It was the most wrenching decision of the most wrenching day of George W. Bush's life. The Twin Towers had crashed to the ground, and the Pentagon had gone up in flames. The President was aloft in Air Force One, staying out of harm's way and dealing with the crisis. He spoke with Vice President Dick Cheney every 30 minutes. The two men were concerned that passenger flights still heading toward Washington might be part of the terrorist plot. Bush, sources tell TIME, had to decide whether to authorize the military to shoot down the planes, loaded with civilians, if they...
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