Free The General's President by John Dalmas Page A

not: I am neither politician nor lawyer. There is nothing wrong with being a politician or a lawyer; Lincoln was both. But because I am neither of them, I look at government and many other things from a different viewpoint, a different tradition, than lawyers and politicians do.
    "Also, I am not, and never have been, a military supplier. I say that not from any sense of superiority; I'm not putting down the arms industry. I'm simply saying that I nave no vested interests in weapons production. If it was not for the arms industry, however, we'd be in a lot worse trouble than we are."
    He paused again, brows drawn down for a moment in a severe line, but when he spoke, it was casually.
    "And I don't particularly care whether people like me or not. I'd prefer they do, but it isn't important to me. The compulsion to be liked is a trap. I'm going to do what seems to me most likely to salvage the situation and leave the United States of America stronger and more effective, and a better place to live, than ever before.
    "Let me restate that, because it needs to be understood. I'm going to do—or try to do—what seems to me most likely to salvage the situation and to leave the United States stronger, more effective, and a better place to live than ever before. "
    Once more he paused, and when he spoke again, his words were slow and measured. "And to do that—to leave it stronger and better—we'll need to change how we do some pretty basic things in this country. Which I'll talk about later when I've sorted them out more fully.
    "And while it's now my responsibility to plot a course and see that the ship's officers steer that course ...the rest of you have responsibilities too. This is not a luxury ship; it's not even a passenger ship. You're not passengers, you're the crew.
    "But on the other hand, this is not a slave galley, and I will not make it one.
    "There are others who'd like to run this government. Some would like to run it from outside, through puppets. To some of them, even the idea of democracy, of a people free to run their own lives and their government, is utterly unreal. And if those others ever take over, forget freedom for a long time. For lifetimes.
    "On the other hand, I am committed to the principle that people should run their own lives. You'll see my dedication to that very soon. I also believe they should run their own government, and I intend to move us further in that direction than this country has been for a while.
    "Not that I'm guaranteeing we'll make it. This nation has gone a long way down the road to hell, and it didn't happen in just the last few months or years. It took a long time to slide this far. Also, I can't promise you that I'm wise enough to plan a workable course back out.
    "Nor—Nor that you've got the guts and self-discipline to travel such a course. I'm sure that some of you do—that many of you do. The question is, do enough of you?
    "But—" He looked the audience over, his expression blunt, then he eased and smiled. "But it's the most interesting, and challenging, and potentially rewarding task that any nation, by which I mean any people, has taken on for a long time. Or any president. And if we pull it off, we'll be a greater nation than ever. I do not exaggerate. If we pull it off, we'll be the greatest nation in history. Young again. Energetic. And more able than ever. Because we'll have learned a lot, and had the experience of overcoming as a people. And we'll have gained a viewpoint that the founding fathers, with all their genuine wisdom, didn't have, couldn't have had back then."
    Jesus! thought Morrows. This man can be inspirational! Now if he's only competent—competent enough.
    The president seemed now to be ignoring his notes. For a moment he contemplated the center camera, his left forearm resting on his abdomen, right elbow propped on left hand, chin cupped thoughtfully for a moment between thumb and forefinger. Morrows watched, intrigued; the man was an even better,