the shadows. He nodded, briefly catching Pierce’s glance who nodded back. Quietly van Ness turned, closing the door as he left the Oval Office. He turned to one of the senior White House aides. “Call down and have my driver bring the car around. There’s still some unfinished business.”
The President followed the red light on the active camera. “The decisions I have had to make in the past few days have not been easy and some will weigh heavily on my conscience for many years to come. However I have made these decisions with the utmost thought and deliberation and at all times for the greater good of all nations and the future of all our children and grandchildren.” As he spoke the camera panned across the photos arranged on his desk.
“I have consulted with many foreign leaders and heads of influential government agencies, world organizations such as the United Nations, NATO, and the European Union, as well as trusted business, religious and academic advisors. I have followed American and world opinion polls and reviewed the mountain of e-mail I receive here at the White House every day. As I address you this evening I am at peace with these decisions and I trust that you will support our actions for global peace and security for all peoples of the world.
“Let me begin. First, I must inform the American people that at the end of my term in just over two years, I will not be a candidate for re-election.” The camera pulled back, revealing a wide angle shot of the President at his desk, the Presidential seal emblazoned on the oval carpet. Slowly, it zoomed in again.
“Why am I standing down? The reason is simple. Too many times elected officials avoid making the right decisions for fear that they will not be re-elected. The thirst for votes has turned many a good leader into a so-so follower. I have never been a follower and I won’t start now. I am also not running for re-election because I want to assure all of you, no matter what your political affiliation, that I have absolutely no political agenda in the statements I am about to make and the decisions we have taken here at the White House. My only interest is for a lasting and peaceful solution to the terrible conflict in the Middle East and in putting a stop to the rise of global terrorism.
“For the past several decades the Palestinian people have either been living in refugee camps on foreign territory or in their homes surrounded by soldiers. Like all people they deserve the opportunity for a homeland, a nation, a place to raise their families, to worship their god and to pursue their dreams. Today I have asked Congress to officially recognize the nation of Palestine and the rights of the Palestinian people for a homeland.” The image on the screen switched to a picture of a Palestinian flag flying in the breeze.
“Having conferred with many of your representatives in Congress I am assured that they will swiftly and overwhelmingly endorse such a proclamation. I have also conferred with the heads of the nations of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt who have all agreed to cede portions of their land to build the new state of Palestine. Palestine will be approximately the same geographical size as Israel, its neighbor along the western border.
“After extensive discussions with the Israeli ambassador to the United States and the prime minister of Israel my administration has secured their agreement to support the development of a new Palestine and to withdraw all their forces from any occupied territories.
“With this recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people for a homeland I am now formally calling on all Arab nations to immediately renounce any and all support for terrorist activities anywhere in the world.” The tin cup turned in his hands. It looked out of place yet so much a part of the man. “In earlier days terrorism was designed to draw attention to the plight of the Palestinian people. Many of the Arab nations supported these activities not wishing to abandon their Muslim cousins. While I do not agree with terrorist activities of any kind nor the manner in which various Arab states have supported terrorist organizations I do understand the Arab people’s concern about the conditions in which the Palestinian people live.” Again, the camera focused on a tight shot of the President’s face.
“But now the Palestinian people have what they deserve, a permanent homeland for their people. Thus there should be no more support, either overtly or covertly, for any acts of terrorism in the name of Palestine or freedom in the Middle East.
“Let me be clear on this point. Those nations that do not immediately sever all support for terrorist organizations worldwide will be branded as terrorist states and will face the consequences. I have been assured that not only is the United Nations prepared to swiftly impose sanctions against these rogue nations but it has also given the United States a firm commitment that more drastic measures will be taken for noncompliance, including embargoes, economic sanctions, immediate elimination from the United Nations and possible use of force.
“Over the past weeks I have also conferred with many leaders in the Arab world who assure me that they will no longer support terrorism and in fact will begin immediately to arrest and bring to justice those individuals and organizations that continue to operate from within their borders. These Arab nations have even agreed to come before the United Nations individually and collectively to explain what has been done to shut down the terrorist networks for good.”
Matt looked over to where Karl van Ness had been standing just moments ago. For the past week, in private and group meetings, van Ness had been at the President’s side as they hammered out this extraordinary set of events. Sometimes he would disappear for hours only to return and whisper in the President’s ear. Matt wondered just who he was.
“As a result of these decisions and the commitment given by the Arab leadership toward global peace I have just this evening been informed by officials from Saudi Arabia that Osama bin Laden and several other top Al-Qaeda leaders have been killed in raids carried out by a coalition of Saudi Arabian and U.S. Special Forces. Al-Qaeda and its reign of terror on innocent people around the world has been seriously crippled and if we all do our job correctly will soon be totally destroyed.
“Also, under the sponsorship of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Arab nations have agreed to form a task force in conjunction with UN forces to root out all known and suspected terrorists as well as to shut down all terrorist funding activities. In addition just yesterday the government of Switzerland agreed in an unprecedented move of international cooperation to freeze the bank accounts of all known terrorist organizations and individuals. The global terrorist threat is being crushed at this very moment.
“I am committed to putting together the ingredients for a lasting solution to the Middle East crisis and an end to global terrorism, and making them stick. Therefore the United States of America is realigning its allocation of foreign aid to the Middle East, beginning immediately. Many of you probably do not realize how much of your tax dollars have gone to this region for years and yet we continue to be plagued with violence, terrorist activities, and even attacks on our own soil. Last year, for example, U.S. foreign aid, both economic and military, to the Middle East reached an unprecedented level of over eight billion dollars. This tax money flowed out with very little positive result to the United States or the world.
“That is why with the support of key congressional leaders I am proposing to drastically reduce the amount of foreign aid to the Middle East for one year. A good friend of mine once told me ‘Why buy a cow when the milk is free?’ Middle Eastern countries have received a massive amount of foreign aid with no strings attached. They have not been held accountable for hindering, or failing to support, a peaceful solution. In fact the State of Israel alone last year received over six billion dollars of aid, about 30 percent of total U.S. aid around the world and 75 percent of the aid to the Middle East. While in the past our government has seen such a large amount of aid as a means of stabilizing and thus reducing tensions in the Middle East, I think we can all agree it hasn’t worked. For all the money we’ve spent things have only gotten worse.
“The American people stand on their own two feet and work hard to get along peacefully with the nations of the world. It is time the nations of the Middle East, and especially Israel, did the same. If after one year the Arab nations of the Middle East and Israel have continued to work together in peace and have helped to snuff out terrorism and violence in their region and in the world then reasonable and equitable amounts of U.S. foreign aid will again start flowing into the region. But only if peace is achieved and maintained.
“To ensure that various religious interests in the Middle East are respected I have received a firm commitment from all the nations in the region to establish the City of Jerusalem, and surrounding religious sites, as an international holy city for all faiths. The freedom to worship freely at their respective holy places will be guaranteed to people of all faiths. As you all know Jerusalem is a sacred city for Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In the not-too-distant past Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived peacefully side by side in Jerusalem. It is my dream that this will again be the case.”
Ross Pierce placed his tin cup to one side. “To govern this international city each of the major faiths in the region has agreed to participate in setting up a ruling city council. My personal physician and good friend, Dr. Noubar Melikian, who has worked his entire life for a peaceful solution in the Middle East, has unselfishly agreed to
