Read Online THE PRESIDENT 2 by Mallory Monroe - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mallory Monroe
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they get?”
“Mary Beth Kappers, sir, a nineteen year old student.”
Dutch closed his eyes, pinched his temple, and then reopened them. “Have they provided a message?”
“Yes, sir. They want us to know that they will continue to kill hostages if Ben-al-Alawaiki isn’t released from Gitmo and placed into their hands immediately. That is their only demand and they’re sticking to it.”
“Can we get this Al-Alawaiki character to record a counter message condemning their tactics and making clear he’ll refuse to go even if they win his freedom?”
“We have tried everything, and I mean everything, sir, to get him to do just that. But he will not. We could do a whole lot more, of course, if Congress hadn’t tied our hands---”
“That’s a fight for another day, Eddie. But do what you have to do. These are kids we’re talking about. And keep me posted,” Dutch ordered and hung up the phone. He wrapped his arms around Gina, who was still staring at him.
“What’s happened?” she asked.
Dutch was so disgusted by the news that he first needed to compose himself. “They’ve killed a hostage,” he finally said.
Gina deflated. “Oh, no, Dutch. One of the students?”
“Of course a student. They’re terrorists; it’s their job to terrorize. And they can expect far more outrage from the American public if they kill a bright eyed nineteen year old rather than some rich, middle-aged businessman. So they go for the shock value.”
Gina’s eyes studied his. “Are you all right?”
Dutch thought about this. “When this job is over, and I can take my wife as far away from this environment as I can possibly get her, yes, I will be,” he said, and laid her head back down on his chest.
FIVE
The president stood behind a makeshift podium in the White House Rose Garden with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Shamir, flanking him. Given that it was the morning after the murder of a hostage, it was to be a simple photo-op, with the president thanking Mr. Shamir for his visit to the United States and the prime minister thanking the president for his friendship with Israel and his undying commitment to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. No questions, they decided and had already alerted the press, would be taken. The assembled press, however, had other ideas.
Their questions came before the men could even finish their greetings. And not one of those questions concerned the peace process or how the prime minister was enjoying his stay in the United States. But every one of their questions concerned the hostage crisis and what they viewed as the president’s lackadaisical response. It became so contentious that the leaders had to end their prepared remarks early, shake hands and give the obligatory camera wave, and then get ushered back into the White House as if they were being forced along.
One reporter, however, still was able to get in what would become the sound bite for the entire appearance: “Mr. President, they’re killing Americans!” he was able to yell above the rest. “What are you and your lame administration going to do about it?”
Once back inside the Oval Office, even the prime minister, a man who had been in and around politics for nearly forty years, could hardly believe the level of disrespect. “Did that reporter just call your administration lame ?” he asked Dutch in astonishment. Dutch, however, smiled, placed his hand on the prime minister’s back, and thanked him once again for his visit.
***
That level of disrespect, as noted by the Israeli Prime Minister and fueled by the fact that that reporter’s question was being played over and over all morning and now late into the afternoon on the various cable news channels, wasn’t lost on Gina,
“Mary Beth Kappers, sir, a nineteen year old student.”
Dutch closed his eyes, pinched his temple, and then reopened them. “Have they provided a message?”
“Yes, sir. They want us to know that they will continue to kill hostages if Ben-al-Alawaiki isn’t released from Gitmo and placed into their hands immediately. That is their only demand and they’re sticking to it.”
“Can we get this Al-Alawaiki character to record a counter message condemning their tactics and making clear he’ll refuse to go even if they win his freedom?”
“We have tried everything, and I mean everything, sir, to get him to do just that. But he will not. We could do a whole lot more, of course, if Congress hadn’t tied our hands---”
“That’s a fight for another day, Eddie. But do what you have to do. These are kids we’re talking about. And keep me posted,” Dutch ordered and hung up the phone. He wrapped his arms around Gina, who was still staring at him.
“What’s happened?” she asked.
Dutch was so disgusted by the news that he first needed to compose himself. “They’ve killed a hostage,” he finally said.
Gina deflated. “Oh, no, Dutch. One of the students?”
“Of course a student. They’re terrorists; it’s their job to terrorize. And they can expect far more outrage from the American public if they kill a bright eyed nineteen year old rather than some rich, middle-aged businessman. So they go for the shock value.”
Gina’s eyes studied his. “Are you all right?”
Dutch thought about this. “When this job is over, and I can take my wife as far away from this environment as I can possibly get her, yes, I will be,” he said, and laid her head back down on his chest.
FIVE
The president stood behind a makeshift podium in the White House Rose Garden with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Shamir, flanking him. Given that it was the morning after the murder of a hostage, it was to be a simple photo-op, with the president thanking Mr. Shamir for his visit to the United States and the prime minister thanking the president for his friendship with Israel and his undying commitment to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. No questions, they decided and had already alerted the press, would be taken. The assembled press, however, had other ideas.
Their questions came before the men could even finish their greetings. And not one of those questions concerned the peace process or how the prime minister was enjoying his stay in the United States. But every one of their questions concerned the hostage crisis and what they viewed as the president’s lackadaisical response. It became so contentious that the leaders had to end their prepared remarks early, shake hands and give the obligatory camera wave, and then get ushered back into the White House as if they were being forced along.
One reporter, however, still was able to get in what would become the sound bite for the entire appearance: “Mr. President, they’re killing Americans!” he was able to yell above the rest. “What are you and your lame administration going to do about it?”
Once back inside the Oval Office, even the prime minister, a man who had been in and around politics for nearly forty years, could hardly believe the level of disrespect. “Did that reporter just call your administration lame ?” he asked Dutch in astonishment. Dutch, however, smiled, placed his hand on the prime minister’s back, and thanked him once again for his visit.
***
That level of disrespect, as noted by the Israeli Prime Minister and fueled by the fact that that reporter’s question was being played over and over all morning and now late into the afternoon on the various cable news channels, wasn’t lost on Gina,
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