Lethal Trajectories - Michael Conley [134]
“… and furthermore, my friends, here’s the thing: the American people want—they crave—openness and transparency from their president. I don’t want to sound critical of the president, but I was astounded by the way he blew off the press and the American people yesterday with his terse statement that he would wait until his Monday-night address to Congress before divulging his plans. I mean … c’mon, is this the way you treat a shaken nation? It’s almost like saying ‘don’t call me, I’ll call you.’ We’re in a grave crisis, folks, and we need to know where our president stands. This is a horrible way to start his presidency, but hey, I’m not trying to be critical—I’m only reporting what I see.”
Veronica shook her head at Crane’s duplicity. It was amazing how brazenly he took cheap shots at the president while proclaiming his patriotic allegiance. Is anyone really buying this? she wondered.
“As I watched the swearing-in ceremony yesterday,” said Crane, “I was struck by the panned-in shots of his brother, Jack McCarty. I must tell you, my friends, I find it rather shocking he would appoint his own brother to be his chief of staff. This is an important position, folks, and you’d think he would’ve picked a seasoned professional. This does not bode well for America; hopefully this president will not favor cronyism over competency. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being, but this alarms me.
“I was also saddened to see the frail appearance of President Burkmeister as he gave Clayton McCarty what looked like a feeble handshake following the swearing-in ceremony. I’ve had my differences with President Burkmeister, as you know, but it was sad to see the walking remnants of this once-great man. My sources tell me he checked into Walter Reed immediately after the ceremony, and I’m afraid his prognosis is bleak. I believe that he was a good—but misguided—man.”
Incredible, thought Veronica. Here was a man who only three weeks ago referred to President Burkmeister as the one of the “BM boys,” and now he refers to him in the past tense, with barely veiled hatred, all because he had the temerity to disagree with the great Wellington Crane.
“The news in the Middle East is grim,” declared Crane in his most authoritative voice. “Our loyal ally, Israel, is barraged by uprisings on multiple fronts. Hezbollah has launched devastating rocket attacks against Tel Aviv and Haifa, and Hamas has fired off rockets from Gaza. There is widespread rioting throughout the West Bank, and Syrian forces are now amassing near the Golan Heights. Unfortunately, while Israel is looking for strong American support, they are getting little more than lip service from us. It’s comparable, my friends, to the weak-kneed support we’ve given our Japanese allies on the Chunxiao Incident. I’m deeply upset, and …”
Just then, she picked up another cell-phone call, this one from Mandy.
“Hi hon, what’s up?” Victoria asked with as much cheer as she could muster.
“Mom, I can’t talk now, but I’m so excited I had to talk to someone.”
“Slow down, honey,” Veronica replied, “Why are you so excited?”
“I turned my essay in to the principal today, and he read it while I was sitting there. He really liked it, Mom, and told me my suspension was lifted and I could go back to class. But that’s not all; he said I had a real talent as a writer and offered to get me into a creative writing class if I was interested. Isn’t it exciting, Mom?”
Before Veronica could respond to her daughter’s good news, Mandy said she had to go. Still, this was the best news she had heard for a long time, and she took a moment to give thanks before returning to Wellington Crane.
“… and the American economy is now in free fall, heading for a meltdown,” said the Great