Why wasn't Lynn Cheney literally tossed from 9/11 command area?

[mouse7]

Could someone explain to me what 2nd lady Lynn Cheney was doing anywhere near the 9/11 AM command and control areas? Why didn't some Marine or Secret Service agent bodily pick her up and throw her out that morning?

What in the hell was she doing interfering with the process of command and control during an emergency? Why in the hell was she allowed to stay in the room after yelling at people to shut up giving orders so she could watch CNN?

(Editing) She wasn't in main WH situation room... she was in bunker command and control area.

[ElementaryPenguin]

1. You kiddin? She was 2nd in command!

She likely bosses Bushler around!

[boobooday]

2. She wasn't in the situation room

She was in the BUNKER, with her BRAVE husband. But they were teleconferencing with Clarke, who was running the situation room, and I guess she kept turning up CNN and interfering with the teleconference.



http://www.wgoeshome.com

[kerry-is-my-prez]

10. Well at least she was watching CNN instead of FAUX.

Shows what a joke Faux News is. When it's REALLY important to know what's going on - even the righties know to turn off Faux.

[dodger501]

3. Maybe she was covering for Big Time

while he was being fibrillated?

[rustydog]

4. Maybe nothing was being done in the situation room?

If the Administration was going to let 9-11 happen, why would you need a situation room?
fighters were not scrambled, bush stayed in Florida visiting kids in a classroom while we were under Attack. (and Bush knew it)
What was being done except for Bush hop-scotching across America in Airforce-1?

[Jane Austin]

20. Clarke was in the Situation Room

He was pretty much running the country's response to the attacks - - he and his team.

Makes you wonder why they're making him out to be a wacko now. He was stable enough to run the country while Bush was out of town and Cheney and Condi were in the bunker!

[murielm99]

5. Ask someone with some authority to explain it.

Contact a 9/11 family member, or get it to the commission in some way?

BTW, I have heard about this before, but never seen anything in print. Do you have a link?

I might like to do something with it myself, something positive for my 500th post! Does anyone have any good suggesitons?

[mouse7]

7. It's in Clarke's book.

She interfered so much with the process of command and control they had difficulties getting orders from Dick Cheney.

[Old and In the Way]

21. "they had difficulties getting orders from Dick Cheney"

I've just heard recently about this factoid of Mrs. Cheney being in the Bunker with CEO. And this annecdote about her shutting down the volume on the phone to listen to CNN is odd to the extreme.

(1) Wouldn't you expect the government to be getting the very best intel and news...unvarnished/undistorted as I'm sure network news would be? So why would this non-official be turning down the volume on realtime info in favor of CNN?

(2) Or maybe this interefernce was intentional? Part of the plan to deliberately kneecap the reaction to the developing events?

(3) Why wouldn't everyone be meeting in either the situation room or the bunker? Why would Cheney be so isolated when he was so close to the action?

[0007]

9. Against All Enemies - page 18

"it's fine," Major Fenzel whispered, "but I can't hear the crisis conference because Mrs. Cheney Keeps turning down the volume on you so she can hear CNN....

[skeptic9]

11. Here's a snippet from a geat online blog about and from Clarke's book

9/12/01: Clarke's account of CIC Dubya's bizarre Iraq fixation and Lynn Cheney's clout

'I expected to go back to a round of meetings examining what the next attacks could be, what our vulnerabilities were, what we could do about them in the short term. Instead, I walked into a series of discussions about Iraq. At first I was incredulous that we were talking about something other than getting al Qaeda. Then I realized with almost a sharp physical pain that Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz were going to try and take advantage of this national tragedy to promote their agenda about Iraq. Since the beginning of the administration, indeed well before, they had been pressing for a war with Iraq. My friends in the Pentagon had been telling me that the word was we would be invading Iraq sometime in 2002. On the morning of the 12th DOD's focus was already beginning to shift from al Qaeda. CIA was explicit now that al Qaeda was guilty of the attacks, but Paul Wolfowitz...was not persuaded.

Later, on the evening of the 12th, I left the Video Conferencing Center and there, wandering alone around the Situation Room, was the President. He looked like he wanted something to do. He grabbed a few of us and close the door to the conference room. "Look," he told us, "I know you have a lot to do and all..but I want you, as soon as you can, to go back over everything, everything. See if Saddam did this. See if he's linked in any way...."

Many of today's news stories have recounted this section of the book, but the ones I've heard have all left out the rest of the story:

"I was once again taken aback, incredulous, and it showed. "But Mr. President, al Qaeda did this."
"I know, I know, but...see if Saddam is involved. Just look. I want to know any shred..."
"Absolutely we will look....again." I was trying to be more respectful, more responsive.
"But, you know, we have looked several times for state sponsorship of al Qaeda and not found any real linkages to Iraq. Iran plays a little, as does Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, Yemen."
"Look into Iraq, Saddam," the President said testily and left us. Lisa Gordon-Hegarty stared after him with her mouth hanging open.

In the Presidential Emergency Operations Center the cast was decidedly more political. In addition to the Vice President and Condi Rice, there was the Vice President's wife, Lynne; his political advisor Mary Matalin; his security advisor, Scooter Libby; the Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten; and White House communications director Karen Hughes. The monitors were simultaneously blaring the coverage from five networks. On one screen, I could see the Situation Room. I grabbed Mike Fenzel. "How's it going over here?" I asked. "It's fine, Major Fenzel whispered, "but I can't hear the crisis conference because Mrs Cheney keeps turning down the volume so she can hear CNN...and the Vice President keeps hanging up the line to you." Mrs Cheney was more than just a family member who had to be protected. Like her husband, she was a right wing ideologue and she was offering her advice and opinions in the bunker.

From http://www.roadtosurfdom.com/surfdomarchives/002119.php

[murielm99]

12. Thanks!

I have to buy this book!

[jumptheshadow]

17. It is a very compelling book

Read it, it is very good. And it's interesting how you can tell which pundits are discussing it without having bothered to have opened its pages.

[aquart]

13. And they talk about Hillary???

[Dookus]

6. this was one of the more

outrageous revelations in Clarke's book, but has gotten no attention. Imagine if it had been Tipper Gore....

I hope somebody asks about this. If she HAD to be there (which I doubt), then she should've sat quietly in a corner. Turning down the speaker phone so she can watch TV should place her in legal jeopardy.

[0007]

8. Lynne Cheney has been the butt of some big time jokes

[DulceDecorum]

14. Laura Bush was put in a car

and driven away from the White House.
Or so I heard.

[SharonAnn]

15. Wasn't she at the Senate and meeting with Ted Kennedy

when the attacks happened?

I seem to remember that her Secret Service was notified while she was there. Don't remember what happened after that, though.

[Blasphemer]

16. Yeah...

I remember her saying that they whisked her away to take her somewhere safe and that they did the same for her daughters.

[Cleita]

18. She was doing research for a children's story?

:shrug:

[pacifictiger]

19. I think it had something

to do with talking to Kennedy about details surrounding a national book or library week to promote reading.

[RamboLiberal]

22. From the Book - you'll enjoy this - page 17 - 19

"Cressey told me that Fenzel was looking for me. I picked up the open line to the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, only to find that once again it was a dial tone. When I punched the PEOC button, ther person answering the line grunted and passed the phone to Major Fenzel. 'Who is the asshole answering the phone for you, Mike?' I asked.

'That would be the Vice-President, Dick'

<snip>

In the PEOC the cast was decidely more political. In addition to the VP and Condi Rice, there was ....Lynne (Cheney), ...Mary Matalin, ....Scooter Libby....Josh Bolten...and Karen Hughes (I left out titles since we DU'ers know)....

I grabbed Mike Fenzel. 'How's it going over here?' I asked.

'It's fine,' Major Fenzel whispered, 'but I can't hear the crisis conference because Mrs. Cheney keeps turning down the volume on you so she can hear CNN... and the VP keeps hanging up the open line to you.' Mrs. Cheney was more than just a family member who had to be protected. Like her husband, she was a right-wing ideologue and she was offering her advice and opinions in the bunker."

Cheney complains to Clarke that the comms in the bunker are terrible.

"Now you know why I wanted the money for a new bunker?" I could not resist. The President had canceled my plans for a replacement facility.