To the skeptic who suggested that the terrorist attacks of 2001 were somehow phony, Clinton made it clear that there was nothing phony at all about “Nine-Eleven.”
To the selfish individual who thought nothing of interrupting an American President for his own personal agenda, Clinton said “shut up and let me talk.”
And to the person so cynical about America as to assert that our nation’s government perpetrated the terrorist attacks on its own people, Clinton’s message was quite clear indeed: don’t you dare say such things about our country. Implicitly, he was conveying to America that as a nation, we are better than the insinuations were suggesting, and we are worthy of greater respect.
Some observers are too cynical about Bill Clinton the man, to be able to appreciate the power of his apparently spontaneous words. But imagine how different things might be, if others of our political leaders were more willing to utilize the “how dare you” rhetoric.
Things would be quite different, for example, if our current President were willing to be so confrontational with those who willingly violate our nation’s border laws.
And imagine how different things might be if Hillary Rodham Clinton were willing to confront her fellow Democrats in Congress, when they insinuate that our military service men and women are torturers, terrorists, and failures.
Bill Clinton’s presidency was far from flawless, and no doubt he still suffers with his own credibility gap today. But he also understands the power of words, and how to use them, far better than most politicians.
Let’s hope that our next President knows how and when to communicate more effectively - - and is willing to say “how dare you” from time to time. |