9/11 attacks: Bush administration's big guns & where they are now

George W. Bush on September 11, 2001

George W. Bush was the president of the United States on the day the 9/11 attacks took place. Bush was informed of the 9/11 attacks in front of television cameras after an aide told him about the attacks as the cameras were rolling while reading "The Pet Goat" to second-graders in Sarasota, Florida. 

Bush had a tumultuous day as his team coordinated efforts from Air Force 1. The former president spoke to the nation on the night of September 11 and visited Ground Zero three days later.

"I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you! And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon," he said in the bullhorn at Ground Zero amid patriotic chants by those around him.

In a passionate speech, he declared the war on terror and launched attacks on Afghanistan to oust the Taliban and hunt down Bin Laden. He enjoyed wide support as polls showed 85 per cent supported Bush.

After 9/11 and 2008:

The former president declared war on Iraq in 2003 opening another front as the United States struggled on two fronts. The Bush administration throughout the next seven years after September 11 was unsuccessful in capturing or killing Osama Bin Laden.

He retired in 2008 as Republicans lost the US elections in 2008.

The former president however was unhappy with President Joe Biden after he pulled US forces from Afghanistan saying he was watching developments there with "deep sadness".

Former US vice president Cheney was put in a bunker inside the White House where he helped direct the government's actions as President Bush was being shuttled to military bases in Louisiana and Nebraska amid fears over more attacks.

Cheney's outlook sharpened America's retaliation after the attacks. He famously said "any means at our disposal" while expressing his views on retaliating against Al Qaeda. 

After he left office, Cheney reportedly had five heart attacks and underwent a heart transplant in 2012. Cheney hit the headlines after he criticised former president Trump and was sidelined by the Republican Party.

Rudolph Giuliani on September 11, 2001

Rudolph Giuliani was the Mayor of New York City. The city was casting ballots to elect a successor to Mayor Rudy Giuliani as word about the crash quickly spread across the Big Apple.

Giuliani led from the front as the US was struck by the 9/11 attacks. He famously said on 9/11: "The number of casualties will be more than any of us can bear ultimately." 

Time magazine declared him "Person of the Year" as he emerged as a hero during the attacks. His healing touch provided relief to a nation scarred by the attacks.

Life after office:

Giuliani drifted away from the limelight after the high point. He ran for the Republican nomination for president in 2008 but failed to garner support. He launched a profitable security firm.

The ex-New York Mayor hit the limelight during the previous Trump administration as he sought to rescue the ex-president from a string of cases.

He fell from grace after the suspension of his law license in his home state.  

Powell was the secretary of state in 2001. The former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was part of President Bush's inner circle and was responsible for framing the US government's response post-9/11.

However, he made a huge blunder as he told the United Nations in a high profile talk calling for military action against Iraq claiming that Saddam Hussein was building weapons of mass destruction or WMDs. America went to war in 2003 against Iraq and toppled Saddam but no WMDs were ever found.

After his term in office, Powell defended his support for the Iraq war. He endorsed Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 but Trump outran her at the polls.

He later supported Biden at the 2020 Democratic convention. Powell left the Republican party after the January 6 assault on the US Capitol.

Condoleeza Rice was National Security Adviser to President Bush during the 9/11 attacks. In the summer of 2001, Rice had met CIA Director George Tenet at his request to discuss the threat of Al Qaida attacks on America. The CIA reported that there will be significant terrorist attacks against the United States in the coming weeks or months. 

Rice later said that the information was old.

Rice succeeded Powell as secretary of state. After her term, she went back to Stanford University as a faculty member and did not play any top role in US administration.

John Ashcroft was Attorney General during Bush's first term. He advocated the USA Patriot Act giving the government broad powers to investigate and prosecute those suspected of terrorism inside America. 

However in 2004, he refused the administration's entreaties to overrule a Justice Department finding that the Bush domestic intelligence program was illegal.

After leaving office in 2005, Ashcroft became a lobbyist and consultant and drifted from public memory.