TIME magazine has a fascinating story on the children who were with President Bush on 9-11 when he received the news that America was under attack. They are all very appreciative of his calm response and that he didn’t immediately storm out of the room. One student described it this way:
“I’ll always remember watching his face turn red. He got really serious all of a sudden. But I was clueless. I was just seven. I’m just glad he didn’t get up and leave because then I would have been more scared and confused.
Another student agrees:
“I think the President was trying to keep us from finding out so we all wouldn’t freak out.”
Here’s how they feel about Michael Moore’s interpretation of Bush’s response that day:
“One thing they’d 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 Booker students after getting word that two planes had crashed into New York’s 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?'”
Read the rest here.
(HT: Russell Moore)
7 Comments
Michael
It just seems that he only stopped to think. I doubt our current White House has stopped to think 10 minutes about any of its decisions.
yankeegospelgirl
Bush is ten times the man Obama will ever be. I have many important disagreements with him, but I respect him.
Christiane
not surprised by the lack of reaction to THIS post
🙂
Paul
This proves we cannot believe anything the 24/7 media outlets state simply because their agenda overrides truth and fact for ratings and entertainment. I suspected all along that our former President handled himself with aplumb so as to avoid alarming anyone in that room. Funny how the facts have not brought forth a single apology from anyone who saw fit to vilify him in their sport. Proves we must stay diligent in our daily discernment so as not to be swayed by a media that does nothing in our best interest…especially Christian’s. Sure, stay informed. But switching off the TV lessons the confusion as to what is truth and what is not, thus not becoming part of the “give us Barabbas” crowd.
Christiane
Paul, the video speaks for itself. No commentary is needed.
It’s just recorded as it happened.
Some people can praise him to the sky. Other people are embarrassed for him when they watch this.
It’s what it is.
Nick
I think the president of the United States is has an enormous responsibility whether he be republican or democrat. I believe each president makes decisions in the best interest of the people as best he can. I believe he can be right at times and wrong at times because he is human. I believe as a citizen I should support the president whether republican or democrat out of respect and because his appointment is of divine origin according to Romans 13:1. I do not believe me or you can do better except from hind sight.
mgreen
Paul-I think it was pretty obvious to most people-even that day-that his reaction was specifically for the purpose that you mentioned (and that was mentioned in the Time article). The simple fact is that most of those people who criticized Bush’s response would have found absolutely no fault if Obama had handled such a crisis in the same way. Personally, the fact that Michael Moore criticized Bush’s reaction is evidence to me that it was a rational response. Moore is a sad, hate-filled individual who is thoroughly confused.