Customer Reviews

Bullshit Artist: The 9/11 Leadership Myth

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

One would assume that the president did everything he could on that Tuesday in September 2001. But this book, using thorough research, quotes from the President's own advisors, and the author's acid commentary, show that Bush did next to nothing that day. In fact, this is the first book I have seen that directly discusses the fact that no effort was made to evacuate the Pentagon even though national Security Advisor, Condoleeza Rice, knew that 2 planes were heading towards DC, and Donald Rumsfeld had a gut feeling that the Pentagon would be hit.

Most of us had no time to think about it back then, but the only person to be protected during the attacks was Dick Chaney, who was removed from the White House and escorted to a bunker, while everyone else there was left to fend for themselves (and again, this was before tower 2 fell down or the Pentagon was hit). Bush was well protected after the attacks were over (and you could argue that he was in no danger that entire day being in Florida, Louisiana, Nebraska, and finally DC). It simply shows the tragedy of the Pentagon attack. If ANY lives could have been saved that day once the hijackings were in-progress, the 120 who perished in the Pentagon could have.

This is also the only book I have encountered that reflects the feeling I have had all along that Bush took too long to visit New York City. He arrived the morning of Friday September 14th, and instead of assuring New Yorkers that their president was there for them, he played the role of cheerleader (literally with a megaphone) and staged a photo-op with men who were risking their health to be at that site. Pathetic. And our 'liberal' media used that moment to compare Bush to Winston Churchill during the Blitz. No one reminded the anchorpeople that Churchill was working in a city that was being bombed daily - or that Churchill actually made decisions while being attacked. Bush was content to let the attacks end before making a single decision, and he showed no desire to put himself at the slight risk to fight back and defend his country that day.

This book proves without a doubt that Bush did nothing while we were under attack for 102 minutes (from the time flight 11 struck 1WTC, to the time flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania). Never mind the 7 frozen minutes in the Booker Elementary School. He followed those 7 minutes with 18 minutes that consisted of 5 short phone calls and scribbling a speech with Dan Bartlett, which he delivered at 9:30am, before flight 93 was hijacked. Speaking of which, the passengers of flight 93 have now been proven to know more about what was going on than Bush did, and they did something about it. This book gives kudos to the passengers on flight 93 for at least trying to fight back.

The 9/11 commission report glosses-over these enormous mistakes by the Commander in Chief. Most Americans assume that Bush was unable to talk to Dick Cheney in Washington until he got back to Air Force One shortly before 10am. Bust as this book proves, secure communications follow the president wherever he goes. In the classroom next door to where My Pet Goat was being read, there were telephones connected to dedicated circuits for the president to use. While he did eventually use them around 9:15am, or an hour after flight 11 was hijacked, he did not give one single order. He didn't place the military on high alert. He didn't order the White House to be evacuated (while in NYC buildings were being evacuated). And he didn't ask if there were other hijacked planes in the sky. Most important, he did not realize that he was the only person to give the order to shoot down hijacked planes, and he made no such order that entire day.

THIS is the fearless 'War President' who wakes-up every day wondering how to protect Americans from acts of terrorism? I think not. This book demonstrates that well before his failure to respond to Katrina, his greatest moment of inaction was the 102 minutes while our nation was under attack.

Bush has long argued that we are fighting terrorists "there" so we don't have to fight them "here." Well, they WERE here. And Bush didn't fight them, nor did he order the military to fight them. He then proceeded to turn his failure into "political gold" as the title of the book says, and for at least 3 years, he only had to remind Americans of "9/11" to demonstrate his effectiveness in protecting the American public. Most Americans now realize his failings, but it is too late (Bush's approval ratings dipped under 50% in the spring of 2005 and are expected to remain under 50% for the duration of his second term). But at least this book, in its second half, explains how Bush was able to keep his ratings above 50% right up until election day 2004. His performance surrounding "9/11" was just enough to get him through to a second term. Had Americans learned about what Bush actually did between September 11 and September 13, it might have been different.

This book has over 200 pages, but it is in outline format, using a scattered timeline sprinkled with illustrations, photos, quotes, and the authors' furious commentary. So it is not written as a traditional history book. The style is a little disorienting at first, but it makes for a quick and memorable read. I think Ron Schalow should be commended for constructing the book the way he did. He doesn't give us a dry timeline, but rather a lively criticism of the President that focuses solely on his incompetence, not his policies. It is a timeline blended with commentary and little quotations and factoids. It could have been written by a libertarian or even a conservative (if you could find one willing to acknowledge the president's incompetence). Using mainly raw facts, Schalow tears Bush's 9/11 aurora and legend into pieces.

Our President seems like such a nice man, but when you read this book you have to wonder if we elected an incompetent. He choked, big time, when we needed him to act decisively, and then his spin doctors went into overdrive, creating a raft of contradictions, mis-truths and, to quote the title, bullsh*t. It's a scandalous chapter in our recent history, and Ron Schalow's book does an excellent job of laying out the timeline, the actions and the ongoing spin-job. Schalow isn't the most polished writer you'll ever read, but he clearly has done his research and his intelligence and wit are razor-sharp.

I was always under the impression that president Bush did everything he could on 9/11 except for the seven minutes in the classroom. After reading this book, now I know better.

Kudos to the author for enlightening so many people about man that fewer and fewer American's approve of. I only wish that we could have known all the spin that we have been fed prior to the last election.

This is an above board attack on an incompetent presidency, not just on George Bush per se. It confirms what we (Republicans) have always suspected about him and his presidency but didn't want to know, or admit to ourselves. GWB and Dick Chaney can no more defend America than they can fight their way out of a paper bag. It shows how little we Americans expect of our leaders.

Maybe John Kerry did cheat with his medals, and had shifting values, but at least he served in the military. It makes one wonder about these "Frat boy" Presidents. They just don't seem to be made out of the same material as their fathers. GHW Bush was a true statesman and a credit to his race and to this country. But the "GWB and Dick Chaney show" can only have one ending: It will grind to a screeching halt, crash and burn, taking American prestige down a full notch with it.

In a time of one of the worse crisis in our nation's history, there sit Bush and Chaney with their hair on fire and their heads stuck in the sand hiding out, waiting for the "all clear signal," but then immediately running to the front of the line to the first photo op to take "unearned credit" for what the Firemen and Policemen of New York City and Rudy Guillani did. In a miltary chain of command, doing such as that would have been considered disgraceful and dishonorable -- not to mention immoral. And for the leaders of a Banana Republic to have done so would have been laughable, but expected. For the leaders of the last standing superpower to do so is well beyond being just down-right embarrassing. It is also unconscionable.

I am not a Bush basher or hater. He strikes me as a nice, not so very bright man. Someone nice to have a beer with. Therefore it was extra important for me that this book's assertions be backed up with unimpeachable references. In fact, that is one of the reasons I bought it. A friend assured me that it was well-documented and he was not wrong. The documentation is thorough and unerring.

Nothing this adminstration has done since 911 has in the least vindicated the Bush administration's megaphone gradnstanding in NYC. So, I was a little dissappointed that the book did not spectulate on what having an incompettent Presidency in these troubled times could mean for the Republic. I suppose with Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Lebanon blowing up all over the globe, the incompetence of this adminstration speaks for iteslf. I gave the book 4 stars.

The proof is there for all to see. Detailed research lays bare the fact that this is an administration that that knew and knows more than it will ever tell about the events of 911.
It shows an incomptenet leader ship and lays bare the fact that all Americans should realise by now that we are truly like mushrooms kept in the dark and fed Bull@#*& by the artist himself. The authors research proves we should all pay more attention to what is printed and learn to correcly interpret it, the proof has always been there for all to see

Ron does a great job of using the presidents own words against himself. He is able to provide detailed information on how the ball was dropped during 9/11 and still has not been picked up yet. I look forward to reading more of Ron's books and have recently found his blogs.

I confess, I read the news, but I don't dig into the political "spin". Schalow's book did just what I am guilty of not doing, he digs into the political statements and compares them against what really happened. We can all argue about decisons that were made or not made, but I am fed up with flat out lying that is documented so well in this book. I love the timeline layout and was amused by the sarcastic wit. A great read that really puts you GW's and his staffs shoes. Did he perform as well as he claims? You make the call.

This easy-to-read book has dozens, if not hundreds, of quotes from Bush himself and people from his administration, through which the reader can plainly see how Bush & Co. dropped the ball when it came to defending America from attack on 9/11. How these same people contradicted themselves and each other after the fact, and tried to make the Presidency's performance on 9/11 look much better than it actually was, becomes painfully obvious.

Schalow outlines the events of 9/11/01, minute by minute, and compares them to the inaction and incompetence of Bush and his cronies. Part of the point of the book is to show what an incompetent President we have, and what a difference having had someone in The White House who knew what he was doing would have made on that day. Instead we had a deer frozen in the headlights who, after having heard of the airplanes crashing into the WTC, continued to sit there and read with Florida schoolchildren, then promptly fled to the middle of the continent on Air Force One. Then, to add to the absurdity, starts acting macho and pissed off, long after it's obviously too late. To Bush, the response to the attacks began on 9/14, three days after the fact, and the President would rather you started remembering about how great he did starting then.

If you want to increase your knowledge of the truth regarding 9/11, I highly recommend this book. The sarcastic, witty style in which it is written makes a tough subject easier to handle.

A chronology of President Bush's actions on 9/11, while available separately -- if not sporadically -- across many outlets, has never before been assembled in such a complete and compelling way.

The author's use of actual quotes from administration officials, juxtaposed alongside of his own sardonic anecdotes, presents the material in such a unique way that you feel as if you are having a conversation about the events with the author himself. The book's format makes it easily accessible and the text is something that could be used as a chronological reference for the events of that day in September.

A must read for fans of both humor and fact.