WP: 'Protocols' Left Bush Out of the Loop

[Pirate Smile]

Saturday, May 14, 2005; Page A07

The nation was put on red alert. The first lady was rushed to a super-secure location. Thousands of people ran for their lives. Yet government protocols apparently didn't call for the commander in chief to be interrupted from a noontime bike ride on Wednesday when an errant plane entered Washington's restricted airspace.

That is the message put out by the White House the past two days. "The protocols that we put in place after September 11 were being followed," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Thursday. "They did not require presidential authority for this situation."

So Bush kept on biking through the trails of rural Maryland, oblivious to the chaos miles away until 36 minutes after the all-clear was sounded.

-snip-
The president also tried to deflect concern about being out of the loop, telling an audience yesterday, with a grin, "I strongly urge you to exercise on a regular basis." Eric Dezenhall, a Washington-based crisis-management consultant, said the president's role reinforces the scariest aspect of the episode. "The question becomes 'Do we know what we're doing when this stuff happens? The answer is that it's a crisis. Nobody does know what they're doing."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/13/AR2005051301359.html

[aquart]

1. So Bush was unnecessary?

[neverforget]

15. Uh that goes without saying. Cheney is the power and Bush is the

mouthpiece.

[roughandtumble]

46. I bet Rove was told right away.

He is the Boss after all. Chumpy the Preznit is just so much useless window dressing.

[LuckyTheDog]

2. Proof positive

The dufus isn't really running the show. So the question is: who IS in charge?

[toddaa]

3. Duh

We all know it's Cheney and Rove. Let's just all stop pretending.

[ngGale]

20. Dick Cheney....

he's the one they took care of. Dufus has never run the show and to look like he does, he has the lump under his coat when he speaks. I suppose it's Dickie Boy talking to him, telling him what to say.:rofl:

[Renew Deal]

32. My non-political girlfriend said the same thing.

"Maybe someone else in charge." I'm not sure if she knows what that means, but I do.

[grytpype]

4. I'm sure they don't tell the Retarded Chimp-Man anything.

Until they need him to read a few lines in front of the TV cameras.

And that is fine with me! Leave him as far outside the loop as possible, all he knows how to do is screw up beyond anyone's wildest imagination.

[knowbody0]

5. the mayor of DC was not informed either.

15 minutes of terror on MSM, and all any one is told is RUN

[gavodotcom]

6. This is going to be a good week.

Base closings.

Nuclear option.

pResident unawares of terrorist campaign donors while he's on a bicycle at noon on a workday.

Fallout from Congressional letter to Attorney General.

And hopefully, Downing Street. That story is just about to break open.

[UpInArms]

7. I'm gonna go out on a limb here

and before I do, I'm going to need my :tinfoilhat: and my asbestos suit.

Doesn't this all sound weird?

A *Co contributor (also a flight instructor) doesn't know that his hero has effectively sealed off the skies around Washington DC -

*Co goes merrily out biking with his Pet Goat and no one notifies him while 35,000 people get evacuated?

What am I missing here?

[central scrutinizer]

8. He didn't have his copy of Pet Goat with him

that was why he wasn't notified of the the threat. His vacant, dumbfounded stare would scare the sheeple if he couldn't hide behind a kid's book.

[TahitiNut]

18. He had a Tom Wolfe novel with him. Probably "I Am Charlotte Simmons"

It was visible in an AP (or WaPo) photo, showing the back cover with Tom Wolfe's photo.

Smirko was probably trying to re-live his cheerleading days. :puke:

[Thor_MN]

35. Are you seriously suggesting * could read a novel?

"My Pet Goat" is more his speed. He probably had the novel to stand on to help get on his bike.

[TahitiNut]

38. I think someone probably underlined the "good parts" for him.

:silly:

[Pirate Smile]

36. Here is the photo

So a bike ride and a little fiction during a work day afternoon.

[TahitiNut]

39. Yup. That's the one. That's white-suited Tom Wolfe on the cover.

It looks like a Sam's Club price sticker, too. :silly:

[HR_Pufnstuf]

47. towel looks unused and hair too neat if helmet was worn.

offtopic, does this band on SNL suck or what?

[kath]

42. Heh. Froomkin's column (I think) said that he's been carrying that book

around FOREVER, and way back in early Feb. said that he'd finished it.

As IF...

[oscarmitre]

50. Not

"Bonfire of the Vanities"?

[ninkasi]

9. Whatever you're missing, I'm missing it too

This is beyond weird. The protocols now in place dictate that the sock puppet remains in blissful oblivion, while the rest of the country is in a state of panic? I'm only guessing, but his masters, Cheney and Rove, probably figure that in case of a real emergency, he would only screw matters up even worse.

If my husband were the president, and found out that I had been evacuated to safety while a determination was made whether this was a real threat or not, and he was not notified, and was allowed to continue his leisurely pursuits, I can assure you that heads would roll.

Is this pathetic excuse of a president so unnecessary that potential threats don't require even notifying him, so that his play time is not disturbed? How absolutely pathetic. What a miserable excuse for a so-called leader we have allowed to seize power.

[jokerman93]

33. Maybe Cheney and Rove were hoping

Maybe Cheney and Rove were hoping Bush would get waxed in the attack and they wouldn't need to keep up the Howdy-Doody routine for the Rubes until 2008. I think little Georgie has turned out to be quite an embarrassment for them all. It would be easier if Cheney just took over, non?

[cliss]

49. LOL

I agree. I know Beetlebrain is a loose cannon. Bush has been THEIR bad karma these past 5 years. I saw a photo of Bush in some kind of hastily arranged press conference. This was after the Abh Ghraib prison abuse scandal. (it was the one where Bush "congratulated" RumsFailed for doing such a good job.

This was rather unrehearsed. Bush started talking. Cheney looked SO nervous, as if Bush could blow it at any second. His eyes darted back and forth.

Just think, Cheney with his bad heart....a pacemaker. This can't be good for Dick's health.

[Teaser]

10. Does that fuckstick ever work?

really, does he? I gotta know.

[Mist]

14. Of course he doesn't. It's Cheney and Rove all the way.

They're just getting a bit careless about keeping up the fearless leader BS, now that it's the second term.

[FlaGranny]

30. Yes he does work.

He makes speeches while wired and he travels. And "It's HARD WORK." :sarcasm:

[daleo]

11. In Soviet Union days, a surprise nuclear attack would take 30 minutes

And that required a response from the president, evacuation, possible counter-strike, etc. A real repetition of a 911 incident would be similar. I can't believe a real president would be kept out of the loop in a real crisis, given these parameters.

That leaves:
- Bush is not a real president, but just a chimp playing one.
- This was an unreal phony cooked up threat to divert attention from something else.

Either alternative says people are being played for chumps.

[Mira]

12. Laughing so hard I cough and spit

Teaser - you made my day. That is precisely what I wonder, all the while he makes stump speeches and trips about social insecurity and such.
When these things go bust he either plays games or exercises.
After all, he just finished a trip to Old Europe, where he was not interested in sight seeing....just making things worse with his old friend Putin.

Geez... still coughing....

[Straight Shooter]

13. Nation's capitol under potential attack. Protocol: Don't notify bush.

What's wrong with this picture?

Mr. Blissfully Unaware on his bike ride (so they say) while pandemonium breaks out. How stupid do they think we are?

Wait. Don't answer that.

:banghead:

[MrPrax]

16. We needed more proof ?

Does rather look like the 'paranoid' conspiracy folks were right--the dude is a drugged up puppet...

I should send some apologies to some pals who ranted about this 5 years ago when POTUS emerged with a black-eye and some lame excuse about a pretzel...

[Pirate Smile]

17. Stephanie Miller's show had a great bit that started with Queen's Bicycle

song and then had junior talking about when he was going to get his training wheels off and put cards in his spokes, etc. and how neato, cool it was going to be - I was LMFAO. I wish we could link to some of those bits so people who miss them could also enjoy it.

There was a great one the day before with Bolton chasing Sen. Lisa Murkowski around trying to get her vote on the Foreign Policy Committee, calling her a harlot and shoving things under her door. Hilarious.

[bling bling]

19. Bush regrets hiring people dumber than him so that he would feel smarter.

His peeps are too stupid to remember to notify the friggin President, yet they're supposed to be protecting 300,000,000 people?

Hey, America, maybe next time we could leave out "the kinda guy we wanna have a beer with" as part of our electibility criterion for our President. Or is that too much to ask?

:scared:

[berni_mccoy]

21. Didn't this all happen on a work day?!

What the hell are we paying this guy for?

[Gelliebeans]

22. That is because

Rove planned it that way, why inform chimp boy when he is already in on the charade.

First they got Al-Quaida's number three guy or somebody with a similar name and ethnic background. (They aren't sure if its the right guy but it sounds good anyway and Amerika's too dumb to figure it out)

Second, the grenade (reason nobody bothered to tell bush about it was, he probably knew about it before hand)

Third the fly-over by republican pilot who was one of bush's biggest supporters but he was busy on a bike ride....riiiiight.

As soon as his poll numbers dip again or bullyboy has a tantrum expect them to drag out a video of Bin Laden mocking the US.

:eyes:

[ixion]

23. so what was it? Protocols or a TRAINING mission

as Scotty stated yesterday.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

[truthisfreedom]

24. don't bother the prez'dunt. he's THINKING.

[drduffy]

25. Head em up, move em out

Good practice though for rounding up all the potential trouble makers when the big shift comes.

[readmylips]

26. My hub, a Repig, had a lame excuse for his hero little bush.....

So what...there was nothing he could do....so why stop his bike ride.

I prayed...God, what is wrong with this sweet intelligent man? He's not blind of the eyes, but he is blind of truth.

Honey, the country went into code Red and the president is out biking. Don't you think the CIA would have scooped him up and carried his body to safety?

Forget it....your mind is only open to what your republican party says, which is not exactly the best for our country.

[llmart]

27. I'm married to one of those too....

I have analyzed the reason he is like this is because he was brought up in a family with a '50's mindset where you obey everyone in authority, never question them, they are always looking out for your best interests (he was an altar boy, Eagle Scout, attended Catholic schools,etc.)and when he finds out this isn't the case he has to rationalize it in is mind. The Catholic priest debacle has soured him on the whole religion stuff though, so maybe someday he'll get smart and see that Repugs aren't exactly looking out for his best interests too.

I was very fortunate to be brought up by two parents who taught me to question everything and use my gut instincts and intuition to make a decision for me - not someone else. Though they are both long deceased, I thank them every day for that.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

34. I got one of those hubbies too

though he's not completely Repub, didn't vote for *, calls himself a "moderate" these days.

About this story, he lamely tried to defend the protocol for a second, then admitted, "Why would they tell him anyway? He didn't do anything on 9/11 either."

[Solly Mack]

28. Remember during the first term when it was all about "not weakening the

office of President" by handing over documents,emails, and papers...ala Cheney's energy task force among other things...how he claimed executive privilege and how if the WH can't keep some things to themselves it will weaken the office of President...same excuse they've used for withholding other info...then they switched to "in the interest of national security" for a while...how they use whatever is handy to get people to shut up ...


remember that?

Now it's all about how the office of President just doesn't need to know...doesn't need to be in the loop.


Even taking into account how they lie constantly...

with these words:

"The protocols that we put in place after September 11 were being followed," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Thursday. "They did not require presidential authority for this situation."


They've "protocoled" the office of President right out of power. They've made the office of President useless. They've turned the office of President into a figurehead and nothing more...

and I find that very interesting

[librechik]

29. Shadow government=Puppet President

Shrub is window dressing. Who really runs things? They would like it to seema as if chaos rules, no one is in charge.

I don't quite believe it.

[susu369]

31. So, do we know who the "high school friend" was?

Mr. "No Name" is in the photograph with chimpy and we are told the twosome cycled through the wildlife sanctuary (sanctuary that specialises in saving endangered species FYI)- inquiring minds would like to know just who the friend was.

Was their time together so special that everyone was told "do not disturb"? Were they reading the book together?

:evilgrin:

[dmr]

40. Good question

When one is indisposed, one is indisposed and cannot be disturbed without great embarrassment.

Was Bush* later seen in public? Was this his day off? Or the day to be 'off'? Off the wagon, off the moral straight and narrow, or off his tricycle?

[susu369]

41. This was covered in an earlier thread - Mike Woods

Count on DU to uncover every stone! Just found this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3653893

Now, we wonder who Mike Woods is. There is a big repug bu$h* backer in Louisiana (but another link says this Mike Woods grew up in Shreveport and we know bu$h* didn't go to high school there - of course, it may be another lie from the White House that the two biking buddies were high school friends):

"Shreveport businessman Mike Woods (R). His father, Dalton Woods, was a major force in shaping the Republican Party some thirty years ago. Woods is a Shreveport oilman, and presently serves on the State Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System appointed by Mike Foster. He has his own financial resources to spend."

http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:LKa9qVyBpI0J:www.politicsla.com/columns/Brown/2004/February/022604_mccrery_retirement.htm+%22mike+woods%22+%2B%22george+w.+bush%22&hl=en&start=9

[Bo]

37. The WORLD knows Tricky Dick is in Charge

Doesn't anyone in DU travel? Everyone overseas esp. the fareast knows that * is a just a talking head.

[nashville_brook]

43. so, protocol is: don't interrupt BUSH during playtime

i wonder who set THAT rule?

[PATRICK]

44. WaPo is sloooow

and still not up the simple digging of KOS on the nearness of the pResident(walking distance) to NSA headquarters.

Nor do these brilliant analysts ever seem to get how unchanging and predictable if this kind of behavior(and most others) no matter what. Repeat to yourself WAPO, no matter what.

But then finding fault with Bush must be a source of unending surprise and discomfort to USA journalists. No wonder the GOP idolizes the brain dead. Alzheimer's is not a media disease it is a state of soul and discipline of mind.

And puts them at the head of America.

[struggle4progress]

45. If he doesn't want to be in the loop, maybe he should resign. eom

[Media_Lies_Daily]

48. It's called "plausible deniability", something he learned from Poppy....

...he'll use this ploy for the rest of the time he's squatting in the White House.