Fox News
Expand
Browse All Video
Watch Live

You're watching...

President Bush Speaks Out on 9/11

Details

  • Description

    Fmr. Chief of Staff to President Bush Andy Card recounts terror attacks

  • Duration 6:48
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

Editor's Picks

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance
View All

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

Officially September the eleventh.

We'll be coming date on the calendar did like Pearl Harbor day it's.

For those -- who lived through it.

It'll be able.

They will never forget.

Former President Bush speaking out in a powerful new interview as we prepare to mark ten years since the sept September 11 terror attacks.

The documentary is set to air this weekend on the National Geographic channel.

In it the former president recalls the very moment when He first learned that our nation was under attack.

I hadn't been notified that a plane hit the world trade center at first I thought it was saying.

Light aircraft and my reaction was.

-- man that -- He is the weather was bad.

Or something extraordinary happened to the pilot.

I then.

Conforms to my staff members to.

You -- provide help.

To New York City whatever help they needed to take care of this incident and then walk into the classroom.

As far.

You know let -- These incredible.

They aren't they classroom was -- -- Who were.

Done.

Reading.

Actually yeah yeah.

Yeah.

Yes and in the back -- was a full press corps.

And staffers and someone else.

And I'm intently listening to the lesson.

He's smart ass.

Hole -- -- and I felt a presence behind me.

And any courage -- Massachusetts accent.

Was whispering in my -- a second plane has hit the second tower America is under attack.

The man who had to inform the president that America was under attack.

Is my guess now Andy card former chief of staff to president George W.

Bush Andy thank you so much for being here what a powerful piece.

This is by Nat geo in an extensive two day interview with President Bush.

About the event that changed America forever and you were the man at the president's side at that moment.

President Bush said that when you when you whispered that -- was here He struggled to keep his face expressionless.

First felt anger and asked himself privately.

Who the hell would do that to America.

Well you know when I whispered in the presence -- I didn't I wasn't sure how we would react my hope was that.

He would not asked me a question -- start a dialogue that's why I was very efficient with the words I used.

I was trying to demonstrate using as few words as -- could the magnitude of this action and that I did see it as an attack.

My thought He reacted exactly the right way.

He did nothing to introduce fear to those very young elementary school students.

And He did nothing to demonstrate -- to the media that would have translated it to the satisfaction of the terrorists all around the world.

And I thought He did a phenomenal job number one of keeping his emotions under control.

He was contemplating the white challenges that He had as president you know the job -- president is an awesome job and He has a unique responsibility to preserve protect and defend and I suspect He also recognize that obligation as He was sitting in that classroom.

I was also pleased that He stayed there because it didn't come back into the holding -- away.

And that allowed us to get things.

In place so the president would be able to be his responsibility I told -- Telephone operators to get the FBI director on the phone for example would get a line open to the vice president that communications back the White House.

That the crew back on air force -- get this Secret Service to turn the motorcade around and get some remarks written for the president because it a thousand people in the gymnasium right next store so all of that was being done as the president sat -- classroom and I think He was doing right thing.

He talked about how was like watching a silent movie because in the back of the room you saw the reporters on their cell phones and knew that they were getting the scene.

Information He was getting at the time.

And He knew that everybody would be watching his reaction you speak of maintaining a sense of com.

That's one of the themes that comes out in this piece the president talked in particular.

About being on the plane with you.

And others right after the attacks and how his staff as senior -- trying to whisk him away to safety.

Out of Washington DC where where you all wanted him to stay let's watch and listen here this is the second clip guys to the president on that subject.

During this moment that I made the decision I'm going back to Washington over the objections.

-- about everybody else I've -- it -- -- I need to get home.

Hello I had developed.

It was important -- today.

-- with the presidential speech assuring people.

That the government was functioning in responding in that we would take the appropriate actions necessary to protect our country and I damn sure weren't gonna give her from a bunker and Nebraska.

I want to give -- from the Oval Office I didn't want the enemy to have the psychological victory of a president speaking from a bunker.

In the heartland of our country.

And not speaking from the capital it's been attacked so I told they had this -- servers and others I'm coming home.

Union agree with that decision to.

Well actually I agreed that the decision when it was finally made but when the president first go to the plane down in Sarasota Florida.

He wanted to go back to Washington DC in the Secret Service was adamant -- was some of the folks in the air force that we could not go back to Washington without.

Better understanding the nature of what had happened and whether or not there were other tax remember there was a a -- that Air Force One itself was the target for attack.

So I was.

Quite frankly the buffer between the president and the Secret Service and both sides are pretty tough on me but I have had to learn more bottom before we could go back but.

Yes who went back to Washington DC after He had been to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.

And then the strategic -- commander in and Nebraska.

And the president was pushing to get back to Washington DC quickly I'm glad we're back He addressed the American people from the Oval Office which was.

The right venue for him to talk to us.

Which is the way He wanted to do it any stand by because when we come back.

We want to ask you about the president's comments on what it was like an Air Force One as the information was coming in on that fateful day nearly.

Ten years ago tonight.

Load More