Brokaw worried about government overstepping its bounds and wrung his hands about the origins of Islamic anger:
"Just who else is listening in on our conversations? The Islamic rage, where does that come from?"
Brokaw then went on to paint the nation divided by war...
Brokaw: "We've gone from a nation united by grief, anger and determination to a nation divided by war triggered by 9/11. A just war to its defenders."
[George W. Bush: "The war we fight today is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive, ideological struggle of the 21st century."]
Brokaw: "A calamity to its critics."
[Rep. John Murtha: "The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It's a flawed policy wrapped in illusion."]
Brokaw: "Where do you live? In Toby Keith country? Or in Dixie Chicks country?"
Brokaw continued painting the gloomy state of affairs even in middle America states like Montana where they: "worry a lot about gas prices. This is a big state with big rigs with big appetites for fuel. They are very aware of the war in Iraq. Montana has the highest per capita military enlistment rate in the country." Brokaw then invited Montana's Democratic governor to fret about the war:
Brokaw: "Montana's popular governor Brian Schweizter, a Democrat."
Gov. Brian Schweitzer: "We, we're faced with funerals. What do you say to the families? If somebody could give me a script I would like it because this is the most difficult part of my job is try and make sense of all this. Everyone's asking when does it end? How does it end?"
Brokaw then concluded:
"Five years later the unofficial anthem of 9/11 is not heard as often across this divided nation."
[Clip of people singing God Bless America]
Brokaw: "Matt another way that we've changed obviously is that there's a different perception of America in the world as a result of all that's happened. A lot of concern even in Republican ranks about how the world sees us, about the failure of our intelligence agencies and whether that can be restored. And as one of them said to me recently. You know America always got credit for, not only doing the right thing but trying to do the right thing but said Abu Ghraib and all that's gone wrong in Iraq has changed a lot of that. So we are a different place and it's more than just a hole in the ground here in New York that indicates that."
The following is Lauer's introduction and then all of Brokaw's 9/11 essay:
Matt Lauer: "Meanwhile welcome back to Ground Zero on this Monday morning. Our lives were all changed by the dramatic events that unfolded here at the Pentagon and in that field in Pennsylvania five years ago. Tom Brokaw is here to reflect on America's loss of innocence and how the country has changed in that time. Tom, welcome back. And you know a lot of people here wonder have the changes occurred in other parts of the country. We know they occurred here in New York but sometimes it's hard to look past our borders."
Tom Brokaw: "Well we were all one when that happened. Everybody felt United was New York but then over the course of five years things have changed so we thought it would be useful to take a look at the big picture but also the view of the war of terror, on terror from the heartland of America as well. Some of the changes are obvious and still evolving. Will we ever get our lattes back on board? Will an airliner ever be hijacked again without the passengers fighting back. Just who else is listening in on our conversations? The Islamic rage, where does that come from? We've gone from a nation united by grief, anger and determination to a nation divided by war triggered by 9/11. A just war to its defenders."
[George W. Bush: "The war we fight today is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive, ideological struggle of the 21st century."]
Brokaw: "A calamity to its critics."
[Rep. John Murtha: "The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It's a flawed policy wrapped in illusion."]
Brokaw: "Where do you live? In Toby Keith country? Or in Dixie Chicks country? In urban America where there are reminders everyday that terrorists could come again anytime."
[Unidentified official: "Anybody in the intelligence game will tell you this, New York is still their, their number one target. They want to come back here. We've been attacked successfully twice here. A third time would say, 'Hey you can't stop us.'"]
Brokaw: "Or in rural America, a long way from Ground Zero. In Montana ranchers and hunters worry a lot more about wolves coming out of Yellowstone than they worry about terrorists coming out of the Middle East and on windy days everyone in this state worries a lot about wildfires. They also worry a lot about gas prices. This is a big state with big rigs with big appetites for fuel. They are very aware of the war in Iraq. Montana has the highest per capita military enlistment rate in the country. Montana's popular governor Brian Schweizter, a Democrat."
[Gov. Brian Schweitzer: "We, we're faced with funerals. What do you say to the families? If somebody could give me a script I would like it because this is the most difficult part of my job is try and make sense of all this. Everyone's asking when does it end? How does it end?"]
Brokaw: "This patriotic state is living with the consequences of 9/11 but five years later there are more questions, more uncertainty. After all five years later the Taliban are back in Afghanistan, Iraq is on the verge of anarchy, Iran is more dangerous than ever. Five years later there have been no more attacks on the U.S. but the terrorists are still out there. More, now than ever before. Five years later the wounds have not healed for the 9/11 families. Five years later a new generation is coming of age. For many 9/11 is a fading memory, for others it was the beginning of an end. Five years later the unofficial anthem of 9/11 is not heard as often across this divided nation."
[Clip of people singing God Bless America]
Brokaw: "Matt another way that we've changed obviously is that there's a different perception of America in the world as a result of all that's happened. A lot of concern even in Republican ranks about how the world sees us, about the failure of our intelligence agencies and whether that can be restored. And as one of them said to me recently. You know America always got credit for, not only doing the right thing but trying to do the right thing but said Abu Ghraib and all that's gone wrong in Iraq has changed a lot of that. So we are a different place and it's more than just a hole in the ground here in New York that indicates that."
Lauer: "And how that different world view will affect us as we move forward in other foreign policy decisions and other threats we face in the future and I'm happy you're gonna be here throughout the morning and joining us, Tom. We'll check in with you in a few minutes."
Brokaw: "My pleasure, Matt."
