Shock and Awe Page #2

---

The most important things to

tell you if you just joined...

in is that what has all the

makings of an extraordinarily..

well-planned terrorist attack

on both Washington and New York

has taken place this morning.

The Trade Centers here

in New York...

the two World Trade Center

towers have collapsed...

after being hit by planes.

Yeah, this is John Walcott

from Knight Ridder.

Is he there?

Yeah, okay, well, tell him

I'll try him back later.

Thank you.

I just spoke with my wife.

She and the kids are

afraid to leave the house.

What are they doing over there?

They're watching the White

House.

To see if it gets hit?

Yes.

Oh, Jesus. All right, go home

to your family.

And tell your colleagues that

maybe they want to stay away...

from the windows, okay?

- Thanks, John.

- Yeah.

Okay. All right. Okay.

Their working thesis is that

this is overseas terrorism...

not domestic.

Attention will quickly turn to

the bin Laden group...

because it has long

tentacles.

There are very few others that

could have pulled this off.

Are we sending somebody

to New York?

Ken Moore at Suvu was already up

there covering Wall Street.

What's going on over at State?

Powell's in Peru.

They're working on getting

him home as soon as possible.

All right, what we need to do

is track the President.

Track his top people

and find out...

who's responsible for all this.

We need as many sources

at as many agencies...

to go on the record and tell us

all what we know has to be true.

Al Qaeda! Al Qaeda!

It's Al Qaeda.

It's definitely Al Qaeda.

What the hell are you wearing?

Well, the wifey wanted

to evacuate...

but she locked the cat

and the keys in the cars.

So, I biked in.

We need to know how

they pulled this off.

Anybody needs to go home

to their family...

feel free to do so.

Just came from the family.

Let's get to work.

It's Walcott.

Today, our fellow citizens,

our way of life...

our very freedom, came under

attack in a series...

of deliberate and deadly

terrorist acts.

Adam, hand me the

Jameson, please.

Yes, sir. Here you go.

Thank you, son.

It's on the house, gentlemen.

Thanks.

Dad's saying we're staying open

as late as they want.

MRS. GREEN:

They must be scared.

- ADAM:
They're Rangers.

- They're boys.

Our military is powerful and

it's prepared.

The search is underway

for those...

who are behind these evil acts.

I've directed the full

resources of our intelligence..

and law enforcement communities

to find those responsible...

and to bring them to justice.

JENNINGS:
It's been 33 hours

since the terrible...

and unprecedented attack

on the United States.

There is, as we've said, an

enormous search and rescue...

operation, and enormous and

intense criminal investigation.

And we're just beginning

to understand...

the extents of the catastrophe.

OFFICIAL:
I feel like I haven't

slept in a month.

It's going to be a bunch

of zombies running this town.

What do you know about

the preliminary plans...

to go after bin Laden?

I don't have anything to give

you on that yet.

Ok, well, how long before we're

on the ground in Afghanistan...

and how long do they project

we'll be there?

Look, I'm trying to get answers

to the same questions you are.

What I can say is, most of the

talk this morning...

hasn't been about Afghanistan.

Well, what's it been about?

Iraq?

I got it from a source at State

who got it from the Pentagon.

In connection with the attacks?

Crackpot theories from people

who don't know...

what the hell they're talking

about.

It was Rumsfeld.

Really?

Yeah, apparently, there's a lot

of people over at Defense...

that think this had to be

State-sponsored.

I mean, not just Rumsfeld,

there's also that smug...

son of a b*tch at the Defense

Policy Board...

the Prince of Darkness?

- Richard Perle.

- Right. Perle.

And that neo-con over at the

Project...

for the New American

whatever the f***...

New American Century,

Bill Kristol.

That giant butthole,

Bill Kristol.

And he's got to be creaming his

little jammies over this.

Yeah, these think-tank boys...

have been trying to push out

Saddam Hussein since '97.

They have this crazy theory that

if they can just stick...

a Western-style of democracy in

the Middle East...

it's going to magically

proliferate...

and wind up protecting Israel.

You got to give them credit

for creative thinking.

It's Ivory Tower crap.

I mean, in what world do they

think that Osama bin Laden...

and Saddam Hussein hatched

this thing up together?

Let's find out if these

dickweeds...

are serious about Iraq, okay?

Look, I'm not saying there's

a link to Iraq...

and neither is my boss.

This is just something

we're hearing.

From whom?

Who told me or where is it

coming from?

Take your pick.

Someone at the Pentagon.

In the Vice President's office?

It's just theories.

Are there any Senators talking

to anyone...

saying anything different?

I know Powell's objected...

to going into anywhere other

than Afghanistan.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)

Go away.

One question and I'm gone.

I'm not talking to you

on the record.

Anonymous source, intelligence

community.

You can't use my name.

Never have, never will.

Or my agency.

Pinky swear.

One question.

Are you looking into an Iraqi

connection?

Who's the you in that question?

Are we in the United States?

There are some people.

Are we in my agency?

Not that I'm aware of.

Am I, personally?

No way.

Okay, the second part

to the question.

No.

Thank you.

So, no one you work with at the

Library of Congress has ever...

found a link between Saddam

Hussein and Al Qaeda?

No one I work with

would expect to find a link.

So, as far as you know...

there's nothing substantial to

tie Iraq to bin Laden?

There's nothing even

circumstantial.

To lump together a secular

leader like Saddam...

with an Islamic extremist

like bin Laden is simply...

to have no understanding

of the Muslim world.

It's a bit timid.

No one's actually come out and

said anything publicly yet.

Maybe it's just backroom

speculation.

Pretty dangerous speculation.

Can't we hit it harder than

this?

The attacks were just 10 days

ago.

Everyone's trying to play

catch-up.

Got to press our reliables.

I'll reach out to The Italian

Lady.

You think you can get Loose

Nukes to go on the record?

I'm lucky to get her on deep

background.

Well, double down on the Charm

Offensive.

Buongiorno, this is Warren

Strobel.

I was looking to get your advice

on a critical scheduling matter.

If you could contact me at your

earliest possible convenience...

I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you.

LOOSE NUKES:
Hello.

Yeah, hi, it's Jonathan.

LOOSE NUKES:
I don't have

anything for you.

No, I know, I know, but I'm

doing a story...

on the administration's seeming

interest in Iraq.

LOOSE NUKES:
Jonathan, we're

not going to talk about this.

No, I know, I know I'm not

talking about this...

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes