The events of the last fortnight have shown the wisdom of McCormick and Hassan s advice. So many things have altered since 11 September, not least that postcards, films and casually taken personal photographs which have the twin towers in the background have become poignant historical records. The Pentagon is no longer a pentagon. Steel cutlery on aircraft has been replaced by plastic knives and forks. But these are superficial changes.
Deeper changes are also afoot.
Before 11 September, the declared enemy of democracy was not a callous bunch of extreme Muslim fundamentalists but apathy. Had that election taken place on 12 September, the turnout would have vastly increased. The same would have been the case in the American presidential elections. The politics of disengagement are over, at any rate for the time being. Ground Zero has vanquished apathy.