Bush reading the Bixby letter this morning

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I can't believe how tone deaf Dubya was this morning in choosing to read the Bixby letter.

First off there's the matter that if you strip away the context, it sounds like the sort of letter Osama might have written a mother of one of the idiots who hijack the planes.  But then there's the actual context of the letter itself.  Whether the letter was actually written by Lincoln or one of secretaries is uncertain.  One reason for that is that Mrs. Bixby destroyed the original letter as she had Confederate sympathies.  The only reason the letter became known was that it got printed in a Boston newspaper as part of the 1864 election campaign. Then there is the fact that of the widow Bixby's five sons, only two actually died in battle. One ended up being honorably discharged, but one definitely deserted, and and the last either deserted or ended up a prisoner-of-war.

[J. J.]

The concept has become iconic since then.

[Fuzzybigfoot]

I can't believe how tone deaf Dubya was this morning in choosing to read the Bixby letter.

First off there's the matter that if you strip away the context, it sounds like the sort of letter Osama might have written a mother of one of the idiots who hijack the planes.  But then there's the actual context of the letter itself.  Whether the letter was actually written by Lincoln or one of secretaries is uncertain.  One reason for that is that Mrs. Bixby destroyed the original letter as she had Confederate sympathies.  The only reason the letter became known was that it got printed in a Boston newspaper as part of the 1864 election campaign. Then there is the fact that of the widow Bixby's five sons, only two actually died in battle. One ended up being honorably discharged, but one definitely deserted, and and the last either deserted or ended up a prisoner-of-war.

Uh, it's W. 

[Reaganfan]

I noticed that he read the Bixby letter. It was an inspiration for the film "Saving Private Ryan" and was actually read in the film. I watched the film a few weeks ago and was like, "Wow...Bush is reading the Lincoln letter!"

I think it was poetic for the occasion.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

If W had to crib from Saving Private Ryan, I'd much rather he'd have referred to the Sullivans than the Bixbies.  What happened ten years ago was reality, not fiction, and as far as I am concerned the Bixby letter deals more with fiction than reality.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

He should have been forced to read the Bin Laden determined to strike in US memo instead.

[rwoy]

The Bixby letter didn't really make sense for this occassion.

Perhaps an argument can be made that the first responders who put their lives on the line to save others are similar to soldiers who knowingly risk their lives during war ... but a lot of folks who died that day were simply going to work with no way of knowing what was to happen.  That doesn't diminish their lives ... just means this letter isn't right for this ceremony.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The Bixby letter didn't really make sense for this occasion.

Perhaps an argument can be made that the first responders who put their lives on the line to save others are similar to soldiers who knowingly risk their lives during war ... but a lot of folks who died that day were simply going to work with no way of knowing what was to happen.  That doesn't diminish their lives ... just means this letter isn't right for this ceremony.

It would have been better suited for the Flight 93 or Pentagon ceremonies later in the day, if it were to be used at all.  I still don't think it would have been a good choice, just not as bad.  A letter celebrating glorious deaths when that was exactly what the hijackers thought they were obtaining that day was not appropriate.