Remember the footage of President Bush being told about the attacks on the World Trade Center while at a Florida elementary school?
I was a little bothered by the fact that he continued to sit in the classroom, wondering why he wouldn’t have immediately left and taken some kind of action.
The Memory Hole, a website devoted to archiving information before it’s deleted or censored, has discovered the complete footage of the President’s visit that day. It turns out that he sat there in the classroom for more than 5 minutes. The website points out something I didn’t even think of: if the country was under attack, why didn’t the Secret Service immediately whisk the President away? Why didn’t the President leave in case he was targeted, putting the children in harm’s way?
The only source to describe what happened next is Fighting Back by Bill Sammon. Publishers Weekly described Sammon’s book as an “inside account of the Bush administration’s reaction to 9-11 [and] a breathless, highly complimentary portrait of the president [showing] the great merit and unwavering moral vision of his inner circle.” [Publisher’s Weekly, 10/15/02] Sammon’s conservative perspective makes his account of Bush’s behavior at the end of the photo-op all the more surprising. Bush is described as smiling and chatting with the children “as if he didn’t have a care in the world” and “in the most relaxed manner imaginable.” White House aide Gordon Johndroe, then came in as he usually does at the end of press conferences, and said, “Thank you, press. If you could step out the door we came in, please.” A reporter then asked, “Mr. President, are you aware of the reports of the plane crash in New York? Is there anything…”, But Bush interrupted, and no doubt recalling his order, “DON’T SAY ANYTHING YET,” Bush responded, “I’ll talk about it later.” But still the president did not leave. “He stepped forward and shook hands with [classroom teacher] Daniels, slipping his left hand behind her in another photo-op pose. He was taking his good old time. … Bush lingered until the press was gone.” [Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism – From Inside the Bush White House, by Bill Sammon, 10/02, p. 90]
I’m not saying that he wasn’t shocked and wasn’t concerned… but I just wonder why no action was taken immediately.
This essay recounts the whereabouts of the President around September 11, and also brings to light very interesting facts: for instance, two of the hijackers traveled to Sarasota Florida the very day that Bush did; a van of “Middle Easterners” tried to bluff their way into the hotel to “interview” the President – a ruse used only two days earlier to assassinate a noted Taliban opponent. At best, this essay shows a pattern of miscommunication and a total lack of professionalism. At worst, it shows a President who is inept and has surrounded himself with others who have no ability act in a crisis.
