Dick Cheney at the Controls

“Powell felt Cheney and his allies — his chief aide, I. Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas J. Feith and what Powell called Feith’s ‘Gestapo’ office — had established what amounted to a separate government.”

                                                             — Colin Powell – from Bob Woodward’s book, Plan of Attack

With Bush in Florida, everything fell into place for Cheney and his shadow government.

Dick Cheney and his clan head to White House basement and setup their own separate command and control center.  According to Bohrer, the White House photographer, Dick Cheney went to the PEOC just after 9:00 a.m., which was prior to the second WTC crash![i]  Did he know something before the rest of us did?  Before the 2^nd crash, it was only speculated that an accident had occurred.

 However, according to Richard Clarke (counterterrorism “tsar”) and others, Vice President Cheney goes from his White House office to the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) bunker in the East Wing of the White House, at about 9:05-9:10 a.m. “Cheney says when he heard the other officials were safe, he decided to stay at the White House, no matter what.”[ii]

Vice President “Dick” Cheney (Photo: users.adelphia.net).

Some of the personalities that were in the PEOC (Neocon Nest):

Mary Matalin – Political adviser.

Lewis “Scooter” Libby – Cheney’s Chief of Staff.

Josh Bolten – Deputy White House Chief of Staff.

Karen Hughes – White House Communications Director.

Lynn Cheney – Cheney’s wife and “right-wing ideologue”. 

Norman Mineta – Transportation Secretary (joins later).

Meanwhile, Richard Clarke begins assembling a videoconference response center in the West Wing’s Situation Room and visibly coordinates the response to 9/11.

National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice, after initiating a videoconference with Richard Clarke in the West Wing, goes to the PEOC to be with Cheney.  There is a video link from the PEOC to the Situation Room in the West Wing, (but not vice versa) and a secure telephone line.⁶⁰  [iii] [iv] [v]

Seemly the only one taking an active role in dealing with the crisis is Richard Clarke.  Why so?  Notice Clarke, the foremost terrorism expert in the administration, is not invited by Cheney and Rice to the PEOC, but must set up his own command center in the opposite wing of the White House.  Why would Cheney not want the assistance of such expertise?  Wouldn’t the PEOC also have quality video conferencing gear?  Would Clarke of all people see who the real perpetrators were?

9:05 a.m. – Clarke, Cheney, and Rice talk — Clarke’s recommend-ation to evacuate White House is ignored.

Rice asks Clarke for recommendations, and he says, “We’re putting together a secure teleconference to manage the crisis.”  Clarke recommends evacuating the White House, however evacuation does not begin until 9:45 a.m., after a critical 40 minutes had passed.  Rice notes that the Secret Service want them to go to the bomb shelter below the White House, and Clarke sees Rice and Cheney gathering papers preparing to evacuate. ^{NOTEREF _Ref129829055 \h  \* MERGEFORMAT 60}

9:10 a.m. – Clarke-led Video Conference begins at this time.

According to Counter-terrorism “tsar” Richard Clarke, they started a video teleconference from the White House’s Secure Video Conferencing Center, next to the Situation Room, at around 9:10 a.m. (9/11 Commission says that logs indicate this conference beginning 15 minutes later than this.  Why would they want to change Clarke’s time?)  Included in the conference are the FBI, the CIA, the FAA, the departments of State, Justice, and Defense, and the White House PEOC.  The CIA joins later at 9:40 a.m.  Clarke also gives a specific recollection of Myers [military command] speaking over video at 9:28 a.m.⁶⁰ (Clarke’s testimony with specific recollection of times and events is at odds with the 9/11 cover-up Commission’s account).

9:27 a.m. – Cheney is given updates on unidentified aircraft heading toward Washington D.C.

            Vice President Cheney and National Security Adviser Rice, in their bunker below the White House, are told by an aide that an airplane is headed toward Washington from 50 miles away.  FAA deputy Monty Belger says, “Well we’re watching this target on the radar, but the transponder’s been turned off.  So we have no identification.”[vi] ¹²⁴ Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta gives virtually the same account before the 9/11 Commission.

Cheney and his inner circle in the PEOC (Photo: Bohrer/White House).

9:28 a.m. – Reports on CNN quote the Associated Press — US officials think attacks caused by terrorists.

Amazing how they found that out so quickly!  They are so fast when they want to be!  Who was that official who leaked the story?

9:30 a.m. – Clarke asks Cheney’s bunker for Air Force One fighter escort and shoot down authorization.

Neither would happen for some time.  As President Bush begins a speech in Florida, Clarke orders all U.S. embassies overseas closed and orders all military bases to an alert level named Combat Threatcon.  Over the next few minutes, Clarke discussed with aides various locations where Bush should go from Sarasota, FL.  And most importantly, Clarke pleaded, “we need to authorize the Air Force to shoot down any aircraft — including a hijacked passenger flight — that looks like it is threatening to attack and cause large-scale death on the ground.  Got it?”⁶⁰

However, when Bush departs on Air Force One about half-an-hour later, there are no fighter escorts, and none appear for an hour or so.  In addition, if Clarke requests authorization for a shoot down order at this time, it is apparently ignored; neither President Bush nor Vice President Cheney give shoot down authorization for at least another 30 minutes (which is after their show is over).

Also at this time, several Dulles flight controllers observed a primary radar target tracking eastbound at a high rate of speed. 

Between 9:45-9:55 a.m. Clarke initiates Continuity of Government plans.

Richard Clarke institutes the Continuity of Government (CoC) plans.  The CoC plan calls for important government personnel, especially those in line to succeed the president, to be evacuated to alternate Command Centers.  Amazingly, Bush and Cheney’s right-winger Continuity of Government picks remained hidden in secret bunkers for about six months after 9/11!  In essence, their was a shadow government in operation and running the U.S. for half a year.[vii]

Was the belated shoot down authority and the combination of General Myer’s insistence on clarifying guidelines, a deceptive tactic of delay?

Additionally, Clarke gets a phone call from the PEOC Command Center where Vice President Cheney and National Security Adviser Rice are positioned.  An aide tells Clarke:

Air Force One is getting ready to take off with some press still on board.  [President Bush will] divert to an air base.  Fighter escort is authorized.  And ... tell the Pentagon they have authority from the president to shoot down hostile aircraft, repeat, they have authority to shoot down hostile aircraft.⁶⁰

However, acting Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Richard Myers wants the rules of engagement clarified before the shoot down order is passed on, so Clarke orders that pilots be given guidelines before receiving shoot down authorization. ^{NOTEREF _Ref129829055  \* MERGEFORMAT 60} 

Who was running the response?  Clarke or Cheney?

Clarke, who had his powers and most of his office stripped away from him by the Bush Administration, probably didn’t realize (sarcasm) at the time, but he was being spurned and ignored by Cheney.  All his recommendations were essentially scoffed at or belated, and then in the 9/11 Commission Report, much of his testimony is cast aside.  Was Clarke one of the few people actually trying to prevent further attacks?  From the facts, it seems that he is probably the only one in an upper-level position of the Bush Administration that is trying to stop the attacks.  Who else, can it be said, made even the smallest attempt to curtail the events of 9/11?  Did Bush do anything?  Did Cheney purposefully do anything?  What about Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz or the Military?  The CIA or FBI?  These agencies were in total complacency with their leaders — the perpetrators. 

Michael Ruppert – author and former LAPD investigator stated:

…I will establish that.... on the day of the attacks [Vice President Dick Cheney] was running a completely separate Command, Control and Communications system which was superceding any orders being issued by the FAA, the Pentagon, or the White House Situation Room...

Was there intentional disruption of communications in the PEOC?

Both Cheney and Bush claimed, as an excuse for their inactions that day, that they had continual communication problems.  Someone else in the PEOC tells Richard Clarke later in the day, “I can’t hear the crisis conference (led by Clarke) because Mrs. Cheney keeps turning down the volume on you so she can hear CNN ... and the vice president keeps hanging up the open line to you.”  Clarke notes that the “right-wing ideologue” Lynne Cheney frequently offers her advice and opinions during the crisis.⁶⁰ Now why do you suppose they are so rude to the counter-terrorism “tsar” Clarke?  Later, Clarke personally observed on a visit to the PEOC: “the monitors were simultaneously blaring the coverage from five networks…on one screen, I could see the Situation Room…”⁶⁰ According to Clarke’s account, there was no shortage of equipment, nor any physical problems noted.  Cheney claims, “The coms in this place are terrible … calls to the President were dropping off.”⁶⁰ Was the hanging up of the phone or turning down the volume by the Cheney’s’ actually a pretext for insisting that the communications were bad?  Cheney and his defenders reasoned that the communications that day were poor — an excuse for inaction.  Bush also used the same excuse.

And President Bush, our fearless leader, what was he doing on 9/11?

Well, between 9:56-10:40 a.m. after Air Force One takes off, they “fly in circles” while Bush and Cheney argue. ^{NOTEREF _Ref133726806 \h  \* MERGEFORMAT 94} President Bush spends most of his time at Barksdale Air Force Base arguing on the phone with Vice President Cheney and others over where he should go next.^{94  [viii]}

Finally, Bush arrives at Offutt AFB in Omaha, NE.  At Offutt that day, are several CEOs participating since 8:00 a.m. in a “charity event”.  Why is this “charity event” being held at a secure Air Force base?  And it just happens to be that several of these CEOs would have been at the World Trade Center had they not been at Offutt AFB.