“On the afternoon of 9/11, according to contemporaneous notes, Secretary [of Defense Donald] Rumsfeld instructed [Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff] General [Richard] Myers to obtain quickly as much information as possible [regarding the perpetrators of the attacks]. The notes indicate that he also told Myers that he was not simply interested in striking empty training sites. He thought the U.S. response should consider a wide range of options and possibilities. The secretary said his instinct was to hit Saddam Hussein at the same time–not only Bin Ladin. Secretary Rumsfeld later explained that at the time, he had been considering either one of them, or perhaps someone else, as the responsible party.”
– 9/11 Commission, The 9/11 Commission Report, Pages 334-335