How can you be asked point blank by a journalist if you feel any personal responsibility for the 9/11 attacks and completely dodge the question? Answer the question, Mr. President We’ve heard everything you’ve said before, and it’s getting old. Your press conference was the same stammering excuses with no real answers.
Mr. President, you were asked at least three times if you feel any responsibility, would offer any apology to the country for 9/11. You refused to do either, and changed the subject every time. You were asked what to name a mistake you’ve made since 9/11. You couldn’t even do that. How dare you. Janet Reno, Richard Clarke and even President Clinton have publicly taken their share of the responsibility for not stopping the attacks. None of them were on the case, or in charge on that day. Your National Security Advisor, and every member of your Administration has also refused. I’m sure it’s for your own political interests. If so, you are worse than callous. You were in charge. You have a plaque on your desk that says “the buck stops here.” You have done nothing but dodge the buck during your press conference, and during your term as President. You, our law enforcement agencies, our intelligence, and your Administration failed us. You are the leader (repeat leader) of our nation. If anyone owes us an apology, it’s you.
I am tired of your Administration’s absolute refusal to take any responsibility for your actions. You are not a cowboy. You are not a CEO. You are the President of the United States of America, and you are in charge. Take responsibility for it.
what Kevin said.
I am not sure he is completely responsible, though he may owe us an appology for part of this… think about it, Clinton and all the presidents before him knew that somewhere in the world there were people against america. On Clintons watch there was a bombing of the wtc and then somalia and etc… so it isnt all Bush, but he does need to spine up and accept part of the responsibility…
I don’t think he’s the only one responsible. There were mistakes made at all levels of government. My point is that he refuses to take any responsibility, when it’s obvious to me that he shares a good deal of it. He was in charge when it happened. Fair or not, that makes it his responsibility.
As much as I would LOVE to see Bush stand up on national television and say, “I am sorry for 9/11” It is not his fault. Theirs this man with a little group of friends, goes by the name, Osama Bin Laden, maybe you’ve heard of him. Neer as I can tell, HE was responsible for the 9/11 attacks, not the president.
Osama was responsible for planning them and getting people to carry them out. But, there are two kinds of responsibility here. The President and the government were responsible for doing everything in their power to stop him. They failed. That’s the responsibility they should take. I’m not insinuating that the President or anyone else in the government had anything to do with planning or carrying out the attacks.
Let me preamble this by saying I know I am full of crap. But I think the 9/11 commission and all it’s attendant grandstanding is *really* about iraq and the current state of the country. It’s not that he won’t apologize for brushing off the warning signs (all of us did), but because he won’t apologize for *anything*.
You said it yourself–he won’t take responsibility for anything. If he apologized for something–it doesn’t have to be about 9/11, maybe he could apologize for treating our allies and the UN so poorly during the leadup to the Iraq war, for example–it might actually strengthen his image. Now he has turned into an all-or-nothing tug of war. It can’t be won.
How come everybody just doesn’t up and admit that this shit is too big for everybody? Bush’s responsibility or clumsy avoidance is less interesting than his persistence in a fantasy that we have any control any more.
The world is a car accident that never ends. Bush is an embarrassment but so is every other leader of every other party in every other nation.
It can’t be done. A country cannot be run, managed or led by any person or group. It is not feasible to organize 250 million people, unless you can make 99% of them stay put.
That said, maybe the only sensible thing to do is pretend like you can. (Me, I’m a fool.) And I suppose you have to try. (Me, I’m lazy.) What else is there to do? (We all have blogs…) We’re all just killing time, waiting for time to kill us. (Is that a country song?)