Bush challenges country to volunteer

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By The Associated Press | Monday, September 8, 2008 6:56 PM CDT | () comments

President Bush delivers remarks on volunteerism, Monday, Sept. 8, 2008, during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. (AP PHOTO)

WASHINGTON — Stirring faded memories of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, President Bush on Monday challenged people to help others in a nation where volunteerism has sagged after soaring in the wake of the attacks.

   His call came a day after his party's own presidential nominee blamed Bush for not doing more sooner.

   In a South Lawn speech, Bush sought to rekindle the volunteer spirit the U.S. had after the worst terrorist attacks in U.S. history.

   Almost 60 million people across the United States volunteered in the 12 months following the Sept. 11 attacks, federal figures show. The number jumped as high as 65.4 million by 2005, but dropped to 61.2 million the next year. It stands at almost 61 million.

   ``The truth of the matter is, the farther we've gotten away from 9/11, that memory has begun to fade,'' Bush said. ``And some are saying, well, maybe I don't need to volunteer now. Maybe the crisis has passed. The aftermath of 9/11 isn't nearly as intense as it was. And my call to people is, there's always a need.''

   Even a topic like volunteering — from helping children read to providing packages to boost troops' spirits — has its political dimensions.

   Over the weekend, the Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, essentially pointed blame at Bush on the very topic.

   ``One of the biggest mistakes that we ever made after 9/11, we told Americans, go shopping or take a trip,'' McCain said. ``We should have said, 'OK, you're going to be part of a large group of Americans, the majority of Americans who are going to serve the country. And we're going to find ways for you to serve.'''

   It appeared to be an allusion to an oft-mentioned speech Bush gave in Chicago about two weeks after the terrorist attacks, when the president told the public: ``Get on board. Do your business around the country. Fly and enjoy America's great destination spots. Get down to Disney World in Florida.''

   And it wasn't the first time. McCain made similar comments last fall, saying the ``leadership of our nation'' made a mistake after 9/11 by not calling people to service.

   Bush has endorsed McCain for president, but the nominee has worked to keep some distance from the unpopular president.

   The White House says Bush has long advised people to do much more than go shopping; in fact, his aides see service as a little-known part of his legacy.

   So Bush's support for a variety of volunteer efforts is a message the White House wants to get out — particularly in the context of the Sept. 11 attacks. The president spent time Monday citing the benefits of program after program.

   His main effort, in 2002, was the creation of USA Freedom Corps, a program that helps connect people to volunteer opportunities. It also helps bolster the many national service programs that existed before he took office.

   The number of volunteers since then is up by about 1 million people, but it had been higher until the recent drops in participation.

   The year 2002 was also when Bush, in his State of the Union address, made a request that he repeated on the South Lawn on Monday: each person should serve about two years of their lives helping neighbors in need.

   The president said that's a lot to give over the course of a lifetime, but that those who do it end up as enriched as those they help.

   He also reminded people of a point he made in his first inaugural address in 2001 — that Americans should be ``citizens, not spectators.''

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   On The Net:

   White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov

   USA Freedom Corps: http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov/