To down or not to down? Rumsfeld's instructions on wayward Cessna kinda unclear

Our erudite and pithy cousin at FishbowlDC notes a weird inconsistency in the case of the wayward Cessna, now back in the news with reports that Donald Rumsfeld did – or didn’t – give the command to shoot it down if necessary. This morning, the Washington Post ran this banner headline: “Military Was Set To Down Cessna: Authority Granted As Plane Strayed Deep Into Capital,” and led by saying that yes, Rumsfeld had indeed given military officials the authority to down the plane if necessary.