Hand-Holder in Chief

President Bush’s speech Thursday evening in Atlanta to public safety workers was notable for what it was not. It contained no sweeping new programs to combat terrorism. In a workmanlike way, Bush calmly reported on what’s been done since Sept. 11, emphasizing the domestic more than the foreign. If the rhetoric did not soar as in his speech to the joint session of Congress Sept. 20, that reflects the need for Americans to realize that the country is in it for the long haul.

The speech was welcome because it shows that the administration is aware that it has to reassure the public and keep it abreast of the course of the war. Bush accomplished both goals. His sober and calm tone suggested that the nation is getting back to business--two networks, for example, went with their regular programming--just not business as usual.

The speech was part of the public relations campaign that included Bush’s satellite address this week to officials of former communist nations of East Europe, gathered in Poland, and Secretary of State Colin L. Powell’s interview on Egyptian television.

The president sounded some familiar themes that bear repeating, such as emphasizing that Americans must not stigmatize each other based on ethnic or religious affiliations. Bush also effectively addressed a few areas where his administration has been criticized. The first was the practical question of what citizens can actually do. He rightly stressed that a new generation of America’s children--some are already calling it the 9/11 generation--should be encouraged to take up “careers of service,” such as police work, firefighting, the military or public health jobs. He urged an increase in volunteer work.

Second, he stated that the federal government will move more quickly to share information with local governments but frankly admitted that it remains baffled by the anthrax attack. He gave deserved praise to the postal workers, who have been in the vanguard of exposure to anthrax. Third, he ably defined the “difference between being alert and being intimidated.”

Time threatens to dim the horror of the attacks in New York and Washington, especially in nations where the lies of the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan get more attention than reminders of the reason the U.S. has been bombing that nation: nearly 5,000 innocent civilians killed. “Ours is a great story and we must tell it, through our words and through our deeds,” Bush said.

That will take a while. This is not the last reassuring speech the president will have to deliver. The administration has clearly begun to realize that it is in danger of losing the propaganda war abroad to the Taliban. It has taken a number of steps to mount a campaign overseas to tell the U.S. side of the story. Bush’s speech Thursday was intended to keep Americans themselves on course. As the president said, quoting passenger-turned-hero Todd Beamer’s last words before attacking the hijackers on Flight 93: “Let’s roll.”