Lethal Trajectories - Michael Conley [188]
“This is blackmail, Fred. You can’t do this to me,” Collingsworth pleaded.
“You’ve given me no choice, Tom. You are probably the most despised senator in these chambers since Joe McCarthy, and I don’t expect anyone would come to your aid. And speaking of blackmail, what do you call the club you and Wellington Crane held over the head of anyone in our party who opposed your Pax-Americana drivel?”
Shattered, Collingsworth started to sob uncontrollably. “What would you have me do, Fred?” he choked out. “What alternative committees would you put me on?”
“At this point, I don’t know,” said Anders with disgust. “No one wants anything to do with you, and I’d have to pull some serious strings to get any committee chair to even take you. Here’s what I do know: I want your resignation as chairman by the end of the day, and in return, I’ll say that I reluctantly accepted your resignation and I’ll try to find a committee assignment for you. If it’s not on my desk, well, let’s just say there’s no room for negotiation.”
Collingsworth left the majority leader’s office a broken man. Many thoughts went through his mind, including the idea of ending it all.
Georgetown
27 May 2018
Hugo Bromfield smiled as he turned on the Sunday news shows, a shot of media adrenaline to energize him for the rest of the week. His sharp eyes now focused on issues germane to his new boss, Stanley Perkins, a liberal freshman senator from Wyoming. Though a far cry from Tom Collingsworth in terms of position and ideology, he had Collingsworth’s same ruthless ambition. What else could you want? Hugo mused.
A realist, Hugo knew he had taken some hits from his relationship with Collingsworth, but he was a survivor. Not married to any particular ideology, he could reengineer himself to fit whatever dogma or set of circumstances he faced.
Watching the vice president and senate majority leader talk about the new energy and environmental proposal in the UN on one of the news shows, he saw an opportunity for his new boss to put a stake in the ground in the clean energy arena. More importantly, it was a way to curry favor with the Senate leadership and perhaps even reopen some doors at the White House.
He was particularly amused to later watch Senator Fred Anders mournfully acknowledge Tom Collingsworth’s resignation of his chairmanship while noting that there was no mention of any new committee assignment for him. What a loser, he thought. I’m just glad I put an end to that dysfunctional relationship with Collingswoth while everyone else was preoccupied with our victory in Saudi Arabia. I’m a survivor, he thought with satisfaction, and it’s only a matter of time before I’m once again the power broker they all fear.
69
Aboard Air Force One
25 July 2018
The first family was about to embark on their first vacation in over a year. They boarded the shiny new Boeing 747-800 aircraft along with fifty-two California National Guard soldiers returning home via Andrews Air Force Base. The jet became Air Force One the moment the president set foot in it.
In the spirit of shared sacrifice, Clayton McCarty used the “pride of the fleet” sparingly. Though it was a new-generation, fuel-efficient jet, it was difficult for Americans to not see it as a sign of opulence and privilege amidst the gas-rationing austerity they endured. Clayton had vowed to use smaller aircraft whenever possible and to carry service members or other precious cargo whenever he used the big jet. It was a thrill of a lifetime for the returning soldiers, and it assuaged the president’s frugal mindset.
Upon boarding, Melissa and Amy immediately scrambled for the bedroom