WI the third 9/11 flight hits the Congress bulding

Say the third flight hits the congress building. OTL at the time the congress was in full session. So what happens now. What are the reprucussians and what happens. What does the US do in the mideast. What is world reaction. I am just curious?
 
The Capitol building was evacuated starting about 0943 that morning. Flight 93 crashed about 20 minutes later 125 miles from DC. The 757 can cover that distance in about 15 minutes, which means you have had more than 30 minutes to evacuate the Captiol building. Damage is probably large, but the body count is low.

Torqumada
 
Say the third flight hits the congress building. OTL at the time the congress was in full session. So what happens now. What are the reprucussians and what happens. What does the US do in the mideast. What is world reaction. I am just curious?

Our reaction is probably much stronger; not only was there just an attack on US soil against her citizens, but also an actual attack on our government itself. DC hasn't been successfully attacked since the War of 1812.

In the aftermath, the Executive branch gains a lot of governmental power for a short period, but creating a new congress is an absolute priority in order to restore a sense of normallacy, if nothing else.
 
Congress had evacuated. Given the time lag between the first attacks and the ETA of a plane at the capitol, the people would have evacuated but it would have been a HUGE symbolic attack.

Had the capitol been hit by the first plane, timed only minutes apart from a WTC attack, and the house and senate were both in session and a majority of the member of both houses were killed, then you would have had a major shift to executive power for a short time.

The state governors would re-populate the senate by appointment, as provided by the 17th Amendment. House seats would remain vacant and business would cease until special elections could be held. In the meantime, the president would invoke the clause in the 14th Amendment that provides for "full faith" in the currency and obligations (payments, etc.) There would be no consideration to repeal the 17th and probably a move to allow states to re-fill House seats by appointment.
 
Simply prevent Flight 93 from being delayed on the tarmac due to fuel issues and that should give you some time between the first attack and the evacuation. It might also help if a series of miscommunications delay messages from being relayed to the proper officials, delaying evacuations.
 

Swordman

Banned
I have also heard that Flight 93 was intended to hit the White House. Has anyone else heard of this?

Mike garrity
 
I have also heard that Flight 93 was intended to hit the White House. Has anyone else heard of this?

Mike garrity

The White House is small and surrounded by tall trees so it's harder to locate and hit it. I doubt the truth of this theory.
 
Either the WH or the Capitol. Probably the Capitol because:
1). It's easier to hit
2). It has more people
3). It's bigger
4). Bush wasn't in the WH that day; Congress was in session
 
Thing about the Capitol is that it's large enough that even with Congress in session, you'd have to hit it (and scrape along it) lengthwise to get anyone killed, much less seriously hurt. Sure, you hit the dome, probably kill whatever tourists are underneath at the time, but the two wings are where stuff really happens.
 
Yes, but they wouldn't be evacuated there. It's a big street, too.
All four attacks were supposed to be simultaneous.

If all attacks were simultaneous than the Congress would have been safe since the plane is clearly said to have hit the Congress building and not the Capitol Building. Congress would have been in session and out of their offices.
 
Even if Congress hadn't yet been evacuated when a plane hit, most members of Congress would have survived. Very few members of Congress are in the House or Senate chambers at a given time - mostly they're in their offices in other buildings.
 
Well, if it hit the middle of the building it would have missed both the Senate and House chambers, but would have destroyed the famous dome.

If it hit either the Senate or House chambers, the dome would most likely survive, and the chamber on the other side of the building would be fine.

Anyway, it would be impossible to get ALL of Congress in the attack unless they were all in one room at the same time AND the terrorists knew where in the building they were.
 
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