Rudolph Guiliani was not listed as a guest speaker. Bull-horn waving George Bush tooted away someplace else, busy trying to breathe some life into his own moribund political future. (Hint: he's going to need a bigger trumpet!)
For the people of New York, however, and particularly Manhattan, May 23rd, 2006, is a day to remember. Five years after the day of terror brought the World Trade Center, and long-cherished illusions about invincibility crashing to the ground, in a story that went right under the right-wing radar, a brand new 7 World Trade Center is once again open for business under spring skies.
A time for hope...
Not that the ceremony had no political overtones, but more on that later. Most strange is the silence from the right-wing blogsites. Zip. Nada. Nothing. Instapundit, Powerline, Andrew Sullivan and The Corner all found other things to talk about. Indeed, if there's one business the "patriotic" rightwing pundits and officials would be looking to support as a defiant symbol of US pride and resiliance fighting back against terror, you'd think that would be the newly re-opened World Trade Center? Right?
Wrong. The most signficant step forward for New Yorkers since 9/11 and not a single word of celebration from any of the "9/11 is seared into my soul" crowd. Jonah, Rich, Glenn, Sullivan, Ass-rocket, not one of "I can't forget 9/11 ever" gang posted a word. You'd think Sully and company would have been frigging counting the days. You'd think one or all of them would have been at 7 World Trade Center with bells on; stomping, singing, partying; with flags and flowers. You'd think Jonah or Rich or Hugh would have been on stage screaming into the cameras: "See? See? See Osama, Omar and the rest of you freedom-hating sons' a bitches? You can't keep America down. MoFo's, we're coming to get you!"
Osama and Omar, we're coming to get you.
Hasn't that promise turned into a bitter joke. Fox news buried the new 7 WTC story, choosing instead to play up a fire in an empty cargo terminal in Istanbul Airport and the continuing saga of Missing White Woman. And the celebrations were probably better without Fox News and the rest of bottom feeders.
Suzanne Vega and Lou Reed provided entertainment along with many others. According to one eye witness, who kindly provided photos and commentary below, Reed took time to comment on the media fixation with McCain at the New School. But it really isn't so very surprising that Republican politicians chose to stay away, especially since 9/11 mass-murder Osama Bin Laden just sent another message to Americans, reminding everyone that he is still living happily somewhere beyond the reach of a no-longer-interested George Bush, five long, miserable years after that terrible day.
In the years since, filled with misery, false victories, speeches and the boasts, Americans have learned the hard way that 11 September matters to George Bush only in so far as the attack can be used to justify illegal wars, torture and political hate campaigns against those who oppose the President and his religious and business allies.
Mr. Guiliani, too, has every good reason to avoid the re-opening of 7 World Trade Center, as I noted in this diary posted yesterday. The dapper Republican leading light bears near criminal culpability in the deaths of hundreds of New York's bravest first responders as the 9/11 Commission report makes clear. The Republican Presidential hopeful's bungled management of the attack on September 11th can be traced back to his vain-glorious and inexcusably irresponsible decision to put New York's Emergency Command Center on the 23rd floor of the original WTC 7 in the heart of the only identifiable Al Qaida target in the Continental United States.
The new 7 World Trade Center tower remains half empty. Many are understandably cautious about moving into a building that will almost certainly serve as a symbolic target to many generations of America haters born of George Bush's badly managed war in Iraq and continued willingness to torture anyone he suspects of being in league with Al Qaida. Anti-American extremists, of course, were already keen to attack in Manhatten well before Mr. Bush showed-up. But one wonders whether even one the 101st Keyboarders will rent space in the building to show Osama and their "patriotic" fans they remain confident in Mr. Bush's ability to defend America.
Indeed, tenants who have decided to lease space in 7 WTC demonstrate a particular courage and determination in placing themselves right in the center of this war, especially since Mr. Bush's "bring it on" approach to fighting terror pretty much guarantees another attack on the WTC complex at some point in the future. No wonder he stayed away.
Anyway, let's send the good people of New York best wishes on this day of hope and optimism. And you might just want to email Instapundit, McCain, Powerline, Hugh Hewitt, the Corner gang and any of the other 9/11 chest-beaters to find out exactly why they missed the party.
UPDATE: Check out the great comments and pictures by kishik, who was there. I picked up the story at BBC international. They had a short video.