[blackworm]

I don't understand why most discussions on this subject assume that the only alternative to Bush's sitting doing nothing for seven minutes was a panicked, irrational response. Is it unreasonable to expect that a person charged with the security of the nation should react immediately to news of a massive deadly terrorist attack? Must we defend Bush's seven minutes of seemingly dumbfounded inaction in the face of a major crisis? Would we have defended Clinton in a similar pose, under the same circumstances? The response of a mature, capable leader would have been to calmly stand, inform the group that an emergency has arisen, excuse himself, and demand a more detailed briefing. When I learned that Bush had remained silent and idle for seven minutes after learning of the attack, my first reaction was denial.

[macrahanish #1]

Who are these "we" to which you refer?
You don't appear to be a DU'er; your post is literate and profanity-free.

[GeorgeBerryman]

The response of a mature, capable leader would have been to calmly stand, inform the group that an emergency has arisen, excuse himself, and demand a more detailed briefing.

A more detailed briefing? No one knew anything other than two planes had hit the WTC. Bush was told one had hit as he was entering the school - but not what kind. Hell when I first heard of the first plane even I thought it must've been a Cessna or something small. He did the right thing finishing the visit with the class.

[arbee4bush]

Ozone with Sunday morning breakfast, anyone?

Welcome blackworm--joined June 27, 2004

[opbuzz]

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.

[jimtorr]

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.

[dighton]

Would we have defended Clinton in a similar pose, under the same circumstances?

Welcome to FreeRepublic.

[Marysecretary]

Did you ever think that it may have been shock and not denial? Come on, give the guy a break. He did the best he could. What would the rest of us have done? NOBODY knows until something like this happens how we would react. We can sit and criticize President Bush all we want. He did what was best at the time. He didn't want to frighten the children and he was calm and pretty collected. I'm so damn sick and tired of all the criticisms of our dear President. They can't let him breathe without finding something to analyze and criticize. BARF!!!!

[kabar]

Seven minutes are meaningless in terms of affecting what transpired that day. Anyone who believes that the President makes all the important decisions in a crisis doesn't understand how the bureaucracy and chain of command work. Bush could have stood up immediately and excused himself and absolutely nothing would have changed. If we were under nuclear attack, then I could understand the need for immediate action. The President would be needed to give the green light to launch through his military aide holding the "football."

Taking the brief time to finish his appearance in the classroom demonstrates the sure, steady hand of a leader who can respond to events in a cool, collected manner. I guess people are just looking for ways to criticize Bush. They also chastized him for taking a circuitous route back to DC. In reality, it took sometime on 9/11 for people to sort fact from fiction and figure out exactly what was going on. History is replete with examples of confusion and chaos during an attack.

[Toespi]

I personally think that anyone who is criticizing the President for his reaction in that classroom is trivializing and simply desperate to find fault. He had to remain only another 7 minutes. It wasn't as though he stayed there for an hour or even 15 minutes. People need to get a grip.