Mark Spaid - Falcon Down

“I hope he straightens out soon.”

“Me too. Everything else okay?”

“Yes, the free world is singing along nicely thanks to me being in charge here.” She chuckled.

“If I could I’d trade places with you…”

“Not a chance, I wouldn’t get to flirt with all the secretaries at the firm.”

“Funny.” There was a pause.

“Ellen, I’m not only glad to be your husband but I’m proud to live in a country where you’re President. There, what do you think of that?”

“I love you, Don.”

“And I love you.”

“I guess I better hang up, Bonnie says I’m wanted.”

“I have to go too because I need to issue a bunch of executive decrees.” Ellen laughed.

“Good-bye, Don.”

“Good-bye Ellen.”

“Ma’am, I’m sorry to bother you but Speaker Jensen is on the phone.”

“Oh, great, you know I put her on the other plane at the second so she wouldn’t be bothering me every five minutes. The next time I’ll have Trent disable the phone system.”

“She’d just climb on the fuselage and wave semaphore at you, Ma’am.” Ellen chuckled and shook her head.

“The funny thing is, you’re probably right.”

“She’s on line one, Ma’am,” Bonnie said then left.

“Hello, Valerie,” Ellen said without enthusiasm.

“Madam President, I saw the itinerary,” Valerie said then paused.

“And?”

“The seating for the meal has me at the table behind you and Deniken.”

“Valerie, you are the Speaker of the House of Representatives, a position of some importance but not as much as you think.”

“It is the most important position in the government. The Founding Fathers intended for the House to run the country led by the Speaker. The President was just supposed to be a figurehead.”

“Yes, Valerie, I took American History as well and I know what they intended but things changed with the advent of the modern presidency. Live with it and be happy. You have power in your chamber and that’s where it ends.”

“The party would like me to take a central role in the government.”

“What party, who said this? You for one but I don’t hear anyone else clamoring for the Speaker to take over the Presidency too.”

“This is an insult to the Speaker’s position.”

“To the Speaker’s position, Valerie, or just you.”

“You know Clark offered me the second place on the ticket before you.”

“Yes, the whole world knows that, we all watch the news. You should’ve taken it then you’d be over here on Air Force One and I’d be back in Maine.” Ellen couldn’t see but she knew Valerie was fuming and clenching her fists. Ellen grinned and chuckled as there was silence. “Valerie, are you still there?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, thank goodness, I was afraid for a moment that we got disconnected.”

“We’ve been disconnected for some time now, Madam President.”

“Allegory, I like that, we need some mood music to highlight the symbolism of that statement and a close-up of me looking flabbergasted.

“Go ahead and make jokes but the country is teetering on the edge of disaster.”

“The only thing teetering on the edge of anything, Valerie, is your ego and when it finally falls to Earth it’ll make more noise than if the space station crashed on the White House lawn.”

“You won’t win re-nomination, Ellen.”

“Oh, and that would crush me to leave the most burdensome job in the world and go back to beautiful Maine and enjoy the fall colors without listening to you.”

“I’m running for President.”

“Gosh, I wonder if there is anyone in this hemisphere who doesn’t know that.”

“You’re smug and impossible to talk to these days.”

“Why because I don’t cower at the sound of your voice like your sycophants in the house?”

“Those sycophants will all be delegates next time.”

“Yes, Valerie I know and they’ll all be in your hip pocket.”

“If they know what’s good for them.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Ellen said.

“Good-by, Madam President.”

“Are you okay, Ma’am?” Bonnie asked as she poked her head inside.

“Drained after Valerie. Do you have anybody nicer on the phone like Attila the Hun maybe?”

“Senator Miles, Ma’am.”

“He’s a pussycat, put him on, Bonnie.”

“Line two, Ma’am,” Bonnie said grinning as she left and closed the door.

“Hello, Charley.”

“Sorry to bother you Madam President.”

“I just had a round with Valerie Jensen, Charley. After that anything is easy, what can I do for you?”

“Well, I wondered why I’m not speaking at the meeting.”

“Because the meeting is between President Deniken and me. You’re not meeting with him.”

“Oh, I see, well, okay, thanks Madam President.”

“Good-bye, Charley.” She hung up the phone, leaned back and yawned.

“Ma’am,” can Clarice and I have a word?”

“Sure.” There was one pressing matter that needed tending to as soon as possible. After Ellen became President, she appointed Richard Hazeltine as vice-president. He was from Texas and it sort of balanced the top office with a progressive from Maine and a conservative, Texas oil-man. Neither liked the other very much but they knew how politics worked and it was a good match. Hazeltine was fifty-three and in excellent health. Then three months into his new office he had a sudden and fatal heart attack. Ellen had to appoint a new vice-president. She chose Gwendolyn Ramzeyer, the governor of Nebraska. They went to law school together and had been close for many years. Ellen wanted to choose Gwen the first time but the party bigwigs insisted on a man. She caved because she was new and considered their advice worthwhile. But now, she’d have the person she wanted originally. The problem was getting Gwen though the Senate. Nearly all the leadership positions were held by men. Conservative white men who bristled at the notion of two women running things. Ridiculous of course but the patriarchy holds on tight where it can.

“Ma’am, I’ll be blunt,” Clarice said.

“You always are, Clarice,” Ellen said grinning.

“Yes, I am. Well, we need a vice-president and we need one now,” Clarice said.

“She’s right, Ma’am,” Bonnie added.

“I agree and I appointed a very capable person.”

“We know that, Governor Ramzeyer would make a fine vice-president, but her name is going nowhere in the Senate. Senator Thompkins is stalling it in committee,” Clarice said.

“To make it worse, Senator Benitez wants her name withdrawn too,” Bonnie added.

“A woman senator opposing this, I can’t believe it.”

“She wanted to be Secretary of State when Preston resigned and you gave it to Ingersoll. Senator Benitez holds a grudge,” Clarice detailed.

“And as you know Speaker Jensen has reached her long arm into the Senate to meddle. There are senators who owe her favors,” Bonnie added.

“She wants to be the most important woman in the country,” Clarice said.

“The world,” Ellen said and they all laughed.

“Madam President, you need to consider picking someone else,” Bonnie suggested.

“Clarise, Gwen would make an excellent vice-President” Ellen said looking at her domestic advisor.

“I agree, Ma’am, but you need to be expedient” Ellen looked away and thought for a moment then she turned and looked at Bonnie and Clarice.

“When Harry Truman was President, Dean Atchison was being vilified for being soft on Communism. He offered his resignation as Secretary of State to President Truman because Atchison felt he was hurting Truman. Truman refused to accept it and stuck by Atchison. The politically smart thing to do was to get rid of Atchison but Truman did the right thing. For me the expedient thing to do would be to choose someone else but I’m doing the right thing and sticking by Gwen Ramzeyer. Where’s Kent?”