Bill Maher: Bush blew it the morning of 9/11

[stickdog]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/story/221433p-190107c.html

(snip)

The fact that Bush wasted 27 minutes that day - not only the seven minutes reading to kids but 20 more at a photo op afterward - was, in my view, the most outrageous thing a President has done since Franklin Roosevelt tried to pack the Supreme Court. This is an issue about the ultimate presidential duty, acting in an emergency. If nothing else in Washington is nonpartisan, this should be. But it is not. Republicans are tying themselves in knots trying to defend Bush's actions that morning. The excuses they put forward are absurd:

(snip)

* From the White House press secretary: "The President felt he should project strength and calm until he could better understand what was happening." I agree that gaining a better understanding of what was happening should have been his goal. What I don't get is how that goal was reached by just sitting there instead of getting up and talking to people. Is he a psychic? Was he receiving the information telepathically?

* "He didn't want to scare the children." Vice President Cheney has said of Kerry, "The senator from Massachusetts has given us ample reason to doubt the judgment he brings to vital issues of national security." So Kerry's judgment is suspect, but at a moment of national crisis, Bush's judgment was: Better not to scare 20 children momentarily than to react immediately to an attack on the country!

If he had just said, "Hey, kids, gotta go do some President business - be good to your moms and dads, bye!" my guess is the kids would have survived.

more ...

[lanparty]

1. People keep twisting the language ...

All the folks on the left shouldn't criticize what Bush DID do. They should say what he SHOULD HAVE DONE.

They should make it CLEAR that Bush should have calmly stood up, thanked the children and told them he needed to go do important "president stuff". Then he should have calmly walked out of the room making sure to wave "bye-bye" to the kids.

What is amazing is the suggestion that a man with kids couldn't extricate himself from a situation without causing alarm. He should know those skills by now. They aren't that much different from getting out of a room so you could use the bathroom.

[xray s]

2. He blew 20 minutes at a photo op AFTER he left the classroom?

Wow! I hadn't heard that before. That is even more outrageous than sitting there reading about a goat.

[wurzel]

3. Even Moore didn't say what Maher apparently said.

This would be the story of the year, if not the decade. Bush took a twenty minute "photo-op"? Where did this happen?

[Dems Will Win]

4. It's actually almost an hour of stalling at the school.

Bush heard at 8:47 that the first plane hit, and AF One did not lift off from Sarasota until 9:51, even though it was only 5 minutes away.

He went to the school anyhow, stalled in the classroom 4 minutes after the 7 minutes, WAITING FOR EVERY LAST PRESS PERSON TO PACK UP THEIR EQUIPMENT AND LEAVE THE ROOM!

THEN HE TOOK 15 MINUTES TO WRITE A 3-SENTENCE PRESS STATEMENT, THEN AFTER GIVING THE SHORT STATEMENT, HE AGAIN SHAKES THE HAND OF EVERYONE THERE FROM THE PRINCIPAL TO THE JANITOR!! ADD ANOTHER 4 OR 5 MINUTES FOR THAT!!

FINALLY, THEY HEAD FOR THE AIRPORT RIGHT NEXT DOOR, AND AFTER WAITING FOR THE PRESS PLANE TO LOAD, THEY FINALLY FUCKING TAKE OFF AND THEN CLAIM THE COM LINK TO DC WAS GOING UP AND DOWN!!!

[stickdog]

8. Exactly. AND this was a pre-scheduled, widely publicized photo op

just FIVE mnutes from an international airport.

So by remaining at that school rather than evacuating to his fully decked out command post limo and/or AF1, Bush and the entire Secret Service were unfathomably risking the life of the POTUS along with the lives of scores of little kids -- with the only possible "benefit" being the fact that Bush would remain steadfastly clueless and uninformed until the attack was over.

[stopbush]

5. To quote Bill Maher: "That is S-O-O-O pre-September 11"

That's what Bill was saying to guests on Politically Correct who had the temerity to attack the * administration and its failed policies in the aftermath of 9/11...at least until ABC canceled his show after Maher opined that the 9/11 terra pilots weren't cowards.

So, has Bill come around, or is his finger still firmly planted in the air checking the direction of the political breeze?

[indepat]

6. W was just exhibiting the calm strength of a strong, resolute and decisive

leader.

[peacetalksforall]

7. And in addition to what he should have done - there should be more

suppositions about why he didn't do anything - I think Card told him - just go on and finish the book, we have time because Cheney is taking over for you since you're out of town. Everything is in his good hands and we're still waiting for instructions from him as to whether we are flying directly to Washington or have a fly around. We should have it by the time you're finished, then a few photos, and we'll be on our way. And by the way, the little box backup in Cheney's tomb is the active one at the moment.

Ever wonder why there aren't more right wing operatives defending and explaining the decision?

[zoeb]

9. he was...

AWOL again!!! Didn't the coward fly around after the classroom incident and use the excuse that the command center in Air Force One didn't work? The guy should get the yellow ribbon for being a coward!! He ran like Al Qaida was on his tale!
zoe