The hosts of <em>Fox & Friends</em> took advantage of the 11th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 on Tuesday to accuse President Obama of forgetting God and not telling Americans to pray for the dead -- even though the president had issued a proclamation doing just that only four days earlier.
September 11, 2012

The hosts of Fox & Friends took advantage of the 11th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 on Tuesday to accuse President Obama of forgetting God and not telling Americans to pray for the dead -- even though the president had issued a proclamation doing just that only four days earlier.

"Eleven years ago after the attack on America, the president calls for a moment of silence, but he does not call for the word 'God,'" co-host Gretchen Carlson asserted. "So some people are asking, why is God being left out again?"

"Get this," co-host Steve Doocy later added. "Does the president of the United States call on people to pray for those lives lost? No, he calls on people to observe a moment of silence and then go out and do some community service. He proclaims today as Patriot Day, a national day of service and remembrance and go perform community service to remember those who lost their lives."

"He does say at the end of it, that he signs it on the 10th day of September on the year of our Lord 2012," Carlson noted. "So, God is mentioned there, but no mention of the word God anywhere in his message to the American people."

As Media Matters pointed out, Obama had followed the tradition of Patriot Day proclamations issued by President George W. Bush, who did not include the word 'God' in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

But the hosts of Fox & Friends failed to mention that on Friday, the president had issued another proclamation with the word "God" and declaring "National Days of Prayer" from Sept. 7 through Sept. 9.

"On these days of prayer and remembrance, we mourn again the men, women, and children who were taken from us with terrible swiftness, stand with their friends and family, honor the courageous patriots who responded in our country's moment of need, and, with God's grace, rededicate ourselves to a spirit of unity and renewal," the proclamation said. "On September 11, 2001, in our hour of grief, a Nation came together. No matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family."

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Friday, September 7 through Sunday, September 9, 2012, as National Days of Prayer and Remembrance," the president said. "I ask that the people of the United States honor and remember the victims of September 11, 2001, and their loved ones through prayer, contemplation, memorial services, the visiting of memorials, the ringing of bells, evening candlelight remembrance vigils, and other appropriate ceremonies and activities."

At the end of Tuesday's Fox & Friends segment, co-host Brian Kilmeade also observed that no elected officials would be speaking during Tuesday's 9/11 memorial ceremony.

"I think it's also good just to keep politics out of this in this election year," Kilmeade said.

"I think that's a great idea," Doocy agreed.

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