LAist: George Bush At Emma E. Booker Elementary

Elise Thompson

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 19:25:38 -0800

"or did he take a couple of minutes to ask himself just what was going on?" or did he take a couple of minutes to ask himself, "She played with her goat in her house? I sure would like a goat. I remember that one time at Skull and Bones when we dressed that goat in ladies underwear. That sure was funny. I'm gonna ask Dick if I can get me a goat too."

ben bang

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 13:37:14 -0800

A History Lesson for guest #3: Tony is right. Bush knew about plane #1 before entering the school. He chose to do nothing and continue with his photo op. While sitting in the classroom, the second plane hit and Andrew Card whispered in the president's ear "A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack". I agree, it makes a difference. And it is inexcusable for the president of the US to sit there like Forrest fucking Gump after hearing that sort of news. The question is: did Bush do nothing because the real president, Cheney, had it "under control"? Because if Bush were really NEEDED, his handlers would've hustled him outta there. We know it was Cheney who issued the order to shoot down any remaining hijacked planes. Wanna know what makes your Roosevelt/Pearl Harbor analogy lame? I was pretty specific in taking the president to task for his inaction because IN THE NUCLEAR AGE any threat of attack requires swift attention. Pearl Harbor happened in 1941, which was hardly the nuclear age, just in case you weren't aware. Thank god, yes, presidents take time to react. Who the fuck said anything about that, though? You have to be informed before you react, and Bush sat there for an eternity before attempting to find out what the fuck was going on. And no, it is not wrong to hold his LACK of an instantaneous reaction against him. We know exactly what he had been told. It was his lack of curiosity or even good old fashioned fucking CONCERN that is so treasonous. Sorry, guest, but your arguments are incredibly lame.

Tony Pierce

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 12:58:27 -0800

from what i recall, Bush knew before he entered that schoolroom that the first plane had hit the wtc, so when the second plane hit and it was determined that "america was under attack", which his dude interrupted the reading of My Pet Goat to inform him of, Bush could have either politely excused himself from the classroom and protected the children and teachers in that classroom, because who was to say that that school wasnt suddenly in danger because of his presence or he could have sat there like the dope that he is. he chose to sit. do nothing. and out himself as the figurehead airhead anti-leader that he is.

Torr

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 12:50:49 -0800

"or did he take a couple of minutes to ask himself just what was going on?" How about asking others what's going on? One cannot intelligently "assess and react" to a situation when he has failed to try and gather more information on the subject.

guest

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 11:53:15 -0800

Was he really told we were under attack, or was he told simply that a plane flew into a building? How far up the crisis meter had we traveled at that point? What were Andy Card's exact words in Bush's ear? It makes a difference. At what point did it become clear that it wasn't a random accident? Where in the timeline does this five minutes fall? Second, how quickly do you think Roosevelt reacted to news of Pearl Harbor? Do you think he was immediately on his feet (wheels?) and ready to kick ass, or did he take a couple of minutes to ask himself just what was going on? What about Johnson and the Gulf of Tonkin? Carter and the failed mission to free the hostages? Reagan and the Beirut marine barracks? Presidents are men, and men take time to assess and react ... thank god. Third, Bush hardly shat himself. He left this room, went to another and began gathering details. Then he went into hiding for a couple of hours on Air Force 1 ... the merits of which can more fairly be debated. But to hold his instantaneous reaction against him without knowing exactly how much he knew is wrong.

ben bang

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 09:03:38 -0800

We do not know what Bush could've accomplished had he gotten his sorry ass up when our nation was under attack. Probably nothing. THE POINT is that Bush wasn't in a position to know that nothing could be done. All he was told is that we were under attack. Don't you think, in the NUCLEAR age, that such a statement warrants our president getting on his fucking feet and TRYING to find out what is going on? I'm sorry, but that whole "upset the kids" argument is the WORST lie ever. Talk about grasping at straws. Who says you have to tell the kiddies WHY you're leaving. Fucking stupid. The point is that THE PRESIDENT OF THE FUCKING UNITED STATES is supposed to be above that deer in the headlights shit. He is supposed to posses a steely, unwavering resolve in the face of godamned anything our country might face. People who run for President know there is always the possibility of war. If you're gonna SHIT YOURSELF when it happens, keep your ass in Texas, bitch. Just one of the many impeachable offenses, if you ask me. Inaction in the face of such an attack is treasonous.

guest

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 08:19:13 -0800

Bush can be condemned for a lot, and I'll be the last to defend most of his actions, but this critcism has always bothered me. I think every single one of us spent those first five minutes with a deer-in-the-headlight look on our faces. We all spent five minutes saying, "What the fuck?" Being elected president doesn't change that human response. Really, what would he have accomplished in that five minutes? What could he have done to change anything?