A President Faces the Test Of a Lifetime Everyone wants a president to be strong in a crisis. Meeting later that day, in secret, at Capitol Police headquarters, Lott joined 70 senators, Republican and Democrat, in wishing for just that. But it quickly became apparent that no one—including Lott—had the faintest idea where the president was. Lott and Democratic leader Tom Daschle had spoken to Vice President Cheney but not to Bush himself. “People were angry and full of questions,” said a senator who was there. Senators were especially angry when White House communications aide Karen Hughes emerged in Washington to assure the nation that the president was safe. “We didn’t need her to tell us he was all right,” said another senator. “We needed him to tell us that we are all right. They missed the point.”