Hard Choices (an alternate 9/11)

Arrowfan237 · Oct 24, 2017

"Most people say my Presidency began on October 11th, 2001. They're wrong, and not for the obvious reason. My Presidency began before I was even a candidate. It began in 1999 in the former Soviet Union with a man who just wanted to buy a new dishwasher and washing machine for his family."- The opening lines in former President George W. Bush's autobiography "Hard Choices" (published 2008).
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"On behalf of the entire Committee on Armed Services I would like to thank Secretary Rumsfeld for coming to provide some clarity regarding the most likely threats to the U.S."- Opening remarks delivered for the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services by Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) on 10/11/2001
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Card: "What should we do sir?"
Bush: "Get Colin, Dick, Condie, and Don on the phone"
Card: (hesitates) "I'm afraid that's not possible sir"
Bush: "Are they?"
Card: "We assume so sir"
Bush: "Get dad on the phone"
Card: "Right away Mr. President"
(a conversation overheard by President George W. Bush and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card following the 10/11 attacks)
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(President George W. Bush being informed by White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card of the attack in Washington, D.C.)

Theoretical_TJ · Oct 24, 2017

Uh oh. That sounds like a Capitol nuclear attack. Watching this with interest.

GHWB for Secretary of State.

creighton · Oct 24, 2017

I'm pulled in.

Polyus · Oct 24, 2017

I'm hooked already.

UCB79 · Oct 25, 2017

Is this going to be something else to blame on Putin?

Theoretical_TJ · Oct 25, 2017

The interesting question will be how they got a nuke into the capital without setting off the radiation alarms. My guess would be a cargo airliner or private jet.

Maplekey · Oct 25, 2017

Subscribed

SargentHawk · Oct 25, 2017

Theoretical_TJ said:
The interesting question will be how they got a nuke into the capital without setting off the radiation alarms. My guess would be a cargo airliner or private jet.

Id assume with proper preperation uts a lot easier than it sounds

SargentHawk · Oct 25, 2017

Im hooked, cant wait for more

Arrowfan237 · Oct 25, 2017

"I would like to thank everyone who came her today and for all of the professors for allowing their students to attend. My time at Harvard Law School was the happiest time in my life. It also taught me how to hold my liquor (no laughter). It also taught me that I probably shouldn't explore a career in comedy. I would be happy to now take some questions"- Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States Paul Clement addressing his alma' matter Harvard Law School on 10/11/2001.
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Mohammad hesitated for a moment as he drove up to the U.S. Capitol. He had been told that carrying out this mission had been the will of Allah, but he couldn't help but think that this was immoral. The decision was not in his hands, though. The weapon had already been programmed and set on a timer. All he had to do was drive the thing to the location he had been given. His train of thought was interrupted by a knock on his window.

"Sir I'm going to have to ask you to move your truck. You can't park here. Security risk." the man in blue explained to him. Mohammad had been told what to do in this situation: just sit still and wait out the clock.

"Sir I'm not going to tell you again. Move your truck or I will be forced to bring you in for questioning."

The timer on Mohammed's wrist-watch started chirping. 10 seconds left. Mohammed drew a deep breath: "Allāhu Akbar." Then there was nothing but fire.

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"We are getting unconfirmed reports that some kind of emergency is going on in Washington, D.C. All of our D.C. affiliates are offline so we are unable to confirm what everyone fears. Based on what some of our colleagues in Maryland and Virginia have seen it is believed that one or more nuclear explosions have gone off in D.C. God help us all"- Brian Williams
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Osama chuckled to himself as the irony of the attack became clear. For decades the American infidels had believed themselves to be invincible because they had ben the first to master what the eye could not see. They had done all of the work for him. All he had to do was use the science that his victims had already mastered. Almost 60 years of military superiority gone in less than a minute.

It had been easier than Bin Laden had ever expected it to be. The people of the Soviet Union, especially Petrov Stalinski, were desperate after their destruction by the U.S. Everything was for sale, even the most powerful weapon the world have ever known. His price was simple enough: just some money to get a new dishwasher and washing machine for his family. Finding a willing party to store the radioactive material under some marijuana on a cargo ship and then build the weapon had been a bit trickier, but nothing that Allah's most faithful follower could not handle.
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"In that one moment my Presidency as I had known it was over. I had wanted to be the President who saved childhood education and did God's work. Instead I'm remembered as the man who allowed thousands to die in a matter of seconds."- "Hard Choices" chapter 5: "The Day of Fire" (published 2008).
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"Nuclear weapon explodes in Washington, D.C. Thousands feared dead."- CNN News (October 11th, 2001)
"President Bush safe. Fate of other government figures not known"- MSNBC (October 11th, 2001)
"President Bush declares temporary martial law in the following areas: Virginia, Maryland, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago"- FOX News (October 11th, 2001)
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"I of course had my own issues with President Bush. I think I made that very clear on the campaign trail. I did always respect his actions on that fateful day, though. He knew that martial law was going to be controversial, but it was the right move. He knew that people would be panicking, especially in nearby Virginia and Maryland. At that moment he didn't care about politics or about what would be popular. He just wanted to keep Americans calm and prevent even more people from dying"- former Republican Presidential Nominee and U.S. Senator from Georgia Newt Gingrich in "10/11: America Burns (A 10 Year Retrospective)", a "60 Minutes" special report)

(President George W. Bush and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card discussing the legality of enacting martial law)

Arrowfan237 · Oct 25, 2017

"My fellow Americans, we have been thrown the very worst that God can throw at us. We will survive, though. Those who committed these actions have failed, for America has always been stronger than the buildings that housed its leaders. America is found in the eyes of those who have brought the children impacted by the blast into their homes while they work to find their families. America will prosper and make sure that those who committed these actions will pay for their crimes"- President George W. Bush's address to the nation from an undisclosed location (the Cheyenne Mountain Complex) on October 11, 2001
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"Those first two days were the toughest. We received over 100 threats of nuclear terrorism from around the country. We even had this one guy, Dr. Bruce Lyman, who had a group of anti-nuclear activists that claimed to have a nuclear weapon and were going to blow up Charleston, North Carolina if the U.S. Government did not get rid of their nuclear weapons. That one never made much sense to me. We also had to worry about all of these concerns that people had about nuclear radiation. I can't tell you how many phone calls our offices got from people who thought they would turn into the Incredible Hulk or something crazy like that."- "First Responder: My Life as a NEST Agent" by: Christopher Laminack
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"The President is aware of the threats by individuals around the country about the presence of other nuclear weapons. We have NEST (Nuclear Emergency Support Team) agents in every city that has been threatened."- White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer addressing the media for the first time since the attack.
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George W. Bush: "Do we have a number on casualties yet?"
Andrew Card: "Not yet sir. We probably will never have an accurate figure as to how many died immediately. The best estimates put it in the tens of thousands."
George W. Bush: "Any word about the government?"
Andrew Card: "No sir. We believe that the members of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Cabinet all perished in the blast. Effectively you are the last remaining member of the Federal Government. You need to start thinking about reaching out to the Governors and talking about Senate appointments."
George W. Bush: "Come on Andrew. The U.S. people just suffered the greatest single lost of life in American History. We need to give the people time to grieve. We'll talk about reaching about to the Governors next week. Has the Governor of Pennsylvania called back, yet?"
Andrew Card: "Not yet sir. I doubt that there will be any pushback about moving the government there, though. (chuckles) You are the President after all."
(Overheard conversation between President George W. Bush and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card)- 10/12/2001
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Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon looked out on the beautiful land that their ancestors had fought so hard for. He mourned the loss of those in America. He always knew that it would come to this at some point. He had to get Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer on the phone. If the world had gone nuclear Israel was not going to be left behind.

Theoretical_TJ · Oct 25, 2017

Impressive and scary.

I honestly think you get something of a War Cabinet that's a lot more bipartisan than usual

Mre64 · Oct 25, 2017

Arrowfan237 said:
Andrew Card: "No sir. We believe that the members of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Cabinet all perished in the blast. Effectively you are the last remaining elected federal official. You need to start thinking about reaching out to the Governors and talking about Senate appointments."

I find that hard to believe, there would most likely be a dozen or so representatives and a couple senators out of town, even with congress in session, so long as there is no major bill being debated.

Also given how much of the cabinet tends to be away from DC to check out the rest of the nation I find it hard to believe all of them are dead.

Arrowfan237 · Oct 25, 2017

Mre64 said:
I find that hard to believe, there would most likely be a dozen or so representatives and a couple senators out of town, even with congress in session, so long as there is no major bill being debated.

Also given how much of the cabinet tends to be away from DC to check out the rest of the nation I find it hard to believe all of them are dead.

I'm not sure who was in town on 10/11 IOTL but I decided to make everyone in D.C., mainly because I like remaking the Cabinet, Supreme Court, and Senate.

omega13a · Oct 25, 2017

Mre64 said:
Also given how much of the cabinet tends to be away from DC to check out the rest of the nation I find it hard to believe all of them are dead.

The cabinet isn't elected. They are appointed. Bush is the only elected official confirmed to have survived the attack.

Arrowfan237 · Oct 25, 2017

"Breaking News: Osama Bin Laden claims responsibility for 10/11 nuclear attack in Washington, D.C. Bin Laden claims that more is coming"- CNN (10/14/2001)
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"The news that the man behind the worst disaster in American History was not a Russian as expected, but was instead a Jihadist caught America off-guard. We had all expected this to either be a domestic terror attack or something that Putin had cooked up in an attempt to make Russia a world-super-power again. The main concern of the President at this point, though, was how to deal with the revelation. What actions should be taken to protect those who practiced Islam peacefully?"- former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card (2001-2005) in "10/11: America Burns (A 10 Year Retrospective)", a "60 Minutes" special report)
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"Pershing had the right idea", "Kill all Muslims"- Graffiti found in New York City
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"Islam is a religion of peace. Those who committed these acts of terror were not acting in the name of Islam. They were acting in the name of violence and fear. We will do all we can in the coming days to help our Muslim brothers and sisters make sense of this terrible tragedy."- President George W. Bush during a press conference (10/15/2001)
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"One week after the attack: Bush's approval stands at 85%."- MSNBC (10/18/2001)
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"President Bush, Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge, and Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street announce Philadelphia is the next home of the federal government"- The New York Times (10/22/2001)
"President Bush announces the names of the buildings that will house the U.S. federal government:
- The John Quincy Adams State Building
- The Edwin Stanton Defense Building (the Pentagon was too heavily contaminated)
- The Alexander Hamilton Treasury Building
- The Robert F. Kennedy Justice Building (same name)
- The Harold Ickes Interior Building (same name)
- The Henry A. Wallace III Agriculture Building
- The Herbert C. Hoover Commerce Building (same name)
- The Frances Perkins Labor Building (same name)
- The John W. Gardner Health and Human Services Building
- The Robert Moses Housing and Urban Development Building
- The Wilbur Wright Transportation Building (same name)
- The Albert Einstein Energy Building
- The Horace Mann Education Building
- The Dwight D. Eisenhower Veterans Affairs Building"- The Chicago Tribune (10/25/2011)
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"I find it insulting that President Bush has chosen to name the new Housing and Urban Development building after Robert Moses. Moses butchered my beloved New York City and ruined some of the most iconic building the city has ever constructed."- Editorial by activist Jane Jacobs in the New York Times (10/26/2001)
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"Frank Keating resigns as Governor of Oklahoma. Rumors indicate that he will take a position in the Bush administration"- The Oklahoman (10/27/2001)
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"On the steps of Independence Hall today President Bush announced the formation of a Presidential Commission to investigate the 10/11 attack on Washington, D.C. Some of the main focuses of the investigation will be: how the uranium for the weapon was obtained, how the uranium was able to enter the U.S., and the reasons for the attack.The commission will consist of 10 members, with 5 Republicans and 5 Democrats."- CNN (11/01/2001)
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"The names of those who will serve on the Presidential Commission on the 10/11 Attack has been released to the public. It is rumored that one of the candidates being considered for a position on the commission was Edward Teller, often described as "the Father of the Hydrogen Bomb" for his work in the creation of the weapon. His advanced age (93 years) and controversial nature are what is believed to have killed his nomination. It has been revealed that Frank Keating, who recently resigned as Governor of Oklahoma, will serve as Chairman:

1. Frank Keating (Chairman) (R) (Governor of Oklahoma (1995-2001), U.S. Associate Attorney General (1988-1990), U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma (1981-1983), Oklahoma State Senator (1975-1981), Oklahoma State Representative (1973-1975))

2. Lee H. Hamilton (Vice-Chairman) (D) (U.S. Representative from Indiana (1965-1999))

3. Ernest Moniz (D) (U.S. Under-Secretary of Energy for Energy and Environment (1997-2001))

4. Sam Nunn (D) (U.S. Senator from Georgia (1977-1999)

5. Shirley Ann Jackson (D) (Chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (1995-1999))

6. Admiral James B. Busey IV (R) (U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation (1991-1992), Administrator of the FAA (1989-1991))

7. Ivan Selin (R) (Chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (1991-1995))

8. Thomas H. Pigford (D) (Member of the President’s Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island, Founding Chairman of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley)

9. James A. Baker III (R) (White House Chief of Staff (1992-1993, 1981-1985), U.S. Secretary of State (1989-1992), U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (1985-1988))

10. Brent Scowcroft (R) (U.S. National Security Advisor (1989-1993, 1975-1977))"- "CNN" (11/02/2001)

Theoretical_TJ · Oct 26, 2017

If the Pentagon was that heavily irradiated as well, then that means we're not looking at a huge bomb, maybe in the megaton range.

Also, the fallout is going to be awful over Maryland and Delaware with this kind of groundburst.

I'd imagine something like 400k dead instantly, 200k dying soon after, and maybe a million who suffer cancer and future birth defects in their children.

creighton · Oct 26, 2017

Enjoying the TL. Here's the Nukemap look at the direct ground zero with a highly enriched uranium device, assuming the truck tried park next to the capitol:

and here's the fallout we're probably looking at if it ended up affecting the Pentagon.

mattep74 · Oct 26, 2017

Intresting. Maybe Clinton and Gore could offer Bush help in some capacity.

Also, Bin-Ladin did not take responsibility for years for the attacks on September 11 OTL, he would not come out of hiding so fast IMO.

creighton · Oct 26, 2017

As a Nebraskan, on our special election I'm just going to lobby for former Senators Bob Kerrey and J James Exon, who are safe in New York and Lincoln, respectively.