Read Online the Second Horseman (2006) by Kyle Mills - Free Book Online
Authors: Kyle Mills
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me?"
"I didn't --"
Morris stood, supporting himself with fists pressed into Kennedy's blotter. "I've listened to you, Edwin. I've listened to every word you've said. If I show any more goddamn respect for Islam, I'm going to have to grow a beard. I've started the process of normalizing our relationship with Iran. We've spent tens of millions of perfectly good dollars hiring Arab PR firms to polish up our image across the Middle East. I've criticized the Israelis for reckless attacks against civilians. Not just remained silent, mind you. Actively criticized them. And worst of all, I put a political gun to my head and told the American people that if we're going to reduce our reliance on Middle Eastern oil, they're going to have to sacrifice. Do you know how much the American people like to sacrifice? Not a whole hell of a lot."
Hamdi opened his mouth to speak, but Morris cut him off again. "You know where all this is getting me? Nowhere!"
"You haven't created new terrorists, sir. And that's a vast improvement over the policies of the last admin--"
"You know what? I can't show a voter a terrorist I didn't create. But the Republicans can damn well show them what's left of the Mall of America."
"I know, sir. And I wish I had something more constructive to tell you. The truth is, you'll never eradicate terrorism. There will always be someone out there with a radical ideal and the knowledge of how to build a bomb. But you can do a great deal to minimize organized terrorism. We've seen it happen in the IRA, in Corsica, in the Basque country. People's lives improved and these terrorist groups simply lost their relevance. They became a solution to a problem that no longer exists."
"The Middle East isn't Europe."
"No, but I'm convinced that the same general principles apply. You only have to look at Israel to see where draconian enforcement measures take you. What has their brutality and racism gotten them? A country that's slowly sliding into chaos. We don't want to follow the Israelis into failure. We want to follow the Europeans into success. Unfortunately, though, those kinds of changes don't happen overnight."
"Pushing for economic and political reform in the Middle East isn't going to do anything about the question of Israel," Morris said. "We're talking about a group of people who just want one crappy piece of land that most Americans wouldn't pay two cents for. And the goddamn Arabs can run the rest of it right into the oil-soaked ground."
"Unfortunately, whether they're right or wrong, the Palestinians consider it their crappy piece of land, sir." Hamdi said. "The sad reality is that we're trapped. We can make every effort to be evenhanded in disputes between the Jews and Arabs, but we can't go so far as to make enemies of the Israelis. They're far more dangerous than the Arabs will ever be. In the past, they've proven their willingness to spy on and attack us if they feel it's in their best interest. They are, very simply, much mor e e ffective terrorists than the Arabs. If we ever began to support Arab causes to a degree that worried them -- if we ever tried to force their hand -- I can personally guarantee you that they would attack America in the most brutal way possible and leave a trail back to the Palestinians."
"You're full of strong opinions today, aren't you, Edwin."
Hamdi knew he should remain silent on this particular point, but he couldn't. "That's not an opinion, sir. It's a very dangerous fact."
Chapter NINE
Brandon rolled down the window and adjusted the car's side-view mirror, burning his fingers on the sun-heated metal in the process. The white Chevy tailing them was unimaginative to the point of looking government issue. The major difference between it and the one he was riding in was that instead of being driven by the lovely yet undoubtedly deadly Catherine, it was piloted by a square-built man who looked like he'd spent his childhood pulling the wings off flies. The guy riding shotgun looked
"I didn't --"
Morris stood, supporting himself with fists pressed into Kennedy's blotter. "I've listened to you, Edwin. I've listened to every word you've said. If I show any more goddamn respect for Islam, I'm going to have to grow a beard. I've started the process of normalizing our relationship with Iran. We've spent tens of millions of perfectly good dollars hiring Arab PR firms to polish up our image across the Middle East. I've criticized the Israelis for reckless attacks against civilians. Not just remained silent, mind you. Actively criticized them. And worst of all, I put a political gun to my head and told the American people that if we're going to reduce our reliance on Middle Eastern oil, they're going to have to sacrifice. Do you know how much the American people like to sacrifice? Not a whole hell of a lot."
Hamdi opened his mouth to speak, but Morris cut him off again. "You know where all this is getting me? Nowhere!"
"You haven't created new terrorists, sir. And that's a vast improvement over the policies of the last admin--"
"You know what? I can't show a voter a terrorist I didn't create. But the Republicans can damn well show them what's left of the Mall of America."
"I know, sir. And I wish I had something more constructive to tell you. The truth is, you'll never eradicate terrorism. There will always be someone out there with a radical ideal and the knowledge of how to build a bomb. But you can do a great deal to minimize organized terrorism. We've seen it happen in the IRA, in Corsica, in the Basque country. People's lives improved and these terrorist groups simply lost their relevance. They became a solution to a problem that no longer exists."
"The Middle East isn't Europe."
"No, but I'm convinced that the same general principles apply. You only have to look at Israel to see where draconian enforcement measures take you. What has their brutality and racism gotten them? A country that's slowly sliding into chaos. We don't want to follow the Israelis into failure. We want to follow the Europeans into success. Unfortunately, though, those kinds of changes don't happen overnight."
"Pushing for economic and political reform in the Middle East isn't going to do anything about the question of Israel," Morris said. "We're talking about a group of people who just want one crappy piece of land that most Americans wouldn't pay two cents for. And the goddamn Arabs can run the rest of it right into the oil-soaked ground."
"Unfortunately, whether they're right or wrong, the Palestinians consider it their crappy piece of land, sir." Hamdi said. "The sad reality is that we're trapped. We can make every effort to be evenhanded in disputes between the Jews and Arabs, but we can't go so far as to make enemies of the Israelis. They're far more dangerous than the Arabs will ever be. In the past, they've proven their willingness to spy on and attack us if they feel it's in their best interest. They are, very simply, much mor e e ffective terrorists than the Arabs. If we ever began to support Arab causes to a degree that worried them -- if we ever tried to force their hand -- I can personally guarantee you that they would attack America in the most brutal way possible and leave a trail back to the Palestinians."
"You're full of strong opinions today, aren't you, Edwin."
Hamdi knew he should remain silent on this particular point, but he couldn't. "That's not an opinion, sir. It's a very dangerous fact."
Chapter NINE
Brandon rolled down the window and adjusted the car's side-view mirror, burning his fingers on the sun-heated metal in the process. The white Chevy tailing them was unimaginative to the point of looking government issue. The major difference between it and the one he was riding in was that instead of being driven by the lovely yet undoubtedly deadly Catherine, it was piloted by a square-built man who looked like he'd spent his childhood pulling the wings off flies. The guy riding shotgun looked
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