Inside Karl Rove’s new book, Courage and Consequence, there are numerous in-depth stories about the immediate hours and days after the September 11th attacks. Rove describes the ride from the school where President George W. Bush had been talking to students, as the Secret Service sped to get Bush aboard Air Force One. Along the way, they received word of the Pentagon attack and Rove says Bush was “preternaturally calm.” Soon they were airborne, “Once in the air, Air Force One then stood on its tail to get as high as possible, as rapidly as possible. I had not been in a jet at such a steep incline.”
Right away, Bush was facing decisions he never imagined confronting. Rove writes, “Almost immediately after we were airborne, Vice President Cheney phoned with a tough decision for Bush to make. The Air Force had scrambled to put up a combat jet patrol over Washington but needed rules of engagement. What should happen if another plane were hijacked and could not be controlled? Could it be shot down? The president uttered a forceful “Yes.” Cheney asked again and Bush said, “You have my authorization.” Rove goes on to talk about how worried Bush was about any young military pilot being asked to pull the trigger on a plane full of civilians. As a former fighter pilot himself, Bush understood what he was potentially asking them to do.
Once in the air, Bush wanted to return to Washington immediately, but the Secret Service insisted that he go elsewhere – believing it would violate their duty to protect him. Rove describes Bush’s fury at the debate, “At one point, he even barked at (Andy) Card, ‘I am the president!’ when Andy tried to importune him to listen to the Secret Service’s concerns. Later that day Bush would override the Service’s concerns and those of others, after being about as angry as I’d ever seen him.”
Days later, Bush visited Ground Zero, and had plenty of company. Rove writes: “Some congressmen wanted to be in every photograph, so they pushed their way to his side. Representative Nadler was particularly insistent about the photo opportunity, getting mad first at a White House staffer and then making the near-fatal mistake of trying to push a Secret Service agent aside. The agent expertly parried the congressman’s efforts to attach himself to the President’s rib cage.”
Rove also describes having someone find a bullhorn and place for Bush to give his well-known “the world hears you” speech to those working in the rubble. Rove spotted a giant fire truck that had been destroyed by falling debris. There were two men standing on top of it, and Rove thought that spot would allow everyone to see the president. He asked the two men to jump up and down, but didn’t tell them he was thinking of sending Bush over. Once convinced the truck provided a safe platform, Rove had Andy Card help him get the president to the spot. Retired firefighter Bob Beckwith was standing atop the truck. “Beckwith looked down into the scrum below him, saw the outstretched hand, grasped, and pulled. In an instant, Bush was sharing the top of the truck with Beckwith, who suddenly realized he’d helped up the president of the United States. Beckwith tried to crawl down but the president asked, ‘Where are you going?’ Bob said he was getting down. Bush said, ‘No, no, you stay right here.’ “
Later that same day, Bush met with the families of a number of victims. Then-Senator Hillary Clinton was also in the area. Rove was less than impressed with her response when some rescue workers approached her for a picture. Rove recalls: “They dug out a disposable camera and asked for a picture. I took the camera, they clustered around her, and I took the shot. I found myself irritated that she did not rise in the presence of such men.”