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“I don’t know,” Beiderman confessed.
“Well, if the President has ordered him back . . . Do you want me to handle that?”
“I already have. He’ll be leaving over there as soon as he can get on a plane.”
“You realize, I hope, that he was dead serious when he said if he is relieved over that nonsense at Arlington, he’ll demand a court-martial?”
“Can he do that? Demand a court-martial? He’s not going to be punished, reduced in rank, or anything like that; just relieved.”
“I don’t know. It would depend on the circumstances. What he could do—what he probably will do—is go to Roscoe Danton and argue his case in the court of public opinion. In other words, on the front page of The Washington Times-Post and the television sets tuned to Wolf News. And the President will lose that battle; Danton loathes the President and thinks McNab walks on water.”
The secretary of Defense grunted, and then said, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could say, ‘Screw him. Let him make an ass of himself like that!’”
“But we can’t, can we? We’re in the uncomfortable position of having to defend the presidency against the luna—”
Naylor heard what he was about to say and stopped midword.
“You can say it, Allan,” Beiderman said. “We have to defend the presidency against the lunacy of the President.”
“Have you got any good ideas on how we can do that?”
“No. But I’ll try to think of some on my way over there.”
“There? Where’s there? The White House?”
“Andrews. I’ll pick you up in ten, fifteen minutes.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“What I don’t want to do is walk into the Oval Office all by myself.”
“Are you going to have room for my people? Colonel Brewer and—”
“Mulligan said the President wants to see you and me only,” Beiderman said.
“I’ve got a car. Why don’t I just meet you at the White House?”
Beiderman considered that, then said, “Okay. But if I get there before you, I’ll wait. Come now.”
“Done,” Naylor said, and broke the connection.
[TWO]
The President’s Study
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C.
1225 20 April 2007
When Secret Service Agent Mark Douglas showed Beiderman and Naylor into the room, Supervisory Special Agent Robert J. Mulligan, Press Secretary Clemens McCarthy, and the President were standing before a map board. It held a map of Mexico.
“What the hell is McNab doing in Afghanistan?” the President greeted them less than warmly. “I need him here now.”
“As you know, Mr. President,” Naylor responded, “a substantial portion of General McNab’s command is in Afghanistan. He spends a good deal of his time there.”
