From President Bush, a Speech Filled With Assurance and Reassurance

By Tom Shales

Friday, September 21, 2001; Page C01

Considering the enormity of the terrorist atrocities that prompted it, George W. Bush's speech to Congress last night might not have fully articulated the nation's rage and anguish. But perhaps no speech, by any president, could.

Considering his limitations as a public speaker, Bush accomplished what was presumably his main goal, reassurance -- reassuring the American people that the country is safe, that action will be taken against the perpetrators, and that he is firmly in command of the situation.

"A fierce speech," said Sam Donaldson on ABC. "An eloquent speech," said Tom Brokaw on NBC. "A powerful speech, powerfully delivered," said Dan Rather on CBS.

Correspondent Bob Schieffer had told Rather before the speech began, "Whatever Bush says, he is going to be wildly cheered," because Congress and the people are so united behind him in outrage and sorrow over the attacks on New York and Washington.

All the networks, including public television and most cable networks, carried the speech, to a joint session of Congress. CNN's coverage was picked up by the WB network, which does not have a news division (both are owned by AOL Time Warner). One network stuck to regular programming: UPN could not bear to deprive its viewers of the wrestling show "WWF Smackdown!"

After the speech, networks carried remarks from both Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) in the slot usually reserved for the opposition party's response.

But during the time that most networks aired this addendum to Bush's speech, ABC did not. Instead, anchor Peter Jennings quizzed ABC correspondents and interested parties on their reactions. The first interested party Jennings consulted was Imam Yahya Hendi, Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University.

This was a bizarre choice journalistically yet in keeping with the personal predilections of Jennings, who thought the burning question of the moment was whether Bush had come out strongly enough against bigotry toward people of Islamic faith. Not surprisingly, Hendi thought not.

"He needed to be more aggressive or more assertive in that message," Hendi said heatedly. "I need to hear him more clear" regarding hatred and acts of violence committed against Muslims living in America.

In fact, the speech had barely begun when Bush said America's prayers were being heard whether "in English, Hebrew or Arabic." He said later that America has "many Muslim friends" and "many Arab friends." He took pains to emphasize the fight was not against "the Islamic world." And he said that "no one should be singled out . . . because of their ethnic background or religious faith."

But that wasn't enough for Hendi or, perhaps, for Jennings.

Yes, it is an important message. But did it deserve this much prominence and emphasis, and if so, why was ABC's the only major broadcast news organization to give it such high priority? The placement was consistent with past performance.

"Thank you, Imam Hendi, very much," Jennings said once Hendi finished his remarks. Then Jennings went on to Ruth Simmons, president of Brown University, and to ABC correspondents who talked about economic and military issues.

ABC wisely had a historian on hand, the celebrated Michael Beschloss, who declared after the speech that "the imperial presidency is back." NBC had Stephen Ambrose filling a similar role of providing historical perspective.

Back on CBS, Schieffer said Bush had given "a very businesslike speech" that was "exactly what was called for" and credited the president and his speechwriters with avoiding "cute and clever little phrases." But some viewers may have been hoping for a speech that went beyond "businesslike" and that in fact did include some memorable turn of phrase like FDR's "date which will live in infamy" or JFK's "Ask not what you can do for your country."

On the other hand, television has probably made that kind of oratory obsolete. Certainly, it is hard to recall another presidential speech in the age of TV that was a direct response to such a harrowing crisis. This may indeed turn out to have been Bush's defining moment.

"We will not tire, we will not falter and we will not fail" in our pursuit of justice, Bush said, in one of his most emphatic moments. He doesn't do much to modulate his voice or gestures, but at such moments his eyes opened wide, and this was quite effective, especially in the intimate venue of television.

His eyes also grew wide earlier when he compared today's terrorists to Nazis and evildoers of other eras and said they will end up in "history's unmarked grave of discarded lies."

Bush promised that "the hour is coming when we will act," and polls show a huge majority of Americans approve of his conduct of the crisis so far, but it's likely that people will soon demand more than speeches and rhetoric. As Bush himself said, "Our grief has turned to anger and anger to resolution."