9/11-The figurehead is exposed W only discussed his "message"

[underpants]

after leaving the classroom. This is a PDF file so I can't post that part of the report (see starting on page 23 or 29).

W only discussed what he would say in a statement. Throughout this report there is little if any discussion of immediate action. The report goes on to say Cheney ordered the shootdowns (if possible) and there was no direct line of communication between W and Cheney just a series of phone calls.

http://www.9-11commission.gov/hearings/hearing12/staff_statement_17.pdf

[ithacan]

1. this is pathetic

The President and the Vice President
The President was seated in a classroom of second graders when, at approximately 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 national press corps was standing behind
the children in the classroom; 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.

Talk about bullshit!

Here are the parts I think you're referring to:

According to notes of the call, at about 9:45 the President told the Vice
President: “Sounds like we have a minor war going on here, I heard about the Pentagon.
We're at war….somebody's going to pay.”
About this time Card, the lead Secret Service agent, the President's military aide, and the
pilot were conferring on a possible destination for Air Force One. The Secret Service
agent felt strongly that the situation in Washington was too unstable to return. Card
agreed. The President, however, needed convincing. All witnesses agreed that the
President strongly wanted to return to Washington and only grudgingly agreed to go
elsewhere. The issue was still undecided when the President conferred with the Vice
President at about the time Air Force One was taking off. The Vice President recalled
urging the President not to come back to Washington. Air Force One departed at
approximately 9:55, with no destination at take-off. The objective was to get up in the
air—as fast and as high as possible—and then decide where to go.

(To cut and paste from PDF file click on the button with the T and dotted box...)

[ewagner]

2. When the report was read on TV

The staff went through great pains to indicate that in the 20 or so minutes AFTER he finished reading to the children, almost all of the conversation centered around the content of the President's statement. The statement was a "two-fer" photo op with the kids and and brief statement on the events in New York.

Image, image, image, image.

Bush was not in charge of anything!

[July]

4. Didn't Ari or Andy Card hold up a sign to Bush

saying something like "Don't say anything"? Yeah, that's a leader.

[underpants]

3. Thanks (learn something new everyday) -this part is what I meant.

Between 9:15 and 9:30, the staff was busy arranging a return to Washington, while the
President consulted his senior advisers about his remarks.

The part you sighted also shows that he was totally uninvolved in decision making.

That appears to be about all he did. It was very dramatic and damning when read aloud. ABC highlighted this part of the 1 hour of detailed and riveting staff reports.

[WoodrowFan]

9. how COULD he "understand"??

"The (idiot) felt he should project strength and calm until he could better understand what was happening."

HOW could he come to understand what was happening while sitting and listening to "My Pet Goat"?? Was the goat going to give him a briefing? Was the goat CIA or NSC? Did the goat have security clearances? Did the kids have "need to know"

sheesh.

[soup]

5. But - Later that evening when *he addressed the nation-

*he said:

"Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government's emergency response plans."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010911-16.html

LIAR
LIAR
LIAR

The only thing implemented following the first attack was a photo-op in a classroom.

[ewagner]

6. Right on the mark!

The only way the truth about what happened that day (and more importantly in those first critical minutes) will come out is if somebody who was actually there and privy to the whole disgusting scene comes out and spills the whole can of beans. Maybe it will happen.

[DeepModem Mom]

7. "....somebody's going to pay."

President: “Sounds like we have a minor war going on here, I heard about the Pentagon.
We're at war….somebody's going to pay.”

The Bush mind is limited, simplistic and juvenile. You're right, u.p., he's by necessity a figurehead, and knows it. He leaves it to others to deal with the immediate situation -- a situation of tragic and historic gravity for the nation he is supposed to lead, and thinks in terms of retribution. Retribution, and other measures, needed to come, but at that awful moment there were decisions to be made, and a country's people to be protected. Here is a man who never should have been placed in the position he is in. It's outrageous, and, to use another poster's word, pathetic.

(And Iraq, of course, having nothing to do with 9/11, would "pay.")

[underpants]

8. Message Image Message Image

And they don't have to (and often SHOULDN'T) have anything to do with what is the actual plan. The campaign is a clear example as is the message about the tax cuts.