For A Moment

Ground Zero was common ground today for Barack Obama and John McCain. They put their campaigns on hold today long enough to pay solemn tribute to the memory of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack. They laid flowers at the pit's commemorative reflecting pool. A pink rose from Obama, a yellow rose from McCain. They bowed their heads and walked off to speak with fire and police personnel. There were no speeches. There were no TV ads. Maybe it was the calm before the storm, but it was nice to see them both as representatives of a country that continues to recover from that early Fall morning when everything changed.
Meanwhile, President Pinhead continues his tradition of standing on the South Lawn in a moment of silence. His recognition of this anniversary is different than the quiet reflection of the two men who aspire to take his job in November. These seven years reflect on the seven minutes that he sat in that Florida classroom, trying to imagine a response to terror. He chose to declare war on an abstract noun.
Seven years ago. Four thousand seven hundred and twenty-one lives ago. As we attempt to simultaneously bring evil-doers to justice while installing a fresh new democracy in the Middle East, construction begins at Ground Zero. This is the last year that visitors will be able to touch the bedrock at the bottom of the pit. Seven years later, the void will be filled.