I remember the context. The entire world was looking at America, expecting leadership, rationality, competence, resolve in the face of grief, and a re-affirmation that the basic societal principles upon which a free people agree will be upheld, will be strong enough to withstand a cowardly attack by a few murderous radicals.Perhaps you should remember the context.
And then our elected representatives ran around like their hair was on fire, passed the Patriot Act, actively supported every treasonous encroachment on civil liberties anyone wanted to propose, and demonstrated to the world that the American beacon on a hill would never again shine as brightly.