continued. 'To those people I say, only the label has changed. The Texan is still a Texan. Don Orr is the same man. He is still a champion for the young who want to work and the elderly who don't want to retire. He believes that service to the nation, to its industry and its economy, should be honored. To those Americans who do not yet know me, I ask that you listen to what we have to say over the next days, and weeks, and months. We are not vainglorious politicians interested in power. We are not puppets controlled by special interest groups or special interest money. We are proud Americans who want to restore our nation to what it was and can be again. A country of scholars and adventurers. A land of bounty, not just in food and natural resources but also ideas. A launching pad of extraordinary new goals worthy of an exceptional people. A nation of justice and equality for the wealthy and those less fortunate, for the healthy and the infirm, for people of all ages.'
'Leave no vote unharvested,' Rodgers whispered to Kat.
'Perhaps, but the senator isn't pandering, General,' Kat said. 'He means it.'
'I believe he does,' Rodgers said. 'In fact, I'm counting on it.' The general was doing more than that. He was responding to it. Whether it was his own situation with Op-Center or a general frustration with bureaucracy, politics, and a fragmented national focus, he was becoming enthusiastic for the first time in years.
'And finally, a few words to our friends abroad,' On-said. 'United States First does not mean United States only. We believe that a strong and vital America is essential to the health and prosperity of the world. But we believe our role should be as a beacon, not as a bank. We will be trailblazers, not nursemaids. The world is best served by a United States of America that is not a crutch but a foundation, strong and unshakable. This is the platform of our party, one that is designed to serve the proud people of our nation. Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for your gracious attention today and in the days to come. God bless you all, and God bless these United States.'
As the crowd cheered, Kendra maneuvered the senator from the podium and reporters. Questions were being shouted about William Wilson, but they were being ignored. Kat was making notes in a Palm Pilot about who was asking the unfriendly questions. Those reporters would probably find access to the senator restricted until that was no longer an issue.
Link had gone ahead to a waiting sedan. Kendra tucked the senator into the back of the black limo and slid in beside him. When they drove off, Rodgers followed Kat to ward a table where beverages and snacks were available. They grabbed two cups of coffee before the reporters came by, then walked slowly across the lawn behind the Capitol.
'You know, if a major party candidate had said all that, they'd call it bluster and rhetoric,' Rodgers told her.
'That's the difference between Senator Orr and the others,' Kat said.
'Do you disagree?'
'Not a bit. I found it inspiring,' Rodgers said.
'Really?' Kat asked.
'Yeah. Especially the part about people not getting retired.'
Kat smiled. 'You know, I didn't even think of that.'
'I am curious, though. Why was Kendra running interference over there instead of you?'
'We wanted to make the senator's departure seem like a security concern rather than blocking the press,' she said.
'That makes sense,' Rodgers said. At least in an image-sensitive Washingtonian way. 'Meanwhile, what's happening with the Wilson matter?'
'You mean did the other murder take the pressure off?' she asked.
'Somewhat, though a few reporters privately wonder if we were responsible for both.'
'Were you?'
'Oh, absolutely,' Kat replied dryly. 'This whole thing is like a homicidal 'House That Jack Built.' This is the candidate who hired a killer to slay the realtor to cover the assassination that got him the attention for the campaign that Kat built.' The young woman shook her head. 'There are always always going to be three groups of reporters and commentators. Those who think you're guilty of something, those who think you're innocent, and those who think the topic is a sideshow.
You only need the last two groups to stay in the race.'
'As far as public relations are concerned,' Rodgers said.
'Right. It doesn't help if you're actually guilty.'
