Lest we forget...words of implication that issued forth from the Idiot in Chief's own mouth

[BridgeTheGap]

Public Testimony - (written in 2004)

Those of us who have held a distrust of the “establishment” for a long time now, yet maintain our fighting spirit, are not so surprised by the machinations of the standing order. We are rightly skeptical of the 9/11 Commission and its ability or inclination to reveal the truth about 9/11.

The current occupant of the White House is due to give his “not under oath” secret testimony soon before the 9/11 Panel – or part of the panel at any rate. One has to wonder if the panel will reflect the trend at work in the media to give Bush a “free pass” on his performance as a leader in responding to 9/11. Nothing more clearly illustrates this phenomenon than the following quotes that issued from the pResident’s own mouth. Their relevance to 9/11 is clear and their implications for Bush are staggering. This must explain why the U.S. media wouldn’t touch these with a 10 foot pole. Journalist Greg Palast was having a beer in the Orlando Airport, waiting for a flight back to England, when he witnessed the first of Bush’s statements on CNN.

“I nearly spit my beer out on the bar when I heard it. I fully expected the American press to jump on this, but the next morning, not a word.” This is what Palast heard and saw on CNN. The quote is still on the official White House web site:

"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.’”

This quote could easily be written off as just another stupid “Bushism.” And surely, one would expect his handlers to reiterate the same words uttered by former Press Secretary, Ari Fleischer to: “Watch what you say.” So did the press write this statement off for this reason? There are plenty of quotes out there, books of them in fact, that give an indication of the “stature” of this man. But keep in mind that “Bush Dyslexicon” author, Mark Crispin Miller, contends that Bush is not stupid and that he can actually speak quite clearly when its something he cares about, say capital punishment, for example. Now the obvious question becomes (are you listening 9/11 Commission?): Why did Bush essentially repeat the same statement made in Orlando, a month later in California?

"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.""

Obviously, the press has not been willing to hold Bush accountable for these statements or much else, until the pretexts for invading Iraq started unraveling. The use of the events of 9/11 to justify invading Iraq, as well as justifying record deficits and curtailing civil liberties, are reason enough to bring up Bush’s performance in the wake of these tragic events. In fact, the Republicans are running ads touting his leadership abilities supposedly demonstrated in response to 9/11. So yes, it’s time for the media to revisit this man’s performance and ask some questions about the words that issued from his own mouth. And while we may not be privy to Bush’s “not under oath” testimony to the 9/11 Commission, they too should ask some probing questions related to Bush’s public testimony on 9/11. This “leader” needs to be held accountable.