The Beatles -- All You Need Is Love
It is a weekend of reflection. Reflection of the great tragedy of 9/11 and our ongoing struggle to make sense of it nationally. One of my favorite lines in the movie Love Actually looks back on 9/11 this way:
Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around.
As sappy as it is to take cues from romcom chick flicks, I think this is true. It's easy to get dissuaded that the world is full of hatred and nastiness--because that's what leads on our news. But the truth of the matter is that if we succumb to it, we will have taken from ourselves that which distinguishes us from those who could so heartlessly rip fathers and mothers, sons and daughters from their loved ones on that fateful day. We must believe that love is all around us. Anything less and the terrorists have won.
I'm not going to lie to you, it's going to be a challenge to believe that this weekend. Look at that lineup: Newt Gingrich on Fox News Sunday, Dick Armey on State of the Union, Rudy Giuliani on Meet the Press and John Boehner on Face the Nation. That's not love they're selling, it's pure unadulterated fear. But that is what makes these Sunday mornings so critical: so that we can see these bobbleheads sell fear to the American people and call them out for what they're doing. Because when we approach this kind of tragedy and still find love all around us, the whole world is better for it.
ABC's "This Week" - Austan Goolsbee, newly named chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers; Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, leader of effort to build Islamic center and mosque near ground zero; Eboo Patel, president, Interfaith Youth Core; Irshad Manji, author and New York University professor; the Rev. Richard Cizik, founder, The New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good.
CBS' "Face the Nation" - House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio; Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn.; former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, co-chairman, 9-11 commission.
NBC's "Meet the Press" - White House adviser David Axelrod; former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, R-N.Y.
NBC's "The Chris Matthews Show" - Panel: Dan Rather, Katty Kay, Andrea Mitchell, David Ignatius. Topics: Did President Obama Overreact To The Florida Pastor? Is President Obama Smart To Take A Hard Left Turn On Taxes?
CNN's "State of the Union" - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano; former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff; former Bush homeland security adviser Fran Townsend; House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer; former Rep. Dick Armey, R-Texas; former Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss.
CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" - It's been 9 years since the September 11th attacks and Al-Qaeda is in shambles and on the run -- largely thanks to the efforts of the U.S. and its partners in combating terrror. Fareed offers his "take" on why now that we face a diminished enemy, it is time to reset the balance between security and liberty. Then Fareed is joined by a panel of seasoned experts from both sides of the political aisle, including two former CIA operatives, to get their take. Are we safer? Did the U.S. overreact to 9/11. You'll be surprised at what they say.
"Fox News Sunday" - Goolsbee; Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.; Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan.
So, what's catching your eye this morning?
