Posted on 08/05/2004 2:53:24 PM PDT by Peach
Extra Drama at Unity: Kerry Knocks Bush for His 9/11'Seven Minute Gap'
Extra Drama at Unity: Kerry Knocks Bush for His 9/11'Seven Minute Gap'
By E&P Staff
Published: August 05, 2004
NEW YORK Sen. John Kerry, appearing today at the Unity convention of minority journalists in Washington, D.C., criticized President Bush's performance on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, in the most explicit terms yet. Now the Bush campaign has hit back, accusing him of launching "flailing attacks."
Referring to the moment, now immortalized in Michael Moore's film "Fahrenheit 9/11," when Bush chose not to leave a group of schoolchildren for seven minutes after being notified of the second plane hitting the World Trade Center, Kerry told the journalists: "Had I been reading to children and had my top aide whispered in my ear that America is under attack, I would have told those kids very nicely and politely that the president of the United States has something that he needs to attend to...and I would have attended to it."
A Bush campaign spokesman, Steve Schmidt, had this official reaction to Kerry's comment this afternoon: "The indecision John Kerry has shown on the war on terror is reflected in his incoherent explanation of his vote against funding for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and his inability to take a stand on whether or not he thinks the removal of Saddam Hussein was the right decision. These flailing attacks against the president are the result of a candidate who doesn't know what he stands for."
Kerry drew a warm response for his speech, with about three out of four standing in applause at one point. He urged the audience to not operate "as partisans, but as truth-tellers."
President Bush will address the convention on Friday.
More than 6,000 journalists are attending the giant convention, which takes place every four years.
Michael Moore's film "Fahrenheit 9/11" criticizes President Bush for listening to Sarasota second-graders read a story for nearly seven minutes after learning the nation was under attack on Sept. 11, 2001.But Gwendolyn Tose'-Rigell, the principal at Emma E. Booker Elementary School, says Bush handled himself properly.
"I don't think anyone could have handled it better," Tose'-Rigell told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in a story published Wednesday. "What would it have served if he had jumped out of his chair and ran out of the room?"
"Fahrenheit 9/11," which won the top honor at last month's Cannes Film Festival, portrays the White House as asleep at the wheel before the Sept. 11 attacks. Moore accuses Bush of fanning fears of future terrorism to win public support for the Iraq war.
Bush told the federal 9/11 Commission, which released its report last week, that he remained in the classroom because he felt it was "important to project strength and calm until he could better understand what was happening." Moore says Bush failed to take charge.
Tose'-Rigell, who was at Bush's side, did not hear what White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card whispered when he squeezed past her to tell the president of the attacks, but "I knew it was something serious."
"The president bit his lip and clenched his jaw," she said. "I didn't know what happened, whether it was something with his wife or children or something with the nation. I remember praying that God would watch over our school and protect our children."
She said the video doesn't convey all that was going on in the classroom, but Bush's presence had a calming effect and "helped us get through a very difficult day."
Tose'-Rigell said she plans to publish her account of the morning of Sept. 11 from pages she wrote in her journal following the attack. The principal said she didn't vote for Bush. "But that day I would have voted for him."
Not really. They bombed at their convention when they tried to pretend to be what they weren't. They are now going hard left to distinguish themselves.
They've recognized voters aren't fooled about their character, so they are now are to seek to scream angry rhetoric hoping to intimidate enough of the electorate into the belief G.W. has failed this country, that people hate him, to swing momentum to the Democrat ticket. The belief is that if G.W. appears not to be the "people's choice", undecideds will vote for someone new.
It has been reported that an aide whispered to Bush "Mr. President, America is under attack."
Does anybody know what the actual words were? Please chime in if you know about this.
The reason I ask is that with hindsight we forget what happened that day. First there was a report of a fire on the first tower, then rumor of a small plane. That some sort of a plane had hit was just being confirmed when the second aircraft hit.
It does not strike me as plausible that the aide whispered: ".....America is under attack." Yet much of the criticism (including Moore's) is predicated on that language. They may have guessed it was a serious possibilty in the first seconds, but I would imagine they said something like, "sir, we may have a serious problem in New York that appears pretty urgent. We're contacting Condi's office right now."
Regardless, no one percieved the magnitude of the attack at first blush. No one thought these towers might collapse killing thousands. We learned all that over the course of the next hours.
Just wanted to see that worthy comment again. Well written.
Kerry is now quoting the Fatidiot Moore on this very subject. Tell us, Herr Kerry, what would you have done differentlly had you been President and had you lept to your feet during the six minutes after you learned of the terrorist attacks? The guy's a dolt! ( but we know that).
According to Bill Sammon in his book "Fighting Back," Andy Card said "A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack."
Chapter Three goes through those minutes in great depth, based on Sammon's interviews with President Bush.
There is room for a reasoned critique of Bush's presidency, in terms of domestic policy, general foreign policy, and the conduct of the war. We do it here every day.
But the left seems incapable of handling such a critique, primarily because they either stand for nothing, or what they stand for is so awful it won't sell. So we have the image of some of them shifting positions frantically trying to stay ahead of the curve, and others screaming charges that are laughable to serious people.
That's Kerry's coalition, and he's stuck with them, and they're stuck with him.
Kerry said: "Had I been reading to children ..."
This self-indulgent gigolo! Reading to children!
That's what servants are for, not something for Monsieur Kerrie.
? What does Kerry and Jackie K. Onassis have in common? They both married billionaires who gave them an allowance.
Kerry, the 2nd highest paid whore...among the top 10 anyway. Now that would be interesting list....
Doesn't anyone find it ironic that Kerry's lawyers are threatening to sue TV stations that run ads questioning his wartime service ON THE SAME DAY he takes it upon himself to question the wartime actions of the President??
Why? President Bush had the good taste and good sense not to speak to the NAACP. How is the convention of minority journalists any different?
This is the second time that Senator John (F*&$ing) Kerry has questioned the actions of George W. Bush in a war-time scenario. The first was his partisan and public questioning, on Nov 6th 2000, of the honorability of the President's National Guard service (Source: Boston Globe 11-6-2000), and now this straw-reaching slander regarding the President's actions the morning of Sept. 11th.
It appears that Senator Kerry wishes to make heroism in the face of attack an issue. If it is now an open topic of discussion, why is he trying to quell the 1st Amendment rights of the sailors who served with him, the commanders he served under, and all the brave veterans he slandered upon his return to CONUS? The President is willing to let by-gones be by-gones, but he will not stand by for this kind of unscrupulous and baseless personal attack on his character. The future tone of this campaign is now squarely in the hands of the Kerry campaign.
- End of Statement -
Now, Helen, 1st question...
Exactly!
Kerry would've struck a pose like Washington crossing the Delaware and scared everyone in the room.
How could that be? They were only coming to the conclusion that the first incident was in fact a plane. In the two or three minutes before, No one is communicating with Bush. At that point "a second plane" would not have made sense to the President, as he was not yet apprised of the first plane.
Since the majority of journalists are admitted liberals, their applause at such a small-minded attack on Bush should come as no surprise.
By Kerry reminding them to be non partisan, it's clear he knew their applause was totally inappropriate and it exposed their bias.
CNN was still reporting that some small plane pilot had made a terrible mistake. They continued on in that vein without realizing what all of us knew....it was no accident.
This has got to be exposed for the utter hypocracy it is. They have the moveon.com with all that Soros money. They have Michael Moore, and we are to be silenced?
That was the first thought that occurred to me, simply not plausible.
I think the first reports were that a plane had hit one tower, but it was assumed that it was an accident.
" According to Bill Sammon in his book "Fighting Back," Andy Card said "A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack."
How could that be? They were only coming to the conclusion that the first incident was in fact a plane. In the two or three minutes before, No one is communicating with Bush. At that point "a second plane" would not have made sense to the President, as he was not yet apprised of the first plane.
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I saw Andy Card repeat that quote verbatim in a TV interview. Bush had been told of the 1st plane hitting before he entered the classroom. (The 2 plane impacts were about 15 min apart)
Bush probably stayed in the room because he knew it would take several minutes to get everyone on the phone for a National Security teleconference, and Card would signal him or get him when ready.
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