# John Kerry did nothing for 40 minutes on September 11th. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 8, 2004, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855 "2004-08-08T04:14:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/21 "2004-08-08T05:53:50Z")
By **Mr. Moto’s** logic, since I did more than sitting around(\*) on the morning of the September 11 attacks, that makes me more qualified than _both_ George W. Bush and John Kerry to be POTUS. I’ll be expecting my confirmation to be announced on monday morning, thanks. 🙂_That’ll_ thwart Diebold for sure! 😉 (\* = I was driving to work, actually. But I managed to follow the news, analyze the repercussions, and not get into an accident, which demonstrates my ability to multitask during a crisis. 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/22 "2004-08-08T05:58:58Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > … **Elucidator** was getting a hummer from Glenn Close at the very moment flight 93 went down!.. Oddly, really don’t like Glenn Close. Its the chin, I think, reminds me too much of Fearless Fosdicks squeeze, Prudence Pimpledon. Thought friend **Moto** was pulling an Onion, bit of the droll Republican pre-Modernist irony. I hardly know what worthy thing Kerry might have done, short of a preliminary investigation into procedures relevent to impeachment. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/23 "2004-08-08T13:16:54Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > When you have hijacked airplanes in the air flying towards vital targets, and you are the only one who has the authority to shoot those airplanes down, **every minute** , nay, every second counts. I hope you don’t really think that that’s the case, do you? I can guarantee that the General in charge of United States airspace has the ability to shoot down targets on his own hook if he sees an attack happening. Unfortunately, nobody knew that an attack was happening until the second tower was hit, and even after that the guy with his finger literally on the button wasn’t able to react. And that guy was not Bush. ---
**Author:** ![laigle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@laigle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/laigle)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/24 "2004-08-08T14:10:20Z")
Good lord, you mean he didn’t present a mation to call a session to form a subcommitee to consider a bill to condemn the attacks?!?!?! What kind of kangaroo congress have we got!?!?! Boy, it sure is worrying that the Constitution makes the junior senator from Massachussets commander in chief of the armed forces, and head of federal law enforcement. Oh, wait… ---
**Author:** ![RTA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@RTA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTA)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/25 "2004-08-08T14:12:23Z")
(It must be embarassing to a conservative, when he needs a liberal to explain to him how the Commander-in-Chief of our nation’s military has a different job than a Senator!) > [@Mr. Moto](#): > > I was working on a federal installation in the middle of Washington, DC on that day, so I got to experience some of these decisions firsthand. Well, how about you share some of these tales of dashing heroism and decisive action then? (And these decisions you’ve personally witnessed - how would you compare them to Bush’s deer-in-the-headlights act we all saw in that classroom? After all, it seems like you want to present yourself as someone expertly qualified to comment on what Kerry should have been doing with himself that morning. Though honestly I don’t know how you can sit there with a straight face and try and sell us the notion that you know exactly WHAT he was doing, minute-by-minute, what calls were made to who etc., based entirely on what’s really only about a 20 word soundbite you pulled from an entire - what? hour-long? interview. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/26 "2004-08-08T14:17:55Z")
Has Karl Rove really gotten this desperate or is he saving his good material for October? ---
**Author:** ![Aldebaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Aldebaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aldebaran)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/27 "2004-08-08T15:32:53Z")
Who… You people might look at this reveiling OP differently but to me its clarity comes as a mental shock. Because you see, reading this and looking at my own reaction at the time puts all things in the right frame and perspective. This explains everything that is ever said and written about all of it being the fault of the Muslims on this globe and that we all should apologize and be on our knees for eternity. Add to this that this great OP explains finally why it is my personal fault as a Muslim that there still are terrorists claiming to be Muslim and as such claiming to be inspried by God. Let’s see… I heard about the first plane hitting the WTC and then I did nothing but following (at first) CNN coverage while trying to find out about a friend of mine who I thought could be at the very location. (He was. He did not survive). I hence did nothing but watching TV coverage on a variety of stations and actually it took me a not longer then a few calls to have confirmation about my friend in the WTC. This can explain why I did not undertake any immediate action to try to stop supposed terrorists from being suppozed terrorist for over 40 minutes. It is not a good enough excuse though. Whatever I did afterwards in a variety of ways does not count, because my reaction that first hour could have made all the difference in the world today and even in the whole world. I’m sure Mr. Kerry sees it exactly the same way. He should have undertaken immediate action and we would have a whole different situation today in the USA. Especially if he would have been where GW Bush was and could have told him: “Mr. President, don’t you know that you are the president of this country and that this implies that you should at least have some reaction on this shocking news?” Maybe Mr. Kerry could have said: " Listen, go do now what you are supposed to do as president of this nation and let me read about sheeps and goats to the children. They won’t notice the difference, but the country shall take notice’. (He could have added: the world shall take notice, but that would have been to much for GW Bush to understand or if he did understand, to find of any notable importance.) Salaam. A ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/28 "2004-08-08T15:38:42Z")
Christ, how pathetic. How long before they start defending Bush’s inaction by telling us that Clinton also didn’t do anything for so-and-so minutes that morning… ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/29 "2004-08-08T16:54:57Z")
> [@Airman Doors](#): > > I hope you don’t really think that that’s the case, do you? I can guarantee that the General in charge of United States airspace has the ability to shoot down targets on his own hook if he sees an attack happening. Unfortunately, nobody knew that an attack was happening until the second tower was hit, and even after that the guy with his finger literally on the button wasn’t able to react. And that guy was not Bush. It’s my understanding that the rules were different for shooting down a commercial US airliner with American civilians aboard. It was not just an “enemy” aircraft, it was more complicated than that. No one in the military had specific instructions on what to do in this case and only the POTUS could have authorized shooting it down. In fact, it’s my understanding that Bush DID give instructions to shoot down any more hijacked planes once he finally pulled his head out of his ass (or more likely, somebody i]told\* him to authorize it). ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/30 "2004-08-08T17:26:42Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > – (Just shakin’ my head.) – > > Seeing as hoe Michael Moore was the one who promoted that 7 minute revelation in the first place, and I don’t recall Kerry mentioning it once, it seems to be another example of a misdirected attack by the Bush administration against another enemy they don’t like, ignoring, once again, the real culprits resposible. > > Howcum Moore got less than a 2 month head start? Actually that video was known long before Moore probably ever thought of promoting it in his movie. What I would like to know is the Bush timeline of what he did minute by minute after he left the classroom. There are stories Bush did not immediately leave the school for Air Force One but chewed the fat and glad handed with folks for another 30 minutes. _If_ that be the case, what is the commander in chief doing for 40 minutes while his country is under attack? Whatever Kerry did as an ordinary senator for 40 minute is not only irrelevant but totally insignificant. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/31 "2004-08-08T18:14:52Z")
What a sorry excuse for a debate. As noted before, Kerry is a Senator, not the Commander in Chief. Kerry represents 1/100 of 1/2 of 1/3 of the government, or 1/600. Bush represents 1/3 of the government, or has 200 times the responsibility of Kerry. Bush sitting idle for 7 minutes is equivalent to Kerry having 1400 minutes of idleness. Since he is only being accused of 40 minutes, he still is 35 times better than Bush. ---
**Author:** ![flex727](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@flex727](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flex727)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/32 "2004-08-08T18:27:31Z")
> [@Jon the Geek](#): > > However, it’s very clear that, were he Commander-in-Chief, and had he been told “A second plane hit the other tower, and America’s under attack,” he should have done something, such as telling those people he was Commanding-in-Chief what they should do about the attack. Or, as Kerry put it himself (according to [Michael Moore](http://www.michaelmoore.com/), at least), “Had I been reading to children and had my top aide whispered in my ear, ‘America is under attack,’ I would have told those kids very politely and nicely that the president of the United States had something that he needed to attend to.” Does someone have a cite for this supposed quote of what was whispered to President Bush? I thought the moment depicted on film was shortly after the _first_ plane hit. At that point, nobody knew we were under attack, and I sincerely doubt that was what was said to Bush. ---
**Author:** ![Jon\_the\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@Jon\_the\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jon_the_Geek)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/33 "2004-08-08T18:29:59Z")
> [@flex727](#): > > Does someone have a cite for this supposed quote of what was whispered to President Bush? I thought the moment depicted on film was shortly after the _first_ plane hit. At that point, nobody knew we were under attack, and I sincerely doubt that was what was said to Bush. The 7 minutes in the movie were after the _second_ plane hit. The first plane hit _before_ Bush entered the classroom. From Moore’s [list of cites](http://www.michaelmoore.com/warroom/f911notes/index.php?id=16): “At 9:05 a.m., the White House chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., stepped into the classroom and whispered into the president’s right ear, ‘A second plane hit the other tower, and America’s under attack.’” David E. Sanger and Don Van Natta Jr., “After The Attacks: The Events; In Four Days, A National Crisis Changes Bush’s Presidency,” The New York Times, September 16, 2001 ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/34 "2004-08-08T19:48:49Z")
> [@flex727](#): > > Does someone have a cite for this supposed quote of what was whispered to President Bush? I thought the moment depicted on film was shortly after the _first_ plane hit. At that point, nobody knew we were under attack, and I sincerely doubt that was what was said to Bush. How about the 9/11 Commission Report, page 38: > [@](#): > > **The President and the Vice President** > The President was seated in a classroom when, at 9:05, Andrew Card whispered to him:\*\* “A _second_ plane hit the second tower. America is under attack.”\*\* The President told us his instinct was to project calm, not to have the country see an excited reaction at a moment of crisis. The press was standing behind the children; he saw their phones and pagers start to ring. The President felt he should project strength and calm until he could better understand what was happening. Bolding and italicizing of quote is mine. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/35 "2004-08-08T20:21:08Z")
And can I just point out that the 7 minute thing was the time he was still in the classroom. He spent additional minutes HAVING HIS PICTURE TAKEN and generallly futzing around.\*\*More[/B than 7 minutes in which he didn’t bother to ask…“Er…who attacked us?” Or anything else. My goodness. If the Bush people are really trying to use this 40 minute thing against Kerry, talk about shooting yourself in the foot. If a senator, who can’t actually do anything, was supposed to spring into action immediatly, all the more that the President fell down as President when he didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![LilShieste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@LilShieste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilShieste)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/36 "2004-08-08T20:23:41Z")
I… umm… Bush… er… Kerry…What…? You’re kidding, right? > [@Mr. Moto](#): > > Kinda puts that measley seven minutes in perspective, huh? Especially given Kerry’s reputation as a man of action. Yeah, it sure does. Oh wait… no it doesn’t! In fact, there’s not even a thread of a connection betwen the two situations. > [@](#): > > I’d love to see how forty monutes of Democratic senatorial naval gazing would look in a documentary. Wouldn’t that be fascinating? What are you trying to say here? Either it went clear over my head (can someone explain it to me?) or it just doesn’t make any sense. > [@](#): > > I’m surprised, first of all, that Kerry would admit, after all the flak thrown Bush’s way on this issue, that on September 11th he engaged in behavior that was demonstratively less decisive. But… didn’t you just say: > [@](#): > > I don’t think for one second that John Kerry should have gone and taken control of anything. That’s not the point here. At the most _basic_ of levels, it should be understood that _everyone_ was a bit shell shocked during the events of 9/11. Thankfully, however, not _everyone_ is responsible for taking action during catastrophic events. We actually have a leader who will make the decisions for the people he represents. _ahem_ Did I say “will”? I meant “should”. LilShieste ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/37 "2004-08-08T21:07:16Z")
I get it. The Democrats want to have their cake, eat it too, AND smash it in Bush’s face. CRAZY DEMOCRAT: “Bush is bad, because he just sat arond for seven minutes doing nothing!” CRAZY REPUBLICAN: “Kerry sat around for forty minutes doing nothing.” CRAZY DEMOCRAT!: “Fuck you! Fuck you and the tax break you rode in on! Kerry wasn’t President, he’s INVINCIBLE! How _dare_ you criticize him?!? What, I thought those seven minutes didn’t mean anything!” CRAZY REPUBLICAN: “They don’t. That’s why it doesn’t mean anything when Kerry did it, either. However, if you’re going to make one argument, you’re a hypocrite to not make the other.” CRAZY DEMOCRAT: “La la, Bush is Hitler, Bush is Hitler! La la, can’t hear you!” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/38 "2004-08-08T21:13:30Z")
Wow, the OP posted again and said the same thing, except his name was **SPOOFE** this time… ---
**Author:** ![CRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CRich)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/39 "2004-08-08T21:19:08Z")
Well, I don’t think Bush = Hitler, but if I had to pick a person who should have been doing something that morning, I think the greatest expectations are for the guy with the “Commander In Chief” after his name. Why would I expect to see 100 senators rushing around like chickens “doing” things? I have no expectations that my Congressmen were doing anything other than getting the hell out of Dodge. Kerry, and for that matter all the other Senators, get a pass. George…not so much. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855/40 "2004-08-08T21:28:57Z")
> [@SPOOFE](#): > > I get it. The Democrats want to have their cake, eat it too, AND smash it in Bush’s face. > > CRAZY DEMOCRAT: “Bush is bad, because he just sat arond for seven minutes doing nothing!” > CRAZY REPUBLICAN: “Kerry sat around for forty minutes doing nothing.” > CRAZY DEMOCRAT!: “Fuck you! Fuck you and the tax break you rode in on! Kerry wasn’t President, he’s INVINCIBLE! How _dare_ you criticize him?!? What, I thought those seven minutes didn’t mean anything!” > CRAZY REPUBLICAN: “They don’t. That’s why it doesn’t mean anything when Kerry did it, either. However, if you’re going to make one argument, you’re a hypocrite to not make the other.” > CRAZY DEMOCRAT: “La la, Bush is Hitler, Bush is Hitler! La la, can’t hear you!” Geez, already! What was he supposed to do? What do you want him to have done? Called up his Shadow Air Force on his Shadow Emergency Frequency and had his Shadow Jets intercept Flight 93? Kerry had no power to do anything on 9/11. Bush did! Kerry, like all the members of Congress, pretty much gets a pass on this one because it was a situation in which Congress had no immediate power. Congress’s opportunity for action would come when the president asked for permission or funding to do something about what happened. That’s when Kerry is supposed to act. I can’t help it that your guy had the responsibility and dropped the ball. The problem with your guy trying to reverse it is that our guy DIDN’T have the responsibility in that situation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-kerry-did-nothing-for-40-minutes-on-september-11th/258855.md?page=3)