Mediocracy

September 11 is often said to be the defining moment in the Bush presidency. September 11 also captures the fall of the Bush's approval rating. On that day, Former President George W. Bush, failed America by allowing the terrorist attacks happen in New York City. There is valid proof that we were constantly warned of such an attack and he and his administration did nothing to protect us. The twin towers came down and the whole city was in shock, while our president was listening to second graders read “My Pet Goat.” (Fahrenheit 9/11, 2004) He lied to us about how he heard the news and his attempts to cover-up his lies are contradicting. He lacks responsibility, leadership, and intellect. As the commander and chief of defense of the United States, he failed his job miserably, failing the country. In Michael Moore's film, Fahrenheit 9/11, the director focuses his film on the Bush Administration, the War on Terror, and the media's coverage; The overall film encompasses how former President Bush failed as a commanding chief and that his administration “came tumbling after.” Former President George W. Bush was told more then a month before the attacks of September 11 that supporters of Osama Bin Laden planned an attack within the United States dealing with explosives and hijacked airplanes. (www.nytimes.com) The briefing came-in to Bush on August 6, 2001 and it was a threat from Al Queda to attack the U.S. The Bush administration disclosed the briefing and told the associated press that the threat was “historical,” and that they've received other similar types of threats and nothing has happened before. Because this kind of threat was “historical,” the White House had little reason to suspect that Al Queda would attack within American borders. (www.nytimes.com) The Bush Administration announced that they've had similar threats going back to 1997, and that the CIA had “uncorroborated information” that Osama Bin Laden wanted to hijack airplanes. (www.commondreams.org.) If the administration had valid information that we were in a state of danger, why didn't they release such information publicly' Our commander and chief of defense, should have had warned his people of the numerous threats that were coming-in and that our country was in a state of danger. His administration publicly announced after the attacks that they feared an attack from foreign terrorists on Independence Day, and because that day went uneventful, they continued to explain that there is not enough information to warn us of a terrorists attack. Condoleezza Rice, Bush's national security advisor, said that the briefing was “too general and that it was more of an analysis than a warning.” (www.commondreams.org) Unfortunately, on September 11, 2001, two jumbo airliners were hijacked and by terrorists and crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, killing more than 3000 people. The Bush Administration failed us by ignoring warnings of terrorists attacks, and never warning our country of such possibility. If the public was to be well acknowledged of the state of danger America was in at the time, the public wouldn't be in shock, and this conundrum could've have been avoided. Our commander and chief of defense failed Americans and his administration could not do anything but stand behind him. On that same morning of the attack, Bush was on his way to an elementary school in Florida when he heard the news, but decided to continue his “photo-opportunity” rather than take action as commanding chief. (Fahrenheit 9/11, 2004) It is not exactly known when he heard the news of a plane hitting the Twin Towers, or who it was that told him, but we do know that in his speeches to the nation and future press conferences, he contradicts himself and doesn't make sense. In Michael Moore's film, Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore shows a clip of when George Bush was in the classroom listening to the kids read and a Secret Service Agent comes up to him and tells him that another plan has hit the WTC and that “we are under attack.” Bush sat there for minutes, quiet,dimwitted, not knowing what to do or what to say. It is not yet known what exactly went on inside his head, but could it have been that he should have paid more attention to those briefings' It could've been that he was pondering about raising the warning levels and to always keep a sharp eye on the skies, for we had reasonable evidence that it was going to be an aerial attack. His several minutes of sitting and thinking could have led to another attack, or even worse, and attack laid out on him. As the commander and chief of the time, he did not fulfill his duty by taking action when needed; He sat there star-stuck, like a deer in headlights, waiting patiently for the kids to finish reading. An article on The Nation published that the White House officials claimed that Bush remained with the children so as not to “upset” or “alarm” them. Bush did not take immediate action during the biggest terrorists attack to ever take place in American soil, because he did not want to frighten a couple of school kids' The country was in dire need of help, and Bush would have been forgiven for upsetting a couple of school kids, but he would rather finish his photo-opportunity before taking action. Our former president failed us by not being available when he was needed. He lacks the responsibility he took under oath and he carelessly makes decisions on his own. In various press conferences following the September 11 attack, Bush was asked to describe his feelings after the terrorists attack. His responds were very similar: “I was sitting outside the classroom waiting to go in; and I saw an airplane hit the towers – the TV was on obviously.... I thought it was a pilot error [and] it must have been a horrible mistake.” (www.thenation.com) Thats a lie. Nobody saw the airplane hit the first tower on television until a videotape surfaced a day later. It is highly unlikely for anyone to catch such footage and put it on live TV right away. If our own country's defense system couldn't see the attack coming, how does a news broadcast company film the attack without any prior-knowledge to the attack' It would have to have been a live shot as well, because Bush was on the same Time-Zone as New York City, the Easter Time-Zone, and that relates back to the face that it was highly impossible to capture that footage right when it happened. Bush claims to have been able to watch the plane crash on TV, he was lying. Former president George Bush lied to the country and told us that he thought it was a a pilot error. This can't be possible because Bush never watched the attack happen on TV, someone had to have told him prior to arriving to Emma E Booker Elementary School. His memory not only contradicts every media report of that morning, but it also contradicts to what he said on the day of the attack. Bush gave a national speech on the evening of September 11 explaining that immediately after the first attack, he “implemented our governments emergency response plans.” The idea of implementing the “emergency plans” is a contradiction to him claiming that he initially believed it was a pilot error. (www.thenation.com) Former President George W. Bush lied to us and couldn't even cover up his own mistakes. He fell for his own trap and he didn't take on the responsibility that he needed to show. This shows how indecisive our former president was and how much leadership he lacks. Since September 11 2001, the world has changed dramatically in several ways. War, paranoia, and instability in the Middle East are all direct consequences of 9/11. Blame the Bush administration for a great deal of these changes for the worst. Bush declared war against Al Queda, and Islamic extremist group that were responsible for the demolition of the World Trade Center. One can find that it is valid to attack the group that killed more than three-thousand civilians in one morning. The purpose of this war was to defeat the terrorists and to defend US citizens. As soon as this started to sound like a good plan, he declares War on Iraq, a country that has no ties with the the September 11 attacks. Because of this was war, the US is now in debt, we have a gargantuan amount of soldiers across seas, and we never fought the cause of the September 11 attacks. This proves how President George W. Bush and his administration failed us on 9/11, and because of their faulty decisions, we have to live this unappealing future. Work Cited Alterman, Eric. "9/11/01: Where Was George'" The Nation | Unconventional Wisdom Since 1865. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. . Fahrenheit 9/11. Dir. Michael Moore. By Michael Moore. Perf. Michael Moore. Sony Picture Home Enterntainment, 2004. DVD. Harper, Tim. "What Did Bush Know Before 9/11 Attacks' Briefing Notes May Hold Key to Crucial Question." Common Dreams | News & Views. Web. 10 Mar. 2010. . Lichtblau, Eric, and David E. Sanger. "Bush Was Warned of Possible Attack in U.S., Official Says - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Web. 9 Mar. 2010. .