Beyond "My Pet Goat": Karl Rove's Role on 9/11

[babylonsister]

Beyond "My Pet Goat": Karl Rove's Role on 9/11
Posted by Michael Shaw on August 15, 2007 at 12:00 PM.

This post, written by Michael Shaw, originally appeared on BAGnewsNotes

Although I had seen this photo before, the fact it showed up in Monday's NYT "Goodbye Karl" slideshow caused me to take a closer "visual forensic" look.



The photo, as you can tell from the clock and the TV screen, was taken at 9:25 am on the morning of 9/11/2001 at Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida.

Although everyone in the world, it seems, is familiar with the "My Pet Goat" photos, I think this one -- though far lesser known -- is as much, if not even more scandalous.

Given the detailed timelines available from that morning, we know well how George Bush spent 10 very long minutes reading a story to a group of second graders. He entered the classroom room at 9:03, and he was informed at 9:06 by Andy Card that a second plane had crashed into the World Trade Towers, but he didn't finish up with the kids until 9:16.

What is much less familiar, however, is how Bush spent the next fifteen or twenty minutes. After taking another minute or two to speak with the teacher and principal after the reading exercise, Bush and company made their way into this adjoining classroom. Once there, Bush spoke with Condi Rice (check), then Dick Cheney (double check), then New York Governor Pataki (check again). What is most remarkable -- both about the photo, and Dubya's subsequent decision making -- however, are those pages in front of him.

According to his original pre-"attack on America" schedule, Bush was slated to give a speech to the Booker Elementary student body at approximately 9:30. So, thirty-nine minutes after the first crash (which Bush was aware of by approximately 8:55); and nineteen minutes after hearing about the second crash; and with the fate of America supposedly hanging in the balance, what do you suppose Bush had in front of him and was working on?

Yep, it's the speech he ended up writing, then delivering, four minutes later to 200 elementary school students, along with some teachers and a handful of reporters.

more...

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/59848/

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

1. That day was scripted from start to finish -- truth is bubbling up all over. nt.

[BridgeTheGap]

2. Look at what the "idiot-in-chief" had to say about that day

Bush at Townmeeting in Orlando, FL - December, 2001
"Well Jordan, you're not going to believe what state I was in when I heard about the terrorist attack. I was in Florida. And my chief of staff, Andy Card -- actually, I was in a classroom talking about a reading program that works. And I was sitting outside the classroom waiting to go in, and I saw an airplane hit the tower--the TV. was obviously on, and I use to fly myself, and I said, 'There's one terrible pilot.' And I said, 'It must have been a terrible accident.’”

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/12/20011204-17.html

Bush at Townmeeting in Ontario, CA - January, 2002

"Anyway, I was sitting there, and my Chief of Staff -- well, first of all, when we walked into the classroom, I had seen this plane fly into the first building. There was a TV set on. And you know, I thought it was pilot error and I was amazed that anybody could make such a terrible mistake. And something was wrong with the plane, or -- anyway, I'm sitting there, listening to the briefing, and Andy Card came and said, "America is under attack.""

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020105-3.html

[Sadie4629]

3. How can you tell it's the speech?

Seems to me it could be anything. And, with that paper standing up in the way, you can't really tell what he's working on at the moment the picture was taken.

[babylonsister]

4. Maybe because he gave a speech - to children-immediately after?

Could be assumption on the writer's part, but so what. Not many presidents would have acted the way he did. His priorities seemed a bit off, to put it mildly.