The Daily Caller reports that a moment of silence remembering the Sept. 11 victims at a Pentagon memorial service began early in order to accommodate a restless President Obama. The report, by Peter Hasson, is based on a Defense Dept. source.
The moment of silence was supposed to occur at 9:37 a.m., the time of day when the Pentagon was hit. But the moment of silence was moved up. Mr. Hasson’s source says that Mr. Obama made the decision because he arrived early and didn’t want to wait.
In remarks delivered after the moment of silence was over, Obama stated:
The question before us, as always, is:
- How do we preserve the legacy of those we lost?
- How do we live up to their example?
- And how do we keep their spirit alive in our own hearts?
It seems like little to ask that a moment of silence scheduled for the time the Pentagon was hit be observed at that time. If there’s a compelling reason to move the observance up, so be it.
But if, as reported, Mr. Obama moved up the moment of silence because he was restless, I say he did not “live up to the example” of “those we lost.”
Mr. Mirengoff’s essay originally appeared at www.powerlineblog.com
