An Interesting Day, indeed (Bush on the morning of 9/11)

Equipoise · July 10, 2004, 2:13pm

This could go in Great Debates, but I’m not a debater, so I hate to start a thread there. It could go in MPSIMS, but since it could get heated, I’m putting it in the Pit.
“It was an interesting day.” - President Bush, recalling 9/11

My husband found this fascinating page. It might have been mentioned before, but I haven’t seen it. It’s the most complete account yet, jam-packed with cites, of what Bush did that day. There’s a lot of information that I had never heard. The time in the classroom is only a part of it. After reading this page, I realize that Michael Moore went very easy on Bush in that part of Fahrenheit 9/11 (other parts too, but…).

An Interesting Day: President Bush’s Movements and Actions on 9/11

Some highlights:

Bush’s actions on September 11 have been the subject of lively debate, mostly on the internet. Details reported that day and in the week after the attacks - both the media reports and accounts given by Bush himself - have changed radically over the past 18 months. Culling hundreds of reports from newspapers, magazines, and the internet has only made finding the “truth” of what happened and when it happened more confusing. In the changed political climate after 9/11, few have dared raise challenging questions about Bush’s actions. A journalist who said Bush was “flying around the country like a scared child, seeking refuge in his mother’s bed after having a nightmare” and another who said Bush “skedaddled” were fired. [Washington Post, 9/29/01 (B)] We should have a concise record of where President Bush was throughout the day the US was attacked, but we do not.

What follows is an attempt to give the most complete account of Bush’s actions - from Florida to Louisiana to Nebraska to Washington, DC.

These are just cut and pasted bits. I’d urge everyone to read the original page, since I cut so much out. Bolding in all cases is MINE. The cites in brackets are hot links on the actual page.

At about the same time Bush was getting ready for his jog, a van carrying several Middle Eastern men pulled up to the Colony’s guard station. The men said they were a television news crew with a scheduled “poolside” interview with the president. They asked for a certain Secret Service agent by name. The message was relayed to a Secret Service agent inside the resort, who hadn’t heard of the agent mentioned or of plans for an interview. He told the men to contact the president’s public relations office in Washington, DC, and had the van turned away. [Longboat Observer, 9/26/01]

The Secret Service may have foiled an assassination attempt. Two days earlier, Ahmed Shah Massoud, leader of Afghanistan’s Northern Alliance, had been murdered by a similar ruse. Two North African men, posing as journalists from “Arabic News International,” had been requesting an interview with Massoud since late August. Ahmad Jamsheed, Massoud’s secretary, said that by the night of September 8, “they were so worried and excitable, they were begging us.” An interview was arranged for the following day. As it began, a bomb hidden in the video camera exploded, killing the two journalists. Massoud was rushed by helicopter to a hospital in Tajikistan, but was pronounced dead on arrival (although his death was not acknowledged until September 15). [International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism, 10/30/01, Newsday, 10/26/01] The assassination is widely believed to have been timed to remove the Taliban’s most popular and respected opponent in anticipation of the backlash that would occur after the 9/11 attacks. [BBC, 9/10/01, BBC, 9/10/01 (B), Time, 8/4/02, St. Petersburg Times, 9/9/02] The Northern Alliance blamed al-Qaeda and the ISI, Pakistan’s secret service, for the attacks. [Radio Free Europe, 9/10/01, Newsday, 9/15/01, Reuters, 10/4/01]

If air traffic controllers believed Flight 11 had been hijacked at 8:13, NORAD should have been informed immediately, so military planes could be scrambled to investigate. However, NORAD and the FAA both claimed NORAD was not informed until 8:40 - 27 minutes later. [NORAD, 9/18/01, AP, 8/12/02, AP, 8/19/02, Newsday, 9/10/02; one NORAD employee said it took place at 8:31, ABC News, 9/11/02]

…

Is NORAD’s claim credible? If so, the air traffic controllers (including Mr. Michael) should have been fired and subject to possible criminal charges for their inaction. To date, however, there has been no word of any person being disciplined at any institution at any level for what happened on 9/11.

If NORAD’s claim is false, and it was indeed informed within the time frame outlined in FAA regulations that Flight 11 may have been hijacked, that would mean NORAD did absolutely nothing for almost thirty minutes while a hijacked commercial airliner flew off course through some of the most congested airspace in the world. Presumably, that would warrant some very serious charges. Again, no one associated with NORAD or the FAA has been punished.

When Did Bush First Learn of the Attacks?

Why does it matter when Bush left the resort and arrived at the school? Because this is the crucial time when Bush was first told, or should have been told, of the attacks. Official accounts, including the words of Bush himself, say Bush was first told of what was happening in New York City after he arrived at the school. [Telegraph, 12/16/01, CBS, 9/11/02] However, this statement does not stand up to scrutiny. There are at least four reports that Bush was told of the first crash before he arrived at the school.

Two accounts explicitly state Bush was told while in the motorcade. “The President was on Highway 301, just north of Main Street … [when] he received the news that a plane had crashed in New York City.” [Sarasota Magazine, 11/01] (See adjacent map for the location where he is told.) Another account states, “Bush was driving to the school in a motorcade when the phone rang. An airline accident appeared to have happened. He pressed on with his visit.” [Observer, 9/16/01]

The first media reports of Flight 11’s crash into the World Trade Center began around 8:48, two minutes after the crash happened. [New York Times, 9/15/01] CNN broke into its regular programming at that time [CNN, 9/11/01], though other networks, such as ABC, took a few more minutes to begin reporting. [ABC, 9/14/02] So within minutes, millions were aware of the story, yet Bush supposedly remained unaware for about another ten minutes.

Paragraph after paragraph tries to pin down exactly what Bush knew before he went into the classroom, and when he knew it. There are so many wildly differing reports that it makes your head spin.

Leave it to Bush to clear things up though…

Bush’s Confused Recollection

Bush’s own recollection of the first crash only complicates the picture. Less than two months after the attacks, Bush made the preposterous claim that he had watched the first attack as it happened on live television. This is the seventh different account of how Bush learned about the first crash (in his limousine, from Loewer, from Card, from Rove, from Gottesman, from Rice, from television). On December 4, 2001, Bush was asked: “How did you feel when you heard about the terrorist attack?” Bush replied, “I was sitting outside the classroom waiting to go in, and I saw an airplane hit the tower - the TV was obviously on. And I used to fly, myself, and I said, well, there’s one terrible pilot. I said, it must have been a horrible accident. But I was whisked off there, I didn’t have much time to think about it.” [White House, 12/4/01]

There was no film footage of the first attack until at least the following day, and Bush didn’t have access to a television until 15 or so minutes later. [Washington Times, 10/7/02] The Boston Herald later noted, "Think about that. Bush’s remark implies he saw the first plane hit the tower. But we all know that video of the first plane hitting did not surface until the next day. Could Bush have meant he saw the second plane hit - which many Americans witnessed? No, because he said that he was in the classroom when Card whispered in his ear that a second plane hit." [Boston Herald, 10/22/02] Bush’s recollection has many precise details. Is he simply confused? It’s doubly strange why his advisors didn’t correct him or - at the very least - stop him from repeating the same story only four weeks later. [White House, 1/5/02, CBS, 9/11/02] On January 5, 2002, Bush stated: “Well, I was sitting in a schoolhouse in Florida … and my Chief of Staff – well, first of all, when we walked into the classroom, I had seen this plane fly into the first building. There was a TV set on. And you know, I thought it was pilot error and I was amazed that anybody could make such a terrible mistake. And something was wrong with the plane…” [White House, 1/5/02]

Unfortunately, Bush has never been asked - not even once - to explain these statements. His memory not only contradicts every single media report, it also contradicts what he said that evening. In his speech to the nation that evening, Bush said: “Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government’s emergency response plans.” [White House, 9/11/01] It’s not known what these emergency plans were, because neither Bush nor anyone in his administration mentioned this immediate response again. Implementing “emergency response plans” seems to completely contradict Bush’s “by the way” recollection of a small airplane accident.

At 9:03, Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. News of this traveled extremely rapidly. In fact, some of Bush’s Secret Service agents watched the second crash live on television in an adjacent room. [Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 9/10/02] Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, in the same room as Bush but not near him, immediately received the news on his pager. [CBS, 9/11/02] Other pagers were going off as well.

Chief of Staff Andrew Card was in a nearby room when he heard the news. He waited until there was a pause in the reading drill to walk in and tell Bush. [Washington Times, 10/7/02, Washington Times, 10/8/02] The children were getting their books from under their seats to read a story together when Card came in. [Daily Mail, 9/8/02] Card whispered to Bush: “A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack.” [San Francisco Chronicle, 9/11/02] Another account has Card saying: “A second plane has hit the World Trade Center. America is under attack.” [Telegraph, 12/16/01] Accounts vary as to when Card gave Bush the news. Some say 9:05 [Salon 9/11/01, New York Times, 9/16/01 (B), Telegraph, 12/16/01, Albuquerque Tribune, 9/10/02], and some say 9:07. [Washington Post, 9/11/01, Washington Times, 10/8/02] ABC News reporter Ann Compton, who was in the room, said she was surprised by the interruption and “wrote [the time] down in my reporter’s notebook, by my watch, 9:07 a.m.” [ABC News, 9/11/02]

So what did the Commander in Chief do with the knowledge that the United States was under attack?

**He did nothing.

Bush did not say one word. He did not ask Card any questions. He did not give any orders. He did not know who (or which country) was attacking, whether there would be more attacks, what military plans had been taken, what military actions should be taken - indeed, he knew virtually nothing about what was going on outside the room. He just sat there.** Bush later recalled: “There was no time for discussion or anything.” [Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism - From Inside the Bush White House, by Bill Sammon, 10/02, pp. 83-84] Even stranger, as one newspaper put it, although the nation was under terrorist attack, “for some reason, Secret Service agents [did] not bustle him away.” [Globe and Mail, 9/12/01]

Military pilots must have “permission from the White House because only the president has the authority to order a civilian aircraft shot down.” [CNN, 10/26/99] But if retaliatory strikes needed to the authorized, Bush was not available. If one of the planes had to be shot down to save more lives on the ground, Bush was not available. Although several fighters had been dispatched to defend New York City, the pilot of one of the planes flying to catch Flight 175 later noted that it wouldn’t have mattered if he caught up with it, because only Bush could order a shootdown, and Bush could not be reached in the classroom. [Cape Cod Times, 8/21/02]

Secret Service agents and other security personnel had set up a television in a nearby classroom. They turned on the TV just as Flight 175 crashed into the World Trade Center. According to Sarasota County Sheriff Bill Balkwill, who was in the room, a Marine responsible for carrying Bush’s phone immediately said to Balkwill, “We’re out of here. Can you get everyone ready?” [Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 9/10/02] But he must have been overruled by someone, because Bush did not leave.

Nearly every news account fails to mention when Bush left the classroom after being told America was under attack.

…

Remaining in the classroom for approximately five to seven minutes is inexcusable, but the video of Bush in the classroom suggests he stayed longer than that. The video contains several edits and ends before Bush leaves the room, so it also doesn’t tell us exactly how long he stayed.

…

When Bush finally did leave, he didn’t act like a man in a hurry. In fact, he was described as “openly stretching out the moment.”

…

Bush lingered until the press was gone

…

But he still wasn’t done. Bush then turned to principal Tose-Rigell, who was waiting to take him to the library for his speech on education. He explained to her about the terror attacks and why he had to leave.

…

Hijackers could have crashed a plane into Bush’s publicized location and his security would have been completely helpless to stop it. Remember, Bush’s schedule had been announced on September 7 and two of the 9/11 hijackers came to Sarasota that same day. [White House, 9/7/01, Longboat Observer, 11/21/01, Washington Post, 1/27/02] Furthermore, the Secret Service was aware of the strange request for an interview a few hours earlier and the previous night’s report of a person in town who had made violent threats against Bush.

Indeed, a few days after 9/11, Sarasota’s main newspaper reported, “Sarasota barely skirted its own disaster. As it turns out, terrorists targeted the president and Air Force One on Tuesday, maybe even while they were on the ground in Sarasota and certainly not long after. The Secret Service learned of the threat just minutes after Bush left Booker Elementary.” [Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 9/16/01]

Once he was out of the classroom, did Bush immediately leave Booker? No. He stayed in the adjacent room with his staff, calling Vice President Cheney and National Security Advisor Rice, and preparing a speech. [Telegraph, 12/16/01, St. Petersburg Times 9/8/02] Incredibly, even as uncertain information began to surface, suggesting that more planes had been hijacked (eventually 11 planes would be suspected) [CBS, 9/11/02], Bush was allowed to make his remarks at 9:30 - exactly the time and place stated on his advance schedule. [Federal News Service, 9/10/01, see the transcript of his speech here] Why hasn’t Bush’s security staff been criticized for their completely inexplicable decision to stay at the school? And why didn’t Bush’s concern for the children extend to not making them and the rest of the 200 or so people at the school terrorist targets?

There’s more, much more, but all that alone is enough to make my head spin. He was even more irresponsible than I knew!

How can anyone defend this man’s actions (or rather, non-actions) on this morning?

tomndebb · July 10, 2004, 2:31pm

It may make your head spin. To me it simply looks like the typical responses of a great many people who are called to provide testimony (or recollections) regarding a horrendous event that caught them unexpectedly in the middle of a routine day.

I’m willing to believe that Bush was informed of the first plane strike before entering the classroom. Barring solid evidence that the president was informed of the hijacking and diversion of that plane before the crash, I would guess that he (like most of the people watching the news interrupting their lives) thought it was a tragic accident that should not be used to cancel an event for which a great many people had already invested time and energy to set up. (Even if he knew of the hijacking, it is unlikely tht he could have ducked into a closet and emerged as SUPERPRES to race off and save the victims in the other three planes.)
As for the rest of your citations: please go watch Rashômon a few times.
There are any number of issues for which to oppose Mr. Bush’s re-election, but his actions on September 11 do not comprise any significant portion of thoise reasons.

Desmostylus · July 10, 2004, 2:38pm

Some people do find this significant (I guess particularly since it was featured in Moore’s film).

It’s part of the Bush pattern of lies and ineffectuality. There’s no reason to deny the pattern or support Bush’s actions on the day.

monstro · July 10, 2004, 2:48pm

The thing about him having watched the first plane attack the WTC on TV makes me so embarrassed! Only a scared fool would lie about something so easily disproven!

Equipoise · July 10, 2004, 2:50pm

Oh sure, I agree with that.

He definitely was informed before he entered the classroom. It’s just unlcear if he learned about it in the motorcade on the way there, or after he arrived.

Well, being the president and all, he would have been more aware than people watching the news interrupting their lives of the threats and warnings that had been given in the days and weeks prior. Also, it was the World Trade Center, after all, which had been bombed 8 years earlier. I would have expected him and his handlers to be a little bit more on the ball than you or I.

Oh that just pisses me off. OF COURSE he couldn’t have saved the people in the other planes or on the gound, but after hearing about the second plane he could have found a way to gently interrupt the teacher and take his leave without upsetting the children, then he should have gotten the hell out of there. In my mind, they should have evacuated the school as soon as they knew there were other hijacked planes.

No, hijackers didn’t target the school, BUT NO ONE KNEW THAT IT WOULDN’T HAPPEN AT THE TIME!

a) he wasn’t in the least bit curious as to what the hell was going on,

b) he put those kids and everyone else there in jeopardy by staying there

c) isn’t it just a little bit scary that the leader of the free world THOUGHT HE SAW THE FIRST PLANE CRASH ON TV, weeks later?

monstro · July 10, 2004, 3:20pm

I’d just like to say that, although I respect you tremendously tomndebb, it’s tiring to hear people trivialize the obvious failures and shortcomings of the current Administration, even if they do seem “small potatoes” compared to say, the huge mistake known as the Iraq War. Many people think Bush was the Golden Child on 9-11. Bush thinks so himself (lookit the campaign commercials). The information cited in the OP challenges this bigtime.

Their priorities may be misplaced, but for many what happened on 9/11 is much more important than what’s happening halfway across the world. These people may be foolish enough to vote for the Prez simply because he put up a brave and courageous front on that fateful day. They may not do this if presented with the truth.

It is a big deal.

From the website in the OP:

When Bush finally did leave, he didn’t act like a man in a hurry. In fact, he was described as “openly stretching out the moment.” [Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism—From Inside the Bush White House, by Bill Sammon, 10/02, p. 89] When the lesson was over, Bush said to the children: “Hoo! These are great readers. Very impressive! Thank you all so much for showing me your reading skills. I bet they practice too. Don’t you? Reading more than they watch TV? Anybody do that? Read more than you watch TV? [Hands go up] Oh that’s great! Very good. Very important to practice! Thanks for having me. Very impressed.” [Transcribed from Booker video, Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism—From Inside the Bush White House, by Bill Sammon, 10/02, pp. 89-90] Bush still continued to talk, advising the children to stay in school and be good citizens. [Tampa Tribune, 9/1/02, St. Petersburg Times, 9/8/02 (B)] One student asked Bush a question, and he gave a quick response on his education policy. [New York Post, 9/12/02]

The only source to describe what happened next is Fighting Back by Bill Sammon. Publishers Weekly described Sammon’s book as an “inside account of the Bush administration’s reaction to 9-11 [and] a breathless, highly complimentary portrait of the president [showing] the great merit and unwavering moral vision of his inner circle.” [Publisher’s Weekly, 10/15/02] Sammon’s conservative perspective makes his account of Bush’s behavior at the end of the photo-op all the more surprising. Bush is described as smiling and chatting with the children “as if he didn’t have a care in the world” and “in the most relaxed manner imaginable.” White House aide Gordon Johndroe, then came in as he usually does at the end of press conferences, and said, “Thank you, press. If you could step out the door we came in, please.” A reporter then asked, “Mr. President, are you aware of the reports of the plane crash in New York? Is there anything…,” But Bush interrupted, and no doubt recalling his order, “DON’T SAY ANYTHING YET,” Bush responded, “I’ll talk about it later.” But still the president did not leave. “He stepped forward and shook hands with [classroom teacher] Daniels, slipping his left hand behind her in another photo-op pose. He was taking his good old time. … Bush lingered until the press was gone.” [Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism—From Inside the Bush White House, by Bill Sammon, 10/02, p. 90]

Think about that: rather than rush out of the room at the first chance, Bush actually stayed until after all the dozens of reporters had left! Having just been told of a Pearl Harbor-type attack on US soil, Bush was indeed “openly stretching out the moment.” But he still wasn’t done. Bush then turned to principal Tose-Rigell, who was waiting to take him to the library for his speech on education. He explained to her about the terror attacks and why he had to leave. [Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism—From Inside the Bush White House, by Bill Sammon, 10/02, p. 90] Finally, he went to an empty classroom next door where his staff was based. [ABC News, 9/11/02] Given that Bush’s program was supposed to end at 9:20, he left the classroom only a couple of minutes earlier than planned, if even that. [Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 9/16/01]

Bolding mine.

Reeder · July 10, 2004, 3:34pm

What TV? The first plane? ASFAIK there was no video coverage at the time off the attack. Why did he lie?

tomndebb · July 10, 2004, 3:44pm

The level of Mr. Bush’s “curiosity” is a matter of wild speculation (for those interested) and is not demonstrated by the testimony presented. Public persons develop the ability to dissemble regarding their actual interest in events (for both good and ill) for the purposes of maintaining the public persona demanded of them at any given moment.

If an assassin had intended to attack the school because Mr. Bush was there, there is no reason to believe a bomber (or plane hijacker) would have called off the attack had Mr. Bush fled (since it is unlikely that the attacker would know of Mr Bush’s departure).

(There is also the issue of the time required to reschedule Mr. Bush’s departure. Previously established parade routes need to have their timetable changed; if Marine Corp 1 was sent in to pluck him, someone needs to be sure that the school is not surrounded by high tension wires and trees so that the chopper can safely land and take off; etc. While those emergency changes are being made, why should not the president continue with the planned event, rather than encouraging panic by cancelling, then standing around, idle, until he can be extracted?)

Mr. Bush’s memory may not be the greatest. However, between his noted propensity for grabbing the wrong phrase when speaking and the nature of memories (especially when witnessing catastrophic events), I do not find a comment that he “witnessed” the first crash to be more than a casual reference to what most Americans recall after seeing various films and videos replayed hundreds of times in less than a week.

Again, I strongly urge you to go watch Rashômon a few times.

.

I’m sorry. I just have a different view of what the president “should have done.” The immediate needs of air security were being addressed (if, in retrospect, ineffectively) by the people who are trained to do so. Do you really think that an executive (of whom you have a low opinion of his administrative capabilities) would actually be better suited to throwing orders into the situation? Having dealt with a few real-time crises in my career, I will state that I would much prefer that executives stay the hell out of my way while I am dealing with a problem. The failures of September 11 were failures of preparation and anticipation not of response. Once the events are in motion, there is nothing an executive can do to actually change the course of events. Heck, even in TV’s 24, the president basically waits around for Jack the super hero to get things done.

Want to criticize the Bush crowd for failing to heed Mr. Clark’s advice?
Go for it.
Want to ridicule Bush for trying to turn an al Qaida attack into an excuse to “get Saddam” when he had no clue what really happened?
I’m there with you.
Want to bash Bush for pouring hundreds of millions into Star Wars II instead of trying to co-ordinate the inter-service rivalries that caused our intelligence to fail?
That seems to be an argument that can be made.

Blasting Bush for not running out of a school in a panic while waiting for actual functional people to gather information and make on-site decisions?
Sorry, I can provide no support for that reaction.

monstro · July 10, 2004, 3:55pm

Perhaps this goes in the “Pitting Bush for stuff that doesn’t seem to rate its own thread”, but this sentence is vintage Bush.

What do people, especially little kids, do when they lie? They nervously insert unnecessary information. Like “the TV was obviously on”.

Why did he feel it necessary to remind us that he used to fly himself? Surely it doesn’t take having a pilot’s license to be able to identify a freakin’ disaster. Another clue he’s an idiot grasping at straws.

He’s too stupid to realize that this categorically contradicts what he told the press earlier, about him having started the ball rolling on emergency response plans right after the first attack.

If Presidents had to give all of their speeches and interviews under oath, Bush would have been impeached a hundred times over by now. People jumped on Clinton for lying about having sexual relations with “that woman”. Yet the same folks pray every night for God to bless the bubblehead we have in the WH now. A bubblehead who’s lies drip with blood.

vanilla · July 10, 2004, 4:00pm

Good way to put it succinctly, monstro.

Also, those prayers are bubbleheads also, you see.
Must pray for one of their own.

Reeder · July 10, 2004, 4:01pm

The point is, he could not have seen the plane hit the tower. There was no immediate video of the first plane hitting the tower.

vanilla · July 10, 2004, 4:04pm

Maybe he was told to say that.

Equipoise · July 10, 2004, 4:05pm

Ha, that reporter isn’t exactly on the ball either.

He doesn’t even mention that THERE WAS NO VIDEO of the first plane hitting the WTC.

Sure, but his staying there, and staying there, and staying there seems to indicate a lack of curiousity to me.

All the more reason to get everyone out of there.

Aren’t these people trained for several different scenarios? In an emergency, say, a fire, is the president supposed to sit there while parade routes and high tension wires are checked out? I’m sorry, I don’t buy it.

It would have been easy enough for someone in charge (which obviously Bush was not) to come in, say “hey kids, we’re going show the president how we conduct a fire drill! Won’t that be fun?” or something, then pull the fire alarm. Something. I don’t know. I’m not smart and in charge of the country and people’s safety. I thought these things were supposed to be handled. I don’t think it was.

Forget Rashomon (I’ve seen it), this is the President of the United States we’re talking about here. He didn’t just say it once. He said it at least 3 times. If he’s too much of a doofus to know he couldn’t possibly have seen the first plane crash into the WTC, you’d think someone on his staff would have told him before he repeated the embarrassing gaffe.

There again, with that panic bit. No one is suggesting that the president panic and run out. Perhaps stepping into the next room to see what information WAS available would have been prudent?

Which was a lie in itself.

monstro · July 10, 2004, 4:16pm

Fair enough, tomndebb. It’s not like I’m going to head out to Union Square today and join the looney guy with the bullhorn who thinks Bush planned 9/11. I just think people should know how the truth behind the myth.

In my eyes, he became president on 9/11. I don’t think he should have run out of there like a chicken without its head. But I don’t think his staying there and yucking it up in front of the cameras was appropriate given that the rest of us thought the end of the world was coming.

I think it’s important to find out when Bush knew the shit was hitting the fan. When did he know that the first plane wasn’t just a “bad pilot” in a “horrible accident”? Did he know, before even stepping foot into that elementary school, that we were being attacked? I don’t think this is a trivial question. The answer could reveal whether or not he put a photo-op over this country’s security.

Politicians get called to the carpet over more trivial things. I don’t see why he should get a pass on this simply because there are bigger fish to fry. Simple Americans–of which there are many–don’t understand the “bigger fish”. But they do understand stuff like this.

you_with_the_face · July 10, 2004, 4:32pm

That’s immediately what I thought when I read that, monstro. Yeah, the TV was obviously on, Dubya. It would be quite silly to assume you saw the event on a TV that wasn’t. But thanks for that extra info.

It was clear the question that triggered this answer made him very nervous. I’m thinking it was because he wanted to make sure it looked as if he had been fully on top of things that day, and in his haste to create that impression, he overcompensated by lying. One could say that maybe his brain had had a memory fart and had conflated his recollections of seeing the second flight with seeing the first one, but why would his mistaken recollection read like a poorly delivered lie to me? I just keep finding it hard to give this man the benefit of the doubt.

monstro · July 10, 2004, 4:42pm

Well, he didn’t see the second plane hit the towers either, since he was fixin’ to read “My Pet Goat” with the kiddies. So he couldn’t have conflated anything.

The_Long_Road · July 10, 2004, 5:19pm

I’m not going to quote the OP since it’s so long but one part I want to take issue with is the comment about Bush moving around the country during September 11th. It seems few people remember just how hectic that day was. Everyone is focusing on the Trade Centers being hit but I don’t hear mention of all the other reports being made that day. The Capital Building was evacuatedfor fear of plane headed toward it, there were reports that Camp David had been hit and ABC reported car bombs being detonated in front of the State Department. There were also reports of attemps to destroy Air Force One.

I was in D.C. that day and even after being let out of work I was stuck because the Metro had been shut down. The Blue Line runs under the Pentagon and people were talking about bombs being used in the Metro Line. The news was confused and it seemed no one knew what was going on.

So while I don’t know what Bush was thinking while sitting in front of the classroom or why he didn’t jump up right away, leave the room and take charge, I won’t fault him for flying to different military bases instead of flying right back to D.C.

Equipoise · July 10, 2004, 5:26pm

[nitpick] I didn’t realize until I read that page, and my husband went looking for confirmation, that it was actually The Pet Goat (cite). Michael Moore and others got it wrong.
I don’t fault Bush for not coming back to Washington right away either. I have no problem with that. I think it would have been irresponsible if he had come back immediately.

Master_Wang-Ka · July 10, 2004, 5:32pm

On September 11, 2001, I wasn’t in charge of much of anything outside the reach of my arm…

…and I can tell you EXACTLY what I did, pretty much, between 7 a.m. and twelve noon, as well as when I did it. It’s etched in there pretty good.

I am inclined to wonder about a guy who has umpteen handlers, guards, and hiney wipers, who can’t seem to remember exactly when he did what during that same time frame.

Liberal · July 10, 2004, 5:46pm

In the event that it matters at all to you, the so-called Center for Cooperative Research is nothing more than a glorified message board where practically anyone who registers with a CCL license can add and edit whatever they want. Note, incidentally, that CCR links to an old version of CCL which does not cover new work. The board’s owner holds a BA in anthropology, and is not a credentialed journalist or researcher. The article you cited was written by a Village Voice writer whom the site calls a “freelance researcher”. Among its disclaimers, the site says this: