Trancripts from 9/11 commision hearings:
http://www.9-11commission.gov/hearings/hearing12/staff_statement_17.pdf
(PDF FILE)
The Arrogance!
...
The President's motorcade departed at 9:35, and arrived at the airport between 9:42 and
9:45. During the ride the President learned about the attack on the Pentagon. He boarded
the aircraft, asked the Secret Service about the safety of his family, and called the Vice
President. According to notes of the call, at about 9:45 the President told the Vice
President: "Sounds like we have a minor war going on here, I heard about the Pentagon.
We're at war....somebody's going to pay." **MINOR? This man is an idiot!
The Secretary did not become part of the chain of command for those orders to engage
until he arrived in the NMCC. At 10:39, the Vice President tried to bring the Secretary
up to date as both participated in the Air Threat Conference:
Vice President: There's been at least three
instances here where we've had
reports of aircraft approaching
Washington--a couple were
confirmed hijack.
And, pursuant to the President's
instructions I gave authorization
for them to be taken out. Hello?
SecDef: Yes, I understand. Who did you
give that direction to?
Vice President: It was passed from here through
the operations center at the
White House, from the [shelter].
SecDef: OK, let me ask the question here.
Has that directive been
transmitted to the aircraft?
Vice President: Yes, it has.
SecDef: So we've got a couple of aircraft
up there that have those
instructions at the present time?
*
Vice President: That is correct. And it's my
** understanding they've already
* taken a couple of aircraft out.
SecDef: We can't confirm that. We're
told that one aircraft is down
but we do not have a pilot report
that they did it.
* This statement is a clear example of the arrogance in this assministration. NO airplanes were shot down. FLIGHT 93 was taken down by the heros onboard.
NORAD officials have maintained that they would have intercepted and shot down
United 93. We are not so sure. We are sure that the nation owes a debt to the passengers
of United 93. Their actions saved the lives of countless others, and may have saved
either the U.S. Capitol or the White House from destruction.
Cheney has no problem overshooting his own accomplishments. The second most arrogant and useless man in America.