It’s September 11th. I wonder how many people remember? More importantly, how many people have forgotten? Over the past 6 years, if you’ve been through an airport, or overseas in general, you know that day changed this country, better yet the world, forever.
I guess you’d be more interested if you were affected by the attacks, at least indirectly. I’m fortunate enough to have only known people near the towers during the attack, and not in them. I didn’t know anyone who perished. I was grew up in the NYC — one of the greatest cities in the world! I joined a startup in Rochester, NY. I was at work at the time, and a co-worker, said he heard something crazy on the radio, we all listened in, and it was a report that a plane had flown into tower one. We all thought, how does that even happen?! Even in that moment of fear, you think, “Who would dare make an attack on US soil? Don’t they know we’ll rain bullets on their heads?!” In the end, it was a terrorist attack, by predominantly Saudis.
Subsequently, in 2003 that start-up, brought me to Minnesota. By this time the US had basically leveled the Taliban in Afghanistan. That was a good start, but we didn’t finish the job: kill, or capture Osama Bin Laden. Instead, we turned our focus towards Iraq and its dictator, Saddam Hussein. I knew that maybe the info was a bit shaky, but like I’ve said in the past, I thought C. Powell knew what he was talking about.
Yes, it’s 9/11, but let’s forget where we were – where are we now? By now, everyone has should agree that there were no WMDs. So, how did we get into this quagmire? Well it was the leadership. Yes, leadership is difficult; but this is is why you usually surround yourself with people smarter than yourself (see FDR’s Brain Trust). Normally, they support you, and keep your feet on the ground. Well, at least theoretically. In a short time, there will be another election. There are a number of viable candidates, in both parties. In the end, I hope the nation selects one who is not simply able to wage war, but a leader, in every sense of the word.