More McClellan

We’ve already established, using the White House’s own press release, that on and before 9/11 Clarke was in fact a top member of the anti-terorrism team, not the cyber-security team. In fact, on 9/11, he was apparently second only to Dr. Rice in the anti-terrorism hierarchy. Next question: did Clarke meet with Bush on 9/12?

Let’s roll the transcript, from Ari Fleischer’s September 12, 2001, 4:05 p.m. press briefing:

Q Can you give us a little more detail on the President’s day after, or following the meeting with congressional leaders? Was anyone else at this lunch with Cheney? What happened between — after the lunch with Cheney and right now?

MR. FLEISCHER: The President and Vice President Cheney had lunch in the private dining room right off the Oval Office. The President then made additional phone calls to foreign leaders, and began a meeting just a little while ago with his national security team.

Now all that remains is to determine whether that meeting took place in the Situation Room. Even if it didn’t, is it really plausible that the President was in fact in the White House (he had lunch in “the private dining room right off the Oval Office”) but never went into the Situation Room? And even if that’s true, is McClellan certain that’s the story he wants to run with?

AB