Nearly every news account fails to mention when Bush left the classroom
after being told America was under attack. Three mention 9:12 a.m. [New York
Times, 9/16/01 (B), Telegraph, 12/16/01, Daily Mail, 9/8/02] Remaining in the classroom for approximately five to seven minutes is inexcusable, but the video of Bush in the classroom suggests he stayed longer than that. The video contains several edits and ends before Bush leaves the room, so it also doesn't tell us exactly how long he stayed. One newspaper suggested he remained "for eight or nine minutes" - sometime between 9:13 and 9:16, since Card's arrival is uncertain. [Tampa Tribune, 9/1/02]

When Bush finally did leave, he didn't act like a man in a hurry. In fact, he was described as "openly stretching out the moment." [Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism - From Inside the Bush White House, by Bill Sammon, 10/02, p. 89] When the lesson was over, Bush said to the children: "Hoo! These are great readers. Very impressive! Thank you all so much for showing me your reading skills. I bet they practice too. Don't you? Reading more than they watch TV? Anybody do that? Read more than you watch TV? [Hands go up] Oh that's great! Very good. Very important to practice! Thanks for having me. Very impressed." [Transcribed from Booker video, Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism - From Inside the Bush White House, by Bill Sammon, 10/02, pp. 89-90] Bush still continued to talk, advising the children to stay in school and be good citizens. [Tampa Tribune, 9/1/02, St. Petersburg Times, 9/8/02 (B)] One student asked Bush a question, and he gave a quick response on his education policy. [New York Post, 9/12/02]

The only source to describe what happened next is Fighting Back by Bill
Sammon. Publishers Weekly described Sammon's book as an "inside account of the
Bush administration's reaction to 9-11 [and] a breathless, highly complimentary
portrait of the president [showing] the great merit and unwavering moral vision
of his inner circle." [Publisher's Weekly, 10/15/02] Sammon's conservative perspective makes his account of Bush's behavior at the end of the photo-op all the more surprising. Bush is described as smiling and chatting with the children "as if he didn't have a care in the world" and "in the most relaxed manner imaginable." White House aide Gordon Johndroe, then came in as he usually does at the end of press
conferences, and said, "Thank you, press. If you could step out the door we came
in, please." A reporter then asked, "Mr. President, are you aware of the reports
of the plane crash in New York? Is there anything...", But Bush interrupted, and
no doubt recalling his order, "DON'T SAY ANYTHING YET," Bush responded, "I'll
talk about it later." But still the president did not leave. "He stepped forward
and shook hands with [classroom teacher] Daniels, slipping his left hand behind
her in another photo-op pose. He was taking his good old time. ... Bush lingered
until the press was gone." [Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism - From Inside
the Bush White House, by Bill Sammon, 10/02, p. 90]

Think about that: rather than rush out of the room at the first chance,
Bush actually stayed until after all the dozens of reporters had left! Having
just been told of a Pearl Harbor-type attack on US soil, Bush was indeed "openly
stretching out the moment." But he still wasn't done. Bush then turned to
principal Tose-Rigell, who was waiting to take him to the library for his speech
on education. He explained to her about the terror attacks and why he had to
leave. [Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism - From Inside the Bush White House,
by Bill Sammon, 10/02, p. 90] Finally, he went to an empty classroom next door
where his staff was based. [ABC News, 9/11/02] Given that Bush's program was supposed to end at 9:20, he left the classroom only a couple of minutes earlier than planned, if even that. [Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 9/16/01]