percent, and according to all the pollsters, a very solid 86 percent.
Also, I think the person -- the president -- in terms of the issues, just a little story you might appreciate.
I remember taking some difference with the president's education bill, early on in the year. And people in the White House calling me and saying, "you know, this is what he came to Washington do, this education proposal." I had criticisms. And, indeed, education was a large issue on his agenda, and it's still obviously a very important agenda.
But we wouldn't use that language anymore, would we? "This is what he came to do." The charge is now larger, and his responsibility larger. He now, is indeed the Commander-in-Chief, the leader of the free world. And his responsibility is to defeat the enemy, and to wipe this scourge of terrorism from the face of the earth. Things have changed. Things have enlarged. He has gotten much larger.
ZAHN: Tell us a little bit more about that, because he was the first one to poke fun at himself for some of the verbal gaffes he made along the campaign trail. And even his harshest critics had to acknowledge, and we're going to show this scene, now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can hear you the rest of the world hears you, and the people --
(APPLAUSE)
-- and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: This is the moment, some say, he became president.
BENNETT: In modern, more vulgar parlance, we'd say, you know, "he grew into the job." I think Shakespeare would say, "some are born great, some achieve greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them." He has achieved greatness and had it thrust upon him. Shakespeare, too, you remember, talks about Henry IV, who is the young man who hangs around the bars and tells jokes and drinks a lot of beer. Then, on becoming president, the clouds melt away and the sun shines, and he is -- he comes out into the sunlight and stands in his own.
And is the image, the emblem of the great country. And something of this, I think, has happened to the president. He has been in command. He seems and is firm. And Americans of all stripes are standing behind him. This is partly, I think, what's in him, his convictions, and it is partly the times that have been thrust upon him.
ZAHN: Can you even begin to conceive that this is the same country that was so intensely focused on the Gary Condit story just several months before?
BENNETT: Yeah, and I was a participant in that. I was --
ZAHN: I remember that well.
BENNETT: You know, this was what we were all chewing on. It seems pretty small doesn't it. Some of us were worried over the last few years about the trivialization of American life. Were we just becoming, preoccupied with the small stuff?
Charles Krauthammer, a syndicated columnist, wrote 3 or 4 years ago that we were living in a bubble. And he said, "soon, the bubble will burst. It may burst because of fire or because of ice, but it will burst." And it burst. It's now a country that thinks about larger things, thinks more deeply. I think of Lincoln here. "The better angels of our nature."
We saw the better angels of our nature, and I think there has been a deep change in American culture, affecting almost every sector of American life. And, the culture wars, or what used to be called the culture wars will be carried on in a somewhat different way now, I think.
ZAHN: And how do you think, in the end, September 11th will continue to impact on our national character?
BENNETT: Well, I think language will change and reference points will change, Paula. I think that words like "morality" and "judgment," will probably be more respectable and more respected. I think that there will be more confidence in Americans, by Americans and their country. I think it will be harder to make the kind of flip, offhand, back-handed criticisms of our country that many have reflexively made. And I think we have an opportunity here to strengthen the great sources of American resolve, the great institutions, which I think we've been neglecting. Families and churches and schools.
It's interesting, that in a time like September 11th, we are reminded of the institutions that matter most. People have clung more to their families. Church attendance is way up. And there has been a lot of pressure on the schools to do a better job of explaining our country, and other countries, to students. So, I think a transformation has occurred, and I think the possibilities of ongoing transformation are very much there. Of course, that -- that remains to be seen, it's in our hands.
ZAHN: Well, we are delighted to celebrate the strength of our national character with you this morning. As always, good have you with us.
BENNETT: Thank you very much.
ZAHN: We appreciate your time and hope you have a good rest of the holiday.
BENNETT: Thanks so much.
ZAHN: Bill Bennett from Empower America. And, what's name of the company, Bill? K2?
BENNETT: K12.
ZAHN: K12. I wanted to make sure we got that....
BENNETT: K2 is the mountain.
ZAHN: Yeah, exactly, which some of us would like to hike some day.
BENNETT: I would too.
ZAHN: Even though that isn't in cards. Again, thanks for your time.
BENNETT: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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