Informed Speculation

If you missed it last night or tonight, mark your calendar for September 8, when the National Geographic Channel repeats the sterling, 4-hour Inside 9/11. It’s been over for an hour and a half, and I still feel like I got the wind knocked out of me. The emotions remain raw and exposed, and I suspect they always will.

The documentary goes all the way back to 1980 and the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan; it traces the rise of bin Laden, sure, but also a number of his associates, as well as the radical clerics and cell locations in places like Hamburg and Britain. Of course, we learn about the hijackers, as well; indeed, the backstory is handled tremendously; I consider myself pretty well-versed in 9/11 lore, and yet I learned a LOT from this show.

The presentation is matter-of-fact for the most part and avoids political grandstanding, though we are shown the missed opportunities (there is even about a 20 second mention of Able Danger, though not by that name). We’re talking pretty comprehensive, in other words.

And yet, as always, when the story reaches that fateful day, the tragedy unfolds again, like it was yesterday. Though I often mention that 9/11 is the most documented event in human history, it is also true that much footage remains hidden from us of jumpers and mangled bodies and burn victims. The program shows some of the jumpers, and it is truly heartbreaking. One man is driven by the heat outside the window, probably about the 90th floor, and he has some makeshift rope of some sort that he tries to lower himself down on; when he loses his grip and begins the 1,000 foot fall, your heart leaps into your throat and stays lodged there a good long time.

Watch this documentary on September 8th, and realize once again, what we are up against, and why we simply can’t even think about giving in, in Iraq, or anywhere else. We will win because we have to win. Period. Needless to say, the highest of recommendations…