Page 26 - 201109 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - September 2011

; 15)3)45-1+ &: An Interesting Day: President Bush's Movements and Actions on 9/11 by Allan Wood, Paul Thompson “It was an interesting day.”— President Bush, recalling 9/11 [White House, 1/5/02] At approximately 8:48 a.m. on the morning of September 11, 2001, the first pictures of the burning World Trade Center were broadcast on live television. The news anchors, reporters, and viewers had little idea what had happened in lower Manhattan, but there were some people who did know. By that time, the Federal Aviation Administration September 7. [White House, 9/7/01] Later that certain Secret Service agent by name. The (FAA), the North American Aerospace Defense same day, 9/11 hijackers Mohamed Atta and message was relayed to a Secret Service agent Command (NORAD), the National Military Marwan Alshehhi traveled to Sarasota and inside the resort, who hadn’t heard of the agent Command Center, the Pentagon, the White enjoyed drinks and dinner at a Holiday Inn only mentioned or of plans for an interview. He told House, the Secret Service, and Canada’s two miles down the sandy beach from where the men to contact the president’s public Strategic Command all knew that three Bush was scheduled to stay during his Sarasota relations office in Washington, DC, and had the commercial airplanes had been hijacked. They visit. [Longboat Observer, 11/21/01, van turned away. [Longboat Observer, 9/26/01] knew that one plane had been flown Washington Post, 1/27/02] The Secret Service may have foiled an deliberately into the World Trade Center’s On the night of September 10th, Bush assassination attempt. Two days earlier, Ahmed North Tower; a second plane was wildly off stayed at the Colony Beach Resort—“an Shah Massoud, leader of Afghanistan’s course and also heading toward Manhattan; and upscale and relatively pristine tropical island Northern Alliance, had been murdered by a a third plane had abruptly turned around over enclave located directly on the Gulf of Mexico, similar ruse. Two North African men, posing as Ohio and was flying back toward Washington, a spindly coral island… off Sarasota, Florida.” journalists from “Arabic News International,” DC. [AP, 07/29/01] Zainlabdeen Omer, a Sudanese had been requesting an interview with Massoud So why, at 9:03 a.m.—fifteen minutes native living in Sarasota, told the local police since late August. Ahmad Jamsheed, Massoud’s after it was clear the United States was under that night that someone he knew who had made secretary, said that by the night of September 8, terrorist attack—did President Bush sit down violent threats against Bush was in town and “they were so worried and excitable, they were with a classroom of second-graders and begin a Omer was worried about Bush’s safety. The begging us.” An interview was arranged for the 20-minute pre-planned photo op? No one man was identified only as “Ghandi.” A police following day. As it began, a bomb hidden in the knows the answer to that question. In fact, no report states the Secret Service was informed video camera exploded, killing the two one has even asked Bush about it. immediately. [Hopsicker, 7/22/02] journalists. Massoud was rushed by helicopter Bush’s actions on September 11 have After a private dinner with various to a hospital in Tajikistan, but was pronounced been the subject of lively debate, mostly on the Florida politicians (including his brother Jeb) dead on arrival (although his death was not internet. Details reported that day and in the and Republican donors, Bush went to bed acknowledged until September 15). week after the attacks—both the media reports around 10:00 p.m. [Sarasota Magazine, 11/01, [International Policy Institute for Counter- and accounts given by Bush himself—have Washington Post, 1/27/02] Surface-to-air Terrorism, 10/30/01, Newsday, 10/26/01] The changed radically over the past 18 months. missiles were placed on the roof of the resort assassination is widely believed to have been Culling hundreds of reports from newspapers, [Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 9/10/02], and an timed to remove the Taliban’s most popular and magazines, and the internet has only made Airborne Warning and Control System respected opponent in anticipation of the finding the “truth” of what happened and when (AWACS) plane circled high overhead. backlash that would occur after the 9/11 attacks. it happened more confusing. In the changed [Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism—From [BBC, 9/10/01, BBC, 9/10/01 (B), Time, political climate after 9/11, few have dared raise Inside the Bush White House, by Bill Sammon, 8/4/02, St. Petersburg Times, 9/9/02] The challenging questions about Bush’s actions. A 10/02, p. 25] It’s not clear if this type of Northern Alliance blamed al-Qaeda and the ISI, journalist who said Bush was “flying around the protection was standard for the president or Pakistan’s secret service, for the attacks. [Radio country like a scared child, seeking refuge in his whether security was increased because of Free Europe, 9/10/01, Newsday, 9/15/01, mother’s bed after having a nightmare” and possible threats. Reuters, 10/4/01] another who said Bush “skedaddled” were Nearly three hours after the incident at fired. [Washington Post, 9/29/01 (B)] We An Assassination Attempt? the Colony, another Longboat Key resident should have a concise record of where President reported a run-in with possibly the same men. Bush was throughout the day the US was Bush awoke a little before 6:00 a.m. on At about 8:50 (when reports of the first World attacked, but we do not. September 11, pulled on shorts and an old T- Trade Center crash were first broadcast), while What follows is an attempt to give the shirt and laced up his running shoes. [CBS, standing on the Sarasota bay front waiting for most complete account of Bush’s actions— 11/1/02] At 6:30 a.m., Bush, a reporter friend, the presidential motorcade to pass by, this man from Florida to Louisiana to Nebraska to and his Secret Service crew took a four-mile jog saw two Middle Eastern men in a dilapidated Washington, DC. in the half-light of dawn around a nearby golf van “screaming out the windows ‘Down with Preparations course. [Washington Post, 1/27/02, Washington Bush’ and raising their fists in the air.” The FBI questioned the man, but it’s not known if this Post, 09/11/01] At about the same time Bush was getting was the same van that had visited the Colony. Bush’s appearance at the Emma E. ready for his jog, a van carrying several Middle [Longboat Observer, 9/26/01] Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, Eastern men pulled up to the Colony’s guard on September 11, 2001 had been in the planning station. The men said they were a television Continued on Page 28 stages since August [Booker web site], but was news crew with a scheduled “poolside” only publicly announced on the morning of interview with the president. They asked for a The ‘X’ Zone Radio Show Podcasts www.xzonepodcast.com