Anything after the heat of the moment, and coming from anyone who was not in the action, is by definition “Monday morning quarterbacking” (even if it may come sooner or later than the day after a game as the NFL “Monday morning QB” reference would suggest).
I agree that such review and assessment is not automatically suspect (as the colloquial phrase is usually intended to suggest), since all (political) actions of significance merit critical review. We all need to evaluate and (let’s hope) try to learn from the past.
One of my points is that staying in that room for 7-8 minutes was perfectly reasonable, even yes ADMIRABLE, under the circumstances.
If unnamed “pros” such as your brother really did have concerns about it I suspect that’s more about the potential for “political” mis-use (as we came to see with Michael Moore et al) rather than with the issue of whether there was something inherently bad, mistaken etc. in its own terms for the POTUS to continue with a public activity for 7-8 minutes after being informed of a crisis.
So the claim seems to be that Pres. Bush should have foreseen and acted upon unspecified “political” fallout in the future if he did not rush out of that room 7 min. sooner?? Even though it would have no bearing whatever upon his or the govt’s actual response to the crisis??
I submit that’s exactly the kind of thinking we should NOT want in a POTUS in a crisis!!
We are discussing what should be one of the fundamental differences between conservatives (principled, results and substance driven, competence-oriented) and current liberals (appearance driven, shallow and superficial, media-influenced and obsessed, etc.).
I would agree that conservatives can’t live in a bubble and totally ignore how the media will play stuff, but do you really want a POTUS whose first thoughts in the first 1, 2, 3 minutes of a national crisis will be “how can I look good for the media?” and “how can I forestall the Michael Moores of the world from attacking me?”
MY take on Pres. Bush in that room is “here is a man who can walk and chew gum at the same time, who doesn’t have a meltdown even in the face of a grave national crisis.”
There was no good substantive reason for him to get up and leave immediately without any more information, so he (briefly) completed what he was doing and then made his exit.
I submit that this is exactly the kind of self-command we should want in a POTUS (I’m critical of GW Bush on quite a variety of policy issues but not on his bearing and behavior on 9/11).
I was the political pro, not my brother. Simply put, after being told of the second crash into the WTC, Bush ought to have promptly excused himself from the kiddies and tended to his duties as commander in chief. That would have been the best political course because it would have been the best choice for the sake of the country in a moment of shock and peril.
Thanks to all for comments - one time ping to say that I think this is actually an important issue (of major long term importance):
how the left is allowed to “frame” such judgments in the media, to the public, to political “pros” and indeed to “history” is of crucial significance.
We already lost this particular battle long ago, but over time it is useful and important to continue to challenge dominant media narratives again and again.
When it is pretended (and comes to be “conventional wisdom”) that a rabid charlatan like Michael Moore is correct in his propaganda use of this incident, then that kind of propaganda creates its own significance, however despicable.
I maintain that there was nothing wrong with Pres. Bush remaining in that classroom for 7-8 min., that there were no substantive or national security reasons for him to rush out abruptly.
Of course, if Pres. Bush HAD excused himself and quickly departed then the left would have created a meme of “Pres Bush rattled by 9/11 attacks, lose his cool before students etc.”
We need to see and understand how these propaganda battles function. It was a “no win” situation in propaganda terms, when it comes to the uses which can be made by scumbags like Michael Moore.
The only (useful) thing Pres. Bush could do in those 7-8 minutes is what he did do: remain calm, complete his current public activity promptly, and steel himself for what was to come.