“At the September 13 [2001] NSC [National Security Council] meeting…President Bush led a discussion of an appropriate ultimatum to the Taliban. He ordered Secretary [of Defense Donald] Rumsfeld to develop a military plan against the Taliban. The President wanted the United States to strike the Taliban, step back, wait to see if they got the message, and hit them hard if they did not. He made clear that the military should focus on targets that would influence the Taliban’s behavior.”
– 9/11 Commission, The 9/11 Commission Report, Pages 331-332