Bush said later that never in "anybody's thought process about how to protect Americans did we ever think that the evildoers would fly not one, but four, commercial aircraft into precious US targets."
"... When I was informed that an unidentified aircraft was headed to the heart of the capital I was concerned. I wasn't concerned about my decision, I was more concerned about the lives of innocent Americans."
The US "absolutely" would have been justified in shooting down the two aircraft that hit the World Trade Center or the one that hit the Pentagon, which have left more than 5,000 missing, Cheney said.
"As it turned out, we did not have to execute on that authorization," he said. "But there were a few moments when we thought we might, when planes were incoming and we didn't know whether or not they were problem aircraft until they had diverted and gone elsewhere."
He said the fourth plane that crashed near Pittsburgh was headed for Washington, possibly the US Capitol, and went down after passengers struggled with hijackers.
But the plane that hit the Pentagon had been on course for the White House, then diverted, circled, and slammed into the headquarters of the US military, he said.
Cheney speculated that the plane, on approach from the west, diverted after encountering difficulties locating the White House from the air. The White House is nestled between the larger Eisenhower Executive Office building to the west and the Treasury Department to the east.
"When it entered the danger zone, it looked like it was headed for the White House, is when they grabbed me and evacuated me to the basement," he said.
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