This page was last updated on August 30, 2004.

Another Michael Moore “Kool-Aid drinker.”

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“In the documentary ‘Fahrenheit 9/11,’ Michael Moore plays a video clip of Mr. Bush sitting in that classroom on the morning of Sept. 11.  After being told about the second plane hitting the World Trade Center, Bush continued to sit in the classroom and read ‘The Pet Goat’ (he probably just looked at the pictures) for seven minutes.”

[RWC] When someone refers to “Fahrenheit 9/11” as a documentary in order to give it credibility, you know where the author stands and where he’s heading.

While we’re in “documentary” mode, “The Pet Goat” is not a book.  It is a story in the schoolbook entitled “Reading Mastery.”

Also, explain to me how you can read to kids but “just look at the pictures?”  And Mr. Millerschoen thinks President Bush is dumb?

“Moore emphasizes that Bush just sat there and did absolutely nothing.  The right wing’s response is basically, ‘We were under attack, and we would have all frozen for seven minutes.’  This is probably true ... for Joe Average American, not for the president.

[RWC] Only Bush bashers claim President Bush froze.

Since Mr. Millerschoen is wound up about Bush’s seven minutes, what about John Kerry?  John Kerry is on the record as saying he couldn’t think for the time between the second crash into the WTC and the crash into the Pentagon, a period of 40 minutes.¹  So, even if you buy the “Bush froze” fantasy, Kerry was 5.7 times worse.

When asked about this by Larry King, here was President Bush’s response.  “Well, I had just been told by Andrew Card that America was under attack.  And I was collecting my thoughts.  And I was sitting with a bunch of young kids, and I made the decision there that we would let this part of the program finish, and then I would calmly stand up and thank the teacher and thank the children and go take care of business.”²  Sounds like grace under fire to me, and to the principal who hosted President Bush.

“Months before the attacks, the security briefing was there, so the idea of this type of an attack, hopefully, had to be in the back of Bush’s mind.  Another disturbing part about the president’s lack of response that morning was that he knew one plane had already hit the World Trade Center.  Granted, Bush could have thought it was just a horrible accident, albeit a little suspicious.  Did anyone get that memo about bin Laden in the summer of 2001?”

[RWC] The quote above makes it clear President Bush believed we were under attack.

There was no lack of response.  Before Kerry could think again, “Mr. Bush had been responding to the attacks for more than 20 minutes and had addressed the nation.  Using the Florida school as a makeshift command post, Mr. Bush had telephoned Vice President Dick Cheney, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III, and New York Gov. George E. Pataki.  Also during those 20 minutes, the president consulted with Mr. Bartlett, White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card, Jr., and White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.  Rejecting a statement they drafted for him, the president grabbed a pen and scrawled out his own statement on three sheets of paper.” ¹

“Once Bush heard about the second plane, he should have jumped up and politely told the children, ‘Sorry, kids, I have to go do some presidential things, but I promise I will invite you all to the White House real soon.’”

[RWC] Yeah, he should have run out of the room and put on his Superman suit.

“That’s all.  Seven minutes isn’t a long time, but they were the longest seven minutes in our history.  Those precious minutes might have saved the lives of the people working at the Pentagon.”

[RWC] What irresponsible speculation!

AA Flight 77 – the plane crashed into the Pentagon – was hijacked by at least 8:54 a.m., about 10 minutes before the second crash into the WTC.  According to the 9/11 Commission Report, fighters at two Air Force bases (Connecticut and Virginia) were called to battle stations at 8:37 a.m. and 9:09 a.m. and were patrolling.  What more could have President Bush done that NORAD hadn’t already done?

While we’re speculating, how do we know that shooting down Flight 77 wouldn’t have resulted in more casualties caused by flaming debris falling to earth?

“It’s just sad that when someone criticizes Bush, the conservatives are quick to compare his actions to the same ‘quick thinking’ Joe Average Americans.  But we all know that it takes quick thinking and someone special to be president.  When I say ‘special,’ I don’t mean mentally challenged.”

[RWC] Please explain why Democrats constantly try to paint President Bush as dumb or retarded.  If Bush is so mentally challenged, what does that say about those who ran against him and lost?  Oh, that’s right, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove are pulling his strings. <g>

I don’t compare Bush’s actions to “Joe Average.”  As I said above, I believe Bush showed grace under fire.  How would anyone else have reacted?  We’ll never know.  With the gift of 20/20 hindsight, we can speculate about what we or someone else would have done, but there was only one person in the President’s position at the time, and that person was George W. Bush.

Mr. Millerschoen, for whom should we vote?  After all, you said Bush’s seven minutes were too long, but his competitor “couldn’t think” for 40 minutes.  With Bush and Kerry out of the running, should we ask Ralph Nader what he did at the time?

1. Kerry 'couldn't think' on 9/11; Bill Sammon; The Washington Times; August 14, 2004.

2. CNN Larry King Live - Interview With George W. Bush, Laura Bush; CNN; August 12, 2004.

© 2004 Robert W. Cox, all rights reserved.