Corpus Christi Caller-Times from Corpus Christi, Texas • 6

AFTER THE ATTACK wwwcallercom Corpus Christi Caller-Times Thursday September 13 2001 WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL "I got a letter from Mr Amr Moussa who is the chair of the Arab League expressing condor lences I spoke to him on the phone And they find this an outrage against humanity It should not be seen as something done by Arabs or Islamics It was something that was done by terrorists and we ought to see it that way and we ought to rally the entire civilized world against this kind of Associated Press Secretary of State Colin Powell from left) President Bush Vice President Cheney and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Henry Shelton meet in the cabinet room Wednesday For Bush an opportunity and a Public aches to rally behind one leader By Craig Gilbert Milwaukee Journal Sentinel DEFENSE SECRETARY DONALD RUMSFELD "Normally there is a capital and a defined nation and a people that engages in a conflict that we call war In this instance it is quite different It is a very different kind of warfare It is Rumsfeld indeed an attack on a way of life because the purpose of terrorism is to terrorize And to terrorize is to deny people their freedom their freedom to go about their daily lives and to provide for their families and to travel And something that we cannot stand for is a fundamental attack on the way of life in our country ATTORNEY GENERAL JOHN ASHCROFT been able to mobilize quite a group of investigators about 4000 special agents of the FBI 3000 support personnel We have specially trained individuals scientists lab technicians and the like additional 1000 that are available We have all of the field offices of the FBI that are activated here And pursuing about a couple thousand leads some more promising than others and obviously thdse are Associated Press President Bush greets Red Cross workers while touring the scene of devastation at the Pentagon Wednesday tragedies think of a phrase that sticks to he said The mystery the danger Greenstein said Bush seems to chafe at the rhetorical potential of the office the bully pulpit But he thinks the president has shown signs of growing into that role Dallek said capacity for leadership is unproved has to present himself as someone who is really in charge Whether capable of that I he said Scholars also noted the special challenges this crisis poses for a president: the mystery over who planned attacks the difficulty in finding them the danger of striking back against the wrong target Donald said another requirement for effective leadership when a nation is threatened is the identification of an But a larger point that historians like to make is that a performance under stress is a highly unpredictable thing easy to underestimate George Bush and I think been an especially effective rhetorical president to this Lichtman said our presidents do have a history of rising to the Lincoln a man with little military or executive experience became the hero of the Civil War Harry Truman once regarded as a smalltown hack is now viewed as a symbol of decisiveness and integrity crisis like this can bring out the very best that a president can Donald said There have been equally unanticipated disappointments Donald cited James Madison president during the War of 1812 and the sacking of Washington Despite sterling credentials as a diplomat politician and founding father did not in any sense rally in that crisis Donald said So what does he expect from Bush? not in any rush to judgment about Donald said situation as Abraham Lincoln said is with argued would have been irresponsible say A biographer of Johnson Dallek also thought brief Tuesday night address his first from the Oval Office was inadequate He compared it unfavorably to Franklin memorable Pearl Harbor speech and Bill widely praised remarks after the Oklahoma City bombing he said yesterday was just fine but he say said Dallek should hold a press conference He should speak to reporters speak spontaneously from the Bush did speak briefly without a script Wednesday describing himself as both sad and angry during a visit to the site of the Pentagon wreckage Lichtman a historian at American University praised Tuesday night speech Greenstein said it was Pearl Harbor It was not first inaugural It was not Reagan at Omaha Beach It was not Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis or But he said the address accomplished its purpose and that comes across as almost sacrilege to fly-speck a speech under those One question about performance is whether his skill set his particular strengths and weaknesses are suited to the moment On the plus side Sorenson said she has the way (Bush) has stuck to things he believed That constancy could serve him well said Sorenson a scholar at the James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership Greenstein noted vigor and good But he and others said limitations as a speaker could be a handicap According to Donald (degree) of in a leader is essential in handling a crisis After first two statements about the WASHINGTON A searing trauma for the nation terrorist attacks are also a crucible for the Bush presidency the situation is one in which an effective leader can accomplish a great deal And an ineffective one can be said Princeton Fred Greenstein a student of presidential character Historian Robert Dallek said of Bush: entered office under a cloud with lots of questions about his capacity Now he really has to measure up This is a striking Scholars say the attacks are another reminder that at moments of dire threat the nation looks almost entirely to its president to soothe explain protect and act The instinct to draw together can be an immense boost to a chief executive But its demand for solace and satisfaction can be a huge burden probably no more important time to have a single leader At some point you need to hear one voice It may be a very primitive response almost a parental thing but truly needed at a time like said Georgia Sorenson a leadership expert at the University of Maryland Presidencies can be made and broken at such moments in often unpredictable ways Greenstein said a major crisis is an opportunity and a peril Everything is suddenly plastic The nation turns to the president It holds up all sorts of very high Bush will be tested in many ways analysts say his ability to communicate and inspire his patience and decisiveness his command of foreign policy and his success in rooting out those who masterminded the devastating attacks Can this president manage the desire for retribution? Can he balance competing public interests such as security and freedom? Can be explain how these attacks SEN JOHN McCAIN "Should the Taliban refuse our demand then they must know that they will be treated as allies of our enemy and thus are themselves our enemies and will suffer much for their Sen John McCain R-Ariz could have occurred? Can he lead an international coalition against terrorism? it's on As historian Allan Lichtman said of Bush on him going to make all of these calls will make every single call really 535 members of Congress are not going to do Students of the presidency agree this challenge will define presidency They also agree too early to predict how well he will handle it Even professional observers have found themselves dazed by evehts simply stunned and horrified and not sure any of us have collected ourselves to have any kind of said David Herbert Donald the eminent biographer of Abraham Lincoln But the White House has already seen how every gesture and act on the part will be measured One early example: decision after the attacks to fly from Florida to military facilities in Louisiana and Nebraska before returning to Washington Dallek joined some others who have second-guessed that move: should have come right back to Washington I care what his security people advised him about going to Louisiana and Omaha He looks too managed by people around him He should have said my place is in Dallek contrasted that with Lyndon return to Washington after John assassination despite the chaos of the moment and the perilous backdrop of the Cold War The Bush administration offered a new rationale Wednesday for the indirect route back to Washington saying the White House and Air Force One might have been intended targets of one of the hijacked planes Returning sooner officials SEN TRENT LOTT "There are moments in history when the people of this country have set aside conflicts and prejudices and passions and have come together do it Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott R-Miss Enlistment inquiries are rising Recruits field calls from angry teens helpful vets SAMUEL KARSON EX-STATE DEPARTMENT PSYCHOLOGIST "We may not agree with it but in their minds they have good reasons for what done which is not to say that they didn't have at least some psychological Across the country military recruitment offices reported a jump in visitors and phone calls in the hours after the New York and Washington attacks Recruiters heard from angry teen-agers as well as somber veterans just wanting to know how they could help An Army major in Florida called it a among Americans whose first reaction after the horror wore off was an urge to enlist to defend their country In Bakersfield Calif the Army recruitment office took dozens of calls and walk-ins Tuesday and Wednesday three to four times the normal By Erin McClam Associated Press ATLANTA Josh Gipe had been considering joining the Army to pay for college The terrorist attacks against the very symbols of American power steeled his resolve He went straight to an Army office here Wednesday morning filling out paperwork and answering questions The 24-year-old hopes to be in basic training in two weeks an American I feel like I owe something to my Gipe said freedom has been put in jeopardy and I want to be someone who helps defend activity station commander Warren Hurley said At the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga students who had once opposed a military draft said the sight of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks had changed their minds Calls poured in at Marine Cofps recruiting offices in Colorado and Wyoming with citizens saying they felt a responsibility to their country and wanted to know what they could do need to realize that freedom is never free and I think that this has really brought that to the forefront of said Maj Mark Aeppli Associated Press congratulates Army recruit Josh Gipe in Atlanta were busy nationwide Capt Janice Gravely Wednesday Recruiters.