As the long national nightmare comes to an end...

[Patroklos]

What Bush was told at 8:55

8:55: President George W. Bush is at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida as part of a scheduled visit to promote education when presidential advisor Karl Rove, who is with Bush, informs him that a small twin-engine plane has crashed into the World Trade Center. Before entering the classroom, the President speaks to National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, who is at the White House. She first tells him it was a twin-engine aircraft—and then a commercial aircraft—that had struck the World Trade Center, adding “that’s all we know right now, Mr. President.”[1]

Note that his NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR told him there had been an accident, not terrorist attack and that she, the person who would be collecting all the relevant information, didn't know anything else at the moment.

He learns it is an attack in the middle of the class:

9:05: After brief introductions to the Booker elementary students, President Bush is about to begin reading The Pet Goat with the students when Chief of Staff Andrew Card interrupts to whisper to the president, "A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack."[4] The president stated later that he decided to continue the lesson rather than alarm the students.

The next time he has a chance to do anyting is:

9:14: President Bush returned to a holding room commandeered by the Secret Service shortly before 9:15. The holding room contains a telephone, a television showing the news coverage, and several senior staff members. The president speaks to Vice President Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, New York Governor George Pataki, and FBI Director Robert Mueller, and prepares brief remarks[3].

So basically he waited nine minutes for his staff to assemble information and get the relevant people on the phone. Are you seriously, SERIOUSLY, going to argue over someone have a nine minute reaction time for assembling most of his cabinet for a high level meeting!?!?!

[rah]

Yeah. I'm always surprised by the crap he took for this when there was were so many other things that he did where he deserved the abuse. How about after all the analysis on this, he used it as an excuse to ramp the country up to war with two countries, one of which really had nothing to do with it. Why nitpick on what he didn't do for 10 minutes when you can abuse him about the next couple of years.

[Patroklos]

Its because they are invested in hating the man, regardless or what he did or did not do. He did a lot of stupid stuff, but this was not one of them.

[a.kitman]

no patroklos i dont think so. i think its to challenge the general view that republicans are better leaders and got the kahunas to make gut decisions in tight spots. unlike dems.

[Riesstiu IV]

Bush did 9/11

[Asher]

Perhaps flailing around to no practical end is considered a leadership trait in your programing world. I doubt it.

Hey, I'm in a leadership role where I'm at. It's no POTUS, but I do more than swab decks and parrot orders given to me from above.

What a stupid thing to do. For one, as I asked Oerdin, please tell us exactly what action you think Bush should have initiated in those 10 minutes.

First, he should have went to a secure location.
Second, he should have been constantly briefed on what was known. Every minute he spent reading children's books in a photo op was a minute he lost in gathering information and absorbing the situation so he could action it sooner, later.

Second, what od you mean "you don't know until you tried"? In such a crisis situation the LAST thing you should be doing is taking random uninformed actions.

Leave it to a military man to ignore the fact that GATHERING INFORMATION is itself an action that could be taken. This is the key thing you do not understand.

Most of my job is about gathering information. It's something that takes time to learn and digest, and yes, there was information at the time of the attack he could've been absorbing. I'm not stating he should've immediately bombed Mexico, I'm stating he should have done something other than read a childrens' book. He should've been enroute to a command centre, in this case Air Force One. He should've been being fed the latest information possible.

Thats exactly what he did, calmly waiting for his motorcade to assemble to get him back to his command post on Air Force One where information can be assembled.

You're telling me they disassemble a motorcade while he makes a short visit to an elementary school?

Again, tell me EXACTLY what should have been and could have been accomplished in those 10 minutes that wasn't.

I just did.

[Asher]

asher part of good leadship is knowing and recognizing you have good men who can deal whit tasks you put them in charge of.

As has been demonstrated, Bush did not put good men in charge. Look at Dick Cheney, Brownie, etc.

[Ecofarm]

First, he should have went to a secure location.

"Hey kids, a plane hit a building and we don't really know what is going on right now so I' m just gonna run to my safe room 60 feet under ground with barb wire and dogs and big machine guns with missiles real quick. Ok, bye!"

Yelling over his shoulder while running to motorcade, "I hope you guys got that stuff too because we're probably all gonna die!"

*zoOm*

[Asher]

So basically he waited nine minutes for his staff to assemble information and get the relevant people on the phone. Are you seriously, SERIOUSLY, going to argue over someone have a nine minute reaction time for assembling most of his cabinet for a high level meeting!?!?!

Are you seriously, SERIOUSLY going to argue that it is Presidential to spend 10 ****ing minutes reading children's books after being informed, and I quote, "America is under attack"?

You're being an obtuse douche right now. I never said he should assemble most of his cabinet for a high level meeting in ten minutes. That's a strawman from a desperate man.

What I am saying is 10 minutes in an event that is unfolding quickly and disastrously, after he had pointedly been told "America is under attack", is critical. Most of the world was better informed of the situation during that ten minutes while he continued a photo op. The excuse that he didn't want to "alarm the children" is bull****, all he had to do was excuse himself. He was new to office and didn't know what to do. It was obvious. He was waiting for Rove to tell him what to do next. This isn't hard to decipher.

[Ecofarm]

He was new to office and didn't know what to do. It was obvious. He was waiting for Rove to tell him what to do next. This isn't hard to decipher.

That's retarded.


Stop reading Huffington Post immediately. Someone of limited intellectual capacity could be permanently damaged by that ridiculous crap.

[Asher]

"Hey kids, a plane hit a building and we don't really know what is going on right now so I' m just gonna run to my safe room 60 feet under ground with barb wire and dogs and big machine guns with missiles real quick. Ok, bye!"

Yelling over his shoulder while running to motorcade, "I hope you guys got that stuff too because we're probably all gonna die!"

*zoOm*

What?

He got told "America is under attack". At that point it makes sense to put him in a secure location, which they eventually did after. They were so paranoid they even put Cheney in remote strongholds.

All he has to do is say "Excuse me" and leave the room and go to Air Force One, where they have a command centre and is a much more secure location than an elementary school. He didn't need to induce panic as you alluded to, and they did know what's going on.

Does anyone here want to actually challenge me on this, or are you guys going to continue to sic Fox News-watching idiots on me?

[Asher]

That's retarded.

I agree, but that's how it is. Look at the man's face in those videos. If you guys don't pick up the look of distress and panic in his social cues, you're not very observant.

[Ecofarm]

Why would he be distressed, right?

I'm done with this bowl of **** punch. Enjoy it.

[Asher]

Why would he be distressed, right?

I'm sorry, I thought we were talking about leadership qualities.

Did you just pwn yourself by admitting he looked distressed?

[Asher]

Stop reading Huffington Post immediately. Someone of limited intellectual capacity could be permanently damaged by that ridiculous crap.

FWIW I've never read the Huffington Post. I don't really follow or care about American politics. The accusations of me being a democrat liberal or whatever are ridiculous. If you look at the CanPol threads I get roasted for being a conservative.

I'm in the middle, it's you all that are partisan.