Call Me Crazy, But...

The following information has been collected from various sites supportive of my opinion. I can’t stand the man, G.W. Bush, and thought him dim-witted and a traitor to our country before he opened his stupid mouth and left no doubt. In the beginning of his reign I referred to him as Jethro from the Beverly Hillbillies, until I realized it was an insult to the character, Jethro!

When Bush was sent to Booker Elementary to read to the second graders was he establishing an alibi? He knew the event would be recorded and possibly shown on television--especially if he flubbed the ‘Pet Goat’ reading. Was he scheduled to participate in a public event so he’d be in front of the cameras, cementing his alibi during the first wave of attacks on 9/11? Was he purposely stalling after Andrew Card walked up to him in the middle of the 'Pet Goat' reading? Was he annoyed at being interrupted before he got to the end of the story? Isn’t it curious he found a need to read to kiddies; has he read to second graders since that time?

You may have heard the strange story of how George Bush claimed to have seen the first plane hit the World Trade Tower on a television in Booker Elementary School before going into a classroom to hear some children read. This is a strange story because there were no live broadcasts of this event.

Still stranger was Bush's reaction on being told of the second impact by chief of staff Andrew Card. There was none. Bush simply went on with the school visit and listened to children reading about a pet goat for twenty minutes!

White House aide Gordon Johndroe came in as he usually does at the end of press conferences, and said, "Thank you, Mr. President. If you could step out the door we came in, please." A reporter then asked, "Mr. President, are you aware of the reports of the plane crash in New York? Is there anything..."

But Bush interrupted, and no doubt recalling his order, "Don’t say anything yet," Bush responded, "I'll talk about it later."

So why, at 9:03 a.m.—fifteen minutes after it was clear the United States was under terrorist attack—did Bush sit down with a classroom of second-graders and begin a 20-minute preplanned photo op? No one knows the answer to that question. In fact, no one even bothered to ask Bush about it.

But still Bush did not leave. He stepped forward and shook hands with the classroom teacher, Daniels, slipping his left hand behind her in another photo-op pose. He was taking his good old time. He lingered until the press was gone.

Some interesting thoughts while Bush was at Booker Elementary:

"Had I known there was going to be an attack on America, I would have moved mountains to stop the attack. I would have done everything I can. My job is to protect the American people."
                                  G.W. Bush--4/11/2004

Does that statement give you the warm fuzzies?

You may have heard the strange story of how George Bush claimed to have seen the first plane hit the World Trade Tower on a television in Booker Elementary School before going into a classroom to hear some children read. This is a strange story because there were no live broadcasts of this impact!

Still stranger was Bush's reaction on being told of the second impact by chief of staff Andrew Card. There was none!  Bush simply went on with the school visit and listened to the children reading about a pet goat...for twenty minutes!

But far more telling than Bush's reaction is that of Card himself. As he steps into the classroom to inform Bush of the second impact (without mentioning the fact that more hijacked planes were in the air), then immediately steps back without waiting for a reply. Bush's job is to make decisions. How does Card know that Bush will not make one then and there?

What damns the Bush administration is Bush and Card reacting to a surprise attack, but Card acts like he is delivering a progress report to which he knows there will be no immediate response rather than unexpected news, and Bush does not act surprised.

The only source to describe what happened next is Fighting Back by Bill Sammon. Publishers Weekly described Sammon's book as an "inside account of the Bush administration's reaction to 9/11 and a breathless, highly complimentary portrait of the president showing the great merit and unwavering moral vision of his inner circle."
                   Publisher's Weekly, October 15, 2002

Sammon's conservative perspective makes his account of Bush's behavior at the end of the photo-op all the more surprising. Bush is described as smiling and chatting with the children "as if he didn't have a care in the world" and "in the most relaxed manner imaginable." White House aide Gordon Johndroe then came in as he usually does at the end of press conferences, and said, "Thank you, Mr. President. If you could step out the door we came in, please."

But still he didn’t leave. "He stepped forward and shook hands with the teacher, slipping his left hand behind her in another photo-op pose. He was taking his good old time. Bush lingered until the press was gone."
                 Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism
                 By Bill Sammon, October 2, 2002

“I remember once the Secret Service thought they had another threat and tried to get the president to leave. He insisted that he wasn’t leaving. I'll never forget, he said: ‘In fact, I’m hungry. I want a hamburger.”

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!

Ostensibly, Bush and Card are reacting to a surprise attack, but Card acts like he is delivering a progress report to which he knows there will be no immediate response rather than unexpected news, and Bush does not act surprised.

Bush knew the twin towers had been hit by commercial airliners. An unknown number of people were dead or injured, and some were jumping from the towers, but the main concern of the US forces commander-in-chief was getting a hamburger.

How did he know it was safe to stick around and ask for a burger? How did he know he was not making targets of the school staff and students by staying with them?

Where are the investigative reporters? Oh, I forgot...this is America.