Lethal Trajectories - Michael Conley [64]
“Folks, I don’t know how to say this in a way that will cushion the shock, and so I’ll just be as direct and honest as I can: I have stage-four pancreatic cancer. It’s terminal, and I have only a few weeks, perhaps a couple of months at best, to live.”
They were horrified, speechless, and confused. Some gasped, others shook their heads, still others cried. The pall in the air was stifling, but Burkmeister knew he had to push on—particularly since he would have to give roughly the same message to over 320 million Americans and the rest of the world in less than an hour. He took a breath and continued.
“Under the terms of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, I will resign my presidency at 12:01 p.m. on Saturday, October fourteenth of this year. Vice President Clayton McCarty will be sworn in immediately after as your next president. I have been working with Clayton on this since Friday night, and we’ve made a number of decisions which I will share with you after my broadcast tonight. And if my health begins to fail sooner than that, I’ll move up the resignation date.”
This caused a stir, and Burkmeister could see they were already moving ahead to the next inevitable question: How will this affect me?
“Candace Pierson will review our official position after my public announcement. You’ll be mobbed by the media following this meeting, and we’d like you to simply tell them ‘no comment.’ Clayton and I will be holding a joint news conference tomorrow morning at ten to answer their questions. The media kit we’ll give you includes answers to anticipated questions, details on the constitutional aspects of succession, a medical overview from Admiral Toomay on my condition—things like that.” The president paused for a moment to assess the mood of his cabinet and then continued.
“I have notified leaders of both houses of Congress, and I’ve personally talked to the British, Japanese, and Chinese leaders. Secretary of State Cartright is talking to our allies as I speak, and that’s pretty much the extent of those in the know.” He hoped Cartright could reach all parties prior to his speech, but at least the effort had been made. In the diplomatic world, form was often more important than substance.
“Both Clayton and I would like to ask all of you to stay on your jobs, do the things you have so ably been doing and support Clayton as he takes over the presidency in less than three weeks. He’ll need all the help he can get. Needless to say, I sincerely regret laying this burden on him and all of you, but it can’t be helped. Now, we have a few minutes before airtime, and I’d be glad to answer any questions that I can.”
President Burkmeister was grateful there were no questions. Instead, there was a tremendous outpouring of sympathy, respect, support, and admiration, and after the long day of preparations, it was a comforting change of pace.
“One last thing,” the president said as the talk died down. “You will each receive a copy of my speech. As you’ll see, it’s short and to the point, and I don’t expect it will take even ten minutes. Thanks again for being here, and we’ll meet here after my speech. God bless you all, and thanks so much for just being who you are.”
As President Burkmeister left the room to prepare for his broadcast, his cabinet members jumped to their feet and applauded. He only wished he could express how much this one act of kindness meant to him in these minutes before the most difficult speech he would ever make.
At 8:00 p.m. sharp, the cameras panned in on President Lyman Burkmeister, sitting behind his desk in the Oval Office with American flags behind him on each side. Dressed in a dark