Bush: McCain learned lessons of 9/11

From NBC's Mark Murray In his remarks tonight, President Bush will say that McCain "understands the lessons" of 9/11, according to excerpts the White House released. "We live in a dangerous world. And we need a president who understands the lessons of September 11, 2001: that to protect America, we must stay on the offense, stop attacks before they happen, and not wait to be hit again. The man we need is John McCain." However, those words will spur political journalists to dig up this August 18, 2000 piece from the New York Times : "Senator John McCain arrived late at his Senate office on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, just after the first plane hit the World Trade Center. 'This is war,' he murmured to his aides. The sound of scrambling fighter planes rattled the windows, sending a tremor of panic through the room. "Within hours, Mr. McCain, the Vietnam War hero and famed straight talker of the 2000 Republican primary, had taken on a new role: the leading advocate of taking the ... (link)