"Brad Linaweaver - Press Conference" - читать интересную книгу автора (Linaweaver Brad)

Press Conference
Brad Linaweaver




The President of the United States is sometimes referred to as the most
powerful man in the free world. Yeah, sum.




They used to joke that after he was elected President, he'd wish he were
back in the Senate where he could wield some real power. He'd taken that
sort of thing in good humor. After all, it was only a joke…then.

He was a student of history, wasn't he? He was well versed in, the
imperial presidency—the accumulation of power in the executive
accelerating in the 20th century. Every war had helped. The speed of
modern communications had done its part. Ever since Truman, the CIA
was in there pitching. Sure, there were frustrations. He still had to deal
with an unwieldy, vaguely democratic system. He didn't really mind.
When it came right down to it, he didn't object to anything that was part
of the natural order, as he saw it. In common with many predecessors in
the office, he was that peculiar kind of human being who thrived when
dealing with political parties, special interests, other nations with their
special requirements, and lawyers! He could juggle priorities with the best
of them.

He talked about reflecting the will of the people, and he said it with a
profound sincerity. Hell, he was good at his job. But the President of the
United States had not been prepared for the sudden appearance of The
Two. No one in his right mind would have constructed such a scenario.
And like all good politicians, the President prided himself on being in his
right mind.

Only one month ago the universe had still made sense. It didn't seem all
that long ago. Then The Two had come out of nowhere, sharing a
nightmare between them as two monsters might suckle a malignant spirit.
The world had held its breath, waiting for the last superpower on Earth to
do something. That meant the President of the United States was
expected to perform a miracle. Being a little short on burning bushes, he
elected to hold a press conference instead.

And so here he was. The reporters waited for him, eyes wide, mouths
wider, under a forest of arms swaying under the lights. What had
happened to protocol? Where was his introduction, and "Hail to the Chief"
blaring over the speakers? The organizational structure of the White
House had gone to hell, along with everything else. On the plus side, every
network was carrying him, not just CNN and C-SPAN. Even hundreds of