Cheney’s War Crimes

At 8:54 a.m. somewhere over Ohio on September 11, 2001, two more hijacked planes on scheduled flights from the East Coast to the West Coast strayed off course and headed back east to strike at two of the most significant symbols of America: the White House and the Pentagon. Presumably no one but the hijacking pilots would finally decide whether to strike one or the other or both as they approached. The third plane hijacked that morning, American Airlines flight AA 77, Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles, went off course about ten minutes before the first two, AA 11 and UA 175, were completing the destruction of the twin towers of interior steel of the World Trade Center in New York City. The crucial fourth plane, United Airlines Flight UA 93, Newark to San Francisco, turned off course about 35 minutes later.
During that time, the United States government began a series of monumental failures that could well have taken the life of the acting President of the United States, Dick Cheney, and several others not evacuated from the White House and the White House itself. The major failure was Cheney’s in that he appeared at the emergency control bunker beneath the White House some 55 minutes after he indicated he did., according to the commission that investigated the 9/11 attacks, the 9/11 Commission. Where Dick Cheney was as the third and fourth hijacked planes streaked toward the nation’s capital, no one seemed to know. Why was he not where he implied he was? Where was he? No one seemed to know, and the answer was not uncovered until investigative journalists provided it several months later. Both Cheney and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld were desperately needed as the only two, with the president in Florida, authorized by military protocol to order the shooting down of hijacked and threatening planes. But Rumsfeld, too, was missing; Brigadier General W. Montague Winfield of the Pentagon’s command enter said, “for 30 minutes we couldn’t find him.” Thus, the two top national officials in charge of the nation’s defense at had deserted their defense posts at the height of second wave of the attack, the worst attach United States soil since Pearl Harbor.
The first failure was by the Boston FAA flight controllers in not notifying the military and requesting Air Force assistance at the first hijacking, at 8:19 a.m. Nor, apparently did the Cleveland or Indianapolis FAA controllers inform the military of the course changes of both the second and third planes, AA 77, and UA 93. Those were “alarming” occurrences indicating a “catastrophic system failure” and the air controllers should have asked for immediate military assistance; the 9 /11 commission report suggested they had not. At 9:03, when the second World Trade Center Tower was hit, the entire world, including the Vice President, knew the United States was under terrorist attack. Cheney said at that point he was lifted off his feet by Secret Service and rushed to the bunker. But the 9/11 Commission concluded that he did not arrive at the emergency bunker until 9:58 after which and aide suggested to issue a shoot-down order. But then AA 77 had already crashed into the Pentagon 20 minutes before. As for Rumsfeld, Brigadier General W. Montague Winfield of the Pentagon’s command enter said, “for 30 minutes we couldn’t find him.” The situation is especially troubling since White House counterterrorism chief Richard A. Clarke had warned Cheney only a hour before that more attacks should be expected. Why? Where was he? No one seemed to know. As a result of these mistakes, AA 77 was able to reach Washington, swoop low through what one had hoped would be a swarm of Air Force jet fighters scrambled into the sky to shoot it down. But it was never made clear precisely how long they were delayed in taking off by Air Force unpreparedness and needless discussions among the top brass of their jet R.O.E’s -- rules of engagement, -- which Richard Clarke had spelled out for them clearly enough twice: Shoot down any known hijacked plane that appeared menacing to people below.. In any case, the hijacked AA 77 was able to penetrate the center of the largest national defense system in the world without a shot’s being fired at it and crashed into the Pentagon at 9:38. Had protocol not been ignored all along the line, perhaps the airliner could have been taken down shot‘s down, saving at least the lives of 125 people in the building. The fate of the passengers aboard AA 77 was probably already sealed, as with the fate of the passengers on UA 93, whose passengers staged a revolt and forced it down in a field in Shanksville, Pa.
Few realized that those brave passengers may well have saved the life of the Acting President of the United States and the others still at the White House by leaving only one plane to attack Washington, and the pilot for whatever logistical reason hit the Pentagon instead of the White House.