Whenever a "mediawhore" says the * 7-minute blank can be justified

[LittleApple81]

because * did not want to "scare the children" I can hear Al Franken's rebuttal of this argument.
He said if he (Al Franken) were president and something like the WTC attack was communicated to him when he was reading "My Pet Goat" he would have said to the kids something like (paraphrasing Al, to the best of my recollection): "Well kids, you know what? I have to go and do something that is required of the President and which cannot wait. But, let me promise you, in about a month or so we will arrange a trip for all of you to come to the White House and visit me to complete this appointment we had today. Bye kids, and we'll see you in Washington." Then Al (as president) would have gone and taken charge of the WTC situation.
So there, that is what A LEADER would have done.

[Sweetpea]

1. Exactly ...that is what a "leader" would have done

[jackstraw45]

2. Amen to that

I hate the Corporate Media whores almost as much as the people who believe everything they say....

Many Amerikans have become so mentally lazy that they rely on media whores to tell them what to think instead of questioning motives and the common sense of what they are saying.

Bush* would have stayed in that classroom ALL DAY if no one had come for him.

Steady leadership indeed.

[Don_G]

3. Didn't Nixon Have A "Little" Trouble

Along the same lines?

Whats the difference between then and now? The media?

[Cyrano]

4. During that scene in F 9/11, Bush made Dan Quayle look decisive

This was far beyond a deer caught in the headlights. Oh well, as Dan Quayle said, "A mind is a terrible thing not to have."

[LTR]

5. The reason the White House gave is very flawed

Nothing wrong with, say, instructing the student to continue reading, while he quietly excuses himself to conduct 'presidential business'.

After all, Bush is known as a major delegator. This is a reason that Cheney is so active. Bush dumps everything off on him. And delegates lots of his work to subordinates to the point that he really doesn't have to do anything besides watch ESPN or play golf.

If he's such a delegator, why wasn't he assertive enough with a room full of children?

[Junkdrawer]

6. Look, it was an emergency and someone forgot Mr. Window Dressing..

was still in the classroom. They can't think of everything. Sheesh.

[salinen]

7. The "My Pet Goat" party

was not televised! How can they say that he wanted to show poise when no one was watching! (Shrub voodoo doll gets a pin in the eyeball).

[gulliver]

8. And also bring up the first plane.

Why didn't Bush or anyone close to him suspect something was up when they heard about the first plane crashing into WTC? Bush knew about that before going into the classroom to begin with. I never thought about how pathetic that was until I saw it played out in F911.

The WTC was hit by the first plane! No one near Bush -- and certainly not Bush himself -- had a clue it might be a terrorist attack of some kind?!?! Is this a presidency? What is this?

[DoYouEverWonder]

9. Unless, the attack didn't go has planned

and you had to stall until at least one target in DC got hit before you could react.

[ChompySnack]

10. Actually a better response is

The kids didn't know what was happening, so why did they need to be reassured that everything was OK?

What is more important to the President: Leaving 30 kids with a "where did he go" moment or the lives of US citizens in an attack on American soil.

I'm sure when the children grow up and realize what happened on that day and that Mr. Bush spent that extra time with them, to make sure they were reassured, they will realize what a great leader this guy is.

The chance that they might be somewhat scared about something they didn't even know about was more important that national security.


This is the weakest argument I have heard yet from these guys.

They really are desparate.

[ThomWV]

11. You Know What The Very Fucking Least He Should Have Said Was?

To this day I do not know why he did not say "Get Condie on the phone" to anyone. I do not recall anyone ever saying that he tried to contact his National Security Advisor at the time the country was being attacked. I do not recall reading in Clarke's book that the President's party had tried to contact the White House situation room. Did Bush do anything, anything at all other than get in his jet, scream for cover, and then run and hide deep in the bosom of the country.

[NWHarkness]

12. Bush was not "calm" in that classroom

The 911 footage makes that clear. Look at his face, that is not a man calmly weighing options, the look on his face conveys nothing but panic.

[paranoid floyd]

13. My opinion

He was waiting a certain amount of time for his freshly pissed pants to dry.

[IronLionZion]

14. There was no one there to advise the poor bastard

except for Andy Card, Ari Fleischer and several others.

Damn, when your chief of staff tells you the "country is under attack" you better do SOMETHING! Card should have said "Let's go Mr. President! You have to look like you care!"

[Liberal Veteran]

15. You know kids...they always jump to conclusions.

If Bush had excused himself, they would have all started crying and screaming and thinking the world was going to end cause kids are real pessimists who assume the worst!

/sarcasm off

[rolodomo]

16. Even a less graceful departure would have been fine...

and no problem for the children. Something as simple as abruptly saying "excuse me", getting up, walking out of the classroom, and leaving. This is something the average Joe off the street would have done if he were in the president's position. The teachers could a simply explained to the children that the president had to go. Why would the children be scared at that point? They would not have realized what was going on at that point and the teachers could have comforted the children as they normally do day in and day out. Frankly, even if they were uncomfortable the pressing need of the country to have its commander in chief lead it through a devastating sneak attack far, far outweighed any unlikely discomfort to the class when the President left. The only conclusion: our Commander lacks common sense in an emergency. Not good if we're attacked again.

[Swede]

17. How did this dolt get where he is?

Silver spoon doesn't cut it.

[Cyrano]

18. Try vast right-wing conspiracy. It's right there in full view.

[KittyWampus]

19. Rich White Men Tend To Fail Upwards

[LittleApple81]

20. Bingo!!!! exact description of the Bush family. n/t

[AndyTiedye]

21. Indecisive? or Everything Going According to Plan?

AWOL would not have risked his own life AND those of the children and
teachers "to avoid scaring them". Any that survirved would have
been a lot more scared if a plane hit the school.

The fact that he stayed means HE KNEW THERE WAS NO DANGER TO HIM.

HOW COULD HE KNOW THAT unless he knew the hijackers' plans in advance??
That is LIHOP, and probably MIHOP.

[Cat Atomic]

22. I LOVED the way Moore portrayed that scene.

The impression is one of a man-boy who's so out of his league and stricken with fear, that he just crawls into a fetal position and hides with the other children.

[mainer]

23. Wasn't it longer than 7 minutes?

I heard that the 7 minute mark was when the teacher's video camera battery died -- that in fact Bush sat there much longer (maybe 20 minutes) before his aides suggested he leave. Does anyone have a link with the actual time he was sitting there?

[William Seger]

24. When you hear this kind of "argument"...

... drive home the real point: The man who sat there like a chimpanzee shot with a tranquilizer dart is asking for another four-year contract, claiming to be the better man to deal with terrorist threats.

Remind them that this same man, who apparently couldn't think a polite way to excuse himself from a room full of kids to at least find out what the hell was going on, was the man in charge who couldn't think of anything at all to do after receiving the briefing that al Qaeda was determined to attack inside the US, because he didn't know the flight numbers.

[JetJaguar]

25. Bush Letters

Leaving early


http://www.sarasota.k12.fl.us/emma/9.11.01/letters.html

Technically he was supposed to give a longer speech at 9:30am
so I guess it's not a blatant lie. The letters do seem to
imply he left in a hurry.


'Thank You for inviting me to come to your school last week.
I enjoyed my visit and really appreciate your understanding why
it was important for me to leave early.'
-GW BUSH, Sept. 17,2001