Ari Fleischer, President George W. Bush’s Press Secretary at the time of the 9/11 attacks, is live-tweeting memories of what it was like to be on the inside when the news broke. Reading through them reminds you just how panicked the day was — for instance, according to Fleischer, the administration was worried that there was an enemy agent on Air Force One, of all places.
What it was like to be next to George W. Bush on 9/11
Zack Beauchamp is a senior correspondent at Vox, where he covers ideology and challenges to democracy, both at home and abroad. His book on democracy, The Reactionary Spirit, was published 0n July 16. You can purchase it here.
Obviously, this exercise is a touch self-serving: unsurprisingly, some of Fleischer’s tweets are essentially hagiography of Bush’s “brilliant” response to the attacks. Setting those aside, the collected tweets amount to a really interesting, and horrifying, reminder of the raw uncertainty and fear that pervaded not only the nation, but also its highest officials, on the day of the attack. Here they are, up to about 12:30 EST:
8:40am, 9-11, 2001: I was in the motorcade 4 the drive from the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort in Sarasota, FL 2the Emma Booker Elem. School.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 8:46 Flight 11 crashes into the North Tower. The motorcade was a few minutes away from arriving at the school.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 Approx 8:50: I got a page on my pager (we didn't have blackberries then and the iPhone hadn't been invented) telling me a plane hit the WTC.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 As soon as I got the page, I hussled out of my car 2tell the Pres. He was shaking hands with school officials - none of whom knew the news.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 After the President finished shaking hands, Karl Rove informed him of what we thought had to be an "accident."
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 9:00 POTUS goes into a holding room and calls Condi. He instructs her 2make resources avail to help NY, still thinking it was an accident.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 After the call, POTUS goes into the classroom and starts reading a book to the kids. The press is in the back of the room.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 I suspect by now most people are watching TV, watching events unfold. I was in the classroom with the President watching the reading event.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 9:03 United Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 9:05 WH Chief of Staff Andy Card interrupts the Pres to whisper in his hear - the second tower has been hit. "America is under attack."
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 Just before Andy walked in, I got a 2nd page saying the 2nd tower had been hit. I knew instantly it had to be terrorism.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 The Pres. was going to address the press re the "accident". Given the news re the 2nd tower, I didn't think he should address the press yet.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 I wrote on back of a legal pad "DON'T SAY ANYTHING YET". I wanted him 2b briefed b4 talking. I put my back to the press & held up the sign.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 The President continued the reading event for several more minutes. Years later, Michael Moore criticized Bush for not leaving immediately.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 Bush said later he stayed 2collect his thoughts and send a signal of calm. He said he didn't want 2bolt from his chair and alarm the nation.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 POTUS left the event and went into the holding room 2get briefed/ work the phones. Here is a picture of the scene. pic.twitter.com/ZztLy2plSl
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 I started 2take notes of what Bush was saying and doing. I have some 6 pages of notes on a legal pad. The originals are in a bank vault now.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 Someone wheeled a TV into the holding room. Here's the scene: pic.twitter.com/x9A3RTQykd
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 9:30 Bush addressed a group in the gym that expected 2hear remarks on education. Few people there knew of the attack. No twitter back then.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 Here's what Bush said: Today, we've had a national tragedy.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent terrorist attack on our country. I have spoken to the vice president,
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 to the governor of New York, to the director of the FBI, and I've ordered that the full resources of the federal government go to help...
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 ...the victims and their families and to conduct a full-scale investigation to hunt down and to find those folks who committed this act.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 Terrorism against our nation will not stand. And now, if you'd join me in a moment of silence.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 We boarded the motorcade and drove [fast] to Air Force One, planning for a return to Washington, D.C.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 9:37 American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 POTUS is told of attack on the Pentagon by either the Secret Service in the front of the limo, or by Condi on the phone. I don't remember.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 9:45 We boarded Air Force One. I was in my seat for the takeoff and then spent most of the rest of the day in the President's cabin.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 FOne Capt. Mark Tillman told me 10 yrs later that we took off at unusually steep ascent bcause he had a report of a sniper at end of runway.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 Colonel Tillman also told the media years later that the control tower told him that an unidentified plane was descending toward AFOne.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 in the President's cabin, I was busy taking notes. He was mostly on the phone with the VP, SecDef Rumsfeld, Gov Pataki and Mayor Giuliani.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 Maddeningly, the phone connecting the Pres. to the bunker under the WH (PEOC - Presidential Emergency Operations Center) kept cutting out.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 9:59 The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapses.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 The TVs aboard AFOne could only pick up signals as we flew over land areas with good signals. The transmissions kept coming in and out.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 After 9/11, we recognized that the technology needed a major upgrade. In terms of communications, AFOne today is unlike how it was on 9/11.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 (1/2) Bush to VP: "We're at war...We're going to take care of this. When we find out who did this, they're not going 2like me as President."
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 (2/2) Bush to VP (cont): "Sombody's going to pay."
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 10:07 United Flight 93 crashes in a field in Pennsylvania.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 The first report we got on AFOne was that Flight 93 crashed "near Camp David." The locations are some 100 miles apart.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 After the 3rd plane hit the Pentagon, we were told there were 3 aircraft "missing". After Flight 93, we thought 2 more attacks coming.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 The military drills 4 everything. They kicked in old Cold War training for how 2 protect POTUS. We flew at 45,000 feet in a random pattern.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 The Secret Service did not want us to return to DC. They thought Andrew Air Force Base and the White House could be targets.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 Around 10:20: Bush authorized military to go to Def Con 3, the highest level of military alert since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 At 10:32, the Pres. reported an amazing phone call. POTUS was talking to the military aide while he (Bush) was on the phone with the VP.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 "A call came into the switchboard saying 'Angel is next,'" Bush said. 'Angel' was the codeword for Air Force One.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 Col. Tillman, upon hearing the news, posted an armed Air Force Security Officer at the base of the steps leading up to the cockpit of AFOne.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 Think about that. Aboard one of the most secure spots on earth, with nothing but trusted aides/Secret Service, the fear was an inside attack
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 Bush also told VP - and I quote - "We're at war Dick and we're going to find out who did this and we're going to kick their ass."
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 My notes show I wrote that a commercial popped up on the TV for a hair removal product. Seemed a little out of place...
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 Here is a copy of one page from my notes while all this was going on: pic.twitter.com/xpqWXWLMAQ
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 ***Sorry to do this - I need to pause my tweets until roughly noon. I'll resume then. All you'll miss is the flight to Barksdale AFB.***
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 ***Sorry for the break. I'll resume the "live" tweets now.***
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 Bush wanted to get back 2DC, but given Secret Service opposition, we waited. We needed 2top off AFOne's tank & POTUS wanted 2address nation.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 The military chose Barksdale Air Force base in Louisiana as a good place to land until we could figure out where we were going.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 Here is a scene aboard AFOne in POTUS's cabin, enroute Barksdale. pic.twitter.com/ayAgN7Efuv
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 12:05 We landed at Barksdale. We had no motorcade. Very few Secret Service. Everything was improvised.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 The base commander hosted Bush in his office while the staff worked on setting up a room for POTUS to address the nation.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 12:25 (1/3) Bush calls Cheney in the PEOC: "I think it's important for the people to see the government is functioning..."
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 (2/3) "...because the TV shows our nation has been blasted and bombed. Government is not chaotic. It's functioning smoothly."
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 (3/3) "We're going to get the bastards."
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014 See More:
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