The Bush administration in its first months faced many problems other than terrorism. They included the collapse of the Middle East peace process and, in April, a crisis over a U.S." spy plane" brought down in Chinese territory. The new administration also focused heavily on Russia, a new nuclear strategy that allowed missile defenses, Europe, Mexico, and the Persian Gulf. In the spring, reporting on terrorism surged dramatically. In chapter 8, we will explore this reporting and the ways agencies responded. These increasingly alarming reports, briefed to the President and top officials, became part of the context in which the new administration weighed its options for policy on al Qaeda. Except for a few reports that the CSG considered and apparently judged to be unreliable, none of these pointed specifically to possible al Qaeda action inside the United States-although the CSG continued to be concerned about the domestic threat. The mosaic of threat intelligence came from the Counterterrorist Center, which collected only abroad. Its reports were not supplemented by reports from the FBI. Clarke had expressed concern about an al Qaeda presence in the United States, and he worried about an attack on the White House by "Hizbollah, Hamas, al Qida and other terrorist organizations." In May, President Bush announced that Vice President Cheney would himself lead an effort looking at preparations for managing a possible attack by weapons of mass destruction and at more general problems of national preparedness. The next few months were mainly spent organizing the effort and bringing an admiral from the Sixth Fleet back to Washington to manage it. The Vice President's task force was just getting under way when the 9/11 attack occurred.

What types of reporting surged, did the CSG deem all of the reports reliable?

Fact: I wasn't dead. After I realized this, I left my quarters. The lightscreen provided had informed me when and where official meals were taking place, but I hadn't bothered to acknowledge the invitations. It hadn't seemed relevant, somehow, given that I was still reeling over the explosion, the deaths of my crewmates, and the rescue. I've heard there are a number of stages of grief and shock; I guess I was working my way through them. Food was delivered to my quarters. Initially, I couldn't figure out whyI hadn't requested any be sent. Then I realized, someone must have noticed I hadn't left, and was nice enough to send food my way. The accompanying bottle of wine was a nice touch. I must have consumed it, too, because later on, the plates and the bottle were both empty. I spent a lot of time lying on my back on the bed, staring up at the little etched swirls in the ceiling, or slumped in the old-fashioned armchair, staring out the windows at the stars. I did a lot of staring and not moving. Man, was it good to be done with that stage. It was time to find out what hell looked like.

What had he left after realizing he isn't dead, how he know about officials meet?

How can you describe your location? You might use a familiar system. You might say, 'I live at 1234 Main Street, Springfield, Ohio.' You could also say, 'I live right behind the Elementary School.' This method uses the school as a point of reference. Another example is, I am at the corner of Maple Street and Main Street. Both streets may be a good reference for anyone living in your town. Scientists must be able to pinpoint a feature they are studying. Scientists use a special system to describe locations. They use latitude and longitude as a reference. Lines of latitude and longitude form a grid. You may have used a grid system while doing graphing. This grid is centered on a reference point. Zero latitude is the equator. Lines of latitude run east to west. They divide the Earth from North to South. Lines of longitude run from north to south. They divide the Earth from East to West. Zero longitude runs through Greenwich, England. You may have heard the term, Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT. The system of latitude and longitude works well for objects that do not move.
What does GMT stand for and how it is determined?