Джеффри Арчер - The Prodigal Daughter

‘I have no dream to set forth today, but rather urge a fresh faith in the old dream. We have learned that “more” is not necessarily “better” that even our great nation has recognized limits, and that we can neither answer all questions nor solve all problems.’

The Washington crowds were delighted when the new President, the First Lady and their daughter Amy walked down Pennsylvania Avenue hand in hand to the White House, and it was obvious that the Secret Service was quite unprepared for such a break with tradition.

‘Dancer is on the move,’ said one of them over his two-way radio. ‘God help us if we are going to have four years of spontaneous gestures.’

That evening the Kanes attended one of the seven People’s Parties, as Carter had named them, to commemorate the inauguration. Florentyna was dressed in a new Gianni di Ferranti gown of white faintly threaded with gold, keeping the camera bulbs flashing. During the evening she and Richard were both introduced to the President, who seemed to Florentyna to be as shy in person as he was in public.

When Florentyna took her seat on the floor of the chamber for the start of the 95th Congress, it felt like returning to school, with all the backslapping, handshaking, hugging and noisy discussion about what the members had done during the recess.

‘Glad to see you won again.’

‘Was it a hard campaign?’

‘Don’t imagine you’ll be able to select your own committees now that Mayor Daley is dead.’

‘What did you think of Jimmy’s address?’

The new Speaker, Tip O’Neill, took his place in the center of the podium, banged his gavel, called everyone to order and the whole process began again.

Florentyna had moved up two places on the Appropriations Committee, following one retirement and one defeat since the last election. She now understood how the committee system worked but still feared it would be many years and many elections before she made any real headway for the causes she espoused. Richard had suggested she concentrate on a field in which she could gain more public recognition and she had wavered between abortion and tax reform. Richard counseled against too close an association with abortion and reminded her of how her colleagues referred to Elizabeth Holtzman as ‘Congressperson Holtzperson.’ Florentyna agreed in principle but was no nearer deciding what her special subject should be when the subject chose itself.

A debate of the Defense Appropriations bill was taking place on the floor of the House, and Florentyna sat listening as the chamber casually discussed the allocation of billions of dollars on defense spending. She did not sit on the Defense Subcommittee on which Robert C. L. Buchanan was the ranking Republican, but she was deeply interested in his opinions. Buchanan was reminding the House that Defense Secretary Brown had recently asserted that the Russians now had the capability to destroy American satellites in space. Buchanan went on to demand that the new President spend more money on defense and less in other areas. Florentyna still considered Buchanan the worst sort of conservative fool and in a moment of anger rose to challenge him. Everyone in the chamber remembered their last confrontation and knew that Buchanan would have to allow her to put her case.

‘Would the congressman yield for a question?’

‘Of course.’

‘I am grateful to the distinguished gentleman and would like to ask him where he imagines the extra money for his grandiose military schemes would come from?’

Buchanan rose slowly to his feet. He wore a three-piece tweed suit, and his silver hair was parted neatly to the right. He rocked from leg to leg like a cavalry officer on a cold parade ground. ‘My grandiose schemes are no more and no less than those requested by the committee on which I serve and, if I remember correctly, that committee still has a majority from the party which the distinguished member from Illinois represents.’ Loud laughter greeted Buchanan’s remarks. Florentyna stood up a second time; Buchanan immediately gave way again.

‘I am still bound to inquire of the distinguished gentleman from Tennessee where he intends to take the money from. Education, hospitals, welfare, perhaps?’ The chamber was silent.

‘I would not take it from anyone, ma’am, but I would warn Mrs. Kane that if there is not enough money for defense we may not need any money for education, hospitals or welfare.’

Congressman Buchanan picked up a document from his table and informed the House of the exact figures spent in the previous year’s budget, in all the departments Florentyna had mentioned. They showed that in real terms, defense spending had dropped more than all the others. ‘It’s members like the distinguished lady who come to the chamber without facts, equipped with nothing more than a vague feeling that defense expenditure is too high, that make the Kremlin leaders rub their hands with glee while the reputation of the House is at the same time diminished. It is the type of ill-informed attitude being expressed by the lady from Illinois that tied the hands of President Roosevelt and left us so little time to come to terms with the menace of Hitler.’

Florentyna wished she had never entered the chamber that afternoon as members from both sides echoed their agreement. As soon as Buchanan had finished his remarks, she left the floor and returned quickly to her office.

‘Janet, I want all the committee reports from the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense for the last ten years and ask my legislative researchers to join us immediately,’ she said even before she reached her desk.

‘Yes, ma’am,’ said Janet, somewhat surprised, as Florentyna had never mentioned defense in the three years she had known her. The staffers filed in and sank into Florentyna’s old sofa.

‘For the next few months I plan to concentrate on defense matters. I need you to go over the reports of the subcommittee during the last ten years and mark up any relevant passages. I am trying to get a realistic appraisal of America’s military strength if we were called upon to defend ourselves against an attack from the Soviets.’ The four staffers were writing furiously. ‘I want all the major works on the subject including the CIA Team A and Team B evaluations and I want to be briefed when lectures or seminars on defense or related matters take place in Washington. I want all press comments from the Washington Post, The New York Times, Newsweek and Time put in a file for me every Friday night. No one must be able to quote something I haven’t had a chance to consider.’

The staffers were as surprised as Janet because they had been concentrating their efforts on small business and tax reform for over two years. They were not going to have many free weekends during the coming months. Once they had departed, Florentyna picked up the phone and dialed five digits. When a secretary answered, she requested an appointment with the Majority Leader.

‘Of course, Mrs. Kane. I will ask Mr. Chadwick to call you later today.’

Florentyna was ushered into the Majority Leader’s office at ten o’clock the next morning.

‘Mark, I want to be put on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.’

‘I wish it were that easy, Florentyna.’

‘I know. Mark, this is the first favor I’ve asked for.’

‘There is only one slot open on that subcommittee and so many members are twisting my arm it’s amazing I’m not permanently in splints. Nevertheless, I’ll give your request my serious consideration.’ He made a note on the pad in front of him. ‘By the way, Florentyna, the League of Women Voters is holding its annual meeting in my district and they’ve invited me to make the keynote speech on opening day. I know how popular you are with the League and I was hoping you might find it possible to fly up and do the introduction speech.’