Eyewitness to History: Recalling BushÂ’s Leadership on 9/11 A first-person account of President Bush's response in the first moments of the attack. September 11, 2011 - 12:00 am - by Stephanie Maier In 2001, I was a regional director for the Republican Party of Florida, responsible for grassroots activities in ten key Republican counties from Manatee down to Collier. A regular part of my job included attending presidential visits to my region and providing staff support by doing whatever was needed, from site prep to corralling guests, media, and bystanders into some kind of organized chaos.Presidential visits were always exciting,...