President Obama and former President George W. Bush address an interfaith memorial service for slain Dallas officers
Dallas, TX – It was a a day fraught with grief, suffering, hope and ultimately a sense of our need as a nation to do the hard work of finding the common threads of humanity that bind us together and set us apart during our more powerful and successful periods as Americans.
President Obama and the First Lady arrived in Dallas this afternoon to deliver comments to a congregation of mourners at an interfaith memorial service for the five officers that were killed in the massacre last Thursday. They were joined by Vice President Joe Biden and wife Jill, as well as former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura.
Trying to organize these very real, very painful and divisive events into an orderly theme to produce a speech that not only memorialized the lives of five fallen officers, but went further toward unifying the community in Dallas and the nation, was a task both daunting and very much required.
The addresses of both President Obama and Bush were exemplary. The two leaders were able to convey the great pain felt nationwide yet still were able to deliver a message of introspection, unity and strength. These were messages the nation desperately needed at this very difficult time.
President Bush’s Remarks
President Bush began his remarks by consoling the families of the slain officers and honoring the lives of the officers themselves. He continued by thanking Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Police Chief David Brown for their service and strength during and after the tragedy.
Bush addressed the difficulty of the aftermath of this tragedy by saying:
“At times, it seems like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together”
He continued, however, reflecting on the idea that throughout our history:
“We have never been held together by blood or background. We are bound by things of the spirit – by shared commitments to common ideals …. At our best, we practice empathy, imagining ourselves in the lives and circumstances of others. This is the bridge across our nation’s deepest divisions.”
President Obama Remarks
“I understand. I understand how Americans are feeling. But, Dallas, I’m here to say we must reject such despair”
The President remarks followed those by the Chief David Brown. Brown, like Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, has played an integral part during the events last Thursday and the following strife-filled days.
Following the service, there was mostly bipartisan agreement that the President’s remarks were not only necessary, but in the end effective, powerful, and helpful in striking the healing and unifying theme the nation needed at this time.
