White House Press Corps.org: Press Gaggle by Tony Snow 09/11/06 (Topic: 9/11 Memorial Events)

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Press Gaggle by Tony Snow 09/11/06 (Topic: 9/11 Memorial Events)
— Monday, September 11, 2006 —

Q Was the President surprised by anything, or was this day basically what he expected? Or has he talked about anything striking him as unexpected at either of the stops?

MR. SNOW: I don't think there has been. My conversations have been cursory at this point. He's now -- he knew going in that this was going to be emotional, and it has been. You see people directly affected when we were at the firehouse. It's interesting because you sit around a table with people who mention -- matter-of-factly, but not casually -- the memorial services for people who died, how long it took to find bodies. For them, it's an incredible reality -- what's gone on with the family members, the ways in which, since September 11th, they've chosen to put together memorials, whether they be at hospitals or schools or neighborhoods. There have been people handing out pictures and cards and commemorations. It's very personal.

And again, with Shanksville, you have family members who were weeping and recalling what had happened. There's an interesting little detail which I got at both sites. The people in New York said, the weather has been exactly the same every September 11th since September 11th, 2001; and the people at Shanksville said the same thing, the same kind of weather conditions have prevailed each year since. I don't know what you make of it, but it's one thing that people took pains to mention.

So, again, going in, he knew this was going to be emotional, and it will be emotional at the Pentagon. We'll be talking -- for those of us who live in Washington, we have a lot more direct experience because we know a lot of the people, including survivors, as well as people who died.

Surprises -- I don't know if you go in with fixed expectations to a day like this. You go in knowing that you're going to be commemorating, you're going to be reaching out to people. I don't think it's the kind of day where you're surprised so much as you've just got to be ready for whatever you encounter.

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Posted by WhiteHousePressCorps.org @ 9:15 PM

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