why did bush read "my pet goat" for seven minutes after being told we were attacked?

Question

doesnt sound like a desicive leader.

Answer 1

Living in his world must be so peaceful!

Answer 2

Apparently, he thought he was being told about the first airliner striking the World Trade Center, and didn't realize it was an attack yet. He didn't think there was any need to run out on a class of children.

In any event, there was little he could have done about the situation. The government's response was a little clunky, but they did shut down the airports and put the Air Force on alert. About the only thing the president could do was give the military permission to shoot down civilian planes. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether a call like that should be made on the spur of the moment.

Honestly, there are more significant questions to ask about his policies than why he read "My Pet Goat."

Answer 3

the 1st thing he was told was that there was an accident involving the trade center and a jet liner. he did not want to freak the kids, and he knew people were reacting to it. the first few minutes are not decisive to resolve a situation like this, as it is still not an issue for the president, but instead an issue for the FAA, the mayor of New York, and the governor of New York State.

One the second hit was announced, and it was apparent that it was an attack, not an accident, the president waited while he decided if he was going to Dakota, or NORAD, or DC. He originally wanted to go to DC, and operate out of the White House Bunker, as consistent with protocol, but instead Secret Service ushered him to Air Force One, and up to Dakota, until they could isolate the attacks.

Once they were isolated, and the president did his duty by staying safe and in command, he went to the disaster site and gave his speech.

Better to make a thoughtful decision than a rushed bad decision....you know, like letting Osama escape three times and blowing up an irrelevant aspirin factory, or blaming Rush Limbaugh for the Oklahoma city building.

Answer 4

As Bush sat in that room after being told of the second plane, he looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. Shocked and scared! But the real question is why, after being told of the first plane, he still went to the photo op. And why after wards he flew all over the country in Air Force One instead of returning to Washington and taking charge. Of course he got the famous photo of him on the phone that they used to fund raise out of it. And then there is him telling an audiance about him watching the first plane hit as he waited to go into the class room. He realized (according to him) that America was under attack. Funny, there is only one video of the first plan and it never was seen until the next day. What did he know and when did he know it?

Answer 5

It was more like 4 minutes (and I know if some of you don't care that it was 4 minutes or 7 minutes...you will still say that it was too long). If your information is derived from "Fahrenheit 9/11" you should balance yourself out with "Fahrenhype 9/11." Michael Moore stretches the truth and down right lies in his film. Watching the rebuttal will help you to see both sides and make a logical conclusion.

Answer 6

Perhaps he realized that rushing from the room would have disappointed and scared many of the children and remaining calm and finishing the story was the best course of action.

No doubt, had you been president, you would have done better?

Yes, I can see you yelling to the adviser who whispered in your ear "What do you mean the towers have been hit?", leaping to your feet, and rushing from the room to leave the children confused and scared.

No doubt, you would have immediately called the Joint Chiefs and a press conference to explain to America that you had almost no more details than they did even though a number of people trained to protect this nation were already methodically going about the business of determining further threats, rerouting planes and getting them out of the air, and scrambling fighter planes to prevent further trouble.

Boy we should've had you as president on 9/11. I certainly would've felt better about it.

Answer 7

What did you expect him to do? Jump up and cause a scene? Leaders have to be calm in the face of adversity. He tried to hold it together but you could tell by the look on his face that he was very concerned. You can't just jump up and start causing a scene in a classroom full of small children. What kind of example would that have set for them? You are too critical. I think he handled the situation the best way he could given the circumstances.

Answer 8

Hmm, that's not entirely correct. Even in Fahrenheit 9/11, he didn't continue to read. He just sat there looking dazed.
And he probably did that for the same reason that war hero John Kerry sat stock-still for an hour: SHOCK.
Heaven forbid we have a human for president...

Answer 9

he was in the middle of a book with children in a classroom. do you think he could just say sorry kids the world is gonna end i need to leave. he had to keep some normalcy for the kids sake. he didnt want to worry them or worse make them feel as if he didnt care about them and they weren't important.... they are important and he had to be with them. there wasnt much he could do after it was all done anyway. those 7 minutes didnt make that much of a difference in his decision, but those 7 minutes meant a great deal to those kids who will tell their grandchildren one day how the president of the United States still stayed with them and cared about them when the world was going through hell and he could have walked out like a jerk... but he didnt

Answer 10

I mean what could he have done during those 7 minutes?
I keep hearing this but i don't see that it's such a problem.
Now the quagmire in Iraq, that's a problem.

Answer 11

What the fook did you want him to do? Get up and start yelling at the children that they were all dead and that the world was on fire? Moron

It would have been kinda wrong to ignore those kids, even tho sheet was going down.