The 9/11 Commission Report: Planning For War

At 8:30 that evening, President Bush addressed the nation from the White House. After emphasizing that the first priority was to help the injured and protect against any further attacks, he said: “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.” He quoted Psalm 23—“though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death . . .” No American, he said,“will ever forget this day.”

Following his speech, President Bush met again with his National Security Council (NSC), expanded to include Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta and Joseph Allbaugh, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.Secretary of State Colin Powell, who had returned from Peru after hearing of the attacks, joined the discussion.

The 9/11 Commission Report: Wartime: Planning For War