Exclusive excerpt from ‘Courting Disaster’ by Marc Thiessen: ‘Sheikh Osama warned you’
From “Courting Disaster:”
It is the morning of September 11, 2006. President Bush wakes up at 5:00 a.m., and after breakfast with the First Lady, he walks down the colonnade past the Rose Garden to the Oval Office. There, he receives his morning briefing from the Director of National Intelligence, and then calls in his speechwriters to make final edits on his televised address that night marking the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
At 8:46 a.m.—the moment the first plane struck the North Tower—the President walks out to the South Lawn with Mrs. Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Mrs. Cheney to observe a moment of silence. The networks cover the event live, and then cut back to New York City where the families of the fallen are gathered at Ground Zero for memorial ceremonies. As bagpipes play in the background, a morning show anchor interviews former Mayor Rudy Giuliani about his recollections of the day.
Suddenly, the coverage is interrupted by a breaking news bulletin: Networks are receiving reports that air traffic controllers have lost contact with United Airlines Flight 931, bound for San Francisco from London’s Heathrow Airport. The plane suddenly fell off the radar screen as it crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
Reporters scramble to figure out what has happened, when a second report comes in: Air traffic controllers have lost contact with another plane—United Flight 959 bound for Chicago, also departing from Heathrow.
Moments later, another report: Air Canada Flight 849 bound for Toronto has gone missing.
Then another: Air Canada Flight 865 bound for Montreal has disappeared.
Then another: American Airlines flight 131 bound for New York has disappeared.
Then another: United Flight 925 bound for Washington has disappeared.
Then another: American Airlines Flight 91 bound for Chicago has disappeared.
As the reports roll in, it becomes clear that the unimaginable has happened: al Qaeda terrorists have hijacked seven planes carrying at least 1,500 passengers, and blown them up as they crossed the Atlantic.
It is the second deadliest terrorist attack in history, surpassed only by the 9/11 attack itself.
The following day, as images of debris floating in the ocean fill our TV screens, the terrorists’ martyrdom videos are delivered to al Jazeera and broadcast to the world.
One of the hijackers sputters: “We will rain upon you such terror and destruction that you will never know peace. There will be floods of martyrdom operations and bombs falling through your lands.”
The ringleader of the plot, a terrorist named Abdulla Ahmed Ali, pokes his finger at the camera and declares: “Sheikh Osama warned you. … now the time has come for you to be destroyed.”
Five years after striking the Pentagon and World Trade Towers, al Qaeda has launched another mass casualty attack to rival the destruction of September 11, 2001.
(3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
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I just cringe at the thought of our military and CIA being defanged by progressives changing the rules to appease the world view of the USA. Why did our leaders chose a expensive media circus of trying these ppl in federal court insted of a military tribunal in a enviroment that robs them of there pedastal to bash America,and the administration that took enhanced interagation tactics that served us well was legal and saved lives. Just because they want to act as if they are above the fray and to bash the prior admistration. I believe it will come back and bite us as a nation with who knows how many dead or injured in the next attack. All because we didnt want to offend the world while trying to defend ourselves against attack from terrorism. Our politically correct liberal ideology will harm our citizens
Mr. Thiessen,
What you have here appears to be a very well done piece of neo-conservative propaganda. I applaud you for conceiving it, but knowing of your rather obvious bias I cannot endeavor myself to accept anything you write on this topic as fact.
Some of it may even be true, but when you worked closely with the administration that warned us of so many things that turned out to be untruths (you know, WMD’s, etc..) forgive me for being incapable of trusting you and your claims.
With that said, I could probably enjoy the book if I think of it as a fictional novel.
What is your response to one of the torturers himself saying torture doesn’t work. See Matthew Alexander’s book “How to Break a Terrorist”. He writes:
“I’m not some ivory-tower type; I served for 14 years in the U.S. Air Force, began my career as a Special Operations pilot flying helicopters, saw combat in Bosnia and Kosovo, became an Air Force counterintelligence agent, then volunteered to go to Iraq to work as a senior interrogator. What I saw in Iraq still rattles me — both because it betrays our traditions and because it just doesn’t work.”
You wrote speeches/books and read “secret” memos. This guy actually conducted interrogations of terrorists. I’ll take his word over yours. Your book will probably sell quite well, but it probably shouldn’t.
Sorry Marcg but I’m not buying Matthew Alexander’s mythology.
No one ‘begins’ their Air Force career as a Spec Ops pilot. Simply doesn’t happen.
The other pansies who whine about ‘breaking traditions’ and other sophistic b.s like that have never been in combat (I have) nor do they recall the quote attributed to General Sherman (noted arsonist) “The only thing good about war is the ending of it.”
You don’t end fight by playing fair and respecting your enemy. You win by making the continuance of the conflict to difficult to bear.
I’m sure the Huffington Post has something that will support your sense of liberal smugness. You should try there.
Funny.. I keep looking for the “Advertisement” disclaimer on this alleged news piece and I can’t find it….
The title says that this is an excerpt. I think the point of posting an excerpt is to make people want to buy the book, so it is unnecessary to state that is an advertisement.
Our Progressive, pro-Jihadist President, and his inane flunky Holder don’t realize that they are taking a big risk in their current policy. If just one suicide bomber succeeds in NYC during the trial, or if we get hit again elsewhere, impeachment would be a foregone conclusion. Even if they understand the risk that they are taking, it speaks volumes that this President is an insane ideologue with a sinister hidden agenda.
Thank you Mr. Thiessen. I have enjoyed watching you being interviewed and am looking forward to reading your book. It is refreshing to hear things from your perspective.
Every American should buy and read this book, then demand why the Obama administration decided to release all these documents while we are at war with al Qaeda.
This may be about the CIA, and they have my utmost respect and they do so much to keep our country safe with little expectation from the American people of their successes. Thank you!
I would add my husband is an honorable US Army officer who deals with these issues, and the very idea that this President not only put’s my husbands life in jeopardy but his fellow soldier’s lives in jeopardy and the American people should outrage all reader’s of TheDailyCaller.
Please pick this book up, read it, demand that networks ask Mr. Thiessen come on to discuss the book and recommend this book to friends and family.
A few thoughts from a very angry military spouse and former military veteran, Ft. Leavenworth, KS.
Thanks Michele!
Mr. Thiessen, I actually wish you hadn’t the opportunity to write this book but having said that you have given the reader an insight that is rarely available until sometimes decades after the events.
To say I was horrified at the information you were able to obtain due to this administration is an understatement.. The decision to release this information was strictly political and with no other purpose and they should be ashamed of themselves. It really is contemptible!
Two points and a question.
The entire book is well researched and with your experience it lends greater credibility to the assertions you make. I particular found the chapter “I Want To Go Back to Guantanamo” very timely and worthy of other reporter’s to read as they follow the current administration’s decision to close GITMO.
I am also glad you pointed out the ACLU’s “John Adams Project” which was also covered by the O’Reilly Factor where this group took photo’s, showed them to al Qaeda terrorists at GITMO put the lives of CIA agents at risk a story that truly deserved far more coverage, thank you for including it.
I did some googling, I could not find a website that discussed if you were going on a book tour, going on CSPAN to discuss the book or other venues where you share with the American people the consequences of the Obama decision to make our sensitive secrets available to the enemy. If there is a place to point the Daily Caller reader for future events I and I think other’s would appreciate it.
Again, thank you for you hard work, and your dedication of this book to those who have prevented the next 9/11.
A much more informed gal, Ft. Leavenworth, KS.
Amanpour didn’t know what hit her. Conflating what we do to what the Khmer Rouge did, possibly the most brutal, inhuman regime to exist outside of Berlin? Thanks Mr. Thiessen, for making her look like a fool.
Thanks. Very kind of you to say.