Tom Clancy's Op-center Balance of Power - Tom Clancy [84]
There was a long, rectangular mahogany table in the center of the brightly lit room. An STU-3 secure telephone and a computer monitor were positioned at each of the ten stations, with slide-out keyboards underneath the table. The computer setup was self-contained. Software from outside, even from the Department of Defense or State Department, was debugged before it was allowed into the system. On the ivory-colored walls were detailed color maps showing the location of U.S. and foreign troops, as well as flags denoting trouble spots. Red flags for ongoing problems and green for latent. There were no flags in Spain and a single green one offshore. Apparently, the change in Administration policy did not include sending American land troops to the region. The offshore marker was most likely for a carrier to airlift U.S. officials if it became necessary.
No one had had a chance to do more than say hello to Hood before the President arrived.
President Michael Lawrence stood a broad-shouldered six-foot-four. He both looked and sounded presidential. Whatever combination of the three Cs-charisma, charm, and calm-created that impression, Lawrence had them. His longish silver hair was swept back dramatically and his voice still resonated as though he were Mark Antony on the steps of the Roman Senate. But President Lawrence also looked a great deal wearier than he had when he took office. The eyes were puffier, the cheeks more drawn. The hair looked silver because it was more white than gray. That was common among U.S. presidents, though it wasn't just the pressures of the office which aged them tremendously-it was the fact that lives were deeply and permanently affected by every decision they made. It was also the steady flow of early morning and late night crises, the exhausting travel abroad, and what Liz Gordon once described as "the posterity effect": the pressure of wanting to secure a positive review in the history books while pleasing the people you were elected to serve. That was a tremendous emotional and intellectual burden that very few people had to deal with.
The President thanked everyone for coming and sat down. As he poured himself coffee, he offered his condolences to Hood on the death of Martha Mackall. The President commented on the loss of a young and talented diplomat, and said that he had already assigned someone the job of organizing a quiet memorial tribute to her. Hood thanked him. President Lawrence was very good and also very sincere when it came to human touches like that.
Then he turned abruptly to the business at hand. The President was also very good when it came to shifting gears.
"I just got off the phone with the Vice-President and with the Spanish ambassador, Seńor García Abril," the President said. He took a sip of the black coffee. "As some of you know, the situation in Spain is very confused from a military standpoint. The police have been putting down some riots while ignoring others. Carol, you want to quickly address that?"
Lanning nodded. She consulted her notes. "The police and the army have been ignoring riots by Castilians against other groups," she said. "Churches all across the nation are being forced to cope with literally thousands of people coming to them for sanctuary."
"Are they providing it?" Burkow asked.
"They were," she replied, rifling through her papers, "until the crowds became too great in some locations-like Parroquia María Reina in Barcelona and Iglesia del Seńor in Seville. Now they've literally locked the doors and are refusing to admit anyone else. In a few cases the local police have been called in to remove people from churches-a move, I should add, which is being privately denounced by the Vatican although they're going to urge 'restraint and compassion' in a public statement later today."
"Thank you," the President said. "There seem to be three entirely separate factions running Spain at the moment. According to Ambassador Abril-who has always been very frank with me-the representatives in parliament are working their districts