Ok, I was a bit flippant yesterday, due to much anxiety that many people still seem to be buying all the crap this admin. is dishing out and Bush may be elected. I must confess, I have many panic moments for the health and life of our democracy.
That said, I must also take issue with the assertion that the president is in constant contact with the various sit. rooms at all times. That may be true in theory but, the first plane hit before Bush went into the school, and he claims his cell phone was not working, so he didn’t know. Then, after the second plane hits and he is told, “we are under attack”, he sits there not communicating with anyone for 7 minutes! He clearly had no idea what to do, or what was really going on, and the secret service guys there didn’t get him out. (I have no idea why, it seems that if he was going to literally be a sitting duck they should have gotten him out immediately.)
2. WHy fly all over the country? Wouldn’t it be safer to get out of the air, especially with shoulder rocket launchers out there, and suitcase nukes missing and whatnot? Yes, when we are under attack the president should immediately be taken to an UNDISCLOSED location for safety, and communicate with the sit. room to find out what is going on and what to do about it. But, remember in the days after 9/11 you kept seeing and reading about Bush in this or that specific place, but not a hide nor hair of Cheney to be seen. I remember thinking, doesn’t that make Bush an easy target? ANd where the heck is Cheney? Why do we know all about where Bush is, but not Cheney?
Anyway, that is all past history, but something I think we should all keep in mind. If we are now in a world where we are vulnerable to terrorist attacks, we need a leader who is a good crisis manager, and and administration that has a clue what to do with the intelligence information they receive on possible future attacks. Not to mention getting a handle on some non-inflamatory foreiegn policy.
(ps sorry for the long comment, this stuff just gets me all fired up.)