were

"At 9:59, an Air Force lieutenant colonel working in the White House Military Office joined the conference and stated he had just talked to Deputy National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley. The White House requested (1) the implementation of continuity of government measures, (2) fighter escorts for Air Force One, and (3) a fighter combat air patrol over Washington, D.C."

"The secretary of defense directed the nation's armed forces to Defense Condition 3, an increased state of military readiness. For the first time in history, all nonemergency civilian aircraft in the United States were grounded, stranding tens of thousands of passengers across the country. Contingency plans for the continuity of government and the evacuation of leaders had been implemented ."

"... assessment of terrorist risks persuaded the White House to remake the program as a permanent feature of 'the new reality , based on what the threat looks like,' a senior decisionmaker said."

Implementation of COG Was Kept Hidden from Congress

Key congressional leaders say they didn’t know President Bush had established a “shadow government,” moving dozens of senior civilian managers to secret underground locations outside Washington to ensure that the federal government could survive a devastating terrorist attack on the nation's capital, The Washington Post says in its Saturday editions.



Senate Majority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) told the Post he had not been informed by the White House about the role, location or even the existence of the shadow government that the administration began to deploy the morning of the Sept. 11 hijackings.



An aide to House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) said he was also unaware of the administration's move.



Among Congress's GOP leadership, aides to House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (Ill.), second in line to succeed the president if he became incapacitated, and to Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (Miss.) said they were not sure whether they knew.



Aides to Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W. Va.) said he had not been told. As Senate president pro tempore, he is in line to become president after the House speaker.

Continuity of Government ("COG") measuresimplemented on 9/11. For example, according to the 9/11 Commission Report, at page 38:Likewise, page 326 of the Report states:See also footnotes cited therein and this webpage You might assume that the COG measures ceased soon after 9/11. However, CNN reports that -- 6 months later --Similarly, the Washington Post stated in March 2002 that " the shadow government has evolved into an indefinite precaution ." The same article goes on to state:As a CBS article makes clear, virtually none of the Congressional leadership knew that the COG had been implemented or was still in existence as of March 2002:Similarly, the above-cited CNN article states :

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, said Friday he can't say much about the plan. "We have not been informed at all about the role of the shadow government or its whereabouts or what particular responsibilities they have and when they would kick in, but we look forward to work with the administration to get additional information on that."

a few months ago

How They Might Have Maintained COG to the Present

Indeed,- in summer 2007 - Congressman Peter DeFazio, on the Homeland Security Committee (and so with proper security access to be briefed on COG issues), inquired about continuity of government plans, and was refused access. Indeed, DeFazio told Congress that the entire Homeland Security Committee of the U.S. Congress has been denied access to the plans by the White House (video; or here is the transcript ). DeFazio concluded: " Maybe the people who think there’s a conspiracy out there are right ”.But could the White House have maintained COG operations to the present day? One hint may be contained in the above-cited CNN article:

continuously





While I have no direct evidence that the COG is still in effect, the fact that key players have said that the measures would be permanent, the

continuous exaggeration

by the administration

of major terrorist threats, and the

that the COG measures are still in effect all argue for their continued existence.



If they are still in effect, it could help explain

Indeed, COG measures can

.

It is well-documented that the administration has been crying wolf about looming terrorist attacks by Al Qaeda ever since 9/11. By claiming that Washington is the target of a major strike, the Neocons may have been able to maintain the COG and the "shadow government"ever since 9/11.