President Gale Norton

9/11 was one of the greatest tragedies in American history, in part because it was a strike on the economic heart of America and an attack on innocent civilians just doing their jobs. But what if al Qaeda had decided to attack a different aspect of American life?

Introduction
It is a constitutional requirement that each year the President gives an address to a joint session of Congress, known as the State of the Union address. The entire government is in one place at one time, and as such, provisions are put in place on the highly unlikely chance of an attack. One member of the line of succession does not go to the event, and they watch from a secure location, with the idea being that if the unthinkable does occur, this person would become the President.

What if instead of striking the Twin Towers, the terrorists decided to tear apart the political fabric of America? What if the designated survivor actually became president?

Point of Divergence
Instead of attacking on 9/11, the terrorists of al Qaeda hold off their attack. There is no attack on 9/11, and 3000 lives are saved. Instead, they decide to strike at a different time, and in a different manner. They want to destabilize the entire American political system.

In late January of 2002, President begins set up for the. He names, his Secretary of the Interior, as the designated survivor.