DANA: GENERAL KEANE, THANK YOU.
TO THAT END, I SPOKE WITH
THEN-NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER
DONALD PLEASE A SAW RICE ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY --
CONDOLEEZZA RICE ABOUT WHAT
YOU’RE SPEAK ABOUT, GENERAL.
LET’S LISTEN TO HER.
MADAM SECRETARY, IT’S ALWAYS A
PLEASURE TO SEE YOU AND HAVE YOU
TO HELP US COMMEMORATE THIS DAY
OF THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE
9/11 ATTACKS.
I RECENTLY WATCHED ONE OF THE
DOCUMENTARIES THAT HAS COME OUT,
AND I LEARNED SOMETHING ABOUT
YOU I DIDN’T KNOW WHICH IS THAT
ON THE DAY, ON 9/11, YOU HAD THE
FIRST AND ONLY TIME THAT YOU
RAISED YOUR VOICE AT PRESIDENT
BUSH.
CAN YOU TELL US WHY?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW HIM WELL
HAVING WORKED FOR HIM, AND, YOU
KNOW, I DIDN’T MEAN TO BE
DISRESPECTFUL, AND I DON’T THINK
HE TOOK IT THAT WAY, BUT HE SAID
IN OUR TELEPHONE CONVERSATION
I’M COMING BACK.
AND I SAID YOU CAN’T DO THAT.
AMERICA IS -- THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA IS UNDER ATTACK, IT’S
NOT SAFE HERE.
AND THINKING BACK ON IT, MAYBE I
WAS A LITTLE TOO INSISTENT.
AND LATER ON IN THE DAY HE WAS
INSISTENT ON COMING BACK.
I FELT THAT I HAD TO GET ACROSS
THAT WE NEEDED HIM SAFE.
THE REST OF US WOULD HANDLE
THINGS ON THE GROUND IN
WASHINGTON, BUT WE NEEDED HIM
SAFE AT THAT MOMENT.
DANA: I KNOW HE PROBABLY STOLE A
COUPLE EXTRA FRIES FROM YOUR
PLATE THE NEXT TIME YOU HAD
LUNCH TO GET OVER THAT.
[LAUGHTER]
THE OTHER THING IS THAT I
THOUGHT WAS INTERESTING ON THAT
DAY HE DOES RETURN TO THE WHITE
HOUSE, ONE OF THE REASONS HE
WANTED TO GET BACK IS HE WANTED
TO ADDRESS THE NATION FROM THE
OVAL OFFICE SO A SPEECH WAS
PREPARED.
AND THERE WAS A LINE IN THE
SPEECH THAT MAYBE GAVE YOU PAUSE
OR THAT YOU SAID WE’VE GOT TO BE
THE REALLY SURE ABOUT THIS.
LET ME READ IT TO EVERYBODY
HERE.
IT WAS THIS ONE HERE WHERE THE
PRESIDENT SAYS, "WE WILL MAKE NO
DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE
TERRORISTS WHO COMMITTED THESE
ACTS AND THOSE WHO HARBOR THEM."
WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND
IN TERMS OF THE CONSEQUENCES FOR
A STATEMENT LIKE THAT FROM THE
LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD?
>> WELL, THIS WAS A BIG POLICY
DECISION, AND THAT SPEECH THAT
HE GAVE THAT NIGHT, HE VERY
CLEARLY SAID HE WANTED IT JUST
TO BE ABOUT REASSURANCE.
AND WE REALLY HADN’T HAD A
CHANCE TO DEBATE WHETHER OR NOT
WE WANTED TO SAY THAT IF YOU
HARBOR A TERRORIST, POTENTIALLY
WE’LL TREAT YOU AS A TERRORIST
WHICH IS WHAT BECAME KNOWN AS
THE BUSH DOCTRINE.
BUT HE FELT IF HE DIDN’T SAY IT
THEN, THAT NIGHT, THAT IT WOULD
FEEL LIKE AN AFTERTHOUGHT, AND
HE WANTED TO PUT, BASICALLY, THE
TALIBAN ON NOTICE RIGHT THEN
THAT IF THEY CONTINUED TO
HARBOR al-QAEDA, WE WOULD
TREAT THEM AS OUR ENEMY.
AND HE DID ASK ME TO RUN A TEST,
COLIN ARE POWELL, THE SECRETARY
OF STATE, AND DON RUMSFELD AND,
OF COURSE, THE VICE PRESIDENT
WAS THERE.
BUT IT WAS HIS DECISION THAT WE
WERE GOING TO MAKE THAT POLICY
STATEMENT DESPITE THE FACT THAT
THIS SPEECH HAD A VERY DIFFERENT
PURPOSE.
DANA: HOW SOON AFTER YOU LEARNED
OF THE ATTACKS DID YOU REALIZE
THAT THE BUSH PRESIDENCY WAS
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT
IT HAD BEEN JUST AN HOUR BEFORE?
>> IT REALLY DAWNED ON ME WHEN I
GOT TO THE BUNKER.
WE’D SEEN THE -- I HAD KNOWN
THAT THE FIRST PLANE HAD FLOWN
INTO THE TOWER AND THEN A SECOND
PLANE, AND I HAD SEEN ON TV THAT
A PLANE HAD HIT THE PENTAGON.
AND I WENT TO -- I WAS,
BASICALLY, CARRIED TO THE
PRESIDENTIAL MANAGEMENT, THE
BUNKER UNDERNEATH THE WHITE
HOUSE, AND I SUDDENLY SAW THE
VICE PRESIDENT ON THE PHONE WITH
THE PRESIDENT.
AND THE AIR FORCE HAD ASKED
SHOULD THEY SHOOT DOWN ANY
AIRCRAFT THAT WASN’T RESPONDING
PROPERLY.
AND THE REALIZATION THAT THE
AMERICAN PRESIDENT HAD JUST
GIVEN AN ORDER TO SHOOT DOWN
CIVILIAN AIRCRAFT IF NECESSARY
BECAUSE EVERY PLANE HAD BECOME A
MISSILE, A POTENTIAL MISSILE,
THAT WAS WHEN I KNEW THAT WE
WERE IN UNCHARTED TERRITORY,
THAT HIS PRESIDENCY WAS NEVER
GOING TO BE THE SAME, THAT HE
WAS GOING TO FACE THESE AWFUL
CHOICES ALL ALONG THE WAY.
AND I THINK THAT MOMENTS STICKS
IN MY MIND AS THE MOMENT WHEN I
REALIZED HE WAS NOW A WAR
PRESIDENT.
DANA: IN THE HAAS COUPLE OF
WEEKS, FEW WEEKS, YOU WROTE IN
"THE WASHINGTON POST" ABOUT THE
IMPORTANCE OF AMERICA’S
CREDIBILITY AND THAT THE
TALIBAN -- THAT CHINA, RUSSIA
AND IRAN HAVE TAKEN OUR
MEASURE -- EXCUSE ME, NOT THE
TALIBAN.
YOU TALKED ABOUT NEEDING TO
REINFORCE OUR COMMITMENT AND
CREDIBILITY.
AND THIS MORNING ON SEPTEMBER
10TH, EXCUSE ME, YOU WRITE ABOUT
THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING SURE
THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE
SAFER TODAY THAN WE WERE ON
SEPTEMBER 10, 2001, BUT THAT WE
HAVE TO REMAIN EXTREMELY
VIGILANT.
WE DON’T HAVE EYES AND EARS ON
THE GROUND NOW IN AFGHANISTAN.
WHAT ABOUT OUR CREDIBILITY AND
THIS IMPORTANCE OF TRYING TO
MAKE SURE WE KEEP AMERICA SAFE
AS WE LOOK AHEAD?
>> DANA, CREDIBILITY IS NOT
DIVISIBLE.
YOU CAN’T SAY, WELL, WE’RE NOT
CREDIBLE THERE, BUT WE’RE
CREDIBLE OVER HERE.
AND SO THE FACT THAT WE LEFT
AFGHANISTAN IN THE WAY THAT WE
DID AND SHOWED THAT WE LACKED
THE PATIENCE9 AND THE WILL TO
KEEP EVEN A SMALL PRESENCE IN A
PLACE WHERE THE ATTACKS WERE
LAUNCHED FROM ON THAT DAY, TO
ALLOW AN IMPLACABLE ENEMY LIKE
THE TALIBAN TO RETAKE THE
TERRITORY THAT THEY ONCE HELD,
THAT’S GOING TO BE READ IN OTHER
PLACE.
AND I THINK WE HAVE TO NOW
REALLY TAKE STEPS, FOR INSTANCE,
WITH THE CHINESE TO SAY, WELL,
YES, IT’S TRUE THAT WE DIDN’T
STICK IT OUT IN AFGHANISTAN, BUT
WE WILL HONOR OUR COMMITMENTS TO
TAIWAN UNDER THE TAIWAN
RELATIONS ACT TO HELP TAIWAN
DEFEND ITSELF.
YOU CAN IMAGINE IN BEIJING THAT
THEY’RE THINKING IF YOU WOULDN’T
STICK IT OUT IN AFGHANISTAN,
WILL YOU REALLY HONOR THAT
PROMISE THE TAIWAN?
AND YOU CAN’T JUST SAY IT NOW.
YOU CAN’T JUST SAY, WELL, OUR
CREDIBILITY’S INTACT.
IT’S NOT.
YOU’VE GOT TO DO SOME THINGS TO
SHOW THAT YOU’RE CREDIBLE, AND
SO I DON’T KNOW WHETHER IT’S
EXERCISES OR AN ARMS PACKAGE,
BUT WITH WE’VE GOT TO START
SENDING MESSAGES TO THE REST OF
THE WORLD THAT A WE ARE STILL
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WE
WILL HONOR OUR COMMITMENTS, AND
WE WILL DO SO BECAUSE WE
UNDERSTAND THAT OUR SECURITY IS
INEXTRICABLY E LINKED TO THAT OF
OTHERS.
DANA: MY LAST QUESTION FOR YOU
IS WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO
EDUCATORS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO
ARE IN THE CLASSROOMS EDUCATING
YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WEREN’T ALIVE
ON THESE, ON THE DAY OF THESE
ATTACKS OR TOO YOUNG TO
UNDERSTAND IT?
HOW WOULD YOU APPROACH TEACHING
THEM ABOUT IT NOW?
>> IT’S NOT A THEORETICAL
PROPOSITION FOR ME BECAUSE I AM
A UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR WHO HAS
STUDENTS WHO WERE NOT ALIVE ON
SEPTEMBER 11TH.
I WOULD JUST SAY THAT, I WOULD
SAY TO THEM ON THAT DAY WE
LEARNED SOMETHING THAT WE HAD
KNOWN INTELLECTUALLY, BUT WE
FELT IT IN A WAY THAT WE’D NEVER
FELT IF IT.
THE SECURITY OF THE UNITED
STATES IS INEXTRICABLY LINKED TO
THE SECURITY OF OTHERS.
THE FACT IS THAT OUR PROTECTIVE
OCEANS ON BOTH SIDES, OUR
PEACEFUL NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH
AND SOUTH ARE NOT ENOUGH TO KEEP
US SAFE.
WE SOMETIMES HAVE TO TAKE THE
FIGHT TO OTHER PLACES SO THAT
THEY CAN’T BRING THE FIGHT TO
US.
AND THAT WE KEPT THE PEACE FOR
20 YEARS, SO THAT WAS WELL WORTH
DOING.
BUT I WOULD ALSO SAY TO THEM AS
MUCH AS THIS IS A SECURITY
MATTER AND AS MUCH AS I THINK WE
HAVE MADE OURSELVES SAFER -- IF
NOT COMPLETELY SAFE -- ALSO
REMEMBER THAT AMERICA’S ALWAYS
BETTER WHEN IT’S LEADING BOTH
FROM POWER AND FROM PRINCIPLE.
AND IT IS A GOOD THING THAT WE
WANTED TO MAKE AFGHANISTAN A
BETTER PLACE FOR THE PEOPLE OF
AFGHANISTAN, THAT WE CARED ABOUT
THE FATE OF WOMEN IN THAT
COUNTRY, THAT WE CARED ABOUT THE
AFGHAN PEOPLE ENJOYING JUST SOME
OF THE BASIC LIBERTIES THAT WE
OFTEN TAKE FOR GRANTED.
AND SO NEVER FORGET THAT AMERICA
IS MORE THAN JUST ITS POWER,
IT’S ALSO ITS VALUES EXPRESSED
ABROAD IN THAT WAY.
AND HOWEVER THIS ALL TURNS OUT,
I THINK WE DID THE RIGHT THING.
DANA: NEVER FORGET, INDEED, AND
THANK YOU FOR HELPING US