Free The Reluctant First Lady by Venita Ellick Page A

television coverage?”
    “I saw a little bit of Morning Joe . Joe and Mika were arguing about Ashley’s decision. Other than that, I haven’t seen any other broadcasts.”
    “You probably know enough to realize Ashley is the top story, if not the only story, being covered today. As one might expect, the more conservative stations and broadcasters are ready to string her up and are casting serious aspersions on you, your judgment, and your ability to lead.
    “The more liberal broadcasters are asking if the First Lady position really does matter. Rachel Maddow is doing a good job of representing the heart of the issue. She sees the role of the First Lady as representing tradition, which in her opinion is an important one. And, she sees Ashley’s particular choice as something she has a right to make.
    “Fox News is showing Ashley no mercy. They equate her decision to being a traitor She’s being asked to serve her country, and she’s turning her back on her civic duty.
    “The opposition party is taking full advantage of the situation, which we expected. They’re saying Ashley should be ashamed of herself for discrediting the role of the First Lady. They haven’t come out in so many words and said a woman’s place is in the home—they’d lose too many women voters if they did that—but short of that, they’re saying Ashley’s place is to stand beside you. Naturally, they’re pointing out this indicates your inability to make good decisions, influence the opinion of others, portray the correct family values, and anything else they can throw into the mix.”
    Michael nodded. “Anything else?”
    Jack knew he couldn’t keep anything from Michael. “There have been a couple death threats against Ashley. We’ve contacted all the appropriate organizations, and they’re checking into them. The Secret Service agents assigned to Ashley have been notified, so they’re all over this. You know, we take every threat seriously, regardless of who the intended target is, but likely it’s nothing more than someone venting.”
    Michael frowned. “I want additional security assigned to her, and I want to know immediately about any additional threats.”
    “Absolutely. Switching gears, I think the sooner we tell the public about the director of protocol position, the better it will be. Hopefully, things may begin to settle down somewhat after that,” Ed said.
    “I agree, but we need to be careful about how we play this thing out. We don’t want to seem as though we had someone waiting in the wings. On the other hand, we want to make sure the public understands that Ashley’s decision isn’t going to cripple my administration. It’s a high-wire act. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the kind of person who would be a good fit for the director position. Do you remember Paula Foulon from California?”
    Ed and Jack nodded.
    “She’s been active in all of my campaigns as far back as I can remember. As I’m sure you remember, she’s from an old, established blue-chip family with a lot of political clout. She’s hosted numerous fund-raising events for me throughout the years. What do you think about her for the job?”
    “She’s always impressed me as very charming, capable, a gifted organizer, and an extremely gracious hostess,” Ed said.
    “Precisely. She’s someone who stays calm and gracious under fire. I once saw her defuse a fight between two contributors who’d had too much to drink, and they were like putty in her hands. I think she may just fit the bill. I’d want to have a serious discussion with her to make it very clear how I’d like to see this position shaped. It’s such an unusual situation, and whoever takes the job must understand completely and exactly what the parameters are. Everyone will be watching and judging how this arrangement works.”
    “Obviously we’ll need to vet her,” Jack pointed out. “We need to know all about her background. Is there anything that could be