The Interrupted Reading: The Kids with George Bush on 9/11

TIME ^ | May 3, 2011 | by Tim Padgett

[library user]

~ EXCERPT ~

There has rarely been a starker juxtaposition of evil and innocence than the moment President George W. Bush received the news about 9/11 while reading The Pet Goat with second-graders in Sarasota, Florida.

Seven-year-olds can't understand what Islamic terrorism is all about. But they know when an adult's face is telling them something is very wrong — and none of the students sitting in Sandra Kay Daniels' class at Emma E. Booker Elementary School that morning can forget the sudden, devastated change in Bush's expression when White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card whispered the terrible news of the Al Qaeda attack.

Lazaro Dubrocq's heart started racing because he assumed they were all in big trouble — with no less than the Commander-in-Chief — but he wasn't quite sure why. "In a heartbeat he leaned back and he looked flabbergasted, shocked, horrified," recalls Dubrocq, now 17. "I was baffled. I mean, did we read something wrong? Was he mad or disappointed in us?"

All sorts of similar kid fears started running through Mariah Williams' head. "I don't remember the story we were reading — was it about pigs?" says Williams, 16. "But I'll always remember watching his face turn red. He got really serious all of a sudden. But I was clueless. I was just seven. I'm just glad he didn't get up and leave because then I would have been more scared and confused." Chantal Guerrero, 16, agrees: even today she's grateful that Bush regained his composure and stayed with the students until The Pet Goat was finished. "I think the President was trying to keep us from finding out," says Guerrero, "so we all wouldn't freak out."

[library user]

One thing they'd like to tell Bush's critics — like liberal filmmaker Michael Moore, whose 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 911 disparaged Bush for lingering almost 10 minutes with the Booker students after getting word that two planes had crashed into New York's World Trade Center — is that they think the President did the right thing. "I think he was trying to keep everybody calm, starting with us," says Guerrero. Dubrocq agrees: "I think he was trying to protect us." Booker Principal Gwendolyn Tose'-Rigell, who died in 2007, later insisted, "I don't think anyone could have handled it better. What would it have served if [Bush] had jumped out of his chair and ran out of the room?"

[RolandTignor]

Obama slept on his decision to send in troops to get Osama. I didn’t hear Michael Moore say anything about that.

[al baby]

Did you read the accounts of how high ranking libs reacted look it up It will scare you to death

[musicman]

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[Graybeard58]

Liberals and the liberal press would have found fault with Bush’s reaction, no matter what it had been.

He handled it exactly right in my opinion. The man has class, something liberals know nothing about.

[fishtank]

As much as I dislike Bush’s presidency, ...
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...thank you for this post.
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Much, much, much food for thought.

[Mr. Blond]

There’s a kid who gets it.

[spodefly]

Anyone who thinks Bush shouldn’t have staying that room has no idea what they are talking about. I am glad TIME managed to tell this story.

You can bet our current Narcissist in Chief would have, under the same circumstance, made it all about him by “springing into action” and announcing to the room, “I, I, I, me, me, me, etc.,” while hastily leaving.

Wait, I’m sorry. That’s ridiculous. They wouldn’t have had time to set up the teleprompter so he could read his ‘impromptu’ remarks. He would have just left.

[Bearshouse]

This is from Time?

I appreciate the belated article though. I thought the criticism loathsome at the time. Did they really want the President running out of a classroom full of children with his hair on fire?

I'm quite sure if Obama acted the same way it would have been presented as the intelligent thing to do.

[Tex-Con-Man]

I’m surprised TIME was even interested in this story.

The kids were profoundly impacted by how Bush reacted. And as often was the case, He did the right thing.

Great article.

[Justa]

This is what the FR trolls are doing with OBL killing. They’re ‘Talking Obama’ -even if it’s negative while disparaging Bush. It’s the liberal meme this week to associate the demise of OBL with Obama vice Bush.

The leftists realize national security is a significant election issue and want to be sure OBL’s killing is credited to Obama rather than Bush, his policies, the intelligence community who located OBL and even the Seals who killed him!

FR Trolls are out of the woodwork doing their part.

[petercooper]

bttt

[stevie_d_64]

Lazaro Dubrocq’s heart started racing because he assumed they were all in big trouble — with no less than the Commander-in-Chief — but he wasn’t quite sure why. “In a heartbeat he leaned back and he looked flabbergasted, shocked, horrified,” recalls Dubrocq, now 17. “I was baffled. I mean, did we read something wrong? Was he mad or disappointed in us?”

All sorts of similar kid fears started running through Mariah Williams’ head. “I don’t remember the story we were reading — was it about pigs?” says Williams, 16. “But I’ll always remember watching his face turn red. He got really serious all of a sudden. But I was clueless. I was just seven. I’m just glad he didn’t get up and leave because then I would have been more scared and confused.” Chantal Guerrero, 16, agrees: even today she’s grateful that Bush regained his composure and stayed with the students until The Pet Goat was finished. “I think the President was trying to keep us from finding out,” says Guerrero, “so we all wouldn’t freak out.”

---

I’m glad too that he maintained (as best he could) composure...

Those kids got the first glimpse of a real leader that horrible day...

Micheal Moore can kiss my a$$...His opinion means nothing to me or anyone else I know...If he loves bin Laden that much I’d pay to have him thrown off the Carl Vinson to visit him on the way down...

[Justa]

The message Time is sending here is that in response to OBL’s attack on the WTC Bush read to children while, as everyone is now reading, Obama had OBL killed. It’s suggestive propaganda which sadly, most FReepers have no education or experience identifying and fail to recognize.

The real stories should be focused on the intelligence community and Seals for locating and killing OBL. But we don’t see that, do we? Most are reading/associating Dear Reader to the achievement or juxtaposing with those who failed.

[Noob1999]

................Obama slept on his decision to send in troops to get Osama. ......................

From what I read, Valerie Jarrett was advising Zer0 for a few weeks before the killing. Finally Panetta and the Military basically told Zer0 F-you, we’re going in. Hillary and Gates were key players, as was Daley, to get our Pre-—sent off his ass. We basically had a military coup.

They finally picked him up on the nineth hole and stuck him in the Situation Room, already populated with all pertinent staff, including Biden, and there Zer0, still in his golf jacket, was able to see what was going down.

What a oxygen wasting, pussy assed pres-ent we have in the oral office!

[Verginius Rufus]

Kerry tried to make a point of it in 2004. Kerry was at the Capitol when they feared it would be attacked, and ran out of the building in panic like everyone else, but he pontificated on how much better he would have handled the situation with the schoolchildren than Bush did.

Bush was familiar with Secret Service procedures and probably knew it was going to take five minutes to be ready to leave, so it would have served no purpose to rush out of the room and scare the children.

Bush was not reading a book to the children--he was listening as they showed off their reading ability.

[dsutah]

Something like that can definitely leave a long impression on a person, especially a kid! I remember being in, (I think)second grade in Catholic school, and hearing about Pres. Kennedy get shot. Our teacher went out of the classroom for a minute, then came back in. (if I’m remembering right)She very sadly, but calmly asked us to say a prayer for the Pres., because he had been shot, then died. I remember some of us kids looking at each other as if to say, Oh gosh! What does that mean?

I still remember that to this day, as if it happened last week or so. It was at least 45 or so years ago! I remember having nightmares about it, too! However, our (Sister-teacher)was very calm, although sad, when she told us. She didn’t want to frighten us! I also remember that feeling coming back when Pres. Reagan was shot, and when 9-11 happened. It was a: “Oh my God, what’s going to happen now/next” moment!

[rdb3]

FR Trolls are out of the woodwork doing their part.

As always. If that's what floats their boat I guess. But it's sad.

If you can't appreciate the pure beauty of the violin after hearing this, something's wrong with your ears.

Or you can get raw with these strings. Either way, the violin is sweet yet lethal.

Do it!