…from me, at least. At any rate, I decided to not go to bed before saying that this Patrick Lasswell post about 9/11, Bush and comic book superheroes was extremely good, although I sincerely doubt that the people who would most stand to benefit from its insight would agree. Not that it follows that all the people that disagree with this entry would be the ones that so stood to benefit, or that people who agree with it couldn’t use their own reality check re the ultimate humanity of the people we choose for President.
Or something like that.
(Via Who Knew?)
Moe
PS: Whew! That was close; I very nearly started riffing off of Allen Ginsburg’s Howl.
Interesting article. “I’m from the government, and right now we don’t know what is going on.” I can see why big government liberals would be troubled by the fact that 10 minutes after the first tower crash there was nothing Bush could constructively do. He was the president, obviously HE HAD TO DO SOMETHING!!!!!
Nah. I pay much less attention to such things, I refer you to the Dustin Hoffman movie “Hero”. I guess crisis moments can be significant, but the quotidian is what measures a man.
I watch the speeches to sympathetic crowds, shirt off, elbow on lectern, smile on face, comfortable and as articulate and confidant as he gets. There is where I measure this president.
“The people who hate him, for the sick and shallow joy of hate, love to point out the moment of helpless humanity that George W. Bush experienced that day. It must make them feel superior to see that look of incomprehension on his face, repeated endlessly on video capture.”
Pretty sorry conjecturing (projecting? smearing?) here. His look of incomprehension just struck me as usual at best, bad news for the (G*d forbid) next time at worst. And I hate Bush for a long list of reasons which make me feel sick, not joyful.
Seems to me if I was President in those circumstances I would right quick have said, “Sorry, I have to go to work now”, and headed to D.C. I would have been on the phone with my V.P. or the Joint Chiefs or Karen Hughes. I would be finding out what was going on, what the contingency plans were, making sure everyone in the response chain was getting what they needed.
“What many people needed and still need is for the President to have stood up, have a plan of action spring from his brow fully formed, and then teleport the remaining terrorists…blah blah”
Look kids, absurd extremes.
Yes, by being disappointed in the President waiting 24 hours to be an inspiring leader (at which point, and for a short while, he filled the role admirably), Patrick with his superhero speed and cognizance has read the liberal mind and determined they would only be satisfied with omnipotence.
Of course, considering how careful the Secret Service is, and considering how little was understood (as far as we know) about what was going on at the time….
the conspiracy freaks question was why the President was not immediately moved to a more secure location. Beats me.