Why Didn't The President Receive "Air Cover" On 9/11?

By Jon Gold

I saw someone mention tonight the fact that the Secret Service didn't bother to protect the President on 9/11, and this question occurred to me. "Did the President receive "Air Cover" at any time during his time at Booker Elementary?"

So, I set out to see when the President received "Air Cover." It made sense to me that during a time when America was "under attack" from kamikaze hijackers in commercial airliners, that the President of the United States would receive "Air Cover." Especially considering there was an international airport not 5 miles away. Makes sense, right?

Thanks to Paul Thompson's GREAT WORK, I found the following:

(More after the jump..)

(9:34 a.m.): Bush Leaves Booker Elementary School for Sarasota Airport; Possible Threat En Route
President Bush’s motorcade leaves Booker Elementary School and heads toward Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. [Washington Times, 10/8/2002; Daily Telegraph, 12/16/2001; Wall Street Journal, 3/22/2004] A few days after 9/11, Sarasota’s main newspaper reports, “Sarasota barely skirted its own disaster. As it turns out, terrorists targeted the president and Air Force One on Tuesday, maybe even while they were on the ground in Sarasota and certainly not long after. The Secret Service learned of the threat just minutes after Bush left Booker Elementary.” [Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 9/16/2001] Kevin Down, a Sarasota police officer at the scene, recalls, “I thought they were actually anticipating a terrorist attack on the president while we were en route.” [BBC, 8/30/2002] ABC News reporter Ann Compton, who is part of the motorcade, recalls, “It was a mad-dash motorcade out to the airport.” [BBC, 9/1/2002] A year later, Chief of Staff Andrew Card says, “As we were heading to Air Force One, we did hear about the Pentagon attack, and we also learned, what turned out to be a mistake, but we learned that the Air Force One package could in fact be a target.” [MSNBC, 9/9/2002]

No mention of "Air Cover" at all. The President of the United States is driving from Booker Elementary to Air Force One with NO "Air Cover" at all. At a time when America is "under attack" from kamikaze hijackers in commercial airliners.

It turns out, that sometime between 9:45 and 9:55am, the authorization for "fighter escort" was received.

(Between 9:45-9:55 a.m.): Clarke Initiates Continuity of Government Plans; Hears Shoot Down Talk from Cheney Bunker
At some point after the White House is evacuated, counterterrorism “tsar” Richard Clarke institutes Continuity of Government plans. Important government personnel, especially those in line to succeed the president, are evacuated to alternate Command Centers. Additionally, Clarke gets a ph one 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 air craft, repeat, they have authority to shoot down hostile air craft.” However, acting Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Richard Myers wants the rules of engagement clarified before the shootdown order is passed on, so Clarke orders that pilots be given guidelines before receiving shootdown authorization. [Clarke, 2004, pp. 8-9] Clarke’s account that Cheney is giving shootdown authorization well before 10:00 a.m. matches Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta’s account of seeing Cheney giving what he interprets as a shootdown order before the Pentagon crash. [9/11 Commission, 5/23/2003] However, the 9/11 Commission later asserts that Cheney doesn’t make the shootdown decision until about 10:00 a.m. (see (Between 10:00-10:15 a.m.)). [9/11 Commission, 6/17/2004]

However, thanks to DHS, I found out that "fighter escort" took an AWFULLY long time getting there.

(9:56 a.m.): Air Force One Gets Airborne Without Fighter Escort
President Bush departs from the Sarasota, Florida, airport on Air Force One. [New York Times, 9/16/2001; Daily Mail, 9/8/2002; Washington Post, 1/27/2002; Associated Press, 9/12/2001; ABC News, 9/11/2002; 9/11 Commission, 6/17/2004; Wall Street Journal, 3/22/2004; CBS News, 9/11/2002 ;Daily Telegraph, 12/16/2001] Amazingly, his plane takes off without any fighters protecting it. “The object seemed to be simply to get the president airborne and out of the way,” says an administration official. [Daily Telegraph, 12/16/2001] There are still 3,520 planes in the air over the US. [USA Today, 8/13/2002] About half of the planes in the Florida region where Bush’s plane is are still airborne. [St. Petersburg Times, 9/7/2002] Apparently, fighters don’t meet up with Air Force One until about an hour later. Counterterrorism “tsar” Richard Clarke claims to have heard around 9:50 a.m. from the bunker containing Vice President Cheney that fighter escort had been authorized. [Clarke, 2004, pp. 8-9]

So roughly at around 10:56am, "Air Cover" finally arrives for the President of the United States. At a time when America is "under attack" from kamikaze hijackers in commercial airliners.

I set out to find when the President received "Air Cover" during his time at Booker Elementary, and found out instead that he didn't receive ANY "Air Cover" for nearly two hours after he was told America was "under attack."

It doesn't seem to me like the President was in any danger. At a time when America was "under attack" from kamikaze hijackers in commercial airliners.

Why is that?

This is also documented in

This is also documented in Tarpley's Synthetic Terror book.

The Dog That Did Not Bark

Great blog.

Additionally, Mike Rivero of WRH does a great cover of this tune here.

It would be great to see the media cover this fundamental question regarding the President and his activities the morning of 9/11, with anywhere near the same level of scrutiny they are paying to Mark Foley's follies.

Hey Brian Ross, take a peek behind this curtain why don't 'cha!

Never

Read it...
___________________________________

"It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying ‘Go find me a way to do this."

What can I say? It's a must

What can I say? It's a must read. Widens the perspective.

I'll pick it up...

But isn't this what Webster talks about...

September 12, 2001: Threat to Air Force One? Stories Conflict
White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer explains that President Bush went to Nebraska because “[t]here was real and credible information that the White House and Air Force One were targets.” The next day, William Safire of the New York Times writes, and Bush’s political strategist, Karl Rove, confirms, that the Secret Service believed “‘Air Force One may be next,’ and there was an ‘inside’ threat which ‘may have broken the secret codes [i.e., showing a knowledge of presidential procedures].’” [New York Times, 9/13/2001 ] By September 27, Fleischer begins to backpedal on the claim that there were specific threats against Air Force One and/or the president, and news stories flatly contradict it. [Washington Post, 9/27/2001] A well-informed, anonymous Washington official says, “It did two things for [Cheney]. It reinforced his argument that the president should stay out of town, and it gave George W. an excellent reason for doing so.” [Daily Telegraph, 12/16/2001] By 2004, a Bush spokesperson says there was no threat, but Cheney continues to maintain that there may have been. Cheney also claims the Secret Service passed him word of the threat, but two Secret Service agents working that day deny their agency played any role in receiving or passing on such a threat. The threat was allegedly based on the use of the word “Angel,” the code word for Air Force One, but Secret Service agents later note that the code word was not an official secret, but a radio shorthand designation that had been made public well before 2001. [Wall Street Journal, 3/22/2004]

Ok Cheney... if there was a threat... well, just read the article.

:)
___________________________________

"It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying ‘Go find me a way to do this."

Yes, he picks up on these

Yes, he picks up on these underreported items and expands on them greatly. In fact, they become central to his thesis that 911 was in fact a coup d'etat wherein the President surrendered the country under threat to his life (he was hung out to dry in Florida) and threat of global nuclear war.

I find this book and Ruppert's CTR both excellent in that you don't have to necessarily believe all aspects of their theses, but just the issues that are introduced, things you probably never would have heard of or considered, really lets you view 911 as an inevitable event in a larger scheme of things.

Here's a google vid of him making his argument:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-609179074068244932&q=tarpley&hl=en

absolutely right

"Angel is Next," was the threat, followed by enough of the launch code strings to convince them they were done for and had better behave. Then came their instructions and the rest is history -- yet to be written in the sanctioned media, but it will come out at the treason hearings. Time to get the best attorneys availabel and start work on the complaints.

tarpley's book

Much of what Tarpley has to say about Bush on 9/11 is lifted verbatim (without credit) from an essay I co-wrote with Paul Thompson, entitled "An Interesting Day".

Proper attribution should be in the next edition.

Thanks AW

Hi Allan...

Do you think my question is valid?
___________________________________

"It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying ‘Go find me a way to do this."

question

the question in your subject? sure.

i think the military response to the hijacks is a bigger question.

anything that brings up an obviously unanswered question is good -- and needs to be brought up.

just as strange is why he was allowed to sit with his thumb up his ass in the school room, then chatted and chuckled with the kids, then posed for fucking pictures with the teacher (while dozens of people leapt 80+ floors to their deaths).

i mean, we know he's nothing but a puppet, but for fuck's sake, could he at least have acted like he knew what his job was supposed to be?

but yeah, they kept to their pre-planned schedule at the school. no reason to change, i guess, nothing much was going on.

also very curious as to what card actually said to moron, since he could not have said when everyone has said he said. not enough time.

I've always imagined...

"Everything is going according to plan."
___________________________________

"It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying ‘Go find me a way to do this."

Have you...

Ever considered that Bush isn't a moron? I know it's hard to do. I know there are MANY MANY MANY examples of what appears to be "stupidity." However, have an open mind, and consider the fact that this man might not be so stupid.

To some, Hitler was considered a "genius."
___________________________________

"It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying ‘Go find me a way to do this."

Not a moron..hmmm

Yeah, I considered it, right up until the first time, late last year, I actually heard him speak.

Face it, he's never accomplished anything on his own in his life. He's always been bailed out by his friends/familly/allies/whomever. That didn't suddenly change when he took the presidency. He's no King Hal(Henry V), hiding his talents so he can look better once he takes power. If he had any notable talents besides mooching off daddies friends, we'd have seen it by now. Especially with his ego.

The most I give him is he's a survivor. He knows how to get ahead and stay ahead by staying connected. Think what that means, Jonny: take down his life support--Rove, Cheney, Rummy, Rice,--and he's dead in the water.

Oh, and Hilter, whatever else you might think, was a player, not a puppet.

Gazing vaccuously while under attack

And to add insult to injury the little bastard lied about it at a press confrence several hours later(check that time; it might have been the next day).

"Immediatly after the attacks I implemented..."

We don't need to listen to anything more because we know he immediatley continued to read about a goat. He also claimed to see the first plane hit on TV--except that footage wasn't available until the next day.

They are shameless, and they will stop at nothing.

"Bugger this: I want a better world."

Imagine you are the

Imagine you are the Commander in Chief of the US armed forces. Your country is under attack. An executive decision may have to be made at any minute or any second, especially since protocol has been redone recently to include the highest ups in command to approve decisions.

You read a book to some kids for a few minutes because you don't want to look like you're flustered.

Then you go deliver a speech at 9:30, AT THE VERY TIME IT WAS SCHEDULED TO BE GIVEN BEFORE THE DAY BEGAN.

Then you leisurely make your way to AF1.

Seems reasonable.

Sorry, don't buy it

Sorry, doesn't wash.

The president is the commander-in-chief, as you say. As soon as he knows the nation is under attack, he politely excuses himself so he can go command. Doesn't matter how much protocol has been redone, he's in charge of protocol. He doesn't wait for anyone to tell him what to do. And if he's waiting for information, he doesn't wait in a classroom; he waits in a war room(ad hoc, if nessecary).

And since anyone attacking the nation would know exactly where the president was that morning from MSM feeds, all the more reason to move him for his protection and the protection of the school.

Seven minutes is a long time in a real emergency , even one not involving alledged high speed planes.

I'm a veteran. I can do more that imagine being in command. Even at the grunt level, sitting on your butt in an emergency is not part of protocol.

Obviously I was being

Obviously I was being sarcastic.

Okay, okay, I get it!

Late night for me; sorry about the denseness.

Though I did think you might have another meaning, that is it was all part of their plan. If so they grossly miscalculated if public bafflement at that seven minute stare is any indication.

Peace.

Damn good question!

Why Didn't The President Receive "Air Cover" On 9/11? Damn good question, Jon!

Also, why didn't a convoy of federal, state, & local cops immediately descend upon the school???
How about some FBI, Secret Service, helicopters, armored vehicles, etc., to protect the POTUS???

Oh, I guess they didn’t want to scare the children, LOL!!!

Thanks...

Exactly.
___________________________________

"It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying ‘Go find me a way to do this."

Go watch...

"Air Force One"... from the moment the hijackers start to take over the plane on... yes, I know it's a movie, but it's what I would expect to happen if Air Force One was under a "threat."
___________________________________

"It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying ‘Go find me a way to do this."

And Clint Eastwood portrayed

And Clint Eastwood portrayed a Secret Service agent in a movie (can't remember the title) wherein the ultimate shame for those guys is to let something happen to the President. They would much rather die themselves than allow someone to kill the President under their watch.

That's why Cheney was picked up and carried down to shelter. Those guys, when they are doing what they are supposed to do, don't ask permission first...

In The Line Of Fire...

That's supposed to be the idea.
___________________________________

"It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying ‘Go find me a way to do this."

What if...

Cheney invented a "threat" to keep the President "at bay" so he could act undisturbed. Or, the President played his role so as to give himself an "alibi" while Cheney did his thing... whatever that may have been.

___________________________________

"It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying ‘Go find me a way to do this."

Whatever that may have been...

It doesn't appear that it was a "shoot down" order...

http://www.vanityfair.com/features/general/060801fege01

At what feels on the tapes like the moment of truth, what comes back down the chain of command, instead of clearance to fire, is a resounding sense of caution. Despite the fact that NEADS believes there may be as many as five suspected hijacked aircraft still in the air at this point—one from Canada, the new one bearing down fast on Washington, the phantom American 11, Delta 1989, and United 93—the answer to Nasypany's question about rules of engagement comes back in no uncertain terms, as you hear him relay to the ops floor.

10:10:31 NASYPANY ( to floor ):
Negative. Negative clearance to shoot.… Goddammit!…
FOX: I'm not really worried about code words at this point.
NASYPANY: Fuck the code words. That's perishable information. Negative clearance to fire.

The orders from higher headquarters are to identify by aircraft type and tail number, and nothing more. Those orders—and the fact that the pilots have no clearance to shoot—are reiterated by NEADS controllers as a dramatic chase towards the White House continues. Two more problems emerge: the controllers can't find the White House on their dated equipment, and they have trouble communicating with the Langley fighters (which are referred to by their call signs, Quit 2-5 and Quit 2-6).

CITINO: Quit 2-6, Huntress. How far is the—suspect aircraft?
PILOT: Standby. Standby.… About 15 miles, Huntress.
CITINO: Huntress copies two-two miles.
PILOT: 15 miles, Huntress.
CITINO: 15 miles. One-five … noise level please … It's got to be low. Quit 2-6, when able say altitude of the aircraft.… Did we get a Z-track [coordinates] up for the White House?
HUCKABONE: They're workin' on it.
CITINO: Okay. Hey, what's this Bravo 0-0-5 [unidentified target]?
FOX: We're trying to get the Z-point. We're trying to find it.
HUCKABONE: I don't even know where the White House is.
CITINO: Whatever it is, it's very low. It's probably a helicopter.
MALE VOICE: It's probably the helicopter you're watching there.… There's probably one flying over the [Pentagon].
MALE VOICE: It's probably the smoke. The building's smoked. [They're seeing more pictures of the flaming Pentagon on CNN.]
HUCKABONE: Holy shit.… Holy shit …
CITINO: Yes. We saw that. O.K.—let's watch our guys, Huck. Not the TV.… Quit 2-6, status? SD, they're too low. I can't talk to 'em. They're too low. I can't talk to 'em.
FOX: Negative clearance to fire.
CITINO: O.K. I told 'em mission is ID and that was it.
FOX: Do whatever you need to divert. They are not cleared to fire.

So at 9:25, when Dick Cheney was in the PEOC, what orders still stood because at 10:10:31, there certainly weren't any orders to shoot down anything. Or so it appears.
___________________________________

"It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying ‘Go find me a way to do this."

That's quite a striking contrast isn't it?....

...Cheney picked up under the arms by the SS, manhandled, and rushed to the bunker, his little legs furiously spinning in the air....while at the same time, Bush was left slowly twisting in the wind, exposed before the cameras, biting his lip, blood draining from his face, eyes searching...

Seemingly speaks a lot about the priorities of the planners and the messages they wanted to send...

And yet you have no problem

And yet you have no problem believing it's reasonable for the commander-in-chief to just sit for seven minutes--not commanding.

I'm confused. Or are you a different "tzo"?

Webster Tarpley called it

Webster Tarpley called it "Security Stripping" in his book, which really points to a widespread, across-agency conspiracy which obviously included the Secret Service against a hapless, mentally-deficient scared-out-of-his-mind GWB who knuckled under but now is having fun playing Your Majesty the King of the U.S.

GWB had no security for a long time on 9/11, which had him peeing his pants.

New Hopsicker Reoprt

http://www.madcowprod.com/

MOUSSAOUI TRIAL DOCUMENTS SHOW
FBI WITHHELD EVIDENCE IN 9/11 COVER-UPS

WORLD EXCLUSIVE
Oct 04, 2006--Venice,FL.
by Daniel Hopsicker

ok, but

Daniel Hopsicker = DanieLi HOPsicker
+ he calls MIHOP "disinformation"
+ he calls us the "9/11 disinformation movement"
-> to hell with him

To hell with him...

But he still offers up really compelling evidence, so his pieces are always worth a read.

Hopsicker shows that the FBI and news media are systematically covering-up the actual where-abouts of Mohamed Atta in early 2001.

Such as:

"When the unnamed agent lied, he or she may have temporarily forgotten about the treasure trove of government documents about the hijackers released after the recently-concluded Moussaoui trial.

The records include Mohamed Atta’s phone records.

The FBI’s official chronology states that shortly after Christmas in the year 2000 Atta and bodyguard Marwan Al-Shehhi left Venice Florida for the jazzier precincts of the Miami area.

The MadCowMorningNews has been reporting the direct testimony of numerous credible witnesses--real people with real names-- who contradict the FBI, including everyone from the Sheriff of nearby Charlotte County to Mohamed Atta’s erstwhile American girlfriend, all of whom said Atta was in the Venice area during the first five months of 2001."

That is, the FBI asserts that Atta never lived with stripper girlfriend Amanda Keller in early 2001. So why was she under surveillance?

"This seems like pretty serious surveillance for a girl who had lived with some other Mohamed. We asked her, in our first meeting: Was this why she recanted her original statement?

“Because of the intimidation by the FBI,” she replied. “They told me not to talk to anybody, to keep my mouth shut. The newspaper quote was accurate: ‘I can’t say anything because I’m afraid I’ll get in trouble.’”

If Amanda Keller hadn't been living with Mohamed Atta, why had the FBI engaged in a regular and systematic pattern of intimidation of eyewitnesses in Venice, Florida?"

he's just highly suspicious

he's just highly suspicious as a "truther". Either he's trying to protect his "Atta investment" by denying that those fools were just patsies, or he's an outright government plant. So everything he 'discoveres' must be put under scrutiny not to be yet another LIHOP diversion. When he does have some new "intel" that serves the "truth" then why not use it..

Either way, I love telling

Either way, I love telling people Mohammed Atta was a psychopath that butchered kittens...

Why Didn't The President Receive "Air Cover" On 9/11?

According to Jane Garvey's testimony to the 9/11 Commission the FAA was in contact with SS, DOD, NMCC, moments after the North Tower was hit. SS knew what was going on when the Bush limo was approaching Booker Elementary.

The short answer is they knew there was not going to be an attack on Bush, because "they" were doing the attacks. This is speculation, but it is based upon behavior, that is clearly not SOP. Ocham's razor takes us to this simplest conclusion, they knew where the hijacked planes were going.

Cheney knew, Mineta testified "the plane is 50 miles out" so they had to know the destination, to know how far out the plane was. How would they know the destination of a hijacked plane, unless they were they hijackers?

This may not be proof, but I think it is “probable cause”, for an investigation, and this is just the tip of one of many huge icebergs, floating in a vast sea of deceptions.

Alfons v911t

AHHH!

Terrific work!
With each bit of information that comes out, i get more and more antsy. i want everyone to learn about this NOW.

Thanks...

Me to.
___________________________________

"It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying ‘Go find me a way to do this."

There was air cover

I saw 2 jets - looked like F-16's, side by side AF 1 when it left Sarasota. Bush will be tried for war crimes....

Not...

According to the media. "Air Force One Gets Airborne Without Fighter Escort."

Do you have pictures?
___________________________________

"It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying ‘Go find me a way to do this."

AF1 almost crashed

There's also reports that Air Force One almost crashed during takeoff:

http://www.ididnotknowthat.com/Page%20Two.htm

But the theory that Cheney did it without GWB is contradicted by GWB telling he saw the first plane hit (before it was televised).

If you want to give credence

If you want to give credence to all the contradictory statements, then you would have to conclude that 9/11 never happened since most of the "official testimony" cancels itself out.

I don't think anyone plotting a large-scale event would trust GWB with even a burnt-out match.

LOL

"I don't think anyone plotting a large-scale event would trust GWB with even a burnt-out match."

NICE ONE.

Did Bush "help"

"But the theory that Cheney did it without GWB is contradicted by GWB telling he saw the first plane hit (before it was televised)."

No, Greg, that's not a conclusive contradiction. The most this means is the little wanker lied on que and he knows he's lying. I mean, he better do, right? Lie when they say, that is. By that time he's in for a penny, in for a pound.

Go back to that look on his face for seven minutes. I could easily believe he'd heard or suspected something was up, but was actually shocked they went through with it. Look at that face--it is not the face of a mastermind.

media cite please

i would love some type of independent verification for that. thanks.

Hmmmmm

I believe this is a TEN star question! Good job Jon.

MikeJr

Thanks...

...
___________________________________

"It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying ‘Go find me a way to do this."

'Angel is next'

...is the chapter in Tarpley's book, one of the more telling chapters. AF1's code name that day was' angel', W's call to Putin, and the hijacking of the country. They also had the codes to all our nukes. 9/11 could have been a nuclear event had W not turn it over and do what he was told. A fascinating book. Everybody should read this book.

Don't Forget to Add...

Don't forget to add the little tidbit that Mrs. Cheney was picked up at her downtown DC location at 9 AM ... the same time the President was exiting his limo, after already having been told about WTC events, to go into the Booker School... and rushed off to the White House to join her hubby in the bunker.

Bush did have air cover!

I know damn well I saw a story about a missile battery and hand held surface to air missiles deployed on top of Bush's hotel in Sarasota.

somewhere......

Yes...

He had anti-aircraft batteries atop the hotel he was staying at, but they didn't follow him around to Booker...
___________________________________

"It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying ‘Go find me a way to do this."

Tarpley's book (and possibly

Tarpley's book (and possibly Thompson's work?) also speculates that there may have been an assassination attempt against Bush the day before, on September 10. Again, SOP would have returned him to Washington and cancellled the trip to the school.

I correct myself

The possible assassination attempt was on the morning of September 11, and is documented in Thompson and Wood's "An Interesting Day" as well as by Tarpley.

The SS should have gotten him out of town.

Air cover

The only reason Bush would have needed air cover is it would have helped his alibi.

The Truth about the War on Terror