Seeing 9/11: Inside the President’s War Room

Even the most ardent armchair politician or critic knows there are few easy decisions the higher up the greasy pole we climb, and they become even thinner on the ground if you reach the elevated office of President of the United States.

As anyone who watched every series of The West Wing will tell you, alongside the glamour, pizzazz and attempts to change things (for the better or worse always depends on which side you’re on) comes a weight of responsibility the majority of people can barely even begin to fathom.

Quite apart from the internal squabbles between blue and red parties, there’s the economy and healthcare, important decisions about where the lines are drawn between state and local government, military deployment, foreign policy, not to mention the incredibly litigious culture.

It’s less the land of the free and home of the brave and more a series of bear traps, waiting to ensnare the unwary.

History lovers will know the US has had its fair share of heroes and villains occupying the White House, but few were as vilified as George W Bush. The son of George Bush Sr, who was the 41st president from 1989 to 1993, he was viewed as everything from a buffoon to a puppet, dangled in front of the media and public while the real power moves went on behind the scenes. It was an image that was magnified on September 11th, 2001.

This feature-length documentary tells the definitive story of the Presidency through 12 hours of that momentous day, as it changed Bush, America, and the world, and told with direct testimony from those in power at the time, including the president himself, VP Dick Cheney, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State Colin Powell and other senior White House staff.

It begins with blue-sky innocence, as a relatively new Commander in Chief orientates himself towards a domestic agenda and it ends as the machinery of government flexes and responds to the threat and begins to contemplate the possibility of war.

As the clock ticks the Presidency is forced to make a series of critical decisions, while still struggling to make sense of what is unfolding. How should a government deal with a large-scale terrorist attack where four commercial aircraft are being used as missiles? How would they cope with losing their friends? And how should they respond?

Should they order fighter jets to shoot on American civilians? Should the seminal Presidential speech declare war or calm a nation? How would the leadership of the most powerful nation on Earth grapple with the national and international implications?

The events of that day led to two decades of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan – the latter, of course, recently brought to an end by current White House incumbent Joe Biden.

He too, faced harsh recriminations and criticism from all sides, both domestic and international, for finally bringing the curtain down on a “forever” war that has cost billions of dollars and innumerable lives, and which was started with an unthinkable tragedy that struck out of nowhere in New York’s blue skies.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you