September 11 (IV)

Andrew Sullivan:

I am reminded of a great American poem written by Herman Melville after the death of Abraham Lincoln, the second founder of the country:

There is sobbing of the strong,
And a pall upon the land;
But the People in their weeping
Bare the iron hand;
Beware the People weeping
When they bare the iron hand.

America at War: America wakes up to a world of fear
The Sunday Times of London, September 16, 2001
copyright © 2001 Andrew Sullivan