``Excuse me, sir. You're needed on the telephone,'' the aide said. The President dropped his papers and walked out -- irking his lawyer.

That phone call was part of the constant planning that culminated in the US cruise missile strikes yesterday on a suspected Islamic militant base in Afghanistan and a chemical weapons plant in Sudan.

The planning for the strikes began August 7, within hours of the twin truck bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 12 Americans and more than 200 Africans. The President interrupted a Rose Garden ceremony to decry those attacks, vowing: ``We will use all the means at our disposal to bring those responsible to justice, no matter what or how long it takes.''

He then pulled his foreign policy advisers into a meeting and spent the next few days getting updates from national security adviser Sandy Berger.

From then until now, according to aides and advisers who described the process yesterday on condition of anonymity, Clinton was peppered with updates about Iraq and the investigation in Africa. US intelligence heard that a group run by exiled Saudi millionaire and Islamic militant financier Osama Bin Laden, hiding out in Afghanistan, was responsible for the African bombings.

Berger gathered Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Defense Secretary William Cohen, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Henry Shelton and CIA director George Tenet to form a plan for dealing with Bin Laden's network.

So while Clinton was huddling with his lawyers, his foreign policy team was hatching a plan. Then Clinton headed out West for what was supposed to be a three-day political fund-raising trip.

Clinton's lawyers, meanwhile, began to grow irritated. They said Clinton repeatedly took calls from Berger or often was ducking out of the room to talk to him. They worried that all the interruptions would hurt Clinton's preparations for his testimony before a grand jury.

The President gave his testimony Monday and admitted in a televised address to the nation that he'd had an improper relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

On Tuesday, he went to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, for what was supposed to be a 12-day vacation. While there, he spoke with Vice President Al Gore, on vacation in Hawaii. Gore made calls to foreign leaders.

Early that morning, Clinton decided to go ahead. Gen. Donald Kerrick, a member of Clinton's National Security Council, flew to Martha's Vineyard to advise him.

At 11 am yesterday, the mission began halfway around the world and targets were struck about 1.30 pm.

At 2.42 pm, Clinton departed on Air Force One for Washington. With an unlit cigar in hand, he huddled in his cabin with his spokesman, Mike McCurry. And he made more calls, one of them to British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

By 5.32 pm, Clinton was before the cameras, talking -- again to the American people.