Air Force One and 9/11
[Guest post by DRJ]
There’s nothing like old news on a Friday after Thanksgiving.
Americans were stunned by the attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on 9/11, but some were also troubled by President George W. Bush’s response. There was criticism of Bush for staying in a Florida classroom for several minutes as the students finished reading The Pet Goat and also for diverting Air Force One to Barksdale AFB and Offutt AFB instead of immediately returning to Washington, D.C.
Some even claimed there was proof Bush lied about a threat against Air Force One after CBS Evening News reporter Jim Stewart was quoted on 9/25/01 saying:
“Finally, there is this postscript to the puzzle of how someone presumed to be a terrorist was able to call in a threat against Air Force One using a secret code name for the president’s plane. Well, as it turns out, that simply never happened. Sources say White House staffers apparently misunderstood comments made by their security detail.”
Thus, it’s ironic that last week’s CBS News’ report regarding the recently released 9/11 pager messages (I posted on it here) confirms: There was a basis to believe Air Force One had been threatened on 9/11, and it caused authorities to change Air Force One’s course in-flight instead of returning to Washington, D.C.:
“A Secret Service page at 10:32 a.m. warned: “ANONYMOUS CALL TO JOC REPORTING ANGEL IS TARGET.” Angel is the Secret Service codeword for Air Force One; JOC means Joint Operations Center. When the president’s plane had departed Florida about half an hour earlier, it was en route to D.C. That anonymous threat seems to be what diverted President Bush on a high-speed flight across the country, first to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, and then to an underground command center in Nebraska.”
I wonder if anyone at CBS even gave this a second thought?
— DRJ
Does anyone still watch the Communist Broadcast System (CBS)? They could fill a room with bibles, stand on top of them and swear an oath, I wouldn’t believe them.
Scrapiron (996c34) — 11/27/2009 @ 8:11 pmThe fringe (former MSM) media is no longer creditable on anything.
The answer to your question is, “Nope.”
Rocin (606cf6) — 11/27/2009 @ 8:25 pm(Why would they bother to re-think it? Damage is done, move on to the next issue.)
No, DRJ, GW Bush always “sounded stupid,” and that’s enough for a lot of people.
Eric Blair (d5235f) — 11/27/2009 @ 9:07 pmSo what if there was a page. It was right that the President diverted to a command center. That is proceedure. I would expect BO to do the same thing. And I am no fan of BO’s.
LYNNDH (8d8b19) — 11/27/2009 @ 9:12 pmIt would not be proper to mention that Obama has gotten in 25 rounds of golf so far during his Presidency while we are engaged in two wars, trying to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, solve the country’s economic problems, reform health care, pass countless projects to payback supporters, pause for photo ops, accomplish jack squat,………..
daleyrocks (718861) — 11/27/2009 @ 9:35 pmHow could they possibly push their agenda if they were to be straightforward, honest & accurate?
Icy Texan (9dba5e) — 11/27/2009 @ 9:55 pmIT, it is ALL about pushing a simple-minded, bumper sticker view of people and events. What does gall me is the airy dismissal when the hypocrisy is pointed out.
Like how Sarah Palin is “stupid” and yet Joe Biden is a genius. Calling them both dumb would at least be consistent, and the smart move is to ask why they are portrayed the way they are…and to dismiss anything the MSM says as a result of what I see as clearly partisan activities.
But that takes some thought, and both the RNC and DNC really and truly want people not to think, and just check off “D” or “R” next to names. And many people just “baaaa” and get on with it.
Eric Blair (d5235f) — 11/27/2009 @ 10:07 pmVery well put, Eric!
Icy Texan (9dba5e) — 11/27/2009 @ 10:31 pmIt gives me no joy to be correct, IT. It makes me sad.
Eric Blair (d5235f) — 11/27/2009 @ 10:41 pmwhat makes you think they gave it a first thought to begin with?
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 11/28/2009 @ 2:38 amTwo of my “pet peeves” about 9/11 are the “My Pet Goat” story and the diversion meme.
To the diversion meme first. Agreements worked out between the Presidents and the Secret Service long before even Bush 41 became President put the Secret Service in complete control of the President’s movements immediatly after such an incident. Only as the situation develops and the threat can be quantified does the President regain some control over his movements.
As to the “My Pet Goat” story. What should the President have done? The first bits and pieces of information received had to be analyzed and additional information developed before either the President or the Secret Service would act.
In the meantime, there was nothing the President could do about the situation.
In military leadership courses, the instructors tell you, in a developing situation, the best thing to do is to continue with what you were doing so as not to create panic or fear. To remain calm and demonstrate self-control. That is what GWB did when he remained for the reading of the children’s story.
Anyone who had taken any type of leadership training would have done the same thing. His movements were under the complete control of the Secret Service and he did not have sufficient information about the situation to take any action. He remained calm, cool and collected in the public view until the Secret Service decided what to do.
Longwalker (996c34) — 11/28/2009 @ 4:18 amYou assume there was a first thought.
htom (412a17) — 11/28/2009 @ 6:40 amYou assume that GWB is stupid and/or did not undergo leadership training in either the military or while earning his MBA. Can you offer any proof aside from your bias?
The assumption that GWB did not think cannot be supported by a reasonable person. He acted in a proper manner. What would you have done diferently if you had been in his shoes?
Check out Sir Francis Drake’s behavior when informed of the sighting of the Spanish Armada.
GWB was a fighter pilot. He flew one of the most demanding jets – the F102. With such a background and training, to think that he “froze” or had a thinking problem on 9/11 is nonsense.
Longwalker (996c34) — 11/28/2009 @ 7:33 amhtom, good job of showing the vapidity of your own thought processes.
SPQR (26be8b) — 11/28/2009 @ 7:58 amSee, folks? It’s so much easier to call someone “stupid”…
But then, that fits Teh Narrative. Why I remember hearing how utterly brilliant Al Gore was—until his school records were released (and we will know, incidentally, when the current POTUS will have his records released after a two week long marathon in Time and Newsweek that “grades don’t matter”).
Anyway. The MSM just loves calling people they don’t agree with stupid.
Eric Blair (d5235f) — 11/28/2009 @ 8:05 amAh, my apologies, htom, I misunderstood your comment as being aimed at GW Bush. I now see you were refering to CBS.
SPQR (26be8b) — 11/28/2009 @ 8:10 amI think htom was refering to DRJ’s line, “I wonder if anyone at CBS even gave this a second thought?” closing the post as written above.
Have Blue (854a6e) — 11/28/2009 @ 8:51 am