When will someone make an issue of * frantically flying around the US

[CatWoman]

on 9/11, looking for a safe hole to hide in?

The chickenshit.

I'd love to hear the true version of events.

[goclark]

1. Yea,why didn't he have his boots on the ground that day!

[MetaTrope]

2. Or maybe that month-long vacation he took in August

While no meetings on terrorism were happening?

[Stephanie]

27. That was no vacation - that was 'gettting out of harm's way' in advance

They had plenty of warnings, so they split town. They knew DC was a target so they got out. Not only was Junior in Crawford for August (longest presidential vacation in history except for one by Nixon - bush was taking a lot of political heat for it and yet they did it anyway - was not scheduled in advance - took the press by surprise) - but Cheney spent the entire month in Wyoming. And Ashcroft flew only private planes.

WHY? Because they are LYING COWARDS who care only about themselves. They ran for safety but did nothing to protect the American people, because a terrorist incident would faciliate their radical geo-political agenda.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

www.msnbc.com/news/907379.asp?0cv=KA01

<snip>Some sources who have read the still-secret congressional report say some sections would not play quite so neatly into White House plans. One portion deals extensively with the stream of U.S. intelligence-agency reports in the summer of 2001 suggesting that Al Qaeda was planning an upcoming attack against the United States—and implicitly raises questions about how Bush and his top aides responded. One such CIA briefing, in July 2001, was particularly chilling and prophetic. It predicted that Osama bin Laden was about to launch a terrorist strike “in the coming weeks,” the congressional investigators found. The intelligence briefing went on to say: “The attack will be spectacular and designed to inflict mass casualties against U.S. facilities or interests. Attack preparations have been made. Attack will occur with little or no warning.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A15957-2001
Aug 29, <2001>

<snip>The White House had announced that Bush would stay at his 1,600-acre ranch in Crawford from Aug. 4 through Labor Day on Sept. 3, a 31-day stretch that would have broken a modern record for a presidential vacation, held by Richard M. Nixon for a 30-day trip to San Clemente, Calif., in 1969. News reports played up the record, and a Gallup Poll found that 55 percent of respondents thought Bush's vacation was too long.

The length of the trip revived old questions about Bush's work ethic, and the poll and the news coverage caused consternation in the White House.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

www.jacksonholenews.com/Archives/NewsArchive/2001/010815-News.html
Aug. 15, 2001

Vice President Dick Cheney took time off from his month-long working vacation Monday to outline his plans for August in Jackson Hole and to reflect on "an amazing year."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/07/26/national/main303601.shtml
Ashcroft Flying High
WASHINGTON, July 26, 2001

(CBS) Fishing rod in hand, Attorney General John Ashcroft left on a weekend trip to Missouri Thursday afternoon aboard a chartered government jet, reports CBS News Correspondent Jim Stewart.

In response to inquiries from CBS News over why Ashcroft was traveling exclusively by leased jet aircraft instead of commercial airlines, the Justice Department cited what it called a "threat assessment" by the FBI, and said Ashcroft has been advised to travel only by private jet for the remainder of his term.

"There was a threat assessment and there are guidelines. He is acting under the guidelines," an FBI spokesman said. Neither the FBI nor the Justice Department, however, would identify what the threat was, when it was detected or who made it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[KG]

3. USians are so delussional they want to covince themselves it was

some kind of act of bravery. :eyes:

[nostamj]

4. "I'd love to hear the true version of events"

you didn't see the Showtime movie?

<ducking>

[CatWoman]

5. rofl!!!

:hi:

[Lisa]

44. oh, the one where "Bush" has a hissy fit ...

... about how he's the President, dammit, and he has to get back to the White House no matter what? And they ignore him, so he looks like even more of a dork! If they were trying to rewrite history, they haven't been able to find a way to make him seem heroic, that's for sure.


Actually, I was shocked to hear that Bob Woodward backs up one particularly cringe-making scene in that movie -- where "Bush" (as played by Timothy Bottoms) seems to think that the families will be more thrilled by getting his autograph (!) than sympathy and a hug. Woodward claimed that Bush was actually doing this, during the Friday visit to the bereaved.

[CatWoman]

48. that's fucking disgusting

what a pathetic asshole.

He really does think he's Caligula.

[Virginian]

6. If he had been any kind of leader,

he would have broadcast some reassurances instead of hiding until his
speechwriters could come up with the fake leadership stuff.

Dubya didn't do anything because Cheney was still running the country then. It was later that day he finally turned over the reins. (The photograph, sent to donors, showing Bush on Airforce One was the real inauguration photo of Dubya.) Bush was just a figurehead until then. I think they were afraid to give him any real responsibility.

[chelaque liberal]

24. It was later that day he finally turned over the reins.

Don't you mean "gave the illusion of turning over the reins?"

[Virginian]

42. Yeah,

He doesn't do anything except go to fundraisers, photo ops and campaign stops. Somebody else is back at the White House running the show.

[MarianJack]

7. I Truly Believe,...

...as I've stated before and will again for as long as I live, that moron was doing his best to abandon his office on 9/11. I believe that cheney, et al, had the plane grounded in LA, flown to NE and that bush was given his instructions from the PNACers who really run this mis-administration and was told just WHO was in charge.

In short, I believe that there was a second coup on 9/11.

Since nobody ever responds when I say this, I guess that my fellow DUers think that this may be a bit extreme. That's O.K. We still live in a free country and have the right to opinion, at least until the patriot act overrules the Bill of Rights completely!

[CatWoman]

8. er, I dunno MJ

:tinfoilhat:

[MarianJack]

19. Thanx for the Tinfoil, CatWoman.

If I could prove this, obviously I would. I mostly base this on the fact that Louisiana is where moron's plane first landed and that's more on the way to Texas than D.C.

Secondly, I read an article written by a consevative writer (I don't remember who or the article's name, but I did pick it up from a DU link) where bush told cheney "I want togo home".

There were also quite a few dignitaries and business ppeople who were at the Air Force base in Nebraska when bush landed and went "down the rabbit hole" as Ann Compton said.

By the way, remember the nonsense of the plane that crashed in Pennsylvanis being headed for a mid air crash with Air Force One?

[CatWoman]

20. Yup

and the "White House was targeted" lie?

[Lisa]

45. that plane ...

The widow of the co-pilot is convinced that Bush could have saved those people if he had acted when Card whispered in his ear -- such as, by ordering ALL the planes grounded (which apparently Norm Mineta, the Transportation Secretary, had to do without help from W).

I haven't done the math yet, but it seems to me that such an order given then (or better yet, as soon as they knew that one plane had crashed and at least one other had been hijacked) -- they would have had at least 20 minutes.

[Odallas]

13. I can't doubt what you say ..

with what is at stake in this world anything- ANYTHING- is possible.
Most people try to place these events from there own perspective.

The people who want to rule us are alien to our values and the way we want to live our lives.

[robbedvoter]

9. 60 min started the story with: "After he returned to the WH"..I was livid!

The memory hole is full of Bush crimes they threw in, but 9.11 has a way of being unforgettable. That videotape from the bunker that wouldn't start - is indelible in my mind - and I am sure I am not the only one.
"I was getting out of harm's way" he told the german magazine.
And now we are suppose to worship him for that?

[robbedvoter]

18. A few from my archive:

NYT
"Disappointing some of his political advisers and allies, who felt he
should have returned to Washington at once from a trip to Florida to
symbolize that the government was functioning, President Bush headed
instead to Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, where a more secure
command post was available. At the height of the Cuban missile
crisis, when the sense of danger was just as palpable, John F.
Kennedy stayed in Washington."

Ari

         Q Ari, in terms of this specific threat that you talked about
against the White
         House and Air Force One, we have heard from administration
officials that the
         plane that went into the Pentagon may have originally been
targeted at the White
         House. What can you tell us about that?

         MR. FLEISCHER: John, we have real and credible information that
the airplane that
         landed at the Pentagon was originally intended to hit the White
House.
snip

         Q Ari, we started off this briefing by you saying that there
was specific and credible
         evidence that the plane that hit the Pentagon was originally
targeted for the White
         House.

         MR. FLEISCHER: Correct.

         Q Do you have specific and credible evidence on the intended
target of the aircraft
         that went down in Pennsylvania?

         MR. FLEISCHER: Do not.

and some of that "leadership:


"Bush didn't know there were ground troops in until he called Dick"
Bush Goes to Battle Stations

On the treadmill in the gym of a Shanghai hotel, George W. Bush
was running hard,
working up a sweat that soaked through his gray T shirt. It was
5:30 in the morning,
local time. He’d been unable to sleep. His suite on the 44th
floor of the Portman
Ritz-Carlton was plush, but the air was tense; concerns about
secure communications
were running high. His wife, always a comfort, was far away,
back home in
Washington, D.C. He had gotten out of bed to work the phones in
the early morning
hours. That’s when he learned, from calls to Vice President
Dick Cheney and others,
that U. S. Army Rangers had launched an operation Bush had
previously authorized:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/645609.asp
      
 

[chelaque liberal]

26. The Ministry of Truth has corrected that.

You are guily of thought crimes.

[jean]

10. Richard Clarke said last night he stayed in the WH Situation Room

handling response to the crisis. I wonder who else was with him and if we'll get to hear more from this group about that day.

Remember, the WH had been virtually abandoned, including by Cheney and Mrs Cheney (why she was there I don't know).

[chelaque liberal]

23. Didn't Poppy spend the night at the WH?

That still seems odd to me.

[Ready4Change]

11. Much though I don't like this administration...

I think the top priority of the people around the President should be to keep that President out of harms way. Call it cowardice on Bush's part if you want, or call it part of a conspiracy by those who are truly running this administration, or whatever you'd like.

If I were those people charged with the CIC safety, and there were attacks involving planned destination (DC) I'd change that destination immediately.

I'll still disagree with this administrations policies and other actions, but keeping Bush away from DC till they knew it was secure was a valid choice, imho.

[CatWoman]

14. I'm sorry

I just have this image in my head of a VISIBLY SHAKEN * spouting sound bites and drivel after flying over 3/4 of the U.S.

There was NOTHING presidential about that appearance.

I can see getting out of harms way, sure.

But come on, he looked like a scared rabbit.

[Ready4Change]

29. No arguement there.

Bush may still be a coward, but I still support keeping the President, whoever that is, out of a potentially dangerous situation.

[chelaque liberal]

28. He could have been out of harm's way and still spoken to the American

and still spoken to the American people, given some reasurrance that he was in control. I clearly remember the newscasters asking, "Where is the president?"

[Ready4Change]

31. I agree.

I also thought it took too long for him to deliver a message.

[RobinA]

32. Gotta Agree

I can't stand the man, but we can't have him getting offed by terrorists. If I'm the Secret Service and there's a sh*t storm going down per 9/11 morning, I'm getting my guy out of Dodge and I'm not bringing him back until somebody figures out what's going on. He can play fearless leader after we know where the bad guys are shooting from.

[chelaque liberal]

33. Wasn't there an room in Cheney's bunker?

[Bridget Burke]

34. He could have made a statement from anywhere....

If they were so concerned about his safety, why did they let him attend a pre-announced event at a non-secure location after the situation had begun--and let him stay there until much more of the game was afoot?

However, wherever his location, his people have audiovisual resources. He could have given a brief, reassuring statement. He could have outlined what was known & promised a quick investigation.

But it wouldn't have been easy. It's not just that he has a problem dealing with complex intellectual concepts. But he lacks the necessary feeling to give a simple, heart-felt message.

And his normal problematic state of mind might have been affected by the fact that it wasn't all a big surprise. Perhaps the results were more spectacular than anticipated, but an attack had been expected. Many of us have suspected this for a while & recent disclosures seem to bear this out.

[mouse7]

41. Yes, the proper place to do that is onboard Air Force One

Air Force One is fully equipped to serve as the National Command Center. Air Force One is THE safest place in the world to be in the event of an attack on the US. Once AWACS and fighter protection is up, AF1 is completely untouchable by nothing short of a Russian full nuclear strike against the entire US using it's entire inventory of a nuclear weapons. The Air Force always has AWACS and fighter support for AF1 on standby. It only requires moments to get armed fighters up beside AF1.

The Louisiana and Nebraska bunkers Dumbya ran to were not properly equipped to act as command centers.

[JCMach1]

12. Wait for Farenheit 911

:)

[Nashyra]

16. Now is the time for Kerry to come out

swinging, not at the * but with what he promises to do, ie: I will not, will not take a month long vacation when there is any type of evidence that there is an imminet attack on the US or their interest whether here or abroad. It should be pointed out that the job of the president is to "defend and protect" all Americans. The fact that this idiot keeps saying that they thought it was going to happen overseas so it was not as important should be brought front and center. It's ok to not pay attention because it will happen somewhere else? Not, a warning is a warning when it is against US citizens

[Raven]

15. There is a theory going around

that George W was convinced that Saddam was after him in the same way that he tried to kill his father. As this theory goes, that's why he stayed in the air on 9/11 and that's why he fixated on Saddam.

[CatWoman]

17. not only is he a chickenshit

but a paranoid chickenshit to boot.

[Stephanie]

22. Wolfowitz probably told him that

The neo-cons manipulate the little emperor just as they manipulate the American public with their lies. Only with Bunnypants it's easier, I'm sure. At least the rest of us read the newspaper. Junior is in a bubble of lies.

[Stephanie]

21. A timeline: Bush was AWOL on 9/11

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

9:03 a.m.: A second hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston, crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center and explodes. Both buildings are burning.

+++

9:30 a.m.: President Bush, speaking in Sarasota, Florida, says the country has suffered an "apparent terrorist attack."

+++

9:43 a.m.: American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, sending up a huge plume of smoke. Evacuation begins immediately.

+++

9:57 a.m.: Bush departs from Florida.

+++

http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/11/chronology.attack /

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At 12:39 word is that Bush has landed at a base near Shreveport, La. Incredibly, at 12:51, there is footage of a Taliban news conference by one Wakil Ahmed Mutawakel. It is difficult to absorb that Arafat and the Taliban have weighed in before Bush. Five minutes later ABC reports that in Shreveport "the president looked grim. His eyes were somewhat red." The only hard information is that there are no national security people traveling with the president. ABC's Peter Jennings, breaking protocol for news anchors, says forcefully that the country needs words from its president in Washington.

+++

1:08: More than three hours after the second tower collapsed. A taped message from President Bush. But the sound isn't transmitting, and the image is jerky. Then the image goes backwards. Then it goes off.

+++


2:35: Guiliani live again: "The number of casualties will be more than anyone can bear."

+++

3:30: Confirmation that Bush has landed at the Strategic Air Defense Command base near Omaha, Neb. ABC's Ann Compton, traveling with the president, is on the phone to Peter Jennings, whose inflection says it all: "Annie, can you hear me? What are you doing in Nebraska?"

When he asks where Bush is, she replies, "He disappeared down the rabbit hole, Peter."

+++

3:48: For the first time an administration official, White House counsel Karen Hughes, gives a live statement: "The president, vice-president, and speaker of the House are all safe." It is astonishing that this late in the day the White House has nothing more to say.

+++

At 6:41, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld gives a live press conference -- nearly nine hours after the towers collapsed, a cabinet-level official finally speaks.

+++

8:31: Nearly 12 hours after the attack began, 10 and a half after the towers collapsed, President George W. Bush reads a speech live from the Oval Office.

+++

http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2001-10-05/cols_ventura...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[thebigidea]

25. I'm working on a little video about it

and his use of pictures of that cowardice to raise money! Ha!

[chelaque liberal]

30. I truly believe that he had a meltdown.

I am a nurse and I have seen many people lose it. I believe that Bush had to be medicated, and worked into shape before he could be propped in front of a television camera. It was the first thing that came to my mind when I say him that evening in his feeble attempt to address the country, that there was something wrong with him. I have seen that look too often.

The excessive injuries to his face after the "pretzel incident" makes me suspicious that he has needed some "encouragement" at other times too. Nobody looks like that when they slip to the floor from a sitting position. But that's another story.....

I wouldn't put anything past these people.

[Bridget Burke]

35. The last gasp of his remaining conscience?

He'd remembered enough from those briefings to expect an attack. But he was surprised that it was so bad.

They had to pump him full of something.

[Lisa]

46. what do you think about the classroom footage?

I look at his reactions and I really don't believe the White House story that Bush was just trying to ease his way out of the photo-op without scaring the kids. Every parent I know is able to rush off and address an emergency (e.g. in the midst of playing with one kid when s/he sees another reaching for the hot stove) without sitting around for more than a quarter-hour! Besides, Bush then went ahead and made that brief "we've been attacked" announcement in front of the kids!

Given how many warnings he had (e.g. knowing about the first crash even before he entered the classroom), Bush's response seemed curiously numbed and disconnected. Why so long to respond? This is a man who's supposed to be super-fit, and allegedly has better decision-making abilities than I do (having been a businessman and political campaigner).

[Algorem]

36. If he was in such tremendous danger(Ha!) why did he sit for a half hour

endangering a schoolful of tiny tykes and teachers?

[Marymarg]

37. Witnessing history

As soon as I heard about the first plane hitting the Tower, I started making notes while I watched Peter Jennings, nonstop. I was struck by Peter's obvious exasperation and disgust with Bush flying hither and yon.

I think that watching events unfold in real time is the only way to get the full impact of the miserable failure we had who was supposed to be in charge. It was only too apparent that Bush did not what the heck to do or where to even go.

As Peter showed us the ghastly scenes in NYC, including Guliani already walking the smoky streets, we saw the devastation live. Then back to Peter saying, "Where is the President?" and that he (Bush) has to return to Washington sometime.

Meanwhile, I am receiving phone calls from my 22year old daughter as she and her coworkers are making their way on foot through the scary streets of DC. She is reassuring me that she is okay.

Back to Peter saying, the President is at Barksdale AFB. Ladies and Gentlemen, Barksdale AFB is in LOUISIANA! The contempt in poor Peter's voice is seeping from his pores as he tries to remain professional.

The whole thing was surreal. My thinking at the time is okay, Bush is done. He is in so over his head that obviously someone is going to have to take over. I really thought he would have to stand down.

[bvar22]

38. On 9-11,

..there was a trail of yellow urine that stretched from Florida to bush*s spiderhole in Omaha.

Not original. Overheard tis bit on Take Back The Media last week.
Archived Shows at:
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/radio.shtml

[bvar22]

39. I like the meme...

...of bush* hiding in a SPIDERHOLE on 9-11.


I despise that lying little cold bag of dog sh**!

[robbedvoter]

40. Found the LAT article: W's confession:

d: 23 May 2002 07:49:21 by  Robbedvoter
------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-000036064may22.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dnation
THE NATION
By EDWIN CHEN
TIMES STAFF WRITER
May 22 2002
WASHINGTON -- WASHINGTON -- President Bush spoke publicly for the first
time Tuesday
about his fears for himself and his family in the hours after the Sept.
11 terrorist attacks,
telling a German television reporter he was "trying to get out of harm's
way" before
returning to the White House.
In an interview with ARD German Television, Bush said that in the
immediate aftermath of
the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, "I was concerned
about things
like, is my wife safe? You know, I was worried about that. I was worried
about things such as
my parents. I was worried about my girls."
Among the flying public grounded that day were the president's parents,
who found
themselves stranded in Wisconsin. Bush was able to reach his father, as
well as First Lady
Laura Bush, who was in Washington. But as he discussed his personal
reactions, Bush also
wanted there to be no doubt about his focus on the task at hand.
"At the same time, you need to know about me that I was also thinking
clearly about how to
respond," he said.
Bush granted the interview as a prelude to his weeklong trip to Europe,
which begins today.
After a stop in Berlin, he travels to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Paris and
Rome.
Bush's initial conduct on Sept. 11 came under scrutiny because he did
not immediately
return to Washington. When the first airliner crashed into the World
Trade Center, he was
in Sarasota, Fla., to speak on education reform.
Bush and his entourage flew to two highly secure Air Force bases--one in
Louisiana, the
other in Nebraska--before arriving in Washington that evening.
"I mean, I was trying to get out of harm's way," Bush said.
"We were concerned about threats on the president. We were worried about
future attacks,
and there's a lot of belief that Flight 93 was headed to the White
House," Bush added,
referring to the hijacked commercial airliner that crashed in western
Pennsylvania.

[RamboLiberal]

43. You'll be surprised that it was Clarke who advised Cheney

to tell the president to stay out of DC that day. And he gives the Bush a pass on this and said Bush wanted to come back to DC.

Page 21 - Bush from Offutt. "I'm coming back to the WH as soon as the plane is fueled. No dicussion. Item two, briefing by Dick Clarke."

After reading this I have no problem with them keeping * out of DC. What will always be unforgiveable in my mind is him going in to that classroom. Then sitting there for so long knowing the WTC towers were burning and we were under attack.

[David Zephyr]

47. Hey Catwoman! I've Always Felt That This Was A Winning Issue.

He looked and acted like the coward we know he is.

[CatWoman]

49. David!!

:hi:

:loveya: