We communicate the level of scrutiny involved in communication today. How we communicate, and the level of scrutiny in our communication today. It probably changed the perception of the United States around the world. Initially, i think there was tremendous sympathy for the United States. I think in part because of actions that we chose to take including go to war. A lot of that sympathy dissipated. I think there is a profound admiration and respect for all of those people who put their lives on the line for the rescue operation. That certainly was evident from the very first day. I have respect for and gratitude for the way congressional leadership responded. Its interesting. Today, we talk about polling numbers and congress having perhaps the lowest Approval Ratings at any time in history. Something in the teens, i recall. I recall somebody coming to us a couple of weeks after 9 11 and telling me it was the highest Approval Rating. It was in the high 80s. Congress had an Approval Rating we had never seen before. So, we have come a long way from the high 80s to mid teens in terms of approval. That says something about the degree of dissension and dissatisfaction that has once again entered the political discourse in this country. Steve did it change you as a person and how you viewed the world . Tom daschle i think it would be impossible not to aappreciate not to appreciate the change that has occurred in all of us and the way we look at the world. How we feel about the way we address things. It was just a month after that that my office was the target of an attack with anthrax, and so, we got sort of a second, a second experience that profoundly affected me and my staff. But yes, it deeply affected all of us. Steve and with the anthrax scare, more questions than answers . Tom daschle far more. Even today, we dont have nearly as many answers that we could. I am fairly confident that the fbi has come to the right conclusions about the perpetrator and circumstances, but there is still a lot of lingering doubt. Steve at that time, did you think this was a direct connection . Tom daschle i did. It was orchestrated in some ways to make it look as though there was a direct connection, but certainly, that was our initial conclusion. Steve did you ever have a chance to talk to your staff about september 11th . What did they tell you . What did you ask or tell them . Tom daschle i think we all found some collective solace in talking about it. We had a hard time getting our arms around that day, and what it meant and how we were affected. Took some pride in the responsibleties that we had and how we conducted them. I think my staff did a phenomenal job, and, again, it was a belief that has was so often expressed at the time. We were all americans and we were all trying to figure out the best way to address this incredible tragedy and challenge in a way that would give this country belief in its government. I think to the best extent possible, we tried to do that. Steve if the public wants to tour the capitol, they go to the visitor center. Is that a direct result of september 11th . Tom daschle no, actually that was something that many of us who were involved in leadership early in the 90s, felt we needed in part, because we felt the experience for an american in the capitol was less than what it should have been. People had to wait outside in long lines and sometimes, hundred degree temperatures or rainstorms. There was really no collective way to understand the capitol. It was compounded by the realization that not only was it a great tourist experience, it was not a Great Security experience. We could do more to provide better security in the capitol than we were. And it was the shooting of two of our heroic policemen that finally was the ultimate factor i think in causing us to move forward, so the plans had already begun with regard to the Capital Visitors Center and rightly so. Steve did 9 11 and later anthrax change the capitol . Tom daschle it did. It did in many ways. The mail is is no longer opened in the capitol. I had a wonderful intern, who has become quite a successful young woman in her own right, who was a College Intern who was exposed along with 20 others in the room. Four who were not my staff, 24 who were. And, of course, their lives immediately were in jeopardy. Am proud and very grateful to be able to say that that they found have all become healthy americans today. In theway male is opened capitol today is vastly different than it was at the time. Steve how will you commemorate the events of september 11th . Where will you be this year . Tom daschle we havent really yet made that final decision. Its such a moment a personal moment for us. Weve given thought to a number of different options and havent quite made up our minds yet. Steve in a quiet moment, did you ever have a chance to talk to president bush or Vice President cheney about what they experienced and what you experienced . Tom daschle we did. We did. Not as much with the Vice President as with president bush. We talked about it on a few occasions. He shared his own personal observations and what he was thinking. How we endured the day in some ways together. Steve senator tom daschle, thank you very much. Will recall what happened after the september 11 attacks. This is just over an hour. Gary walters, a 37 year veteran of serving president s. What was your job . Ary walters i was initially uniform officer for the secret service, and then i was an usher to 1986. Later, i was appointed as the chief usher by president reagan. Steve what were your responsibilities as a chief usher . Walters they were threefold. First was to protect the family. Second was to maintain the office of the presidency. Third was to maintain the house of the president for the american people. We would have a million and a half people that would come through the house. Those were the three main activities. The main responsibility is to take care of the first family and see to their needs in the house. Steve what were your Biggest Challenges . Walters trying to make sure we took care of the every day, monday and things for the president and the first lady. It as a home. Of many people do not, but it is where the president and first lady live. It is one of our jobs to ease some of the burdens of the family. We went to make sure the house was taking care of and kept clean. That is one of the Main Responsibilities and major challenges for the chief usher. To take care of those things and do them on intrusively. Steve did you think you would spend 37 years at the white house . Gary walters no i did not. I was first going to college when i started working there, but then the position opened up in the ushers office. Then, i was chosen to take over the chief usher position. Ive never regretted a day i spent there. Back to theus events of the morning of september 11, 2001. Tell us about your morning. Gary walters on that day, my primary mission was to take care of the activities that were going to occur that evening. There was a technique. President bush and the first lady were going to post the entire senate. Andcongressional leaders some of the Supreme Court justices were all going to be on the white house grounds that evening at about 7 00. It was a traditional congressional picnic. We had caterers, a group that had come up from texas. We had chuck wagons, fitness tables, a stage on the south ground. We were preparing for around 1500 to 1800 people to serve them a meal in the evening. That was my major thought coming in that morning. As soon as i arrived at work at around 6 15, i met with some of the staff and laid out the day how we were going to get ready for the evening and the other activities. As it turns out, the former president george bush and barbara bush had spent the previous night at the white house. We were going to see them off in the morning. I had been requested by some of the staff to say goodbye to them that morning. So, we were organizing a little going away get together for the bushs. Bush was going up to testify on the hill. We also had the president s brother neil there overnight. We were taking care of his activities during the day, because he was going out for business. We were generally just getting things squared away for the day. The president was not there. He was down in florida. It was a relatively active morning. When it came time for the former president to leave, he came down he came down and left his bags in the diplomatic Reception Room and went over to the west wing to say hello to a number of people over there. 7 30 a. M. ,was around because they were going to leave at 8 00 if my memory serves me correctly. Around 8 45 a. M. , the former first lady came down and met with some of the staff that she had been very fond of what she was there at the white house. We had a hello and reading with her in the former president came the and then departed with secret service on his way to the airport. They were returning to houston. Steve do you remember his demeanor . The formers president was so comfortable at the white house. He was comfortable talking about everything and anything. One of the things i asked him about was home, how things were handing out there. He liked the idea of being in his own home. The secret service was not too far away at any point but he enjoyed the family life, being able to travel. That summer he had just gone with some of his grandchildren and done a cruise. He was talking about that. A generalt conversation about their life in houston. Steve with regard to the picnic, it was a crisp, clear late summer day. Temperatures were down, humidity was down. It was an absolutely marvelous day. That was one of the worries i did not have to worry about. Anytime between june and the end of september, there are thunderstorm possibilities in washington but this day was crystal clear. Steve at that time in the morning, 7 30 a. M. Or 8 00, you meet with your staff and begin planning the final elements for the dinner in the evening. What was happening around that time for you and your staff . We were talking about the delivery of certain things we had rented for the evening. What time the additional butlers were going to come in and help serve. When with the caterers come. Over the previous few days we had done preliminary preparations. Caterers, they had their own proprietary ways they wanted to do things. We won a to make sure they have the proper people. They brought a number of volunteers to help serve. We wanted to make sure that everything was correct there. For thegetting ready general placement of things on the tables, decorations, centerpieces on the picnic tables. We talked about the entertainment that evening. It was a decisionmaking process we had to go through for the day that we did every day with the staff. It was nothing out of the ordinary. It was something we were planning and making sure we have the proper people in the proper place. Steve and this was happening both in the white house and on the south lawn. Gary walters absolutely. Much of it was being done inside the kitchen. We were waiting for later in the 1138 11 30d , to get everything ready. We had plenty of time. President bush 41 and barbara bush departed the white house around 8 30 a. M. In the morning. What happened next . Gary walters we continued on with the activities. Thats a little before 9 00 mrs. Bush came down, i met her at the elevator. She was preparing to go down to capitol hill. Walking out, i remember distinctly talking about christmas decorations. My thought was that i had a couple of questions i had to ask her and there were some decisions she needed to make. On the way out to the south part portico, i asked her if she had her boxing gloves on. If she was ready to box with the senate committee. And she said no, that this would be a good chance for her to lay out what she thought about Early Childhood education. As we walked through the diplomatic Reception Room, we went through the south portico and i think she was due at capitol hill at 9 00 and we walked through. A car was waiting for her. Was secret Service Agent assisting her in getting into the car, he said mrs. Bush, there has been a terrible accident new york. A plane has flown into one of the World Trade Centers. And mrs. Bush asked that she be kept advised of what was going on. My thought right immediately was what a terrible accident. Here it was a perfectly clear day. It was all the way up and down the east coast, it was a perfect day. I wondered what had gone wrong with the air Traffic Control system. Wasnt a thought of anything else at that point. And as the secret Service Agent closed the door and started to get into the car, he said, gary, you might want to go inside and look on the television. Theyre covering it pretty extensively. Theres a lot of questions being asked. So i stood at the south portico and waited for the motorcade to go out of the south grounds, which takes a few minutes because ive seen the motorcade get to the fence and turn around and come back because something was forgotten or a staff member was late. So i usually stay there until the car leaves the ground. After the card did leave the then turned and went back to the diplomatic Reception Room. Across from that is the secret Service Command post. And as i started to go into that the room, it was full of people watching television, obviously. So i decided to go up to my office on the first floor and on the way, i ran into one of the chefs and butlers and we discussed a couple of things going on, preparations of the south grounds and a i talked to one of my maintenance men who was doing some activities in the house. It took me about eight or ten minutes to get back to the ushers office. As i walked towards the ushers office, i noticed that there were a few more people than normally would be in the ushers office and they were all looking at the television. And as i walked into the room, i saw on my television, a plane flying into obviously what was one of the World Trade Centers and i said to one of my assistants, how did they get this on television already. He turned to me with these eyes as wide as ive ever seen from a man whos usually quite composed, and he said, thats the second plane. It was like somebody hit me in the stomach. He said its the second plane and it has hit the Second World Trade Center building. And i was breathless for a moment or two. Because immediately, there was no question in my mind, the United States was under attack. This was not an accident. This was an attack. And what was Going Forward from there. I watched for a couple of minutes, stunned, by the commentary and watching what was going on, somehow got a replay of evening the first play pretty quickly flying into the first World Trade Center building and we stood there talking amongst ourselves and trying to look and see what kind of plane it was possibly. Trying to identify the plane, somebody else thought it was an american airlines. It was that kind of banter, nervous banter going on. I cleared my head and realized there was not going to be a picnic on the south lawn. And the president was probably going to come back to the white house. I picked up the phone, called social secretary, cathy fenton and said, obviously, theres not going to be a picnic. You know, its either going to be suspended or totally canceled. I said, im going to take action to clear things now. Why dont you start doing whatever you do, including getting ahold of the ranch people that were supposed to come to the house. Tell them to stay put. We dont need extra people here now. She said, i think i agree with you, but joe hagen, who was the deputy chief of staff, hes in the new york. He was doing a mission there to look at the president s visit later in the month. For the u. N. And said i need to get ahold of joe and make sure that we have this nailed down. Obviously, its not going to happen. Well, i knew i needed to get the picnic tables away because i had a feeling it was going to take the president an hour and a half to get back from florida. We had 160 some picnic tables on the ground as well as other things. They were covering with helicopters. I started making some calls to the National ParkService Grounds crew and i got my people outside to move the picnic tables. We were just going to pile them on the sides because we didnt have much time. And if you look at those films, youll be able to see when the president does arrive on the grounds, you see picnic tables. Youll see picnic tables lying on the whole south ground. It took a little while for me to get the staff in the proper position, the fact that the chefs needed to be notifyied to stop their preparation, the same with the butlers. We were trying to get ahold of the people that were going to be making deliveries for the things that we had rented, so tell them to stop if they werent near, dont come. And then i went outside to supervise moving the picnic tables to make sure they were in the area of where they would be the least obtrusive and make sure we could get the fire trucks. As i exited to go back out to the south grounds, a Police Officer came running from to my left, which was from the east like the first ladys garden from the east side. Yelling that everybody was to get out. There was another plane coming in. At about that same time, he said, i believe theres been a plane crash at the pentagon. Almost simultaneous to when he said that, i heard a loud muffled thud and as he said that, i looked over the tree canopy to my right in the direction of the pentagon and i could see the big plume of black smoke with flames in the middle of it. You cant see the pentagon from the white house, but youre just its just below the tree line. And now the fear that was in everybodys mind was obviously that this is not just new york. This is washington, also. And the realization really hit everybody. Another call came that there was another plane in the air. At that point, the secret Service Officers