Continued comparison of 9/11 Report and Fahrenheit

Although as a class we have moved past the 9/11 report and are now looking into music I think it is still worth mentioning an addition to the conversation we were having on Friday. In class we were comparing the different mediums and interpretations of how President Bush was portrayed, both in the 9/11 Report adaptation and in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. On page 26 of the graphic novel it does explain that the President was in Florida visiting an elementary school. As a class we were comparing 2 different moments when Bush was learning information. In the book it is before he even enters the classroom recieivng a call from Condoleeza Rice explaining that the only information that the White House knew was a commercial aircraft had hit the World Trade Centers. In Michael Moore's documentary the class viewed the moment when the President hears "we are under attack" while he is in front of the children. I think it would have been beneficial for the graphic novel to contain both instances. The first phone call illustrated in the novel shows a leader that seems confused and thoughtful. Many Americans thought within the first few minutes of the attacks that it was some horrible accident, Bush and the administration may have initially made that error as well. If the second pictures would have been contained explaining to the President that "we are under attack," and showing his bewilderment, it would have showed that no one was impervious to the shock and sheer horror of that day. That illustration would not only humanize the President, but also be a more accurate account of response time and feelings in those initial moments of the attacks.