[tw]

Originally Posted by glatt

Is it a big deal? I don't really think so, but it certainly was not right. We were in the midst of an attack, and he just sat there. He had bad instincts. I can't believe anyone would try to spin it another way.

His indecisions and inaction were a major deal. George Jr sat there fully knowing America was under attack while never even once asked a single question. Those seven minutes are symonomous to the entire George Jr administration response during the 11 September attack AND later decisions that let Ossam bin Laden go free.

I note in another post that as I read more, I become more appalled at who really is in command. I no longer believe George Jr makes any decisions until told to do so by his political advisors including Rice, Rove, and Cheney. Even Card appears to be more of a care taker. Details of indecision and resulting actions will be provided. Details demonstrate absolute and total mismangement by the mental midget president as he waits for his advisors to tell him what to do.

Furthermore UT's idea that air traffic controller were in panic mode is a complete lie. So much a lie that UT must have made his conclusions using a political agenda. Demonstrated is that the little people - including ATC personel - were the only persons doing things right. The only person paniced were a US president frozen in a classroom when the little people needed command decisions to be made. So indecisive that George Jr could not even ask one question such as, "Is anyone in charge?" Yes I am blunt because UT belligerently misrepresents 11 September and the superb response by so many little people when confronted by total indeicsion by the George Jr administration. Numerous details and examples follow:

From the 9/11 Commission Report:

The President was seated in a classroom when, at 9:05, Andrew Card whispered to him: "A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack." The President told us his instinct was to project calm, not to have the country see an excited reaction at a moment of crisis.

Let's see. On 6 Aug, his PDB said an immenent attack would involve planes and buildings. The people desperate for leadership needed someone who knew this fact to make decisions. But George Jr just sat there. Before he got off Air Force One, he already knew one plane had hit the WTC. He was told by Andy Card - specifically - the second plane was an attack on the US. He sat there for seven minutes and did not even ask one question! This is leadership? No this is a president waiting for his people to tell him what to do. UT would have you believe otherwise. Unlike UT, I have spent substancial time reading the details. The more details I read, then the more indecision existed in the White House. Indecision as to even what questions to ask.

If the president got up from his chair and immediately consulted with his advisors, would people then go running in panic down the street. Of course not. In fact, if the president immediately left the room, well, no one would have cared especially since everyone knew the WTC was hit. Leaving the classroom immediately would have been the logical and responsbile actions of a decisive leader. But he did not act decisive. He just sat there and never once asked a single question. What was he waiting for - god to tell him what to do? Others are so foolish as to call that "not causing panic". Yes I am openly challenging the credibility of anyone who believes if the president left that classroom, then Americans would be rioting in panic. How silly as to buy into that presidental propaganda spin. And yet so many so love the mental midget as to buy that lie. A decisive president leaving the classroom would have projected the calming effect of a leader in charge. But he was not in charge. He just sat there as the government suffered from indecision - as will be exampled.

Government operating without direction as the president just sat there reading a childrens book. Even fighter protection for NYC and Washington was never authorized to shoot down any plane to protect the city. At 10:07, even after the Pentagon was attacked and the number of other highjacked planes was unknown:

At that point in time, the Langley pilots did not know the threat they were facing, did not know where United 93 was located, and did not have shootdown authorization. ... At 10:10, the pilots over Washington were emphatically told, "negative clearance to shoot."

The president knew where the threat was coming from. It was stated in his 6 August 2001 PDB and in other PDBs. But without his direction and without the CIA intelligence from that PDB, then government was lost as to how to respond. Fighters even went out to sea in response to some kind of naval attack. They had no facts or leadership and therefore went the wrong direction. American 77 had already crashed into the Pentagon at 9:38. United 93 was still somewhere out there, undetected, missing, and still no one in the White House authorized fighter pilots to defend Washington or New York. More indecision as George Jr asked no questions and provided no leadership.

So what does George Jr do? Card tells him America is under attack. Does he ask Card a simple question such as who is in charge? Does he ask for further information? Does he even ask how many more attacks are coming? No, he sits there waiting for Cheney, et al to make a decision. Even Rumsfeld was not available to issue orders. Rumsfeld was lost outside in the parking lot, moving stretchers when command decisions by him and the President were required.

While the president sat there dumbly reading children's books, the US response to ongoing attacks was paralyzed - except where people not in command took charge without leadership orders. Example:

In addition to notifications within the FAA, Boston Center took the initiative, at 8:34, to contact the military through the FAA's Cape Cod facility. The center also tried to contact a former alert site in Atlantic City, unaware it had been phased out. At 8:37:52, Boston Center reached NEADS. This was the first notification received by the military "at any level" that American 11 had been hijacked

The military responded because air traffic controllers in Boston Center did not wait for the George Jr administration to respond and were not paniced as UT would have us believe. FAA Administrators were notified but also did not ask for military assistance. In fact top Geroge Jr administrators repeatedly did not respond - as George Jr sat in that elementary school knowing that America was under attack.

George Jr would not understand that the FAA leaadership was doing nothing. He did not ask a single question - such as, "Is anyone in command?"

UT has totally misrepresented the US response to those 9/11 attacks. Apparently he likes George Jr more than he does the American people. The entire US response to the 9/11 attacks were by the little people who had no authority to do what they did. The closer one gets to Washington, then indecision was greatest - as George Jr sat in the FL classroom doing nothing.

Field commanders responded without orders:

At NEADS, the report of the hijacking was relayed immediately to Battle Commander Colonel Robert Marr. After ordering the Otis fighters to battle stations, Colonel Marr phoned Major General Larry Arnold, commanding general of the First Air Force and NORAD's Continental Region. Marr sought authorization to scramble the Otis fighters. General Arnold later recalled instructing Marr to "go ahead and scramble them, and we'll get authorities later.

[continued in the next post]