What EXACTLY did Card whisper in *'s ear in Florida?

[Bhaisahab]

"Mr. President, we are under attack", is what the official version is. Are there any other versions of what was said? I ask because I find EVERYTHING the Bush Administration says about 911 suspect.

Could he even have told Bush that Cheney has everything under control (Ruppert says Cheney was running a "parallel command center" on the morning of the attacks) and he is not to move his ass until asked to?

[clydefrand]

1. He SAID!!!

"You're on your way to a second term. Sit still, you idiot, and let us do this."

[pinkpops]

2. everything is going according to plan. Act shocked.

[reprehensor]

34. "The House hasn't been levelled yet, chill."

[sniffa]

3. "the chiLdren are pLanning to ask questions"

[liberalmuse]

4. 'It is done.'

He would have given Bush a mafia kiss right then but Cheney specifically warned him never to do that in public.

[Racenut20]

5. Your fly is unzipped, don't stand up.

[hang a left]

6. Does anyone know where that quote originally came from?

I know I believed that was what was said for quite sometime. However over the past couple of months I have been questioning that myself.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

7. I've heard that quote for some time, too

and it's cited on page 38 of the 9/11 report (for what THAT'S worth) and referenced in note 203 for chapter one. But what gets me is that looking at a tape of the acutal school scene, it just doesn't seem like Card spent enough time at Bush's ear to say all that. And of course it goes without saying that Card's immediately stepping back and Pres Dimwit's (non) reaction make no sense at all.

[Minstrel Boy]

13. you know, you're absolutely right.

Try repeating the official quote as fast as you can while Card is at Bush's ear. It can't be done.

[Emillereid]

8. The film of Andy Card whispering to Bush is unbelievable -- I studied

psychology for more years than I want to admit and this performance of these two men does not gel with what Card reportedly said or that he said anything about something awful that just happened. Look not only at Bush's reaction -- which looks a little like puzzlement, but not shock and horror as one would expect. I mean most real human beings being delivered horrendous news would gasp, say something like "Oh my God", "what do you mean/", "what happened?" something, something -- but not Bushie -- he just sits there. But the behavior I find extraordinary is Card's -- think about it for a second -- you just whispered in the President's ear that the country is under attack (whispered so the children won't be upset? Don't want to mess up a good photo op? who knows?) and naturally you lean in real close for a follow up questions, instructions from the commander chief, or something, right? No, not our Andy he steps back like he didn't expect any reaction from Bush -- I don't know about you guys, but in my book their behavior doesn't compute!!!

[Bolo Boffin]

9. I disagree slightly.

I think Card pulled back because he expected Bush to get up and leave the room immediately. Think about it...

[Emillereid]

10. As an experiment, tell something awful to someone. You can't help but

expect a response from them -- you anticipate; you do something that shows you are engaged and expect something -- not our Andy. Maybe he was simply in shock from Bush's inactivity. Don't you think the other people in the room that knew would have been bustling around, the adrenaline pumping, anticipating some kind of action. For Bush to simply sit there and everyone else in the room to just stand and watch him sit was abnormal. Bush doesn't even seem to look back to the others who by that time must have known as if to ask them, what should I do -- nothing.

I don't think you'd find another sample of people who would have reacted that way if you sampled from now to kingdom come.

[Old and In the Way]

26. Considering the briefings and warnings that preceded 9/11.....

how could he just sit there? We now know that this administration ignored all kinds of warnings up to 9/11, particularly, the 8/6 PDB by Tennet that connected all the dots. Under those circumstances, why didn't he immediately put 2+2 together and move to take control of the situation.

How couldn't he or his advisors not think absolute worst case scenario...that this was the tip of a terrorist iceberg? What if this was 1 or 30 attacks underway? Yet he just sits there following along, thinking what an interesting day it has become.

I think Card said, "Two in, 2 to go." Of course, it must have been really awkward burning off all that excess time...who was to figure that 93 would be so late in getting underway?

[Sweetpea]

11. Look in charge the cameras are watching

[RH]

12. Who cares?

Hanlon's Razor:

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."

Bush didn't react because he didn't actually hear what Card said but he decided to bluff it through anyway, to pretend that he did hear so as not to look stupid in front of the kids.

Then a little later when Card spelled it out again to him it was too late to back out so he kept up the charade.

[Minstrel Boy]

14. what's this face tell you?

http://www.medienanalyse-international.de/3seconds.html

[RH]

15. Nothing.

:shrug:

If he'd had something to say he'd presumably have opened his mouth.

It is usually a sure enough sign of Bush lying, when his lips are parted.

[spooked911]

20. In a few of them he looks like he's having an orgasm, frankly.

[Project_Willow]

23. A toss up

between "look sad and disturbed, you're on camera",
or maybe a hint of real guilt, "so it's really happening then".
If I'm being generous: shock, fear, and resignation, not the shock of some unknown horror, but of realization, that something long planned, that didn't seem real, now is happening and is very real.

[DoYouEverWonder]

16. "Sit tight"

"We're a little behind schedule. We still have two more planes to go".

[staticstopper]

17. *'s face seems to to say:

"ok - keep your game face straight - what ever you do don't smirk - it's finally here; what we've been hearing about for years - and now i know for sure why i got all that champaign money so fast in 1998-99 - I sure did fit the profile (like the guy from the Gong Show) - boy do i wish i was somewhere else"

[AndyTiedye]

33. THAT'S IT!

ok - keep your game face straight - what ever you do don't smirk

That's IT! I couldn't figure out that facial expression, but you tagged it!
He's struggling not to smirk!!
They've started the Reichstag Fire,
he's all set to be pResident-for-life
AS LONG AS HE DOESN'T SMIRK!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

18. "It's Showtime! Break a leg George!" n/t

[dbeach]

19. verbotten mein heir to stop the act now..

plus the goat story is so appropro ... keep reading..
Factoid : the book was upside down.

[htuttle]

21. You know, that quote makes his non-reaction even worse

If that is all Card said, and I agree he hardly had time to say even that, judging from the tape, the fact that Bush supposedly didn't know HOW or BY WHOM or WHERE we were under attack damns him as the worst Commander in Chief ever.

If Card only told him, "Mr. President, we are under attack", how was Bush supposed to know that it wasn't a barrage of incoming missiles he was talking about? Or that there wasn't a hot war breaking out in the South China Sea, or that the North Koreans hadn't crossed the 38th parallel.

In fact, the ONLY situation where 'we are under attack' would not necessarily require an immediate trip to the War Room was a terrorist incident like we had -- and then ONLY if they knew it all over with.

How did he know the attack was not ICBMs? How did he not know a US carrier was not on fire in the Indian Ocean?

How could they know, if they didn't know?

[JackRiddler]

22. CORRECTION

The official story is:

"A second plane has hit the Towers. America is under attack."

Rather cryptic, it is also about the shortest conceivable way to deliver the message.

Now play the tape of Card whispering to Bush and try to say that in the time he has. (Hint: You can't. You have to talk VERY fast.)

And this is supposed to be news to Bush. And Bush doesn't react.

I expect he delivered a pre-arranged code telling him how to react, based on how the attacks were actually proceeding. They had a code for pretending to inform him of events and reacting either by leaving the classroom or staying put.

So Card tells Bush to stay put. Whether or not this is because the day is proceeding as planned or not is unclear to us. But there is no other credible explanation.

Because the idea that "America is under attack" but the President doesn't ask for an explanation is not at all credible. No amount of "stupidity" or "shock" or "not wanting to traumatize the children" explains this. Only intent on the basis of a previous arrangement explains his behavior.

As for "traumatizing" the kids:

"Well, children, good work. Unfortunately the president is a busy man. Something has come up and we will have to be leaving right away. Good bye!"

Gee, that was tough.

Think they weren't traumatized by what they saw on TV later that day?

[JackRiddler]

25. kick

[stickdog]

24. "Sit still. There's been a delay."

Flights 77 and 93 were delayed at the gate.

[nomatrix]

27. May I interupt?

For those of us playing along at home, "Who could stay away from a TV after hearing that?"
He had 24hr. F-15 fighter coverage at Crawford the whole month of Aug. Why? Was he afraid something was going to happen to him?

Now he is a sitting duck or goat in the classroom of children and he doesn't want to upset the children by doing his job.
NO.
Does he even look at his Secret Service for protection? Fast exit? Are they looking to whisk him away? Time for a photo op.

I am watching
C-Span which was interupted by the smoking WTC and I'm am pacing, and
Oh My God,........
I could have never never never just sat there.

[Kevin Fenton]

28. Card's message

was about as vague as you can get. I suppose Bush figures there's no need for urgent action, becasue nobody else is running about. I would imagine the Secret Service has radar or is hooked up to someone who does and they know there are no rogue airliners in the area. That's why he's not rushed somewhere else.

[Bismillah]

29. This question gets better and better the more you think about it.

It's not such a trivial matter as I originally thought it was. And I've noticed that a lot of people who saw Moore's film also seem to be missing the point about that whole sequence in the classroom. ("God, Bush is sooo stupid", etc.) The point is surely not the President's stupidity, or his craftiness, or anything else about him; it's the simple fact that the message was so short, and delivered so quickly by Andrew Card without waiting for a response of any kind.

How on earth can Card or the Secret Service justify that? A sudden, two-second whisper, then he steps straight back without waiting for a reply or conveying any information conceivably useful to a Commander-in-Chief! And the C-i-C is not indignant? Not curious? Not even a tiny little bit?

So the jokey replies in this thread may well be right on the button. I simply don't see how Card can have said anything other than, "Sit tight - we're running late." (or words to that effect) If he had really said what he claims he said, it is inconceivable that there would have been no reaction - at least from the trained and experienced Secret Service guys ("Get him outta here, now!"), if not from the Leader himself.

If they didn't know exactly what was happening, they could not have known the President was safe (not to mention those kids).

Two planes are known to have hit the towers, at least two others are known to have been hijacked, the Secret Service has phone, video, radio, Internet and TV links to everyone who knows anything... and yet no reaction. Then he disappears for the entire day.

- Apologies for the longwindedness, but like I say, this question really improves on acquaintance.

[Kevin Fenton]

30. Cheeseburger

Be as longwinded as you like, I think it's good.

The official story is that no other planes were known to have been hijacked at that time - United 93 was hijacked later and they claim nobody was aware that American 77 had been hijacked. Around this time the FAA thought that a maximum of 12 planes had been hijacked, but I don't think Card would have known this. In addition, I don't think the suspected hijacks were anywhere near Florida (wasn't one over Alaska?). If a rogue airliner had approached, the Secret Service would have had plenty of notice to evacuate the building.

According to Hopsicker, there was an assassination attempt on Bush before he left for the school, but it was foiled by the Secret Service. Perhaps they figured the terrorists wouldn't try twice in the space of a couple of hours.

My impression is that he said, "A second plane just hit the other tower, and America's under attack." but I don't really know where I got this from, Fahrenheit 9/11?

[babydollhead]

31. saw a september 11 photo display in d.c. with kids

An eleven year old saw the photo of * being told and he said, "What's this one about?" and I said thats the president finding out what was happening. He just freked out. "They made us sit in school all day and didn't tell us. Why didn't anyone tell us?" This was an exhibit at the Smithsonian, and they had paper so you could write something to be archived. He sat down and fumed for 10 minutes firing off a missive about not being told.

[spooked911]

36. I agree-- it is a much more interesting question than I originally thought

though I really doubt Card said "sit tight-- we're running late"

He might have said "stall for time", because that is certainly what Bush did, and would account for Bush's apparent confusion.

[Bismillah]

38. Hmmmm.....

"He might have said "stall for time", because that is certainly what Bush did..."

Did he stall for time? Surely he did exactly what he was scheduled to do: he had a photo-op with a bunch of kids in a classroom, listened to them read, praised them (to show what a nice guy he is), and then gave his press conference at precisely the pre-arranged time.

"Sit tight-- we're running late" was just a guess. I have as little idea as anyone else what Card actually said. But it is a fact that one of the planes was extremely late taking off. It seems plausible that they expected all four of the attacks to have taken place either before he entered the classroom or before the "lesson" was finished. Bush could not have entered that classroom, or carried on sitting there, if the Pentagon and (say) the Capitol had also already been attacked.

[spooked911]

40. Apparently even after the reading thing, Bush hung around the classroom

for several minutes-- he DIDN'T rush out.

That's why I think Card may have told him to stall.

[stickdog]

35. So the Secret Service knows where all the rogue planes are in real time,

but NORAD has no clue whatsoever?

Interesting theory ... :eyes:

[spooked911]

37. Yep, it is rather absurd isn't it?

Of course, Mike Ruppert goes to great lengths to say that the secret service were monitoring the flights and they knew where they were.

He also has speculated that the Secrtet service was remotely piloting the planes as well.

And since the secret service had an office in WTC7, that is one reason they blew it up after the attacks.

[spooked911]

32. Actually, I thought that the quote was: "The second tower has been hit"

Then Ari Fleischer holds up a sign in the back of the room saying "Don't say anything yet".

[RedSock]

39. More on what was said

Here's the link to an article I wrote with Paul Thompson.
http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/timeline/main/essayaninterestingday.html

Many people in the school and in that room got the news of the second plane right away. Some Secret Service agents watched the second crash live on television in an adjacent room. Ari Fleischer, in the same room as Bush but not near him, immediately received the news on his pager.

According to the Washington Times, Card was in a nearby room when he heard the news. He waited until there was a pause in the reading drill to walk in and tell Bush.

***

Card actually stood out in the hallway and WAITED FOR AWHILE before allegedly telling Bush that the US was being attacked. ... Wouldn't want to interrupt the Goat reading with such a trivial news item.

Amazing.

***

In the video, after Card steps back from the Moron, how long does he stand there before he leaves the room? Is there footage of that or does it just zoom in on Bush at that point?

[spooked911]

41. Did Card know more than Bush about the attacks?

I bet he did.