Who visited the WTC first following the attack, was it Bush or

[Demonaut]

Clinton?

[unblock]

1. clinton and gore both beat bush there by days.

and clinton, iirc, was in australia at the time. a tad further away than florida.

[calico1]

2. Clinton. And I remember him getting a lot

of criticism at the time for trying to upstage Bush. Of course, none who criticized him bothered to also remember that Chelsea was in NY and he was concerned about her. Bush took his time going to NY. I think he had to be talked into it. Don't think he wanted to go to that nasty city, you know.

[Booster]

3. And Bush wasn't concerned about Laura

because he knew ahead of time she was safe in a bunker.

[Maeve]

4. Compare Dubya's reluctance with Rudy Guiliani

Guiliani was at the WTC right after the second plane hit and at risk of being trapped when the towers collapsed. He stayed out there on the streets and showed what a grown-up in office REALLY looks like in a crisis.
Time's Man of the Year, 2001

[nodehopper]

10. yes, he behaved halfway humanly for like a split second

unfortunately he is still a racist mother#$%er who lied about air safety at Ground Zero.

[nodehopper]

8. upstage bush...yeah, THAT's why someone would visit GZ

Clinton has more of a home in NY than Bush ever did.

It's true that those with only dirt in their hearts project that onto others.

[KharmaTrain]

5. GREAT Question!!! You Made My Day...Clinton & Gore!

There's a great story that Clinton flew from Australia to Montreal...he rented a car and was going to drive to his home in NYC. Also at the airport was Al Gore, who also was out of the country and couldn't get back home. The story goes Clinton & Gore drove together to Clinton's home in Chappaqua and Clinton was at Ground Zero the next day...TWO DAYS before Bunnypants strutted into town and did that photo op with the bullhorn on the WTC debris.

I remember seeing him that day and feeling "this wouldn't have happened if he was President".

Thank you for reminding us of this very telling fact.

[Old and In the Way]

7. I never heard that!

Clinton and Gore traveling together to NYC from Montreal? Man, that has the makings of a great screenplay. Can you imagine what they would have talked about for the 3-4 hour trip?

[FlaGranny]

12. I can't remember who told that story, but

I remember one of them did, and it was in answer to a question about them not being on good terms with one another. Gore, I believe, spent the night at Clinton's house. Wouldn't you have liked to be a bug on the wall?

[KharmaTrain]

20. I've Found Some Stuff From Then...

Trying to google Clinton + Gore brings up a ton of hate sites...but here's a couple that speak about where they were regarding 9/11:

http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/09/12/terror.clinton/

Clinton had been scheduled to travel to Taiwan on Wednesday but postponed his trip.

"He'll obviously want to return to the U.S. as soon as possible," Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said.

----

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, meanwhile, was stranded in Austria as many airlines canceled flights to the United States and U.S. airports remained closed Wednesday morning.

Gore was in Vienna, where he had been scheduled to speak to the Internet Service Providers Austria on the future of the Internet. In a written statement to the Austria Press Agency, Gore condemned the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington as "an unspeakably evil act."
<snip>

I remember Clinton talking about it shortly thereafter...Gore even spent the night at the Clinton's home as they drove all night from Montreal. Damn would I have loved to have been in that car. IIRC, Clinton said he and Gore talked that night about the 2000 election and Gore admitted that he should have run on Clinton's record, not away from it.

I've looked for a specific story to corroborate this...maybe someone else can help here.

[Mr.Green93]

6. Hillary was there the next day

[Demonaut]

9. are you sure?? I mean Clinton wasn't in office and we needed some

show of strength and bravery from our leaders, I remember Guiliani and a thousand of brave souls around the rubble but didn't our president show up earlier that the former pres

[FlaGranny]

13. You probably don't remember

because Clinton was "quietly" there. He made no speeches. He just talked to people and acted like a human being.

[wicket]

16. God how I miss Clinton.

Bless him.

[Demonaut]

33. so do I, at least he gave us hope for the future

[Demonaut]

18. I remember, I just want EVERYONE else to remember

I live in Colorado, I didnt cry when Columbine happened but I felt horrible for the children, I cried on 911 but I remember the event of 911 and the hope that a pocket of living might yet be found and in the midst of our sorrow and fear who showed up to ease our pain ...Bill Clinton.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

34. While Clinton unobtrusively gave comfort in New York

* looked overwhelmed:

[Mr.Green93]

15. I think she said it

in her speech at the convention or somewhere recently.

[opihimoimoi]

17. Bush had to rehearse for 2 days on what the hell to say

After all, it was he and Cheney who rejected the Hart/Rudman Recommendations to beef up security at airports, etc.

It was he who stayed on vacation after getting the Aug warning of a clear and present danger....and did absolutely nothing. I don't think he even read the friggen PDB.

Someday, we will learn of the real TRUTH. Of what went on in this mans mind. Of what they knew and didn't know. Of what they felt. The lack of forethought musta been very evident by then...how in the hell could it not?

[Demonaut]

19. Historians will have a field day

will future generations scratch out the name of "Bush" from public buildings and text books like the ancient Egyptians did to unpopular Pharaohs

[opihimoimoi]

29. He will cause many trees to die, there is so much to print about him

....in a neg way of course.....

The man is an idiot faking his way with minutiae

[never_get_over_it]

11. If I'm remembering correctly

Chelsea was in NYC at the time - I imagine both parents wanted to get home to her - not that I'm taking away from them being there so quickly because it was great - but I just seem to remember that Chelsea was there....but I could be remembering wrong

[milkyway]

14. bush didn't bother to show up until four days after 9/11. Our last elected

President, Bill Clinton, would show up at a disaster site the same afternoon. I live in Manhattan, and I thought bush treated 9/11 like a local problem. It was up to New Yorkers to deal with the aftermath of 9/11. The newspaper headlines should have been: BUSH TO NEW YORK: DROP DEAD! Of course, he eventually did show up to film his campaign commerical standing on top of the 3,000 dead bodies he was responsible for.

[southernleftylady]

21. I would love a link or two ! n/t

[never_get_over_it]

22. I'm looking

but not having much luck

[Demonaut]

24. neither am I, (tin foil hat on) it seems references seem to be scrubbed

weird

[never_get_over_it]

25. Well the problem is if you do a search

on Clinton and 911 you get a shit load of articles that blame him - depressing really. Well I know for sure Bush went to WTC site on 9/14. Clinton was in Australia on 9/11 trying to get home - it seems to me I heard he got some kind of military flight home - not sure how long it takes to get from Australia to US except its a really long time but probably not three days!!!

[Demonaut]

26. yup. thats all I'm finding..........cnn and msnbc archives have nothing

[Demonaut]

30. took forever to find the link..had to go to a foreign news source

I wonder WHY????

[never_get_over_it]

23. So far all I can find is where they were

http://www.summeractive.canoe.ca/CNEWSAttack010912/12_clinton-ap.html

[Demonaut]

28. got it to work, try

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1543015.stm

[never_get_over_it]

31. Excellent

thanks for your persistence - I gave up - don't know about that drive from Montreal with Gore part of the story - truthfully I find it a bit hard to believe that after taking a very long flight that they drove alone together for another almost 400 miles - but I'd like to believe it.

[southernleftylady]

27. found this link

http://dir.salon.com/politics/featu...nton/index.html

[PopSixSquish]

32. Bill Clinton was There the Next Day

He got on a military aircraft and flew all night long to get back to NYC. Then he and Chelsea went down to one of the places where the families had gathered to comfort people. CBS reporter Scott Paley (I don't know if I have the name right)saw him in the crowd and interviewed Bill and Chelsea.

I remember thinking to myself at the time...Thank God Bill is there to help those poor people. The man just had a way about him.