The Path to 9/11: More Deleted Scenes

"The Path to 9/11," an ABC miniseries about the events leading up to Al Qaedas strikes on the United States, was controversial even before its release last week. Written by a Cyrus Nowrasteh, a friend of Rush Limbaugh, the two-parter received much criticism for singling out former president Bill Clinton and his administration as largely responsible, through failures of intelligence and strategic miscalculations, for the attacks of September 11, 2001.

ABC did tone down the miniseries somewhat, cutting and altering certain dramatizations, the content of which was revealed after the network allowed some conservative commentators to preview the film. A few of the deleted scenes, however, were never made public. Here for the first time are three dramatizations that were in the original version of the miniseries, but which were removed after complaints from media watchdog groups and members of the 9/11 Commission. Though the scenes' ideological bent is subtle, astute readers may notice slight tweaks and exaggerations that may constitute bias on the part of the filmmakers. We leave it to you, the audience, to decide.

SCENE ONE

BILL CLINTON and OSAMA BIN LADEN are sitting across from each other at a table in a DC-area Starbucks during the summer of '97. Clinton is drinking an iced latte; bin Laden, an iced frappuccino.

Bin Laden puts a hand on the table and crosses his fingers.

Vaguely threatening, Muslim-sounding music plays.

SCENE TWO

National Security Advisor SANDY BERGER bursts into the Oval Office.

A wide shot reveals that Clinton is engaged in an orgy with CHER, JANE FONDA and RICK JAMES.

Clinton jumps up, agitated, and puts on a robe made out of marijuana leaves.

Clinton adopts a mocking, girlish lilt.

Cher, Jane Fonda, and Rick James laugh hysterically. Cher does a line of cocaine off of Fonda's back.

Berger turns slowly and solemnly walks away.

Clinton swallows a handful of multicolored pills while the rest of his friends encourage him to rejoin the orgy.

SCENE THREE

Clinton is sitting at his desk in the Oval Office, wearing a tie dyed dashiki and staring off into space. A cadre of his closest advisors hustle toward him, sidestepping trouble spots on the heavily stained carpet. Among them are Berger and COLIN POWELL. Powell slams a stack of documents down onto Clinton's desk.

Clinton is nonresponsive.

Clinton starts giggling uncontrollably.

The advisors exchange worried looks. Berger puts his hands on Clinton's shoulders and tries to get the president to maintain eye contact.

Clinton leaps up abruptly, overturning the huge oval office desk. He runs for a window.

Powell grabs Clinton moments before he would have plunged through the glass.

Clinton starts swatting feebly at the air, fending off an unseen foe. Then, he briefly calms, his body slackening. He looks at Berger.

Berger gives the documents to Clinton.

Clinton somehow consumes the entire stack of papers before anyone in the room can react. He then hurls himself to the carpet and begins to nap noisily with his eyes open.