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This is from Richard Clarke's book, "Against All Enemies", Pg 18. He was writing about the events on the morning of 9/11, when the White House military and terror experts were responding to the attacks:
"As I (Clarke) made it to the bottom of the stairs in the East Wing, I turned the corner and found a machine gun in my face. Cheney's security detail had set up outside the vault doors, with body armor, shotguns, and MP5 machine guns. Although they knew me, they were not about to open the vault door. 'Hey guys, it's me. The Veep called me over here. At least call inside and let him know I'm here'. While they did that, they frisked me. Condi Rice's deput Steve Hadley, came to the vault door to identify me and escort me in. Inside the vault there were more MP5's and shotguns in the narrow corridor lined with bunk beds. 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, 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 (White House) 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 on you so she can hear CNN... and the Vice President keeps hanging up the open line to you."
I think it's time for Dick to start leaving Lynne home, when he goes to work.
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