Free Lethal Trajectories by Michael Conley Page B

your show, Nelson,” Clayton said, thinking, It didn’t take Fitzwater long to get in his first cheap shot.
    “Before we start, Mr. Vice President,” Fitzwater asked with what seemed to be contrived empathy, “can you comment on the health of President Burkmeister?”
    “Thanks for asking, Nelson. I really don’t have much to add to the daily medical bulletins you’re receiving from Walter Reed. I talk to the president regularly—in fact, I talked to him earlier today and he sends his best. He hopes to get back to work sometime later this week. That’s about all I have for now.”
    Theodore Bruce, the pompous editor of Finance Today, quickly changed the subject. “Mr. Vice President, the Chunxiao Incident has showcased the indecisiveness of the Burkmeister administration. I’d like to ask, when do you intend to take an official position on it?”
    Nodding, McCarty responded, “Well, first of all, Theodore, the Chunxiao Incident occurred less than five days ago. The day after it happened, the president outlined a four-point plan regarding Chunxiao in his Rose Garden press conference. We see nothing ‘indecisive’ about sorting out the facts before taking our strategy to the next level. In the meantime, the president has talked to the leaders of Japan and China, as well as many other world leaders, and we remain at a high state of military alert, including the bolstering of our Seventh Fleet in the Pacific. We’ve also put belligerent nations and terrorists on notice that they best not use the Chunxiao Incident to instigate aggression elsewhere. What specifically is indecisive about that, Theodore?”
    Before the chastised commentator could answer, Fitzwater jumped in to reassert his command, asking, “Mr. Vice President, America and the global economy have been in a tailspin since your administration took office. The GDP is stagnant; unemployment is hovering at over twelve percent; markets are down, and budget deficits are rising. How do you respond, sir?”
    “I’d respond first by challenging your assertion that everything happened since the Burkmeister administration took office. You know better than that, Nelson. The global economy has been in a steady decline over the past five years, and our problems are of a long duration. We didn’t get into this state overnight, and it won’t be cleaned up overnight.”
    “Okay, for sake of discussion, I’ll concede that point,” Fitzwater responded, irritation in his voice, “but I’ll ask you then to tell me what your administration plans to do about the economic malaise?”
    “Glad to, Nelson. The crux of the economic problem is oil and the world’s addiction to it. Some addictions are worse than others. America, for instance, with only four percent of the world’s population consuming over twenty percent of its oil, has a pretty serious addiction, I’d say. Like addicts, economies go through withdrawal symptoms when they don’t get enough of their drug. The symptoms manifest as economic stagnation, unemployment, and international tensions—all things the world has in abundance.”
    “Come, Mr. Vice President,” Fitzwater asked sarcastically, “you’re not blaming so-called oil shortages for everything, are you? Isn’t that a bit simplistic?”
    “No, I’m not blaming it for everything, but it has a multiplier effect that can’t be ignored. Over ninety-three percent of our transportation system uses oil as its base fuel. Oil is also used in everything from plastics to paints to lubricants and, of course, agricultural production. Any increase in oil prices is multiplied as its effects ripple through the economic food chain. Oil follows the immutable laws of supply and demand, and when we have an insufficient supply—which has been a growing global problem since 2012—oil prices climb and the economy plunges.”
    “Some might argue that your oil dissertation is nothing more than a canard to disguise your lack of action to change the way we do