Almost every citizen of America can recall the events of September 11th, 2001 with sadness in their eyes and fear in their hearts. On that day the United States came together to mourn friends, family, co-workers and local heroes. It is hard to convince a country that has just been attacked that their safety is in good hands. When people start doubting the safety net that the government provides for them, it takes a lot of courage to publicly address the fact that there is a weakness in the system. In the aftermath of 9/11, a University of Denver graduate address the Commission about what the government was going to do next. Condoleezza Rice, who received her Ph.D in International Studies at the University of Denver in 1981 was the Secretary of State at the time of the attacks. In a speech three years after the event that America will never forget, Rice addresses the 9/11 Commission and the entirety of the country about the governments knowledge of the attacks and what can be done to preserve our Constitutional beliefs.
Although this speech was delivered three years later, there are still people grieving from loss and a city trying to rebuild itself after such a horrifying event. Towards the beginning of the speech, Rice gives her condolences to those citizens that had lost someone who was involved in the attacks. In some way, this gives her an upper hand because she is reaching for a memory in people’s minds that is an area of weakness, and brings back a time when people had nowhere else to turn except to the higher government power. By bringing up a moment when things were not going well, Rice is reminding the audience of a time when the country was united by tragedy and thus gives them a reason to listen and respect her. It also gives her and the audience a commonplace, because it is something that impacted every citizen. Rice acknowledges the fact that the government was in fact aware that there had been terrorist threats on the United States. We were conscious of the fact that this was happening but, “Historically, democratic societies have been slow to react to gathering threats, tending to wait to confront threats until they are too dangerous to ignore, or until it is too late,” (Rice) and we were never expecting anything like this to happen. By admitting that there might have been mistakes made by the government and working on a way to prevent future mistakes, it shows that the government has taken a step back and looked at the way they are working and how they can better it. Because this event affected so many people, they would want to know if there was a way to avoid future situations.
Throughout the speech, Rice speaks of a time when we as a country will be able to move forward. She than talks about how changes are difficult to make, especially big changes that are necessary for this situation but how they are usually only made in the aftermath of a catastrophe. People can relate to this on many different levels because people often face a moment like that. For example, a student won’t realize they need help in school until after they have failed a test and although it might be too late to change anything; it gives them the opportunity to avoid it next time. Speaking of opportunity inspires people and gives them the idea that although it may seem like there is no hope, there is still light at the end of the tunnel.
As someone who is constantly concerned when flying and being in places where there are hoards of people around, knowing that the government has altered their policy more to protect their people prevents me from being so anxious. I always want to feel safe in my own home and feel a sense of stability when a woman as powerful as Rice promises to do anything she can to ensure my safety. It gives me and I can assume other citizens the idea that she is exactly like us. Rice, too, is concerned for the safety of the country that she has worked for and fought for.
It might seem interesting that she would give a speech like this one three years after the event when the hype and immediate shock of it has worn off. In this case, she isn’t exactly using the timing to her advantage. However, the fear of another attack is always on people’s minds, so in some ways it is perfect timing to re-address the situation and take partial responsibility for what has happened. She lists off that various positions in the Cabinet and exactly what they are doing to change our nation. She then also gives startling examples of clips that were picked up the summer before 9/11 that were considered terrorist threats. It can be scary to hear actual terrorists making threats towards our home, and even the government was unsure about how to address it.
I think Condoleezza Rice does a very eloquent job of taking responsibility for not being fully prepared for an event like this and pointing out what went wrong without saying anything that might turn the audience against her. She takes a large risk by doing this because people could easily resent her (and the government as a whole) for withholding information from them and not taking the initiative that is necessary to protect the country. At the conclusion of the speech, she describes the choices made after the attacks and promises that they were the right choices for America to make, decisions that will ensure our safety and the safety of generations to come.
Works Cited:
Rice, Condoleezza. "Opening Statement to the 9/11 Commission." Meeting of the 9/11 Commission. United State Government. Washington D.C.. 08 Apr 2003. Address.
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