Posted on 06/27/2004 4:15:05 AM PDT by avalon
By Associated Press June 24, 2004
SARASOTA — 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."
This has been posted before.
Good post! I have always been impressed by the way Bush calmly finished reading. Aside from the panic that he would have created by leaping up and running out of the room, it gave his aides time to get the story clarified, have transportation arrangements ready, etc. And it probably gave him time to say a silent prayer and gather himself for what was going to happen.
There has been NO positive 'news' on President Bush in months. The media is determined to make every trumped up lie part of their newscast.
I saw this article yesterday with a picture of the principal.
She is a black woman and a Democrat.
Good Morning, My local Hillbilly TV station, Newswatch 16, Scranton/Wilkes Barre, keep talking about Michael Moron, all morning that is the headlines in the news. So boring and old. I have been watching Rachel Ray cook instead!
Thanks for posting this!!!
Every single radio news station in the NY metro area has all MM all the time. Every lead, every time.
Who are these "we" to which you refer?
You don't appear to be a DU'er; your post is literate and profanity-free.
Welcome blackworm--joined June 27, 2004
When I heard about the attack, I assumed it was a Cessna OR SOMETHING SIMILAR.
There is a time for quick reaction, but also a time to gather more information.
A rapid and poorly thought out response is generally a waste of time and effort.
The first responders were the ones responsible for dealing with the situation; the President is not a traffic cop.
By the way, welcome to FreeRepublic.
I was watching television when the second aircraft hit, when the aircraft hit the Pentagon, and again when the first WTC building collapsed. I heard the dumbfounded talking heads talking about more aircraft being hijacked.
At that time, I knew as much about unfolding events as anyone. There was no more detailed briefing to be had. The only practical leadership role to be undertaken at that time was to let those responsible for emergencies do their job.
The proper response for the President was to bug out to a place of safety until events unfolded more fully. Our President waited in that classroom until his protective detail and his aircraft were ready for a bug-out, and then he bugged.
YOu know, President Bush mentions 9/11 in a campaign ad and he catches all hell for it. Why isn't anyone coming down on Michael Moore for making money off of 9/11?
This is really bad. I have never seen so much hate for Bush it is all around. No one will step up and put an end to this nonsense.
Relax, the lefties had as much hate for President Reagan when he was in office, didn't stop him from slaughtering Mondale in 1984. President Bush will be fine.
Michael Moore is a part of the "Defeat Bush at any Cost" campaign, that's why.
Welcome to FreeRepublic.
Moore hasn't been fully awake for even one second since he entered puberty. One day when he finally gets through that difficult part of life he may grow up just a bit, though probably not.
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