On March 18, 2003, “a letter went out from [President] Bush to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert [R-IL] and President Pro Tempore of the Senate Ted Stevens [R-AK] declaring that having determined that further diplomacy would not ‘adequately protect the national security of the United States,’ he was acting to take…’the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.’ ”
– Craig Unger, The Fall of the House of Bush, Page 293