BUT UNTIL THAT HAPPENS, THEIR
LEGACY MUST BE OUR LIVES.
>> PRESIDENT OBAMA, WHO WAS
KNOWN TO AVOID MUCH PUBLIC
EMOTION, SHARED HIS OWN GRIEF,
CHOKE UP WHEN SPEAKING ABOUT
ANOTHER VIOLENT ATTACK DURING
HIS TENURE, A MASS SHOOTING OF FIRST GRADERS AT NEWTOWN.
FIRST GRADERS AT NEWTOWN.
>> FIRST GRADERS.
AND FROM EVERY FAMILY WHO NEVER
IMAGINED THAT THEIR LOVED ONE WOULD BE TAKEN FROM OUR LIVES BY
WOULD BE TAKEN FROM OUR LIVES BY
A BULLET FROM A GUN, EVERY TIME
I THINK ABOUT THOSE KIDS IT GETS
ME MAD.
>> AND THEN THERE WAS SEPTEMBER
11th.
PRESIDENT BUSH’S FOREIGN POLICY
RESPONSE WE ALL KNOW, WIDELY
DEBATED BY AMERICANS, THE
AMERICAN PARTY LEADERSHIP
ULTIMATELY OPPOSING THE IRAQ WAR
THAT BUSH SAID IT MUST SPAWN.
SO WE DON’T ERASE THAT PART OF
THE REACTION.
BUT HISTORY ALSO SHOWS THERE WAS
WIDE AGREEMENT THAT PRESIDENT
BUSH STEPPED UP TO COMFORT THE
VICTIMS AND WORK ON LEADING THE
COUNTRY DURING THE TRAGEDY
TOWARDS ATTEMPTED UNITY,
IMMEDIATELY VISITING A MOSQUE TO
ADVOCATE TOLERANCE AND SHARING
GRIEF WITH THE WHOLE NATION.
>> WE ARE HERE IN THE MIDDLE
HOUR OF OUR GRIEF.
TO THE CHILDREN AND PARENTS AND
SPOUSES AND FAMILIES AND FRIENDS
OF THE LOST, WE OFFER THE
DEEPEST SYMPATHY OF THE NATION.
AND I ASSURE YOU, YOU ARE NOT
ALONE.
>> YOU PROBABLY REMEMBER THOSE
MONTHS, THOSE YEARS AFTER 9/11.
IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS WE ALL
GRIEVED AND REMEMBERED THE DEAD
IN LOCAL ACTS AND NATIONAL
CEREMONIES, IN THE ANNIVERSARIES
AND THE ONGOING CHARITY EVENTS.
AND TODAY’S PANDEMIC DEATH TOLL
IS NOW 30 TIMES THE NUMBER OF
AMERICANS WE LOST IN 9/11.
WE HAVEN’T HAD ENOUGH TIME,
ANYTHING LIKE AN ACTUAL AMOUNT
OF ENOUGH TIME TO DEVOTE ANY OF
THAT LEVEL ATTENTION WE DID TO
EACH OF THOSE LOSSES, AND THIS
THING ISN’T EVEN CLOSE TO OVER.
WHEN YOU LISTEN TO THESE PAST
PRESIDENTS FROM BOTH WATERS,
THERE IS MORE THAN A HISTORY
LESSON HERE, MORE THAN JUST A
REMINDER OF THE WAY THINGS WERE.
JUST LOOKING AT THIS WHEN WE
WERE PUTTING TOGETHER AND NOW
WATCHING IT, I THINK IT DOES
SOMETHING ELSE.
IT UNAVOIDABLY, OBVIOUSLY
PROVIDES A BIPARTISAN CONTRAST
TO HOW THE CURRENT PRESIDENT
APPROACHES THIS PART OF THE JOB
DURING THIS MOUNTING DEATH TOLL.
HOW DO YOU CONSOLE AND GRIEVE
WITH A NATION THAT SORELY NEEDS
IT?
PRESIDENT TRUMP HARDLY CONVEYS
ANY WORDS GRIEF AT ALL.
THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN TALKING
MORE IN PUBLIC THAN THE
PRESIDENTS OF TRAGEDIES.
THE NUMBERS HERE ARE THE ACTUAL
CONTEXT.
THEY WILL ALSO EVENTUALLY BECOME
HISTORY.
IN A MONTH OF VIRUS BRIEFINGS,
DONALD TRUMP SPOKE FOR A TOTAL
CUMULATIVE OF 13 HOURS
DISCUSSING THE VIRUS AND THE
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE, TWO HOURS
ATTACKING HIS CRITICS, 45
MINUTES PRAISING HIS
ADMINISTRATION.
BUT JUST UNDER FIVE MINUTES
TOTAL EXPRESSING ANY CONDOLENCE
FOR VICTIMS OR GRIEVING.
THAT’S ACCORDING TO AN ACCOUNT
BY "THE WASHINGTON POST."
TODAY THE U.S. DEATH TOLL SURGES
OVER 90,000, AND PRESIDENT TRUMP
IS TALKING ABOUT NEVER
FORGETTING THE DEAD, A SENTIMENT
THAT HE STILL IMMEDIATELY MIXED
WITH BLAMING THE, QUOTE, PEOPLE
THAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM.
>> WE CAN NEVER FORGET ALL OF
THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN LEFT
BEHIND, THAT HAVE DIED FOR SOME
REASON THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER
HAPPENED, SHOULD HAVE NEVER
HAPPENED.
YOU KNOW THAT.
I KNOW THAT.
AND THE PEOPLE THAT CAUSED THE
PROBLEM, THEY KNOW THAT TOO. IT’S TOO BAD.
IT’S TOO BAD.
>> "IT’S TOO BAD."
"THEY KNOW THAT TOO."
THE SOUND YOU HEAR IS THE SOUND
OF THE PRESIDENT OF UNITED
STATES DARKLY SUGGESTING SOMEONE
ELSE DID THIS AND THEY KNOW THEY
HAVE SOME GUILTY FAILURE OF
AWARENESS.
THAT’S CLAIMING TO PAY TRIBUTE
TO THE DEAD.
THIS IS A TOTAL CONTRAST TO
OTHER PRESIDENTS, TO OTHER PAST
AMERICAN LEADERS IN BOTH
PARTIES.
WHILE THIS IS NOT THE ONLY THING
GOING ON RIGHT NOW, IF YOU DO
FIND YOURSELF AT HOME THINKING
THIS IS NOT NORMAL.
WE SHOULD NOT ACT LIKE THIS IS
NORMAL, YOU’RE RIGHT.
IT’S NOT.
THE ARCHIVES SHOWS THAT.
AND MANY OF THE MOMENTS YOU JUST
SAW WERE OF COURSE FROM
DIFFERENT TRAGEDIES ACROSS TIME
WITH DIFFERENT NUANCES AND ALL
THE CAVEATS AND ALL THE
DIFFERENT THINGS THAT GO WHEN
YOU MAKE ANY COMPARISON.
BUT WE CHECKED, BECAUSE THIS IS
STILL THE NEWS AS WE LOOK AT
HISTORY, AND THE FACTS SHOW
THERE IS ALSO A SHARP CONTRAST
BETWEEN HOW THIS PRESIDENT
DISCUSSES THIS INFECTIOUS
DISEASE AND HOW THE LAST ONE,
THE LAST SITUATION LIKE THIS TO
CREATE A MAJOR SCARE, SWINE FLU,
HOW THAT PLAYED OUT.
HERE ARE HOW.
TWO CONSECUTIVE PRESIDENTS
ADDRESSED THE NATION ABOUT
DEATHS FROM THESE PUBLIC HEALTH
CRISIS WHERE THERE IS OF COURSE
GRIEF PLUS THE OBLIGATION FOR
ELECTED GOVERNMENT LEADERS TO
PROVIDE SAFETY INFORMATION.
>> OVERNIGHT, WE ALSO RECEIVE
CONFIRMATION THAT AN INFANT IN
TEXAS HAS DIED AS A RESULT OF
THIS VIRUS.
>> UNFORTUNATELY, ONE PERSON
PASSED AWAY OVERNIGHT.
SHE WAS A WONDERFUL WOMAN, A
MEDICALLY HIGH-RISK PATIENT IN
HER LATE 50s.
>> MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS AND
DEEPEST CONDOLENCES GO OUT TO
THE FAMILY AS WELL AS THOSE WHO
ARE ILL AND RECOVERING FROM THIS
FLU.
>> ADDITIONAL CASES IN THE
UNITED STATES ARE LIKELY.
BUT HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS SHOULD
BE ABLE TO FULLY RECOVER.
>> THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A SERIOUS
SITUATION.
SERIOUS ENOUGH TO TAKE THE
UTMOST PRECAUTIONS.
>> SO HEALTHY PEOPLE, IF YOU’RE
HEALTHY, YOU WILL PROBABLY GO
THROUGH A PROCESS AND YOU’LL BE
FINE.
>> THAT DIDN’T PROVE TO BE TRUE
LONG AFTER THE PUBLIC
INFORMATION PUT THE PRESIDENT
AND HIS TEAM ON NOTICE IT
WOULDN’T BE TRUE.
WE’VE REPORTED OUT THE GRIM
NUMBERS EVERY NIGHT.
EACH TRAGEDY IS DIFFERENT.
EACH PRESIDENT CHOOSES HOW TO
ADDRESS WHAT HAPPENS ON THEIR
WATCH.
BUT EACH PRESIDENT ALSO TAKES AN
OATH TO FAITHFULLY PRESERVE AND
PROTECT THE NATION THROUGH THEIR
CONSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP.
IN CRISIS, WHAT PRESIDENTS DO OR
FAIL TO DO DICTATES HOW THE
NATION IS OR IS NOT PROTECTED.
IN A DEMOCRACY, CITIZENS CAN
TAKE STOCK OF THE RESULTS.
YOU MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND.
IN THIS POLARIZED AND
TRAUMATIZED TIME, WE DO LOOK TO
HISTORY BECAUSE IT CAN ADD A
LARGER CONTEXT IN HOW YOU MAKE
UP YOUR MIND, WHETHER IT’S
LOOKING AT THESE DECADES OLD
PIECES OF INFORMATION OF TRAGEDY
THAT MAY FEEL SOMETIMES LIKE A
BYGONE ERA, OR EVEN RECENT
HISTORY THAT MAY REMIND PEOPLE
YOU’RE NOT DREAMING.
IT WAS NOT ALWAYS THIS WAY.
IN FACT, IT WAS JUST FIVE YEARS
AGO WHEN AMERICA FACED A
HORRIFIC TIME FOR GRIEVING, THE
CHARLESTON CHURCH SHOOTING.
PEOPLE CRIED TOGETHER, AND A
PRESIDENT TRIED TO DO SOME SMALL
BIT OF JUSTICE TO THE MEMORY OF THE PEOPLE WHO JUST DIED.
THE PEOPLE WHO JUST DIED. ♪ AMAZING HOW SWEET THE SOUND ♪
♪ AMAZING HOW SWEET THE SOUND ♪
♪ THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME ♪ >> WE WILL BE RIGHT BACK.
