Imagine a parallel universe in which the president of the United States said something like this:
"My fellow Americans ... we are at war.
"It is not a war of our choosing, but one that has been forced upon us by a dedicated enemy, most of whom are cowards. Our enemy prefers to strike from the shadows, to attack the most vulnerable among us, the unarmed, the unwary, the unprepared. Our enemy does not hesitate to attack women and children, yet our enemy will hide behind women and children.