Posted on 07/29/2011 2:21:29 AM PDT by markomalley
George W Bush says his blank reaction to the first news of the Sept 11 attacks while US president was a conscious decision to project an aura of calm in a crisis.
In a rare interview with the National Geographic Channel, Mr Bush reflected on what was going through his mind when he was informed that a second passenger jet had hit New York's World Trade Center.
Mr Bush was visiting a Florida classroom at the time, and the incident - which was caught by television cameras - has often been used by critics to ridicule his apparently dazed response to the attack
"My first reaction was anger. Who the hell would do that to America? Then I immediately focused on the children, and the contrast between the attack and the innocence of children," Mr Bush said.
Mr Bush said he could see journalists at the back of the classroom getting the news on their own cellphones "and it was like watching a silent movie."
Mr Bush said he quickly realised that a lot of people beyond the room would be watching for his reaction.
"So I made the decision not to jump up immediately and leave the classroom. I didn't want to rattle the kids. I wanted to project a sense of calm," he said of his decision to remain seated and silent.
"I had been in enough crises to know that the first thing a leader has to do is to project calm," he added.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Then Bush should have gone to the secure communications room -- there is always one near the President -- and gotten information about what was clearly an attack on the country and what he must do. Indeed, Bush had gone into the classroom and carried on with a PR event after being informed of the first crash.
Moreover, Bush -- and more reflective Bush supporters -- should recognize that in the larger scheme of things, the expectations and anxieties of a class of little kids must be seen as of little weight against Bush's constitutional duty as commander in chief. Bluntly put, even if it meant that the kids cried their hearts out for the next month, Bush's most important duty as President required him to leave them immediately.
As President, George W. Bush has many good decisions to his credit. Continuing with a PR event after he learned that the country was under attack was not one of them.
Hey, leave the snoopy dance out of it.
Unless I am way off-base, this photo was when the first plane hit.
Nobody knew if it was a terrorist attack for sure.
When the second plane hit is when they got Bush out of there.
Hey I’m no Bush apologist, but that certainly works for me.
That is exactly how it appeared, at the time.
But why is this a story now?...
“According to the comments Bush was an idiot for not wearing his emotions on his sleeve.”
Actually, the entire point of the story is Bush was an idiot.
Here’s a peek behind the curtain (note # IV)
I Thou shalt create an illusion of invulnerability shared by most members to foster excessive optimism and encourage extreme risks taking
II Thou shall not allow any member to question the group’s inherent morality, instead members shall be encouraged to ignore the ethical or moral consequences of their decisions
III Thou shalt promote collective efforts to rationalize in order to discount warnings, or other information that might lead members to reconsider their assumptions before they recommit themselves to their assumptions
IV Thou shalt reinforce stereotyped views of enemy leaders as too evil to warrant genuine attempts to negotiate, or as too weak and stupid to counter whatever risky attempts are made to defeat their purpose
V Thou shalt self-censor any deviation from the apparent group consensus, inclining each member to minimize the importance of their doubts and counterarguments
VI Thou shalt create and maintain a shared illusion of unanimity concerning judgement conforming to the majority view
VII Thou shalt apply direct pressure on any member who expresses strong arguments against any of the group’s stereotypes, illusions, or commitments, making clear that this type of dissent is contrary to what is expected of all loyal members
VIII Thou shalt appoint mindguards to protect the group from adverse information that might shatter their shared complacency about the effectiveness and morality of their decisions
Fregards,
Eddie01
They're hawking a program that's coming on National Geographic Channel.
Please don’t pretend to know what Reagan would have done.
Years later the children in that room have said that his handling of them was appropriate to the situation.
Thanks.
Seems to me this is obvious.
“Unless I am way off-base, this photo was when the first plane hit.
Nobody knew if it was a terrorist attack for sure.
When the second plane hit is when they got Bush out of there.”
I don’t know the timing of what, or exactly what, “they” told Bush, but it just seems like the secret service would have said something along the lines of Mr. President, we need to move your location immediately for your safety and Bush could have said thanks kiddies storytime with the president is over, here’s your teacher back, and calmly left with security detail right then. JMHO.
He should have jumped up and screamed “OMG we’re all gonna die!” and then ran out of the room.
When will republicans explain to the American people that democrats are a low life cut throat rotten party, who will make trouble over anything decent people do even in the midst of a national crisis? The real issue, as always, is the filthy left wing response.
There was never anything wrong about his reaction. The left hates him because it was the perfect reaction and no lefty will ever have the character, composure or remote intelligence to behave the same under similar circumstances.
Bush's reaction set the bar, and the lefty rats will never make it's measure.
Cheers, y'all...
Call such a touch as I suggested Reaganesque, if you prefer. And it would have been Reaganesque for Bush to have given the country’s defense the first claim on his time instead of idly chatting with little kids.
100% hindsight will tell you what to do, too late. You weren’t our President and you would have probably jumped up, knocked over chairs, forgot about the kids, and ran hysterically from the room. LAY OFF! He is a human being and was shocked about the situation.
LOL...yeah...can’t you tell from the look in his eyes??!!!! He was thinking “Mission Accomplished”...or “No Child Left Behind”...or...???
The news lately implies, written or not "Obama SUCKS! Obama SUCKS! Obama SUCKS!..."
So they respond the only way they think they can distract people "LOOK! THERE'S BUSH!"
Yet it only serves to remind us how good we had it by comparison.
Even my lefty friends tell me they miss Bush now. At least the ones I can communicate with who are employed...I even got an apology, public, from one who voted for Obama. I was nice to them but didn't let them off the hook. Too much damage, dude...
LOL...yeah...can’t you tell from the look in his eyes??!!!! He was thinking “Mission Accomplished”...or “No Child Left Behind”...or...???
It wasn’t only those kids, it was kids all over the country and everyone else in the country.
I agree the president’s reaction is open to a good healthy discussion. The mistake is giving a ridiculous leftist trumped up controversey one second of your time.
Bush made a decision, the idea he was too dumb to know what to do is preposterous. All evidence is Bush and Cheney took kick ass charge that day and after.
People will believe what they want to believe. Ten years of Bush bashing and now he has to be criticized for the reaction on his face after being told about the worst disaster to this country since Pearl Harbor......?
I've never met a Monday morning quarterback yet that has ever lost a game......LOL!
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