Fahrenheit 9/11 Quotations

Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 film about how President George W. Bush of the United States allegedly misled his country about the threat of terrorism and lied about the reasons for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Directed and written by Michael Moore.

Controversy... What Controversy? taglines

Narrator/Michael Moore

While Bush was busy taking care of his base and professing his love for our troops, he proposed cutting combat soldiers' pay by 33% and assistance to their families by 60%. He opposed giving veterans a billion dollars more in health care benefits, and he supported closing veteran hospitals. He tried to double the prescription drug costs for veterans and opposed full benefits for part-time reservists. And when Staff Sergeant Brett Petriken from Flint was killed in Iraq on May 26th, the army sent his last paycheck to his family, but they docked him for the last five days of the month that he didn't work because he was dead.

Not even Ricky Martin could fly.

Not a single member of Congress wanted to sacrifice their child for the war in Iraq. And who could blame them? Who would want to give up their child? Would you? [on George W. Bush] Would he? I've always been amazed that the very people forced to live in the worst parts of town, go to the worst schools, and who have it the hardest are always the first to step up, to defend us. They serve so that we don't have to. They offer to give up their lives so that we can be free. It is remarkably their gift to us. And all they ask for in return is that we never send them into harm's way unless it is absolutely necessary. Will they ever trust us again?

[on Bush] He couldn't get his judges appointed. He had trouble getting his legislation passed, and he lost Republican control of the Senate. His approval ratings in the polls began to sink. He was already beginning to look like a lame duck president. With everything going wrong, he did what any of us would do. He went... on vacation

As the attack took place, Mr. Bush was on his way to an elementary school in Florida. When informed of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center, where terrorists had struck just eight years prior, Mr. Bush decided to go ahead with his photo opportunity. When the second plane hit the tower, his chief of staff entered the classroom and told Mr. Bush the nation is under attack. Not knowing what to do, with no one telling him what to do, and with no secret service rushing in to take him to safety, Mr. Bush just sat there, and continued to read "My Pet Goat" with the children. Nearly seven minutes passed with nobody doing anything.

The FBI was coming to see Barry, and they weren't there to jazzercise.

I couldn't believe that virtually no member of Congress had read the Patriot Act before voting on it. So I decided that the only patriotic thing to do, was for me to read it to them.

Meet John Ashcroft. In 2000, he was running for re-election as Senator from Missouri against a man who died the month before the election. The voters preferred the dead guy, so George W. Bush made him his Attorney General. He was sworn in on a stack of Bibles, 'cause when you can't beat a dead guy, you need all the help you can get.

[paraphrasing George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four] It's not a matter of whether the war is not real, or if it is, Victory is not possible. The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous. Hierarchical society is only possible on the basis of poverty and ignorance. This new version is the past and no different past can ever have existed. In principle the war effort is always planned to keep society on the brink of starvation. The war is waged by the ruling group against its own subjects and its object is not the victory over either Eurasia or Eastasia but to keep the very structure of society intact.

You can understand why the police needed to spy on a group like Peace Fresno. (camera shows the members) Just look at them! (member rolls his eyes) A gathering of terrorists if I ever saw one.

Okay, let me see if I've got this straight, old guys in the gym: bad. Peace groups in Fresno: bad. Breast milk: really bad. But matches and lighters on the plane, hey, no problem.

The people were afraid so they turn to their leader for help. help from what [Then the politicians sing Let The Eagle Soar].

Is it rude to suggest that when the Bush family wakes up in the morning, they might be thinking about what's best for the Saudis, instead of what's best for you or me? 'Cause 1.4 billion just doesn't buy flights out of the country; it buys a lot of love.

George W. Bush

I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you. [Holding up golf club] Now, watch this drive.

Anybody gonna say "nice shot"?

[Last lines] There's an old saying in Tennessee. I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee, that says: Fool me once... shame on...shame on you...if fooled, you can't get fooled again.

This is an impressive crowd: the haves, and the have-mores. Some people call you the elite, I call you my base.

Sure a dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier.

[on Saddam Hussein] After all, this is a guy who tried to kill my dad at one time.

[on Hussein] He hates the fact, like Al Qaeda does, that we love freedom.

[on the Iraqi insurgency] There are some who feel like that if they attack us that we may decide to leave prematurely. They don't understand what they are talking about if that's the case. Let me finish. There are some who feel like that the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is bring them on.

[on the insurgency] They're not happy they're occupied. I wouldn't be happy if I were occupied either

We wage a war to save civilization itself. We did not seek it. But, we will fight it. And we will prevail.

It's amazing what can be done with telephones, faxes...

Other

Lila Lipscomb: The ignorance of everyday people killed my son.

Britney Spears: I think we should just trust our president in every decision that he makes and we should just support that.

Young male in Michigan: ...I was watching TV one day, and they're showing like some of the buildings and areas that had been hit by bombs and things like that, and while I was watching I got to thinking, like "there's parts of Flint that look like that," and we ain't been in a war.

Elderly Woman: [on the invasion of Iraq] We were duped.

John Ashcroft: [to make-up artist] Ok, make me look young!

Dialogue

Narrator: The first time I met him, he had some good advice for me.

Michael Moore: Governor Bush? It's Michael Moore!

George W. Bush: Behave yourself, will ya? Go find real work!

Byron Dorgan: We had some airplanes authorized at the highest levels of our government to fly to pick up Osama Bin Laden's family members and others from Saudi Arabia and transport them out of this country.

Narrator: It turns out that the White House approved planes to pick up the bin Ladens and numerous other Saudis. At least six private jets and nearly two dozen commercial planes carried the Saudis and the Bin Ladens out of the U.S. after September 13th. In all, 142 Saudis, including 24 members of the bin Laden family, were allowed to leave the country.

Bush: [on the hunt for Osama bin Laden] I just don't spend that much time on it, to be honest.

Narrator: 'Don't spend that much time on it?' Just what kind of President was he?

Bush: I'm a war President!

Female Reporter: You've imprisoned the women. It's a horror!

Taliban Envoy: I'm very sorry for your husband. He must have a difficult time with you

Moore: Is there any terrorist target around here?

Tappahannock Woman: [Gesturing towards the restaurant behind her] We have a big spaghetti supper in here.

Marine Recruiter: You ever thought about bein' a Marine, man?

Potential Recruit: Uh, thought about it, but I got a wife and kid now.

Marine: Even more reason to join.

Narrator: As Bush sat in that Florida classroom, was he wondering if maybe he should have shown up to work more often? Should he have held at least one meeting since taking office to discuss the threat of terrorism with his head of counter terrorism? Or maybe Mr. Bush was wondering why he had cut terrorism funding from the FBI. Or perhaps he just should have read the security briefing that was given to him on August 6, 2001 that said that Osama bin Laden was planning to attack America by hijacking airplanes. Or maybe he wasn't worried about the terrorist threat because the title of the report was too vague.

Condoleezza Rice: I believe the title of the report was 'Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States.'

Narrator: A report like that might make some men jump, but as in days passed, George W. just went fishing. As the minutes went by, George Bush continued to sit in the classroom. Was he thinking, "I've been hanging out with the wrong crowd. Which one of them screwed me? Was it the man my daddy's friends delivered a lot of weapons to? Was it that group of religious fundamentalists who visited my state when I was governor? Or was it the Saudis? Damn, it was them." [an image of Hussein appears onscreen] "I think I better blame it on this guy."

[First lines]

Narrator: Was it all just a dream?

Al Gore: God bless you, Florida! Thank you!

Narrator: Did the last four years not really happen? Look, there's Ben Affleck. He's often in my dreams. And the Taxi Driver guy. He was there too. And little Stevie Wonder, he seemed so happy... like, like a miracle had taken place. Was it a dream? Or was it real?

Taglines

The temperature where freedom burns!

This July the fireworks will fly

Your country. Your future. Your movie.

This summer Michael Moore turns up the heat.

Controversy? What Controversy?

Cast

Michael Moore — Narrator/Himself
George W. Bush — Himself
Lila Lipscomb — Herself
Britney Spears — Herself
Al Gore — Himself
Byron Dorgan — Himself
John Ashcroft — Himself
Dr. Condoleezza Rice — Herself

Quoternity