(c) 2001 The Record, (Bergen County, NJ)
BEHIND THE SCENES: THE EXECUTIVE RESPONSE TO 9/11
SATURDAY, February 28, 2009, 5:30 p.m.
$9 members, $15 non-members, $7 students and teachers.
Reservations Required. Please call 215.409.6700 or order online.
Grand Hall Overl
ook
National Constitution Center
Independence Mall
525 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA
At 8:46 on the morning of September 11, 2001, our country became a nation transformed. In the words of the 9/11 Commission Report, the terrorist attacks on American soil created “a day of unprecedented shock and suffering in the history of the United States.” President George W. Bush was faced with a crisis that created new demands on the Executive Branch not seen in our time. Critical decisions were made during the first 24 hours that would test the constitutional limits of the President’s power. Find out what went on that day behind closed doors in the White House Situation Room, at the Pentagon, and on Air Force One from high-ranking members of the Bush Administration and key observers. This special program is presented by the National Constitution Center’s Peter Jennings Project for Journalists and the Constitution.
Participants Included:
Ann Compton, ABC News White House Correspondent and the only reporter allowed to remain on Air Force One during the 9/11 attacks. Compton was the first woman assigned to cover the White House by a television network and has covered seven presidential campaigns.
Andrew Card, White House Chief of Staff, 2000 – 2006, the second-longest serving White House chief of staff. On September 11, 2001, it was Card who whispered in the President’s ear while the President was conducting an education event at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida that terrorists had attacked the United States.
Michael Chertoff, United States Secretary of Homeland Security, February 2005– January 2009, the man charged with protecting the American homeland and the safety of American citizens in the post-9/11 world.
Douglas Feith, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy for United States, 2001 – 2005, helped devise the U.S. government's strategy for the war on terrorism and contributed to policy making for the Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns.
Timothy E. Flanigan, Deputy White House Counsel, 2000 – 2002, an attorney at the heart of the question of authority, including the authority to shoot down a commercial airliner. Flanigan was connected by secure video to the rest of the President’s legal team inside the White House Situation Room.
Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary, 2001 – 2003, who was by the President’s side at the moment of the attacks and was the first to brief the country on his whereabouts.
The theme of the 2009 Peter Jennings Project, which will run from February 27 through March 1, 2009, is “The Presidency.” Named in honor of the late, award-winning news anchor and friend of the National Constitution Center, the Peter Jennings Project for Journalists and the Constitution allows professional journalists from print, broadcast, and online media organizations, as well as a select group of collegiate journalists from across the country, to examine the constitutional dimension in the news today and acquire a deeper understanding of the Constitution and its important role in the lives of all Americans. Kayce Freed Jennings, wife of Peter Jennings, serves on the board of the project and veteran journalist Todd Brewster, who worked closely with Jennings and co-authored two books with him, is the program director.
The Peter Jennings Project for Journalists and the Constitution is made possible through the generosity of The Annenberg Foundation.
Parking for this event is available for $7.00 at the National Constitution Center garage located at the rear of the building on Race Street between 5th and 6th Streets. Parking availability is subject to change, so please call the Constitution Center on the day of the program or visit our web site for more information. Please also see our directions by public transportation.
For reservations please call 215.409.6700 or reserve online. Programs at the National Constitution Center begin promptly and latecomers may not be admitted to the program. Please note that this program is subject to change.
Links:
Peter Jennings Project for Journalists and the Constitution
The Annenberg Foundation
