Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Religious Music & Entertainment
NatGeo Channel 9/11 Flashback: Nobody Expects the Presidency He or She Gets

NatGeo Channel 9/11 Flashback: Nobody Expects the Presidency He or She Gets

Last updated on: September 10, 2019 at 10:46 am by Kate O'Hare

NatGeo Channel 9/11 Flashback: Nobody Expects the Presidency He or She Gets 2019-09-10T10:46:16-08:00 Kate O'Hare

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Waves of Flags 9/11 Remembrance Display at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California/Kate O’Hare

No matter what any candidate for high office says, the minute he or she takes the oath, all bets are off. Events roll in, and whatever agenda was presented on the campaign trail often turns from a checklist to a wish list. One of the most stark examples of that happened with the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001.

There’s an old saying that if you tell God your plans, He laughs. But trust me, the Devil has a snicker of his own. Looking backward, events often seem obvious or inevitable, but that’s never how they appear in real time — and real time is all we ever have. So when you pass judgment on history, be kind. Know that we, despite feeling as if we live in a more enlightened age, will face the same judgment in the future. We will fall short, and it will feel unfair — and it will be.

Back in 2011, I wrote a piece for the Los Angeles Times‘ Top of the Ticket blog, about a National Geographic Channel special called George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview. Here’s a taste:

Regarding flying into New York to survey and then visit the World Trade Center site, Bush says, “From the air, it looked like a giant scar, but when we actually got to the site, it was like walking into hell.”

Many of the firsthand recollections of the day in the documentary will be familiar to those who read the 2010 autobiographies “Courage and Consequence,” by Bush adviser Karl Rove, or “Decision Points,” by the former president himself.

While it doesn’t introduce new information about 9/11 — or pass political judgment on any decisions made then or in its aftermath — the intense and emotional interview, conducted over two days by executive producer and director Peter Schnall, does point out the difficulty in figuring out a forward strategy in a world that had just undergone a seismic shift.

“It became apparent,” Bush says, “we were facing a new kind of enemy. This is what war was like in the 21st century.”

At the end, the film leaps ahead in time to May 1, 2011, when President Obama announced Navy SEALs had killed 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

Bush recalls getting the call from his successor and says, “I didn’t feel any great sense of happiness or jubilation; I felt a sense of closure, and I felt gratitude that justice had been done.”

You can read the whole thing here.

In the time since, the whole documentary was posted online. Take a look:

https://youtu.be/8FmUT3tt_2I

And, what was it like on that bright September morning? Here’s six hours of NBC’s coverage of Sept. 11, 2001, in real time …

https://youtu.be/89G749GrtBQ

As to the photo at top, I took it at the annual Waves of Flags display at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Started in 2008 by the College Republicans, it features one full-size flag for each of the almost 3,000 lives lost on 9/11 — American flags for U.S. citizens and international flags for non-Americans who also perished in the attacks — planted in serried rows along the sloping lawn overlooking the Pacific Coast Highway and the ocean beyond.

It’s up again this year. Click here for more information.

Images: Kate O’Hare

Don’t miss a thing: Subscribe to all that I write at Authory.com/KateOHare

And, head over to my other home, as Social Media Manager at Family Theater Productions; and check out FTP’s Faith & Family Media Blog, and our YouTube Channel.

About Kate O'Hare

Based in Los Angeles, Kate O'Hare is a recovering entertainment journalist, social-media manager for Catholic production company Family Theater Productions and a screenwriter. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

September 9, 2019

HGTV's 'A Very Brady Renovation' Reunites the TV Clan for Some Radical Remodeling

Next Post

September 11, 2019 My 9/11 Moment: Black 47, the One-Eyed Guy and Dancing for Your Life

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category books breaking news digital media Faith practice food interview jane the virgin media movies music NFL Pope Francis Showbiz 101 social media sports technology television Uncategorized video

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does Romans say about the mind governed by the flesh versus the mind governed by the Spirit?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace The flesh seeks itself, but the Spirit seeks God The flesh is weak, but the Spirit is strong The flesh leads to sin, but the Spirit leads to righteousness

Related posts from Kate O'Hare's Pax Culturati