Older Kids speak of the Day the President Read

[cme1201]

news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110504/us_time/08599206932700

From Article: "Even today, she's grateful that Bush regained his composure and stayed with the students until The Pet Goat was finished. "I think the President was trying to keep us from finding out," says Guerrero, "so we all wouldn't freak out."

One thing the students would like to tell Bush's critics - like liberal filmmaker Michael Moore, whose 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 911 disparaged Bush for lingering almost 10 minutes with the students after getting word that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center - is that they think the President did the right thing. "I think he was trying to keep everybody calm, starting with us," says Guerrero. Dubrocq agrees: "I think he was trying to protect us." Booker Principal Gwendolyn Tose-Rigell, who died in 2007, later insisted, "I don't think anyone could have handled it better. What would it have served if [Bush] had jumped out of his chair and ran out of the room?"

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Interesting article, the kids seem to understand why Bush did what he did, and as they say They were there.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I thought he handeled it well. There is no sense in freaking out an entire classroom of youngesters who would have no understanding of what was going on. It made a lot more sense to finish and then deal with everything in private.

Those that bitch about him not reacting immeadiately would turn around and say he terrifyed a bunch of kids if he had. There was no winning in that situation politically for him.

But as far as the kids, he did the right thing.

[Tennesseer]

I found no fault with former President Bush on 9/11 let alone his continued presence in the classroom. 9/11 was a developing situation during those early moments and as long as other members in his administration were watching it carefully and keeping the president informed that was okay with me.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I disagreed with Bush on A LOT of things, but how he handled the situation in the OP isn't one of them.

[Opti]

If that's their opinion they are welcome to it. Personally I think he should have excused himself and left within a minute or two at most of being told. It was possible to leave without being melodramatic.

For me, dealing with a crisis with a high death toll and possibility of more would trump making a few kids feel safe.

[Deleted]

I think he did well all the way around after 9/11. His face and words showed his pain and resolve. He was exactly what we needed at the time. The entire country came together and he did it. He was the man for the job after 9/11. Yes, simple little GWB touched everyone's broken hearts. Well done.

[floridayankee]

May 4, 2011 13:19:02 GMT -5 Opti said:

If that's their opinion they are welcome to it. Personally I think he should have excused himself and left within a minute or two at most of being told. It was possible to leave without being melodramatic.

For me, dealing with a crisis with a high death toll and possibility of more would trump making a few kids feel safe.

I agree. If he didn't waste those 10 minutes, he would have been in new york in time to stop the second plane.


Honestly.....don't people have anything material, legitimate issues to bitch about any more?

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

agree. If he didn't waste those 10 minutes, he would have been in new york in time to stop the second plane

[txbo]

What a punch of crap, he sat there reading to children as the towers are crumpling and we are in a state of war. All he had to say was children as president I must attend too important business. The problem was no one told him what to say.

[floridayankee]

May 4, 2011 14:11:54 GMT -5 txbo said:

What a punch of crap, he sat there reading to children as the towers are crumpling and we are in a state of war. All he had to say was children as president I must attend too important business. The problem was no one told him what to say.

lmao....you libs are funny. Like Pavlov's dog...conditioned to foam at the mouth with the mere mention of the Dubbya.

[shelby]

What i understand about the critics of this issue is that if he learned and secret service and just about everyone at that point knew we were under massive terrorist attack why was he not immediately taken to a safe undisclosed location. His appearance at the school was public information ahead of time. Not making an opinion just pointing out why people are critical of this. But does seem suspect to me.

[txbo]

May 4, 2011 14:24:13 GMT -5 floridayankee said:

May 4, 2011 14:11:54 GMT -5 txbo said:

What a punch of crap, he sat there reading to children as the towers are crumpling and we are in a state of war. All he had to say was children as president I must attend too important business. The problem was no one told him what to say.

lmao....you libs are funny. Like Pavlov's dog...conditioned to foam at the mouth with the mere mention of the Dubbya.

Let me understand this the OP started a thread about this subject matter. I express my view that runs contrary to yours and I’m foaming at the mouth because W sat on his ass. By the way I like W as a private citizen.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Bush waited 10 minutes to keep everyone calm, and liberals are complaining. Bill Clinton had Osama bin Laden's head on a silver platter and he let him walk. What could Bush have done in those 10 minutes that wasn't already happening? Did we really need the boss micromanaging in the middle of a crisis?

[Deleted]

I can't remember any people i know, or in the media really??... who disapproved of Bush immediately after 9/11... he didn't rush into anything, he seemed to be taking his time finding out exactly what happened before jumping to conclusions... i mean, it turned out he was actually trying to find a way to blame it all on iraq... so in retrospect, i have a problem with it... but i had no problem with Bush in the early days after the attacks...

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

Libs just can't let Iraq go. It's very simple, clear, and consistent: Bush determined in the wake of 3,000 dead Americans that we weren't going to let Iraq fester the way that Afghanistan was permitted to fester. We had to deal with BOTH. Now, I'll be the first to admit I would have preferred more of a glowing pile of rubble approach to boots on the ground-- in both cases-- but the jusitifcation for going after Iraq was sound. And an appropriate amount of time passed between first calling Saddam Hussein to account and finally deciding we had to act.

[fairlycrazy23]

They had to get everything ready for his departure anyway, so there was no "lost" time.

[steff]

Did we really need the boss micromanaging in the middle of a crisis

things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

[txbo]

May 4, 2011 15:49:59 GMT -5 AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP said:

Bush waited 10 minutes to keep everyone calm, and liberals are complaining. Bill Clinton had Osama bin Laden's head on a silver platter and he let him walk. What could Bush have done in those 10 minutes that wasn't already happening? Did we really need the boss micromanaging in the middle of a crisis?

You conservatives love to spin and conveniently forget tora bora. Bush let Bin Laden slip away.

[Deleted]

"justification for going into Iraq was sound"