Executive orders - Tom Clancy [290]
I just don't see him that way, Ed, the Globe responded, after a few seconds. His politics are pretty far to the right, but he comes across as sincere as hell.
What's the first rule of politics? the Times asked with a chuckle. Then he continued: I tell you, if this stuff about Russia and Colombia is true whoa! It is the '50s, fucking around with other governments that way. We're not supposed to do that anymore, sure as hell not at that level.
You never got this from us, and you can't reveal the source at Langley. The chief of staff handed out tape cassettes. But there are enough verifiable facts here to back up everything we've told you.
It's going to take a couple of days, the San Francisco Examiner said, fingering the cassette and looking at his colleagues. The race started now. Every reporter in the room would want to be the first to break the story. That process would start with them playing their tapes in their cars during the drive to their homes, and the one with the shortest drive had the advantage.
Gentlemen, all I can say is, this is an important story, and you have to apply your best professional conduct to it. It's not for me, Kealty said. I wish I could pick someone else to do this, someone with a better record-but I can't. Not for me. It's for the country, and that means you have to play it as straight as you can.
We will, Ed, the Times promised. He checked his watch. Almost three in the morning. He'd work all day to make the ten P.M. deadline. In that time he'd have to verify, re-verify, and conference in with his assistant managing editor to make sure that he got the front page, above the fold. The West Coast papers had the advantage-three more hours because of time zones-but he knew how to beat them to the punch. The coffee cups went down on the table, and the journalists rose, tucking their personal mini-tape machines in their jacket pockets, and each holding his personal cassette in the left hand while the right fished for the car keys.
TALK TO ME, BEN, Jack commanded barely four hours later.
Still nothing on the local TV, but we've caught microwave stuff transmitted for later broadcast. Goodley paused as Ryan took his seat behind the desk. Quality is too poor to show you, but we have the audio tracks. Anyway, they spent all day consolidating power. Tomorrow, they go public. Probably the word's out on the street, and the official stuff will be for the rest of the world.
Smart, the President observed.
Agreed. Goodley nodded. New wild card. The Premier of Turkmenistan bit the big one, supposedly an automobile accident. Golovko called me about-just after five, I think-to let us know. He ain't a real happy camper at the moment. He thinks that Iraq and Turko-land are part of the same play-
Do we have anything to support that? Ryan asked, tying his necktie. It was a dumb question.
You kidding, boss? We don't have crap, not even overheads in this case.
Jack looked down at his desktop for a second. You know, for all the things people say about how powerful CIA is-
Hey, I work there, remember? Thank God for CNN. Yeah, I know. Good news, the Russians are telling us at least some of what they know.
Scared, the President observed.
Very, the national intelligence officer agreed.
Okay, we have Iran taking over Iraq. We have