Posted on 05/19/2004 7:45:48 AM PDT by Sir Gawain
CANNES, France -- Two questions involving the duration of events: (1) So how long, exactly, was the standing ovation for Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11"? And (2) Did President Bush actually remain in a Florida classroom, reading from My Pet Goat, for seven minutes after he was informed of the second attack on the World Trade Center?
Moore's anti-Bush documentary was received rapturously at its black-tie screening here Monday, and a friend told me the ovation lasted 25 minutes. In my report I suggested that Cannes ovations, like the estimates of parade crowds in Chicago, have a tendency to be exaggerated. Since I attended an 8 a.m. press screening, I was not inside the Palais des Festivals to clock it myself.
Now I have another source. The ovation lasted 20 minutes, according to Variety, which may be correct, because its reporters all carry stopwatches to check the running times of movies.
In any event it was "the longest ovation in the history of the festival," according to Thierry Fremaux, the festival's director. At a party Monday evening, I asked Moore. "It depends on when you start counting," he said. "Do you start with the beginning of the closing credits or when the lights go up? When they just wouldn't stop clapping, I walked out and they kept applauding in the lobby."
And as for Bush's delay in reacting to the attack on the World Trade Center? Conventional wisdom has it that the president was reading to schoolchildren when he got the news and quickly left the room.
The Moore version: He was informed of the first attack, went into the room anyway, was informed of the second attack, and remained with the students until a staff member suggested that he leave.
"The teacher in that Sarasota classroom happened to tape the whole event," Moore told me. "We'd seen other footage from the networks, but it was all edited. She just left the camera running. She said nobody had ever asked her for the film. Bush didn't instinctively jump up and go into action, but just stayed on autopilot until someone told him what to do."
(Excerpt) Read more at suntimes.com ...
Penn Gillette (Penn and Teller) was on Scarborough last night, and he said although he wasn't really for the war, and doesn't agree with President Bush all that much (he's a libertarian IIRC) when Moore was talking at the Oscar's last year, he felt a wave of Republicanism come over him. He said he thinks, if he were the conspiracy theory type, that Moore is a Bush plant to make Bush look good.
LOL!
"Excuse me, but we just weren't prepared. I'm certainly no Bushbot, but c'mon. Rummy was still in the Pentagon when it hit. You think they knew what the magnitude of this was withing 5 minutes?"
While it's true that Hindsight is 20:20, it's also true that there were over 30 minutes(not 5) between the time that the South Tower (2nd plane) was hit and the Pentagon was hit. When the South Tower was hit, everyone knew we were under attack. I am of the opinion that 30 minutes is ample time to scramble fighter jets from Andrews AFB.
"What was it he was supposed to do?"
Order fighter jets from Andrews to get up and protect the DC airspace? Protect the nation's capital, which should be priority #1 for a nation under attack, rather than finishing a Pet Goat story so as not to frighten schoolkids?
I thought sure this would be the column where Ebert took Kerry's daughter to task for showing off her ta-ta's to the Cannes film crowd.
After all, he trashed one of the Bush twins for wearing a denim skirt to tea with the Brit Royales.
I thought the official liberal out day on FR for those who hide behind the banner of "Libertarian" was supposed to be in the last week of October or didn't you get the e-mail, blast fax, or memo.
ANB, there was nothing the President could have done to stop that second plane- because no one knew it was an attack until the second one hit. The President did the right thing by remaining calm. Hindsight is always 20-20.
I guess Bush should have jumped up screaming, "Drop your fingerpaints and run for the hills, kiddies! Those towelheads have hit the twin towers!"
No one knew (except for the passengers) until the second plane hit that it was a 'for sure' terrorist attack.
9:29 a.m. Still inside Booker Elementary School, Bush gives a brief speech in front of about 200 students, plus many teachers and reporters. [Daily Mail, 9/8/02] He says, "Today we've had a national tragedy. Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent terrorist attack on our country" (see the text of the speech here [Federal News Service, 9/11/01]). The talk occurs at exactly the time and place stated in his publicly announced advance schedule - making Bush a possible terrorist target. [9:24, MSNBC, 9/22/01, 9:28, Washington Post, 9/12/01, 9:30, CNN, 9/12/01, 9:30, New York Times, 9/12/01, speech begins at 9:29:55 according to an ABC News timing device, advanced schedule 9:30 in Federal News Service, 9/10/01]
Look at the differences in the times noted for the speech!
Then there is this:
(9:03 a.m.) According to Sarasota County Sheriff Bill Balkwill, just after Bush enters a Booker Elementary classroom, a Marine responsible for carrying Bush's phone walks up to Balkwill, who is standing in a nearby side room. While listening to someone talk to him in his earpiece, the Marine asks, "Can you get me to a television? We're not sure what's going on, but we need to see a television." Three Secret Service agents, a SWAT member, the Marine and Balkwill turn on the television in a nearby front office just as Flight 175 crashes into the WTC. "We're out of here," the Marine tells Balkwill. "Can you get everyone ready?" [Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 9/10/02]
So they staff WAS trying to get the facts for Bush.
And you know that was possible in the time frame alotted? Not knowing what you know now, but just knowing what was knowable September 11, 9:04, you're sure we could have accomplished this in time to save the Pentagon?
And if you shoot down the plane that hit the Pentagon, where do the bits fall?
Hurry up now, you've had years to think about this, not minutes.
Exactly right. I wouldn't care if he stayed in the room for an hour. Exactly what good would it have done to leave right away? Would the towers have immediately been restored? Would the flames magically disappear?
If he HAD bolted for the door, the leftists would've said, "Look at little Georgie, running like the coward he is, scaring all those kids in the process". This only shows how unreasonable his critics are in that situation.
Hey, Moore ... maybe he just didn't want to make a scene and scare the kids have to death.
Yeah, so he got a 20 minute ovation. So? Liberals love his liberal p.o.v.
Pray for W and Our Troops
The first plane...
The second plane...
I can see the 09/12/01 headlines..
World Trade center attacked, see page B-14..
Pentagon saved by quick Bush efforts, see page C-22..
Front Page News... Bush, SS agents stampede injures 4 children.
More than likely Bush wasnt told the first plane hitting was terrorist related, after the second plane it was more than likely they were near the end of what they were doing there and didnt want to just abruptly get up and leave.
Because a supposed small airplane hit one of the towers?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.