George W. Bush retells the 9/11 story as he lived it

Newch91Newch91 Posts: 17,560
edited August 2011 in A Moving Train
Like him or not, I think this would be something interesting to watch on Sunday. There's a preview of the interview on the video.

http://news.yahoo.com/war-terror-presid ... 16799.html

‘War on Terror’ president re-tells the 9/11 story as he lived it

While all Americans remember where they were on the day of the deadliest attack on this nation’s soil, few have had the opportunity to hear about it from the American at the center of the tragedy and its aftermath. For the first time on camera, former President George W. Bush has shared his experiences, feelings, and responses on September 11, 2001.

On Sunday, August 28th, two weeks before the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the National Geographic Channel will air “George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview.” The film contains no narration other than Bush’s answers to questions posed by executive producer and director Peter Schnall. Viewers will see the terror attacks through the eyes of a president facing crisis.

The account is apolitical. National Geographic presents the emotional and grave human aspect of one American grappling with what so many others felt that day, and of his decision-making process in the midst of an unprecedented attack on the U.S.

“There were no politics, no agenda as he recalled what happened that day,” said Schnall, who conducted the interview with Bush over two days. “What you hear is the personal story of a man who also happened to be our president.”

Indeed, the juxtaposition of pictures and footage of the crashing planes, crumbling towers, and smoldering buildings with the president’s reaction and response likely will bring many viewers to tears — recalling the human tragedy and their own emotions — regardless of their political ideology or their feelings about Bush’s presidency.

The former president begins his account with his morning jog and describes the moment, during his visit to a local school, when he learned the nation was under attack. His story takes us through each of the attacks, the decisions he made, the measures he and his cabinet took to ensure Americans’ safety, his communications with the country and other branches of government, and his visits to the attack sites.

“The most powerless I ever felt was watching people jump to their death,” Bush says in the film. “And there was nothing I could do about it.”

He recalls the point at which he realized the country was truly at war, providing his immediate reactions to each of the plane crashes. Like many Americans, he thought the first plane crash was an accident. The second confirmed a terrorist attack. And the third, he says, was a declaration of war against the United States.

“It changed my presidency,” he explains. ”I went from being a president primarily focused on domestic issues, to a wartime president — something I never anticipated, nor something I ever wanted to be.” As the chaotic day progressed, Bush says, his primary goal was to do his job: to lead and lead well.

“It’s not one of those moments where you weigh the consequences or think about the politics,” he adds. ”You decide. And I made the decisions as best I could in the fog of war. I was determined. Determined to protect the country. And I was determined to find out who did it and go get them.”

He chronicles his frustrations on that day, and a distress borne of not knowing the attacks were coming.

“At some point in time in the immediate aftermath of the attacks I thought about ‘why didn’t we know this?’” he says. “I knew we needed to figure out what went wrong to prevent other attacks. But I didn’t want to start finger-pointing … My attitude was that we now have a job to do and that is to go find these people and bring them to justice. And therefore we needed our intelligence community looking forward, and not backward.”
Between his emotional recollections, Bush has strong words for America’s enemies who attacked his country that day.

“The terrorists never won. They may have thought they won. They inflicted terrible damage on people’s lives and our economy. But they were never going to beat America,” he says. They just didn’t understand us. They didn’t know we are a nation of compassionate, kind people who are very courageous and would not yield to their barbaric attacks. September 11th thousands of our citizens lost their lives, and I vowed that day that it wasn’t going to happen again.”

Closing a chapter in American history, the film also captures Bush’s reaction to the announcement that SEAL Team 6 had eliminated Osama bin Laden. Fortuitously for the director, that news broke just one day before his interviews began.

“President Obama called me [and] told me that Osama bin Laden had been killed. And my response was — I congratulated him, and the special operators that conducted a very dangerous mission,” he says. “And I was so grateful. I didn’t feel any great sense of happiness or jubilation. I felt a sense of closure. I felt a sense of gratitude that justice had been done.”

The hour-long feature is a strong reminder of what Americans faced ten years ago. Like so many, Bush will be reliving that day for the rest of his life.

“Eventually, September 11 will be a day on the calendar; it’ll be like Pearl Harbor Day,” Bush says. “For those of us who lived through it, it’ll be a day that we’ll never forget.”
Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
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  • catefrancescatefrances Posts: 29,003
    bush 'the american at the center of the tragedy...' ???? yeah it mustve been terrible for him.
    hear my name
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    lie beside me
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  • The Waiting Trophy ManThe Waiting Trophy Man Niagara region, Ontario, Canada Posts: 12,158
    Smellyman wrote:

    Can you imagine if Obama did nothing? He would have been impeached.
    Another habit says it's in love with you
    Another habit says its long overdue
    Another habit like an unwanted friend
    I'm so happy with my righteous self
  • Newch91Newch91 Posts: 17,560
    Smellyman wrote:

    Can you imagine if Obama did nothing? He would have been impeached.
    There would've been an outcry from the right. "Un-American!" is what they would've said.
    Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
    "Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
  • The Waiting Trophy ManThe Waiting Trophy Man Niagara region, Ontario, Canada Posts: 12,158
    Newch91 wrote:
    Smellyman wrote:

    Can you imagine if Obama did nothing? He would have been impeached.
    There would've been an outcry from the right. "Un-American!" is what they would've said.

    Yeah they would have called it "proof" that he wasn't a real American.
    Another habit says it's in love with you
    Another habit says its long overdue
    Another habit like an unwanted friend
    I'm so happy with my righteous self
  • Newch91Newch91 Posts: 17,560
    Newch91 wrote:
    Can you imagine if Obama did nothing? He would have been impeached.
    There would've been an outcry from the right. "Un-American!" is what they would've said.

    Yeah they would have called it "proof" that he wasn't a real American.
    "We said it all along he wasn't from here. We were right. Donald was right. His presidency is a sham."
    Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
    "Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
  • The Waiting Trophy ManThe Waiting Trophy Man Niagara region, Ontario, Canada Posts: 12,158
    Newch91 wrote:
    "We said it all along he wasn't from here. We were right. Donald was right. His presidency is a sham."

    Who said that?
    Another habit says it's in love with you
    Another habit says its long overdue
    Another habit like an unwanted friend
    I'm so happy with my righteous self
  • slightofjeffslightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    "Well, you see, there was this pet goat ..."
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do
  • Newch91Newch91 Posts: 17,560
    Newch91 wrote:
    "We said it all along he wasn't from here. We were right. Donald was right. His presidency is a sham."

    Who said that?
    That's probably something they would say.
    Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
    "Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
  • The Waiting Trophy ManThe Waiting Trophy Man Niagara region, Ontario, Canada Posts: 12,158
    Newch91 wrote:
    Newch91 wrote:
    "We said it all along he wasn't from here. We were right. Donald was right. His presidency is a sham."

    Who said that?
    That's probably something they would say.

    Oh sorry, the quotations fooled me. Yeah that would be something they would say alright.

    Donald Trump is a rat bastard, with a rat hat on his head (and a poorly made one, even by rat hat standards) :lol:
    Another habit says it's in love with you
    Another habit says its long overdue
    Another habit like an unwanted friend
    I'm so happy with my righteous self
  • Newch91Newch91 Posts: 17,560
    Newch91 wrote:
    Who said that?
    That's probably something they would say.

    Oh sorry, the quotations fooled me. Yeah that would be something they would say alright.

    Donald Trump is a rat bastard, with a rat hat on his head (and a poorly made one, even by rat hat standards) :lol:
    You can mop a floor with his hair.
    Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
    "Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
  • Godfather.Godfather. Posts: 12,504
    how could any of you possibly understand what it was to G.W.Bush on 9/11 you come on here and talk shit like you all have a mouth full of it.. you guys make me sick.

    Godfather.
  • Newch91Newch91 Posts: 17,560
    Godfather. wrote:
    how could any of you possibly understand what it was to G.W.Bush on 9/11 you come on here and talk shit like you all have a mouth full of it.. you guys make me sick.

    Godfather.
    When I watch the video of him in the classroom, I don't think he wanted to leave the classroom and tell the children right there. I think he was visiting a 4th or 5th grade class. I was in 5th grade when it happened and I didn't know what was going on that day. When I got home from school, I turned the TV on and I thought it was just an accident had happened. I didn't know what "terrorist attack" meant until later on in the day.
    Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
    "Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
  • SmellymanSmellyman Asia Posts: 4,524
    Godfather. wrote:
    how could any of you possibly understand what it was to G.W.Bush on 9/11 you come on here and talk shit like you all have a mouth full of it.. you guys make me sick.

    Godfather.

    I know how he felt and how he reacted. at first he didn't react. Then he said "bring it on", "smoke em out".

    1,000,000 deaths and 4000 soldier deaths over the tragic loss of 3000 on 911

    mission accomplished.

    there's not a bigger POS hypocritical man of god who loves Jesus in the world. Well Maybe Cheney, wolfy, rummy too.

    Nice job Georgey. Only you could've fucked up the world finally rallying around each other and made the US a hated nation again.
  • catefrancescatefrances Posts: 29,003
    Godfather. wrote:
    how could any of you possibly understand what it was to G.W.Bush on 9/11 you come on here and talk shit like you all have a mouth full of it.. you guys make me sick.

    Godfather.

    :lol::lol::lol:
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • SVRDhand13SVRDhand13 Posts: 26,427
    My Pet Goat?
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  • Godfather.Godfather. Posts: 12,504
    BULLLSHIIIT !
  • bgivens33bgivens33 Posts: 290
    Smellyman wrote:
    Godfather. wrote:
    how could any of you possibly understand what it was to G.W.Bush on 9/11 you come on here and talk shit like you all have a mouth full of it.. you guys make me sick.

    Godfather.

    I know how he felt and how he reacted. at first he didn't react. Then he said "bring it on", "smoke em out".

    1,000,000 deaths and 4000 soldier deaths over the tragic loss of 3000 on 911

    mission accomplished.

    there's not a bigger POS hypocritical man of god who loves Jesus in the world. Well Maybe Cheney, wolfy, rummy too.

    Nice job Georgey. Only you could've fucked up the world finally rallying around each other and made the US a hated nation again.

    I know it can be inconveniencing to actually correctly assess blame, but can we go ahead and put that on Congress? Fairly certain a president can't declare war....
  • Godfather.Godfather. Posts: 12,504
    bgivens33 wrote:
    Smellyman wrote:
    Godfather. wrote:
    how could any of you possibly understand what it was to G.W.Bush on 9/11 you come on here and talk shit like you all have a mouth full of it.. you guys make me sick.

    Godfather.

    I know how he felt and how he reacted. at first he didn't react. Then he said "bring it on", "smoke em out".

    1,000,000 deaths and 4000 soldier deaths over the tragic loss of 3000 on 911

    mission accomplished.

    there's not a bigger POS hypocritical man of god who loves Jesus in the world. Well Maybe Cheney, wolfy, rummy too.

    Nice job Georgey. Only you could've fucked up the world finally rallying around each other and made the US a hated nation again.

    I know it can be inconveniencing to actually correctly assess blame, but can we go ahead and put that on Congress? Fairly certain a president can't declare war....
    yea what he said ! :lol:

    Godfather.
  • pandorapandora Posts: 21,855
    George Bush...
    He is one of those people you just know what they looked like as a kindergartner ...

    I like him, always have

    this movie scene has stayed with me

    I get the message... Presidents are just regular people... some more than others

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBYCmYAubUY :lol:
  • CROJAM95CROJAM95 Posts: 9,981
    Haha he didn't get Bin Laden

    I'm sure they could have, but why?

    The Iraq war was planned prior to inauguration....... 911 was their opportunity to convince a nation of morons(us) Saddam attacked them. No WMDs found is damming and should have lead to impeachment

    And the right wants to accuse Obama of being dangerous

    Obama is a more accomplished military Commander in chief than Bush could ever dream to be

    People on the right love ra ra speeches

    I like results
  • Newch91Newch91 Posts: 17,560
    Smellyman wrote:
    Godfather. wrote:
    how could any of you possibly understand what it was to G.W.Bush on 9/11 you come on here and talk shit like you all have a mouth full of it.. you guys make me sick.

    Godfather.

    I know how he felt and how he reacted. at first he didn't react. Then he said "bring it on", "smoke em out".

    1,000,000 deaths and 4000 soldier deaths over the tragic loss of 3000 on 911

    mission accomplished.

    there's not a bigger POS hypocritical man of god who loves Jesus in the world. Well Maybe Cheney, wolfy, rummy too.

    Nice job Georgey. Only you could've fucked up the world finally rallying around each other and made the US a hated nation again.
    You think we shouldn't have done anything?
    Shows: 6.27.08 Hartford, CT/5.15.10 Hartford, CT/6.18.2011 Hartford, CT (EV Solo)/10.19.13 Brooklyn/10.25.13 Hartford
    "Becoming a Bruce fan is like hitting puberty as a musical fan. It's inevitable." - dcfaithful
  • mysticweedmysticweed Posts: 3,710
    CROJAM95 wrote:
    Haha he didn't get Bin Laden

    I'm sure they could have, but why?

    The Iraq war was planned prior to inauguration....... 911 was their opportunity to convince a nation of morons(us) Saddam attacked them. No WMDs found is damming and should have lead to impeachment

    And the right wants to accuse Obama of being dangerous

    Obama is a more accomplished military Commander in chief than Bush could ever dream to be

    People on the right love ra ra speeches

    I like results

    i also believe he had the intention of invading iraq by whatever means
    i also believe that 9/11 was a segue to that
    i also believe that was his first thought upon the hit on the second tower
    i believe he is a stupid, stupid man with more money than brains
    i believe cheney and rumsfeld are evil, evil men, but gw is too stupid to be that evil and had to be led around by cheney
    halliburton made so much fucking money from the war (and katrina, btw)
    and big oil has had big big profits ongoing, and those are FACTS
    fuck 'em if they can't take a joke

    "what a long, strange trip it's been"
  • Jason PJason P Posts: 19,157
    CROJAM95 wrote:

    People on the right love ra ra speeches
    ra ra! looks like a bunch of flag-waving, fireworks loving patriots to me. ;)8-)

    2807238073_2384b0d964.jpg

    mile-high-stadium-crowd-denver-obama.jpg

    invescofireworks_art_400_20080829001223.jpg
    Be Excellent To Each Other
    Party On, Dudes!
  • CROJAM95CROJAM95 Posts: 9,981
    ^ what did you expect from Democratic National Convention.

    Wave the flags by all means, just don't do it in vain. How can you be pro America, or religious and have a hunger for war?

    A terrorist network hit us on 911...... Obama cut the head off the snake in a rather in expensive way. Not by sending an occupying army to the middle east. Bush administration had an agenda all along. Why can't the right accept it. Is it because they voted for him? Guilt?

    Yet they cry about Healthcare and gay marriage as us losing our minds. It's fairly simple if you use your head for more than a hat rack

    We will be as safe as we want to be. The 2 decade long + wars accomplished nothing. 2 wars lasting more than a fucking decade

    Think about it, really think about it. It's pretty fucking shameful. Don't give me that I don't support troops bit, either

    I hope they all get 3000% raises.... Republicans won't give it to them though. That's the real way you honor at support them. Yet most of them are piss poor.

    Makes me sick
  • slightofjeffslightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    CROJAM95 wrote:
    A terrorist network hit us on 911...... Obama cut the head off the snake in a rather in expensive way. Not by sending an occupying army to the middle east.

    Though I understand your frustration, and share some of it, you don't get bin Laden, ever, without hitting Afghanistan first. For starters, why was bin Laden in Pakistan to begin with? Because the Taliban could no longer guarantee his safety in Afghanistan.

    It's not like if Bush had just dialed up Seal Team 6 on 9/12, everything would have been easy.

    Also, it's a bit simplistic to say Al Qaeda and only Al Qaeda was responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Bin Laden acted with the full faith and support of a sovereign nation that had to be held accountable.

    Iraq, I agree, turned out to be a complete clusterfuck and waste of time. Although I'm not really going to shed many tears for Saddam Hussein and his psychotic kids.
    everybody wants the most they can possibly get
    for the least they could possibly do
  • CROJAM95CROJAM95 Posts: 9,981
    CROJAM95 wrote:
    A terrorist network hit us on 911...... Obama cut the head off the snake in a rather in expensive way. Not by sending an occupying army to the middle east.

    Though I understand your frustration, and share some of it, you don't get bin Laden, ever, without hitting Afghanistan first. For starters, why was bin Laden in Pakistan to begin with? Because the Taliban could no longer guarantee his safety in Afghanistan.

    It's not like if Bush had just dialed up Seal Team 6 on 9/12, everything would have been easy.

    Also, it's a bit simplistic to say Al Qaeda and only Al Qaeda was responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Bin Laden acted with the full faith and support of a sovereign nation that had to be held accountable.

    Iraq, I agree, turned out to be a complete clusterfuck and waste of time. Although I'm not really going to shed many tears for Saddam Hussein and his psychotic kids.

    Me too..... Fuck Saddam

    My frustration is everyone looking at things black n white

    You can be anti-war..... And be pro " fuck with me and I'll send you back to the stoneage" but the lead up to Iraq was concocted and pretty sleazy. It's just funny how they want us all on board for fighting these crazy wars yet they don't share the profits. WTF is that about. I personally don't want blood money, but contractors are making a fortune in Iraq. With ties to the previous administration. While America scrambles to avoid recession #2....... and republican math doesn't believe these 2 events had anything to do with the debt crisis. That's insane
  • Godfather.Godfather. Posts: 12,504
    CROJAM95 wrote:
    CROJAM95 wrote:
    A terrorist network hit us on 911...... Obama cut the head off the snake in a rather in expensive way. Not by sending an occupying army to the middle east.

    Though I understand your frustration, and share some of it, you don't get bin Laden, ever, without hitting Afghanistan first. For starters, why was bin Laden in Pakistan to begin with? Because the Taliban could no longer guarantee his safety in Afghanistan.

    It's not like if Bush had just dialed up Seal Team 6 on 9/12, everything would have been easy.

    Also, it's a bit simplistic to say Al Qaeda and only Al Qaeda was responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Bin Laden acted with the full faith and support of a sovereign nation that had to be held accountable.

    Iraq, I agree, turned out to be a complete clusterfuck and waste of time. Although I'm not really going to shed many tears for Saddam Hussein and his psychotic kids.

    Me too..... Fuck Saddam

    My frustration is everyone looking at things black n white

    You can be anti-war..... And be pro " fuck with me and I'll send you back to the stoneage" but the lead up to Iraq was concocted and pretty sleazy. It's just funny how they want us all on board for fighting these crazy wars yet they don't share the profits. WTF is that about. I personally don't want blood money, but contractors are making a fortune in Iraq. With ties to the previous administration. While America scrambles to avoid recession #2....... and republican math doesn't believe these 2 events had anything to do with the debt crisis. That's insane
    any proof of this ??
    blood money
    snot money
    babysitting money
    ....I'll take it :lol:

    Godfather.
  • ComeToTXComeToTX Austin Posts: 7,876
    I don't shed any tears about Saddam either. The million or so innocent dead iraqi's on the other hand...
    This show, another show, a show here and a show there.
  • SatansFutonSatansFuton Posts: 5,399
    If I watch this show, is it going to spoil the ending of "The Pet Goat" for me? I've been meaning to read it but it's still just sitting on my nightstand.
    "See a broad to get dat booty yak 'em, leg 'er down, a smack 'em yak 'em!"
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