NEVER FORGET!!: Bush in the aftermath of 9-11 was MIA.

[BurtWorm]

I was reading an article today about Bush and New York City--probably in the Times--in the aftermath of 9-11. They made it sound as though the city had a love affair with Bush. Even Jerrold Nadler was quoted as saying Bush behaved "just right," saying something perhaps even as disgusting as "he held the city in his warm embrace."

That's utter bullshit. I recall very clearly the first two days after 9-11. People were asking each other, "Where the hell is Bush?" There was an article about New Yorkers' anger on 9-13, probably, in which one person was quoted saying, "Who needs Bush anyway? We'll get through this ourselves." And I remember thinking, my sentiments exactly! And in the same paper, there was a picture of Bush in the Oval Office--he'd been missing in action for most of the day--talking to a handful of reporters, and it was written that Bush was defensive, clearly trying to answer criticisms that he was gone, gone, gone and unable to deal with the crisis. "I'm a loving man," he asserted. And I remember thinking, "It's always about you, isn't it, fucker?"

I wrote a piece for DU just after 9-11 on this subject. Here's the link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/01/09/19_excuses.html

[BurtWorm]

1. Kick

[Cha]

2. I don't know where these people get these ideas from that bush is

anything but what he is...a cold calculating sob!? Maybe they're shell shocked! But then I'm a 10%er.. My fervent hope is that one day he will be exposed Nationally for the trollop that he is.


And thanks for the link to your piece on "9/11"...it is very poignant and I e-mailed it to myself so I would always have it!

It's how I felt after 9/11 and it was way before my time on DU.

[BurtWorm]

3. You're welcome for the link.

Thank you for your kind words about it. I remember, whenever I had a moment of luxury to think about the world outside of NYC and remembered that asshole in Al's house, I was extremely annoyed. I honestly believe that if he had been a mensch instead of a stench on 9-11, 12 and 13, I would have appreciated having a mensch in charge, just as I appreciated Giuliani's sudden change. But Bush didn't change. And what was painfully obvious to me then must be obvious to a lot more people now.

[eek]

4. Abso-fkn-looley. But Clintoon WAS there fast

and he and Chelsea made me feel a smidge better. He was strong, empathic and totally IN the crowd. with the people. No cordoned off hand-picked "fans" bullshit.

[BurtWorm]

5. And remember when Gore was flew back from Austria via Montreal

and stayed with Clinton in Chappaqua? It felt like there were some grownups in the house. The Times and Post each reported that they stayed up half the night and patched up all their differences.

[DoYouEverWonder]

13. Is that true?

I never heard about that. Must have been some pow wow. Wouldn't you love to have been a fly on the wall for that one.

[BurtWorm]

14. Yes indeed!

I remember feeling reassured by the story--sort of reminiscent of the feeling of the scene in Joyce's Ulysses when Bloom and Daedalas are sharing a piss after a night of drinking and whoring.

I also remember watching Clinton and Gore at the National Cathedral after the Bush boy's speech as they connected with bigwigs in the crowd, and I wondered how many there were thinking what I was thinking: If only...

[cliss]

6. Gotta love that man

Bush was missing because he was waiting for the dust to settle, since he was part of it. I just read recently that after the first building was hit, Bush calmly went back to his story about the "Pet Goat" for another 45 minutes so the hijackers could finish.

He probably needed to disappear for a couple of days to rehearse.

He was right to stay away. New York didn't need the likes of him.

[BurtWorm]

8. You should see the video

It's shocking.

http://www.thememoryhole.org/911/bush-911.htm

[davekriss]

7. Bush was nowhere to be found

I recall ranting to my wife, comparing GWB's glaring absence to Guliani's heroic leadership. I was thoroughly disgusted by Bush. I also recall one of the news anchors (I think it was Peter Jennings) also asking where's Bush with a bite of bitterness. I was surprised by that and pointed it out to my wife.

But, hey, Showtime put the facts right, didn't they? With their revisionist 9-11 historical drama this week? (No, I didn't watch it, but I caught glimpses while surfing through.) Geeze. 69% still believe Hussein was behind 9-11! I give up, I honestly do...

[BurtWorm]

9. You could go crazy if you believed the media really were doing their job.

I remember. I'll never forget. I'm glad others will remember too.

[opihimoimoi]

10. Stepford George going thru the motions of a mannequin

The Batteries were on low

The after effects of that unannounced lobotomy

[morningglory]

11. He was hiding just like he did yesterday,

only yesterday he was afraid of U.S. citizens. He made a speech at the FBI location. Safe again.

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. What better place to give a speech

They can't show you shots of the audience.

[BurtWorm]

15. Did you see the picture of him reaching over a gap to shake hands

with FBI agents. He was isolated on the left, and a small crowd of agents was on the right, and in between them was a canal of space between two lines of barricades.

In Sweden, until yesterday anyway, the foreign minister went shopping among the people.

[Stephanie]

16. Commander Bunnypants

It was MORE frightening to hear that he was bunker-hopping on that day, nowhere to be found, instead of returning to Washington. That made the emergency seem far more dire than it already was. But he's said it himself, he was trying to get out of "harm's way." Of course, he was hiding from his own shadow - there was no threat to him.

THAT episode of cowardice does not explain why, when the attacks were on Tuesday, he didn't arrive in NY until FRIDAY. Meanwhile Clinton and Chelsea were downtown talking to rescue workers and NY civilians - cops, firemen, steelworkers - were desperately combing through the wreckage while the fires raged.

I think Bush* didn't want to get his shoes dirty. I think he was afraid to come to NY until he was sure it was over. I think he's a creepy little coward.

[BurtWorm]

18. You may be right about that

I think he was clueless about how to handle it. I don't know for a fact, but all the signs I saw were that he was being sent into the rabbit hole by someone else who was in charge. Who really was in charge, I don't know.

I think Karl Rove may have had a long chat with the boy on Wednesday or Thursday and figured out that Bush couldn't connect with what was going on unless it was all turned into a black and white struggle between good and evil and Jesus was brought front and center. So they staged the memorial service on Friday to give Bush something he could connect with. He seemed to have snapped out of his utter cluelessness on Friday, doing what he "thinks" he does "best," i.e., pretending to be a "good man" for Jesus. That was the persona that got him out of his shell (or hidey-hole) and gave him the strength to fake it for the rest of the fall.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

17. No, Bush was working hard on 911

To get his terrorist business partners back to Saudi Arabia ASAP and covering his ass to make sure we didn't find out about his negligence and complicity in the attacks.

[BurtWorm]

19. That was the "help" doing that