[reading of names] [reading of names]

[reading of names] >> it is that day again, september 11th, 20 years later. over the next two hours, we'll embrace two decades of death and life, and we'll reflect on the last 27 days in kabul. you will hear many of the names, the names we promised to never forget as we say good morning from ground zero. i'm bill hemmer on this 9/11 yet again. dana: and i'm dana perino. it's an honor to be here. we are coming to you live where 20 years ago america came under

attack. bill: it started with disbelief and ended with a unified national resolve, and within days we moved to hunt down the terrorists that murdered nearly 3,000 in cold blood. dana: the evil did not discriminate. the victims were men, women and children of all races and religions. bill: some of them were going to work, boarding flights, others were fighting to save lives, losing their own in the process that morning. dana: right now in new york city we are approaching our second moment of silence at 9:03 eastern. that's when flight 175 struck the tower, confirming -- south tower, confirming america was, indeed, under attack. bill: the images today from new york, the pentagon and shanksville, pennsylvania, are so sering for so many of us, and it's fascinating to me, dana, how so many can recall the exact moment or the exact hour of what was happening in their own lives on that day, the day prior and the following days after that.

it's also fascinating to hear from young americans today what memories they have or maybe they don't have -- dana: the questions they have. bill: -- and today they will have a lot of time to reflect on where they were in life that day. dana: as we look here at the memorial, you see people gathered, the president of the united states is here as well. [background sounds]

♪♪ >> may god bless our fallen brothers and sisters, their families, their friends and their loved ones. i'll see you in my dreams. ♪ the road is long and seeming without end. ♪ the days go on, but i'll

remember you, my friend. ♪ and though you're gone, and my heart is empty, it seems -- ♪ i'll see you in my dreams. ♪ i got your guitar here by my bed. ♪ all your favorite records and all the books that you've read. ♪ and though my soul feels like it's been split at the seams -- ♪ i'll see you in my dreams. ♪ i'll see you in my dreams when

all our summers have come to an end. ♪ i'll see you in my dreams -- ♪ we'll meet and live and laugh again. ♪ i'll see you in my dreams, gather round the river bend -- ♪ for this is not the end, 'cuz i'll see you in my dreams. ♪ ♪ ♪ i'll see you in my dreams when

all our summers have come the an end. ♪ i'll see you in my dreams, we'll meet and live and love again. ♪ i'll see you in my dreams, gather round the river bend for this is not the end. ♪ and i'll see you in my dreams. ♪ you in, i'll see you in my dreams ♪♪ [applause]

♪ [reading of names] [reading of names]

>> i wish i had the chance to meet you, uncle joey. i heard you were a good person. >> and my husband, thomas michael kelly. we love you and we miss you. bill: and on and on and on it goes. a bit of a surprise appearance, i would say, by bruce springsteen here. twenty years ago he he penned an album called the rising, and you could make a case that was the album, that was the anthem for america, and there are 9 of 15 songs on that album, dana, that really bring home what so many people felt 20 years ago here in the new york area. and there's a line in one of his songs called the sky is still the same unbelievable blue. and today in new york city it is that same unbelievable blue. it is 66 degrees and it is heaven above. we're going to hear from many of our friends and colleagues for

the next several hours, karl rove and bret baier, general jack keane and our reporters stationed across the country and around the world with us today. dana: and i also spoke with to former secretary of state condoleezza rice, and we will play that in just a moment. but we begin with karl rove. karl, it's one of those things i was thinking about as we listened to bruce springsteen there, that everyone should savor these moments of unity this morning, feel how good that a feels. and one of the things you witnessed with the president that day and in the days afterward was that america really came together. we were broken-hearted but not broken. and you were part of that team when, all of a sudden, the presidency changed dramatically. we were at war. >> yes, it did change dramatically. the morning began at emma booker elementary school in florida for president bush at a reading demonstration with second graders. and he was in a classroom when

the word of the second strike on the world trade center came. andy card went in, the white house chief of staff, went many and told the president. -- in and told the president. and i remember vividly how he walked from that classroom where he'd been pushing for the passage of his no child left behind and walked into the room, and the first words he said were, "we're at war." and giving the director of -- get me the director of the fbi and get me the vice president. i saw a man transformed in front of my eyes from a peacetime leader to a wartime leader, and then the resolve and determination to keep our country safe and to bring the people who did this to justice governed his every day, directed his every action for the next seven, over seven years. dana: if i could add to that, one of the things i remember as his press secretary was even in 2008 i remember being on marine

one with him, and we were going to give a speech about education. and when i looked at him, i said i know in the back of his mind he's always thug constantly -- thinking constantly, no matter how much we're focused on education, he was constantly thinking are we doing all we can to prevent another attack on this country. and while we were broken, in terms of rising to the call, the men and women who decided to join the armed forces and the intel community, everybody has been completely focused and very successful. i do think that you will hear today about that, karl, when the president speaks later and maybe from some others about, that -- about what was accomplished in the years since in terms of being on the offense, against the war or terror and proving that america was as resilient with as we thought. >> yeah. look, the bush doctrine was fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here on

the homeland. and that governed his every action. it was a successful strategy. but with you're right, i mean, there were lots of things that every president has to deal with every day. but foremost in his mind every day at the beginning of the day with the cia briefing and throughout the day was are we doing what we need to do to keep america safe. it's a terrible responsibility to be a wartime president. it's a fearsome responsibility. and he carried, as you know, in his pocket every day the badge of george howard, a port authority policeman who was killed that day. it was given to him by his mother, arlene howard. and he never, he never forgot the price that america paid that day and vowed it would never happen again. bill: at about 9:37 east coast time, which is about 25 minutes from now, down to the pentagon,

that was the moment the airliner struck the exterior of the pentagon. bret baer was living in atlanta, georgia, that day. he drove north and tried to get as far as he could. bret joins us now with his reflection on that day, the past 20 years and is what we got for it. i think also the context of today must be considered with what we have watched in afghanistan over the past 27 days. how do you reflect on where we've been and where we're doing? >> yeah. will, dana -- bill, dana, good morning. first, it's amazing to me even 20 years later how this day is so visceral, so emotional. obviously, not only for the families and the coworkers of people who died, but also for the nation to listen to this and to hear the bell toll and to hear those families offer their remarks about their loved ones. you know, there are very few moments in our history that are

etched in time, specific times that are in our brain; 8:46, 9:03. the different times the planes hit or crashed, the different times the towers collapsed. and i think there's nothing comparative to this. i do think that the nation has, to karl's point, changed a great deal. but the question of what did we learn from 9/11 and where is the country -- we're not in that 9/12 mentality. and when it comes to counterterrorism after what we saw in afghanistan, there are a lot of questions about how we're going to go forward. obviously, we've gotten a lot better at counterterrorism, thwarting threats around the world. but after seeing the taliban now today on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 celebrating the inauguration of the new taliban with government -- taliban government, it is tough. today's not about politics

though. it's about remembrance. and i think that the world changed. do we remember enough, is the question. bill: you wonder where we'll be on year 25 or year 30 or year 40 even. because this story and this war is not over. dana: it's interesting, bret, if you think about each here the relationships that were formed that came after 9/11, and i remember first meeting you this washington, d.c -- in washington, d.c. and covering all of these stories; the war in afghanistan, the war in iraq. and then coming together now to work at fox news. i think that there's -- i feel a tremendous amount of gratitude for, obviously, the first responders. and then you think about all the people in the field as well, the intelligence community, the law enforcement and especially for the young people. think of the 13 that we we lost in kabul, the service members.

and, bret, many of them continue to sign up to seven their country because -- to serve their country because they understand how important it is to be a part of the mission and the movement that is the one to protect america. and i think that we can't lose sight of the fact that there are still so many people in this country willing to come together to do what is right. >> you're right. it's a grateful feeling for all of the especially law enforcement and military members who signed up. there's a whole generation of kids who because of 9/11 got engaged in that way. and, you know, when i was listening to the tape that we only play once a year, and that is really detailed about the moment by moment and the pain of seeing that again, it does give me goose bumps, but it also is a time for the young generation that doesn't remember this, that wasn't around to see what it was like.

and perhaps that's another generation of service. that's the mindset that i think people, a lot of people up here in washington are hoping we get to. bill: yeah. a generation of service, well put. want to bring in general jack keane here. general, we have spoken, i think, 19 times as we reflect on 20 years. finish -- and what did we get for that fight, general, if you think about afghanistan today and and what are we in for next? >> yeah. well, certainly the implications of what has happened in afghanistan loom heavy over this 9/11 ceremony, certainly, and our remessage brans and our reflection of our fallen here and also the celebration of our heroes. and the 9/11 generation that stood up and has prosecuted the war on terror for these 20 years. but it is a fact and it's

undeniable that we went to afghanistan clearly to get after the al-qaeda, take the taliban regime down who enabled them to conduct that attack on 9/11, and we accomplished that. but now the taliban are in charge of afghanistan, al-qaeda has a safe haven again. not sometime in the future, it's there now because they're in somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 provinces. isis will have an opportunity to grow and other foreign terrorists will have an opportunity to come to afghanistan. it puts the country at a greater risk in the mind of the director of the cia to president biden. so the future is uncertain as a result of what took place in afghanistan. it looms heavy over us, and it's uncomfortable, i think, for many who served and fought in that war to see the taliban now in charge. it is disturbing. it weighs heavily on me. i was in the pentagon on nerve.

i saw this up -- on 9/11. it i saw this up close. it changed my life are. i've been involved in national security and foreign policy because of 9/11. when i left the army, i stayed on top of it, i immersed myself in it. i'm only on television because of that commitment to keep america safe. but i am concerned about going forward and as are other people in the military and in our intelligence services. we have the wherewithal to still deal with this. what we need is vigilance and the kind of resolve and determination that was reflected on 9/11. it was absolutely amazing. as you mentioned, bill, the national resolve and resiliency that this country displayed, ma bin laden didn't -- osama bin laden didn't understand america. he thought this would crush america. that's why he attacked our symbol, our economy, our military strength, democracy at the capitol -- which failed, of course. he thought we'd be crushed bit.

little did he know that we would come together and respond and with determination and resolve, and it would propel our youngsters forward to deal with the horror of terrorism and succeed at dealing with it. and he underestimated us. and that was our best of the best as far as i'm concerned in how we handled that. we need that national resolve and determination once again in this country because this threat has not gone away. dana: general keane, thank you. to that end, i spoke with then-national security adviser donald please a saw rice about what happened that day -- condoleezza rice about what you're speak about, general. let's listen to her. madam secretary, it's always a pleasure to see you and have you to help us commemorate this day of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. i recently watched one of the documentaries that has come out, and i learned something about you i didn't know which is that on the day, on 9/11, you had the first and only time that you

raised your voice at president bush. can you tell us why? >> well, you know him well having worked for him, and, you know, i didn't mean to be disrespectful, and i don't think he took it that way, but he said in our telephone conversation i'm coming back. and i said you can't do that. america is -- the united states of america is under attack, it's not safe here. and thinking back on it, maybe i was a little too insistent. and later on in the day he was insistent on coming back. i felt that i had to get across that we needed him safe. the rest of us would handle things on the ground in washington, but we needed him safe at that moment. dana: i know he probably stole a couple extra fries from your plate the next time you had lunch to get over that. [laughter] the other thing is that i thought was interesting on that day he does return to the white

house, one of the reasons he wanted to get back is he wanted to address the nation from the oval office so a speech was prepared. and there was a line in the speech that maybe gave you pause or that you said we've got to be the really sure about this. let me read it to everybody here. it was this one here where the president says, "we will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them." what was going through your mind in terms of the consequences for a statement like that from the leader of the free world? >> well, this was a big policy decision, and that speech that he gave that night, he very clearly said he wanted it just to be about reassurance. and we really hadn't had a chance to debate whether or not we wanted to say that if you harbor a terrorist, potentially we'll treat you as a terrorist which is what became known as the bush doctrine. but he felt if he didn't say it then, that night, that it would feel like an afterthought, and he wanted to put, basically, the taliban on notice right then that if they continued to

harbor al-qaeda, we would treat them as our enemy. and he did ask me to run a test, colin are powell, the secretary of state, and don rumsfeld and, of course, the vice president was there. but it was his decision that we were going to make that policy statement despite the fact that this speech had a very different purpose. dana: how soon after you learned of the attacks did you realize that the bush presidency was completely different than what it had been just an hour before? >> it really dawned on me when i got to the bunker. we'd seen the -- i had known that the first plane had flown into the tower and then a second plane, and i had seen on tv that a plane had hit the pentagon. and i went to -- i was, basically, carried to the presidential management, the bunker underneath the white house, and i suddenly saw the vice president on the phone with

the president. and the air force had asked should they shoot down any aircraft that wasn't responding properly. and the realization that the american president had just given an order to shoot down civilian aircraft if necessary because every plane had become a missile, a potential missile, that was when i knew that we were in uncharted territory, that his presidency was never going to be the same, that he was going to face these awful choices all along the way. and i think that moments sticks in my mind as the moment when i realized he was now a war president. dana: in the haas couple of weeks, few weeks, you wrote in "the washington post" about the importance of america's credibility and that the taliban -- that china, russia and iran have taken our measure -- excuse me, not the taliban. you talked about needing to reinforce our commitment and credibility. and this morning on september 10th, excuse me, you write about

the importance of making sure that we understand that we are safer today than we were on september 10, 2001, but that we have to remain extremely vigilant. we don't have eyes and ears on the ground now in afghanistan. what about our credibility and this importance of trying to make sure we keep america safe as we look ahead? >> dana, credibility is not divisible. you can't say, well, we're not credible there, but we're credible over here. and so the fact that we left afghanistan in the way that we did and showed that we lacked the patience9 and the will to keep even a small presence in a place where the attacks were launched from on that day, to allow an implacable enemy like the taliban to retake the territory that they once held, that's going to be read in other place. and i think we have to now really take steps, for instance, with the chinese to say, well, yes, it's true that we didn't

stick it out in afghanistan, but we will honor our commitments to taiwan under the taiwan relations act to help taiwan defend itself. you can imagine in beijing that they're thinking if you wouldn't stick it out in afghanistan, will you really honor that promise the taiwan? and you can't just say it now. you can't just say, well, our credibility's intact. it's not. you've got to do some things to show that you're credible, and so i don't know whether it's exercises or an arms package, but with we've got to start sending messages to the rest of the world that a we are still the united states of america, we will honor our commitments, and we will do so because we understand that our security is inextricably e linked to that of others. dana: my last question for you is what would you say to educators across the country who are in the classrooms educating young people who weren't alive on these, on the day of these attacks or too young to understand it? how would you approach teaching them about it now? >> it's not a theoretical

proposition for me because i am a university professor who has students who were not alive on september 11th. i would just say that, i would say to them on that day we learned something that we had known intellectually, but we felt it in a way that we'd never felt if it. the security of the united states is inextricably linked to the security of others. the fact is that our protective oceans on both sides, our peaceful neighbors to the north and south are not enough to keep us safe. we sometimes have to take the fight to other places so that they can't bring the fight to us. and that we kept the peace for 20 years, so that was well worth doing. but i would also say to them as much as this is a security matter and as much as i think we have made ourselves safer -- if not completely safe -- also remember that america's always better when it's leading both from power and from principle. and it is a good thing that we

wanted to make afghanistan a better place for the people of afghanistan, that we cared about the fate of women in that country, that we cared about the afghan people enjoying just some of the basic liberties that we often take for granted. and so never forget that america is more than just its power, it's also its values expressed abroad in that way. and however this all turns out, i think we did the right thing. dana: never forget, indeed, and thank you for helping us remember. madam secretary, thank you. [reading of names]

>> and my aunt, anna mercedes. we miss you, we love you and you've been an inspiration to our lives, especially in my if life, and i see more grand a ma, your faith and grandma's faith especially throughout the years. your smile will always stay in us, and you will forever live in us. we miss you and love you. >> and my if sister-in-law, colleen ann dockery. col, can't believe it's 20 years. your children are living your legacy. they are walking in your footsteps and making a difference in this world. your amazing husband jay has been with them every step of the way these past 20 years, and we talk about you all the