President Bush visited Ground Zero on September 14, 2001. “Standing on top of a wrecked fire truck, Bush grabbed a bullhorn to address the rescue crews working feverishly to find any survivors. When one of the workers said he couldn’t hear what the president was saying, Bush made one of the most memorable remarks of his presidency, ‘I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear from all of us soon.’ Bush’s robust response to the attacks drove his poll ratings from 55 percent favorable before 9/11 to 90 percent favorable in the days after, the highest ever recorded for a president.”
– Peter Bergen, The Longest War, Page 53