Bush's own words and actions regarding 9/11 are damning.

[elperromagico]

I realize that this has all been covered before, but I think this info should be presented fully to the public on a daily basis. It demonstrates clearly that Bush is exactly what most of us have suspected he is: incurious and disinterested.

First: "I was not on point, but I knew {bin Laden} was a menace, and I knew he was a problem... But I didn't feel that sense of urgency, and my blood was not nearly as boiling." - George W. Bush's own words regarding the threat of Al Queda, from a WaPo interview with Bob Woodward, who can hardly be described as anti-Bush (emphasis mine).

Also bear in mind that Bush was being briefed daily by George Tenet regarding Al Queda, and had apparently seen memos warning of terrorist attacks on US soil.

With that in mind, on to 9/11 itself.

Some fourteen minutes after the first WTC attack, approximately eight to five minutes prior to the second WTC attack, and a good hour before the Pentagon attack, Bush claims he was informed of the first WTC attack. His response, after months of briefings by Tenet, after warnings by Clarke, and after the memos - in his own words:

"... I used to fly myself, and I said, 'There's one terrible pilot.' And 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."

So Bush - despite his access to intelligence regarding a possible terrorist attack using planes, despite the knowledge that the WTC was a ripe target for terrorists - still thinks it's an accident. In fact, he claims he was forced (by aides?) to stop thinking about it. After all, he had a goat story to read. More from the President:

"I was concentrating on the program at this point, thinking about what I was going to say. Obviously, I felt it was an accident. I was concerned about it, but there were no alarm bells."

So here we have a President who can't put two and two together. For the sake of comparison, let's look at George Tenet's reaction, minutes after the first attack:

"You know, this has bin Laden's fingerprints all over it."

How can Tenet and Bush, with access to the same information, come to such wildly different conclusions?

Minutes later, the second WTC tower is struck. Bush, now in the classroom, is informed of this new development by Andrew Card. Again, the President's words, quoting Card:

"'A second plane has hit the World Trade Center - America is under attack.'"

Remember, this is a good thirty-two minutes prior to the Pentagon attack, a time when prompt action could have prevented further loss of life. But Bush remains at the school for at least the next twenty-eight minutes; his motorcade doesn't leave the school until four minutes before the third plane barrels into the Pentagon.

What is Bush's excuse at this point? He has now been told, point blank, according to his own words, that "America is under attack." Did he not "feel that sense of urgency"? Did he still feel it was "A terrible accident"? Were there "no alarm bells"? Some have claimed that he didn't want to "scare the children."

Which is more important to this President, saving hundreds or thousands of lives... or not scaring children?

I could go on, but I'm getting extremely agitated just typing this.

[elperromagico]

1. Kick

[Beloved Citizen]

2. Bush had until recently been on vacation

Spent the entire month of August hanging out on his vanaity ranch in Crawford. Beyond clueless would be an understatement in this case.

[elperromagico]

3. I could almost buy the argument that nothing could have been done

to prevent 9/11, but I cannot excuse Bush's total inaction and seeming ignorance of everything he'd been told for the past nine months on the day of the attacks.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

4. You folks are getting this all wrong...

...being in the school in Sarasota, Florida was Junior's cover story to indicate that he personally had nothing to do with the 911 attacks.

In light of all of the other information we now know about 911, Junior's lack of emotion tells me that he knew exactly what was happening, and WASN'T ABOUT TO DO ANYTHING TO STOP IT.

The thirty minute delay wasn't because Junior was rooted to the floor out of fear and/or stupidity, it was because he had to let the events of 911 run their course. The NeoCons had to have another Pearl Harbor to allow them to initiate their plans for global domination, and they got it.

[elperromagico]

6. You may be right,

but all I'm doing is what any DA worth his/her salt would do. I'm using Dubya's own words to nail him to the wall.

Whether intentional or not, the fact remains: Bush did nothing, and for that alone, he deserves to lose in November.

[Cronus Protagonist]

7. Yup. You got it right here - this was a LIHOP

And they didn't want to stop it.

http://brainbuttons.com/home.asp?stashid=13

[chimpymustgo]

9. More certain than ever: MIHOP.

PNAC needed a catastrophic event like Pearl Harbor. Their plan was to "stop swatting flies" and take out Saddam Hussein and ultimately reshape the Middle East.

This was a bold, earth changing iniative. Why would they leave anything to chance?

I've said it before, I'll say it again:

This is THEIR plan, carried out by THEIR people, to produce THEIR desired results.

[cally]

5. Good reminders

of what * said about this. :kick:

[RamboLiberal]

8. Hope you don't mind I copied your great post

and forwarded to a local liberal talk host - Lynn Cullen.

[elperromagico]

11. No problem; I culled the bulk of it from various websites.

It's hardly original material. I just worded it in my own odd way. :)

[seabeyond]

10. he didn't want to "scare the children."

my 9 year came back on this one. he said how wrong bush was to worry about the kids. they could handle being afraid, more important to save lives. was a no brainer for him

[sandnsea]

12. China, 9/11 & Yellowcake

I think a pattern is emerging here. Rice said today that the "principles" did not meet every day when the crew was being held by the Chinese. A fairly big emergency, wouldn't you say?

Bush asks for information about whether al qaeda may attack here at home, receives the 8/6 briefing, and doesn't have a sense of urgency or call the principles together.

Then, in October 2002, the information that Iraq is seeking yellowcake from Niger gets into a speech, and is taken out, and Bush doesn't have a sense of urgency or call the principles together for daily meetings. His only response to that particular piece of chilling information is to repeat it in the SOTU address. And do nothing.

Now, we have Iraq coming apart at the seams, and they aren't calling the principles together for daily meetings. Bush is on vacation, again.

These people are either totally inept or Cheney & Rumsfeld have their own agendas and don't WANT the principles to meet. Because that might mean information would actually get shared amongst more people and somebody might put their country ahead of the PNAC agenda.

I actually think the idea that they are just totally inept at National Security might work better on the American people. There certainly is enough evidence of that, if somebody just puts it together in just this way.