Presidential Ultimatum: Reaction

TERENCE SMITH:

The president's speech to a rare joint session of Congress was intended to rally the American people. And around the country, Americans put what they were doing on hold.

At a bar in Chicago, at a firehouse in Florida, at a veterans home in Indianapolis, and at a hockey rink, where the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers cut short their exhibition game and declared it a tie, the nation watched and listened. A Super Bowl-sized audience of 82 million tuned in, according to overnight Nielsen ratings.

The challenge to President Bush was to enlist public support for a war on global terrorism that has no obvious borders and an ill-defined enemy. Editorials across the nation concluded that he had mostly hit his mark.

The Los Angeles Times said: "He set forth in broad language, that will have to be fleshed out soon, daunting military, economic, and diplomatic burdens. The strength of Bush's speech is that he made shouldering them seem possible."

The Chicago Tribune:

"President Bush gave comfort to a grieving nation and firmly established his case. His bearing, his message could not have been more resolute."

And The New York Times:

"Bush rallied Congress, the nation, and its allies abroad to what promises to be a long and painful fight against a ruthless enemy."

The Baltimore Sun:

"Mr. Bush exceeded the promise of his previous performances last night. The nation is stronger for it."

TERENCE SMITH:

Reaction on the street was mixed.

FIRST MAN:

I was very proud. I didn't vote for Mr. Bush. I disagree with a lot of his other policies, but for this purpose, I don't think you'll find too many people who aren't behind him.

SECOND MAN:

I mean, I just think I'm still uncertain about the future. I mean, being reassured, you know, the stock market would go up and I wouldn't have to worry about airplanes and stuff like that. But, I mean, we talk the talk, we'll see if we can walk the walk.

TERENCE SMITH:

But the polls were overwhelmingly favorable. Eighty-one percent of those adults who watched the speech had a very favorable response in an NBC News poll. And 74 percent said they "totally support" the president's military goals.

As the dust begins to settle around the World Trade Center ruins, President Bush's challenge will be to maintain the positive momentum generated by his speech for the duration of an anti-terrorism campaign that he warns could take years.