New Jersey 9/11 Memorial a microcosm of post-9/11 America

So, last weekend marked the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and there were, of course, commemorative events all around the country. Few were probably as crass and horrible as the one in Washington Township, New Jersey, where the city unveiled this:

image via the New Jersey Star Ledger.

If you look closely, you'll see that the memorial features the names of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, two Committeemen, one Committeewoman, and the Township Administrator.

That's right, no names of victims, or even mention of the actual event.

It's tempting to chalk this up to short-sighted and self-important local politicians, but I feel that it actually perfectly exemplifies the national political response to the tragedy.

After a few days of public outcry, the stone was removed.  Why can't we accomplish the same thing at the national level?