Does anyone know what the President means by this ad? I am seriously at a loss. 
I thought that was a little odd myself (and I’m going to vote for him.) I guess he was trying to say it was hard to decide which child to comfort first, but for me, I found my arms wide enough to hug both my kids that day (as well as Ivylad) all at the same time.
Saw it yesterday and it got a big “Huh?” from me too.
I guess they mean… no… aw hell, I give up.
Dude’s got two kids, right? I can’t imagine why he can’t imagine what it felt like… he should know exactly what it felt like, unless he is also sociopathic.
If nothing else the guy really needs to fire his writers.
I’m baffled, too.
Maybe he’s talking about picking up the kids from school on September 11th, as many schools dismissed early?
As far as he himself having 2 kids, they were in college at the time, grown already. I can see why he can’t imagine it.
But yeah. Not his best commercial.
That certainly wasn’t my first impression; I assumed he was referreing to a “you can only save one” type of decision, wherein a parent must decide which of his or her children will die. Deciding which of your kids to hug after hearing bad news isn’t “agony” – it’s not even a choice.
Yeah, but that doesn’t make sense - which one to pick up first? If that is the case, the wording completely sucks and it kind of comes out of nowhere.
That’s what I thought too. Now I’m trying to figure out why he’d say such a thing. Were there parents faced with that choice on 9/11? Did the buildings have day-care centers?
I’m so relieved to hear that I’m not the only one to whom this makes no sense.
It seems to be something about how having Bush in the White House will prevent terrorist strikes – nah, this ain’t the Pit, let’s not go there.
I am nonplussed by this ad every time I see it, though.
I’m guessing it’s promoting his thing about setting up family plans about what to do in case of a terrorist attack. You know, like a family has a fire plan so that they know everybody should meet up at a neighbor’s house or something. So with Bush in office everyone will get some official government literature that helps them set up such plans and they will know in what order to pick their kids up.
Or maybe he just thinks if he says “September 11th” often enough he’ll get reelected. 
Cue the music.
Cue the images.
Cue the president.
Cue morning doves being released.
Cue shot of Laura smiling demuringly at her husband.
Cue the background choir.
Anticipate tears.
Anticipate heart stings.
Anticipate strong emotions.
Await votes.
Didn’t The President say he wouldn’t be using 9/11 for political purposes?
I don’t get what it is that people don’t get about the ad.
Can somebody highlight the phrase or statement that is confusing?
El Cid linked the confusing phrase in the OP, but I’ll bold it again for you.
- What does he mean by “pick up,” and in what context is this done? Does he mean to embrace a worried child who doesn’t know why all the adults are scared? Having to drive to different places in the family car to get all of your children and trying to figure out which needs your comfort first? Scoop up in your arms to escape your apartment building when the Twin Towers across the street are burning?
- Depending on the answer to #1, why is it a.) agony, and b.) a choice?
It just doesn’t seem to go with the other sentences. Does he mean which child to pick up during the *next * terrorist attack?
Even as someone who usually votes Republican and considers himself fairly conservative, I’m thinking “foul” on the decision to use anything referring to 9/11 in a campaign.
Terrorism and homeland security is fair game. 9/11 isn’t.
“Pick up” is what’s confusing me. Does he mean “pick up from school” or “pick up and hold”?
I don’t have kids, but I fail to see why this would be a great agony. The great agony would be in the worry and fear about the present and the future. The great agony would be knowing the country was under attack. The great agony would be the fear that something was happening to your kids.
He should I have said, “I can’t imagine the great agony of a mom or dad worrying about their children on September 11th.” Much more simple and clear, and meaningful to more people.
I agree with ShibbOleth (especially about firing the writers). I don’t have kids, but even I can imagine the agony parents experienced that day. My idea of it may be off, but I can still imagine it. I don’t know what Bush thinks he’ll get out of admitting that he doesn’t know how agony feels, but I don’t see how it would endear anyone to him.
It seems clear to me that he means pick up from school (or daycare, or whatever). I would imagine that most parents who live in a city, especially NY, would want to pick up their kids if there is a terrorist attack.
It would be a choice because it’s multiple children that are in question. That’s simply the way it’s phrased. Which one do you pick up first is the choice.
It would be agony because no parent should have to choose which child to pick up before another.
I did see the ad on television before reading this thread. Maybe it’s the context of seeing it on TV that makes it somehow more understandable? I had no trouble understanding the meaning. Maybe those of you who have read the text on a web page are seeing it differently and that is causing the confusion?
Maybe it’s a sort of “pick up from school” thing…you know, which child do I go and make sure is safe first? It might become clearer when they add the video track, though.
Just remember it was Bush who did not want the 9/11 Commission in the first place. It was Bush who made every effort to prevent the release of 9/11 documents. It was Bush who did not want Condi Rice to testify. It was Bush who could not testify on his own. It was Bush who sought the release of the 9/11 Commission report be delayed until after the election. It was Bush who did not embrace the Report’s findings, but only after a large public outpouring and from both sides of Congress.
And he uses 9/11 in a campaign ad? Exploiting such tragedy for his personal game is crassness at its worst.