President Obama could further distinguish himself in this landmark week by inviting his predecessor in the Oval Office to join him Thursday at Ground Zero. By standing arm-in-arm with George W. Bush at the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack, Obama would demonstrate a much-needed willingness to rise above partisan politics in the interest of uniting the nation at a critical point in the war against terrorism. It would also create a bipartisan opportunity to remind the nation that we still face a grave threat from the surviving elements of Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda and the many related Islamic extremists who have made clear their determination to kill Americans at every opportunity, both here at home and abroad. The president would probably get some grief from elements of his political base for doing this. Bush might also be criticized by hyperpartisan supporters of his former administration. But rising above such narrow considerations, even if doing so involves paying a political price, strongly recommends that an Obama invitation to Bush is the right thing to do. There is a hunger in every corner of this country for politicians in both political parties to put aside the rancor and bitter partisanship that too often mark our public policy debates. Americans expect our leaders to stand firm on their principles, but to be always willing to accept honest compromises that serve the national interest. Nowhere is this need greater than on national security issues in which the rule once was — and should be again — that partisan politics end at the nation’s borders.
The results of a new Washington Post/Pew Center survey point to the likelihood that a joint Obama-Bush appearance in New York would also be good politics. Fifty-one percent of those surveyed by the Post/Pew questioners said they believe Bush deserves some or a great deal of the credit for the success of the Navy SEALs raid that bagged bin Laden after a decade-long hunt. Clearly, many Americans recognize that the campaign to avenge Sept. 11 began under Bush and was sustained by him through many dark years when the pursuit of bin Laden seemed doomed to failure. To ignore this reality would needlessly give Obama the appearance of being petty.
Inviting Bush would also be an effective way for Obama to put some much-needed distance between himself and narrow-minded Democrats like Rep. Gary Ackerman of New York, who could not resist politicizing a moment of national celebration Sunday night. During an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Ackerman said the killing of bin Laden was “like a mission accomplished moment that George Bush could only fantasize about.” That kind of divisive rhetoric gravely injures the precious national unity that must be nurtured in the months and years ahead.
