Seven Minutes

[jumper69]

He didn't know that it was an attack on civilians. He was told "the country is under attack".

That's your hero for you.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">What would have been the approriate response Pina? What would President Pina have done?

Your hatred of Bush seems to be quickly overiding your ability to think rationally.

[Piña]

Jumper

There are protocols that are supposed to be followed. Contingencies that are supposed to be in place for emergencies.

Sitting on your ass staring off into space aint one of them.

He should at the very, very least have moved away from the children and gotten to a secure location where he could have done something presidential like LEAD!!!

As I said before he isn't supposed to be "just another guy" He's supposed to be the best we can find. Freezing up in the face of a crisis is unacceptable.

The fucking republicans took down a president for a damned blowjob and you expect us to forgive this coward for his inaction at what was one of the most important moments in recent history.

Man, I sure hope you expected better of your teammates while you were serving.

[Piña]

Gae

Aren't you going to say thank you?

[jumper69]

Pina, I've been thinking about this and it seems that you expect the person elected to the office of President to be pretty much perfect.

If you believe in religion, then God, Allah, Vishnu, Yoda, Budda, et al are the only ones who can lay claim to that title.

Since we elect a human, isn't it possible that we might elect someone other than the best possible man/woman for the job? Especially if that best person doesn't run for office.

So assuming we don't have the best person for the job, IN the job, then why dump on the person who has the job now for an, in the overall scheme of things, insignificant 7 minutes.

Did any of that make sense?? I tend to ramble sometimes.

[Piña]

Originally posted by Jumper69:
Pina, I've been thinking about this and it seems that you expect the person elected to the office of President to be pretty much perfect.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Nope, don?t expect perfection. I do expect a level of competence in keeping with the job requirements.

You keep treating the job of president as if it?s just another job. It?s not.

It is a position of EXTREME responsibility, perhaps the most responsibility of any job on the planet and I expect anyone who takes on that responsibility to treat it seriously and know how they will react in an emergency. Especially one where our country is under attack.

Since we elect a human, isn't it possible that we might elect someone other than the best possible man/woman for the job? Especially if that best person doesn't run for office.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">We have a pool of over 300 million people in this country. I do not think it is too much to ask that the person who accepts the burden of the presidency be up to the task. The entire task, the incredibly hard along with the normal day to day. Bush took on the job knowing what could happen. It was his job, his responsibility to the office and to the country to be prepared if the worst case scenario were to happen.

It happened.

He froze.

So assuming we don't have the best person for the job, IN the job, then why dump on the person who has the job now for an, in the overall scheme of things, insignificant 7 minutes.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You continue to characterize the seven minutes, actually longer but that?s all the video there is, as insignificant. I?m sorry but in a situation where our country is under active attack, and that was the reality of it, seven minutes can mean the difference between life and death for millions of people.

It is the presidents job to hop to, not sit on his ass endangering innocents who might end up as collateral damage when terrorist attack his location. It?s his job to get up off his ass and LEAD. There?s a reason why he?s called the Commander in Chief and it?s because he is expected to Command. All the time, every time.

It?s his job to ACT! Right now, not seven minutes later.

It is not his job to sit dazed and confused while seven potentially life deciding minutes tick by.

It?s been said that the mark of a person is how they act when the going get?s tough. Well it got tough. Real tough, and the man sitting behind the big desk proved what he?s not made of. I expect much, much more out of my president and it?s a shame you are willing to settle for incompetence under fire.

If bush wanted an easy job he could go work at mcdonalds. Not a bad idea in my opinion.

[gae]

Originally posted by Pi?a:
Gae

Aren't you going to say thank you?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Impatient little bugger, aren't you?

In trying to follow your line of thinking, Pina, I suppose you think it would be better if W had slammed the book closed and screamed at the top of his lungs that we were being attacked.

Induce some panic, and all that. I'm sure that would have had much less impact on the children.

[jumper69]

Actually Pina, I agree with you that if you deeem to hold the office of President you should have your shit together.

While I think the 7 minutes are insignificant in the overall scheme of things it is does not indicate implicit approval, by me, of how W has handled things to date.

I will make my decision on Nov 4th and right now I am struggling with that decision.

[Piña]

Originally posted by gae:
Impatient little bugger, aren't you?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Actually I'm an impatient big bugger but thanks, I haven't been called little in quite a long time.

In trying to follow your line of thinking, Pina, I suppose you think it would be better if W had slammed the book closed and screamed at the top of his lungs that we were being attacked.

Induce some panic, and all that. I'm sure that would have had much less impact on the children.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Nope, he should have stood up and announced to the class that he was sorry but he had some president business that he had to attend to and handed the class off someone else.

No panic, no seven minutes shutdown.

I suppose you would have been happier if it had turned out that he was targetted and after sitting dumbfounded for say, five minutes, someone fired a rocket into the school taking out the bozo and all the children?

We had no idea the scope or particulars of the attack and a direct attack on the president is a scenario that should have been planned for.

<font color="#000002" size="1">[ June 29, 2004 04:18 PM: Message edited by: Pi?a ]</font>

[Piña]

Jumper

Seven minutes in an attack scenario is an eternity. Many many people could have died due to his inaction and confusion.

I don't want to see him do it again.

[reason]

Seven minutes in an attack scenario is an eternity. Many many people could have died due to his inaction and confusion.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'm more concerned about the 8 years prior where we let this shit fester practically unabated.

Why focus on 7 minutes when a president is under the gun as opposed to years of inattentiveness to national security? The weeks following, Bush was exemplary in his demonstration of leadership; however, Moore could fill a library of film on the neglect of the Clinton Administration.

As much as I don't like Bush, he has put his name on the line to confront those who threaten us most.

<font color="#000002" size="1">[ June 30, 2004 09:35 AM: Message edited by: reason ]</font>