A Mannequin for President

A MANNEQUIN FOR PRESIDENT

Copyright © 2004 by Jonathan Andrew Ledwidge

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any

means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

iUniverse

2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100

Lincoln, NE 68512

www.iuniverse.com

1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

ISBN: 0-595-33112-2 (pbk)

ISBN: 0-595-66747-3 (cloth)

ISBN: 978-0-5957-7899-7 (ebk)

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter 1: Congregation of the Principals

Chapter 2: U. Sam Herald

Chapter 3: The Interview

Chapter 4: Hope, Fear, & The American Dream

Chapter 5: The Politics of Hate

Chapter 6: The Fundamentalist Conviction

Chapter 7: My Fellow Americans

Chapter 8: The New Jerusalem

Chapter 9: The Presidential Candidate

Sources & References

When asked, What do you think of Western Civilization?

Gandhi responded, I think that would be a great idea.

PROLOGUE

Victory! The Fundamentalists and conservatives had triumphed and their victory was sweet. At one time, the odds had appeared stacked against them, but they eventually triumphed. Now the new Fundamentalist Administration was committed to a vision of the future that would change the country and the world. This was a new beginning. The lustful and immoral behavior of their predecessors was now at an end, and morality in government was restored.

Now the Cabinet gathered for its first meeting. They started with a prayer that expressed great thanks to God for their wonderful triumph, and as there would be more challenges in the future, they prayed for his guidance in overcoming them.

It was for these reasons that religion would form the principal basis of and the very essence of government. Their first point of order was that religious teachings and ideals would guide both foreign and domestic policy.

This divine conviction would prevail irrespective of the opinions of other nations. Some would call this unilateralist. However, worldly opinions could never take precedence over religious doctrine. How could anyone question their ideals when their orders came from on high? As long as they remained firm in those beliefs, all criticism would be irrelevant and would thus be ignored. This Administration would never be afraid of acting in pursuit of its objectives. The correct interpretation of God’s will was far more important than issues of war and peace.

In order to facilitate a Fundamentalist approach, appointments to government institutions would depend on the candidate’s spirituality. The Cabinet, packed as it was with religious conservatives, had only been the start. Next in line was the Administration. The same would apply to the courts and the judiciary. Those who executed divine orders also needed to have divine guidance. Otherwise, how could they perform effectively? A God-fearing society needed to have its political and judicial leaders operating in tandem.

The Administration would actively promote and encourage religious education. Evolution and other such devilish teachings would—as much as possible—be removed from the school curriculum. The holy book would be read and interpreted in its most literal sense.

In accordance with God’s law, the state would only lawfully recognize marriage as the union between a man and a woman. Sexual intercourse outside of that union would be actively discouraged. This would be reinforced by demonstrating that much of the disease and destruction unleashed on the world was God’s retribution for homosexuality, adultery, fornication, and other such acts of depravity.

The Administration would channel increased funding to religious charities engaged in social work. Secular organizations would have less funding. Television and other art forms would face new levels of censorship.

The most valuable test of a person’s character would be his or her patriotism, examples of which included service in the armed forces and supporting the government in war and against terrorism.

The last point was especially important. The evil Iraqis and their terrorist supporters were determined to wage a war of aggression against the nation. The Administration would spare no effort in resisting this, irrespective of what the international community thought.

The nation was now in a continuous and heightened state of alert. The security services now had greater powers to monitor, arrest, and detain for an indefinite period, terrorist suspects and those who associated with or had possible knowledge of terrorist suspects. There would be a strengthened and more stringently applied penal code for all categories of crime.

Arms production would increase significantly in order to ensure that the authorities could successfully prosecute the war against this terrorist aggression.

Iran would take whatever steps it could to defend itself from Iraqi aggression and that of its supporter the Great Satan. These infidels had tried for so many years to keep Iran under their thumb. Now they were the chief architects of this new criminality. However, this was 1980 and not 1953. Iran now had the power to defend itself.

There was another prayer. Those assembled bowed their heads, thanked God for delivering them from the horrors of the past, and prayed that he would similarly deliver them from the horrors of the future. The meeting ended and the ayatollahs and other religious leaders dispersed. They felt confident, strong, and determined. They had an absolute trust and belief in the notion that God was on their side. He must be, they reasoned; they were acting in full accordance with his will. Thus, they would prevail. They were sure of it.

CHAPTER 1

CONGREGATION OF THE

PRINCIPALS

For those concerned with American global supremacy, it was a truly depressing period. The party that throughout history had done its best to champion that cause above all others had a majority in Congress but alas had not managed to regain the Presidency. Clinton had won the 1996 Presidential Election despite all their efforts, fair and foul, to upset him.

Congressional power was good, but the Presidency was where power resided. Congress could pass laws but the Executive had ways and means of operating outside of them both at home and, perhaps more importantly, abroad. The Executive determined the balance of power between the US and its adversaries. The Executive determined how to leverage US economic power in support of policy objectives. Finally and most importantly, it was the Executive that determined the global deployment and projection of military power. This included the when’s, why’s, and how’s of declaring war and which country was next in line for bombing. Bombing was an indispensable tool for fomenting change and a useful instrument of choice. Some had even said that it was the best incentive for change that America could ever provide another country. After all, since World War II the US had bombed over twenty countries for a whole variety of reasons. That of course did not include countless other insurgencies, coups, and conflicts engineered by the CIA.

The demise of the Soviet Union had left the US as the lone superpower. Consequently, many were of the opinion that the US could afford to reduce military spending and lower its guard. The politics of the day meant that trends in support of this misguided thinking were already emerging, and if allowed to continue for much longer these policies would do untold damage. Here was the greatest opportunity for establishing unchallenged global ascendancy in the history of humanity. Why would anyone want to blow it?

To fundamentalists and conservatives, this was unbelievable and tantamount to sacrilege. It provided all the motivation they ever needed to agitate for a different agenda. For those who had a more enlightened perspective on the machinations of global power, their only hope of changing it was to have a President and an Administration that shared their disposition. That of course meant that not only did they have to engineer a victory for the 2000 Presidential Election, but that they also needed to accomplish this with a candidate who fully reflected their views and ideals.

It was for this reason that this particular group of party patriarchs—or the Principals as they called themselves—came together. These six men, Rich Wells, Norm L Lyre III, Marshall Byas, Colt Reiffel, Tom Hawk, and Christian Wright, already wielded significant influence as individuals. It was their expectation that coming together as a group would make them formidable.

The Principals were alarmed at what in their view was the precipitous decline of American power relative to the rest of the world. What was even more alarming was the fact that some members of their own party were also in agreement with the emerging consensus on reducing US military power. The group had been meeting informally to discuss issues of political import for the past two years. They determined that now was the time to act and that that action had to be quick, radical, and decisive.

Preferring to operate in relative secrecy, they had decided to conduct their meetings from a remote ranch. Today they assembled in its large boardroom.

The owner of the ranch and their host, Norm L Lyre III, stood up to address them. Lyre had a long and distinguished career in the PR business. It was in his blood. His father, Norm L Lyre II, had been a stalwart of the burgeoning PR industry in the 1940s and 50s, plying his considerable skills in the development of the consumer society. The younger Lyre had enthusiastically embraced the PR industry but had tended to focus more on the political side. There was hardly a major lobby group or candidate that had not consulted him before launching their campaigns. He had overseen the setup of more lobby groups, independent think tanks, citizens front groups, corporate sponsored independent research groups, and just about every other sham publicity device one could think of than anyone else. He could organize a rebuttal to any political attack and additionally, position credible bad news or negative publicity in the media within 24 hours. His skills were particularly useful when the Clintons tried to introduce legislation leading to the adoption of universal health coverage in the US. The $300 million PR blitz he helped to orchestrate on behalf of the healthcare industry was so successful the flabbergasted Clintons and their whining liberal supporters did not know what hit them. Naturally, he was handsomely rewarded for his efforts.

More recently, Lyre had played an essential role in lobbying the FCC and other groups promoting consolidation within the media. To him this was both good business and good politics. It was good business because it would make media organizations more efficient and thus more profitable. It was good politics because mergers and consolidations in the media, especially when these entities became part of

larger corporate conglomerates, would make it even easier to control and manipulate public opinion.

Gentlemen, he began, "it is a great pleasure to be amongst friends. You might say that this is unusual for a PR man but I am going to quit the small talk and get right to the point. We have to craft a strategy that places our man, with our policies, and under our control, into nominally what is the most powerful position on earth: the Presidency of the United States. I must emphasize the word ‘nominally’ because whoever this guy is, he will be our man; he will belong to us. Just consider the implications of getting this right. Just consider the window of opportunity that this affords us. Others have done it before; there is no reason why we can’t do it now. The very course of history is at our mercy. Moreover, all we need to do is to make very considered choices about how we go about executing our plan. Now I believe that irrespective of the intellectual rigor and inspiration behind our judgement, there will be people—and I should emphasize desperate people—who will be hell-bent on thwarting us. That, my dear friends, is one of life’s sad realities. As a matter of fact, such is the vision and clarity of our ideas that I would be worried if that was not the case," he stated mockingly.

Lyre paused as smiles, followed by ripples of gentle laughter, enveloped the room, accompanied by a cacophony of names and epithets:

Bleeding heart liberals.

Serial philanderers and sex offenders.

Lily-livered, weak-minded sons-of-bitches.

Prosecute them for un-American activities.

Atheists.

Slick Willie.

Brother Bill.

For some subtle reason, that final designation pushed the volume of laughter up to a higher level. Wright for one was rollicking and rolling, and slapping Reiffel on the back as he did so. The others, although slightly less energetic, were nevertheless thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Lyre waited for the mirth to subside. It is good to see that you are all ready and wound up for this, he exclaimed.

We have girded our loins and we are ready for battle, Wright rejoined.

Good. I am beginning to love this already, Lyre retorted. He looked around the room as if to personalize what he was about to say next to each of them individually, and then resumed: So, given the challenges we will face, do you know what this means? It means that we have to be ruthless in our execution. It means that we have to meet the opposition with every type of force at our disposal. What we decide today at this meeting is perhaps the single most important thing we will ever do in our lives. We owe it to ourselves to pursue it with the fullness of our convictions. With each sentence, Lyre was clenching his right fist and shaking it, as if sending a warning to potential adversaries. The rest of the Principals constantly nodded their heads in approval.

He paused again, making sure that everything he said had registered, and then continued: Now here is how I plan to conduct the rest of the meeting. I would like each of you to provide an initial summary of your overall policy objectives, or more importantly your vision of the future. This will ensure that we will each have a complete overview of all the issues and what we need to discuss further. Once we have done that and taken care of any major inconsistencies, then we need to turn our attention to determining how we will make our personally chosen and directed representative, President of the United States. Now, I already have a few ideas as to precisely the type of person we should be looking for, but I will leave that until later because I want to get the policy discussions underway. Now which one of you is going to be first?

Christian Wright, affectionately known at times as Reverend, immediately stood to attention. It was as if some unseen force had compelled him. That’s just a great opening Norm, and right now I think I was ordained to take onto myself the mantle of moving our little congregation forward in a spiritual manner. Frankly, I can’t think of a more appropriate place to start than with the moral fabric of the nation because without God we can achieve nothing, he asserted.

The events of the past several years had left him the most disgruntled of all the Principals. A former Senator from Alabama, his rise to becoming a preeminent voice of the fundamentalist movement was fashioned around one of the most enterprising and oddly unique religious crusades of modern times. It was a tour of university campuses throughout the South where, if the reports were to be believed, thousands of young people (or as he described them, each a mini-star-spangled banner) were cured of the malicious malady of homosexual depravity.

Although he had failed to get homosexuality, sex before marriage, fellatio, and ‘other subhuman digressions’, as he called them, listed as criminal acts in several states, Wright’s efforts and staunch defense of ‘civilized values’ were greatly admired. He was a beacon within the fundamentalist heartland. Many considered his Senate voting record to be every bit as impressive as his exploits. He had voted in favor of and actively supported just about every major weapons system and every war or covert action that the US had engaged in. One anti-war activist had observed that Wright had never met a weapons system that he didn’t like, and that bombing people was far more sinful than any sexual act. In response, Wright had promptly declared that righteousness in the sight of God was more important than life itself.

So now, here he was with the Principals. Having anointed himself the guiding light and spiritual conscience of the movement, he was about to play his part. He picked up the Bible he had brought with him in his left hand and dramatically clasped it close to his heart, as if he were safeguarding it from some vile demon. He heaved, and with his right hand straightened his glasses and mopped his brow, before raising the book to the heavens.

I tell you today that the current leadership of this nation is taking us along a path that can only lead to ruination and destruction! Wright exclaimed. I will say right here and now that I will support any scheme, fair or foul, that will bring this President to his knees. Here, here, bellowed Byas as the others applauded. You could tell that Wright was only warming up, as his voice had not yet reached fever pitch. Now, irrespective of whatever happens, Clinton will be gone in three years, he continued. However, the issues facing us go well beyond that. They go to the very core of our existence. I only pray that God moves and spiritually uplifts us along our path, so that we get this thing right. As such, my brothers, I feel particularly moved to say a prayer at this time. So if you will all close your eyes and bow your heads with me it would be greatly appreciated. He checked around the room to ensure that everyone had done as he had asked. Again, he lifted his right hand to the heavens. This time, however, the Bible-clasping left hand was used to smite his chest in rhythm with his prayer; thump, thump, thump. The thumps increased in intensity as he raised his voice:

"Lord you know that we love your scriptures

Lord your scriptures taught us that it would be taken from those that have not and be given to those that have

Lord in these modern times we interpret this as meaning that the wealth of this great nation cannot and should not be equally spread Lord we know that the majority of people are better off being hardworking, poor, and therefore more righteous, having neither the time nor the means to exercise their depravity

Lord we know that were we to make everyone wealthy we would descend into unrighteousness such as not been seen since the days of Sodom and Gomorrah

Lord we pray that we can continue to keep things that way so that over time and through the course of their hard work, diligence, and occasional distress, your people may become even better at glorifying you

Lord we pray for ourselves, those whom you have deemed to be the keepers and guardians of the enormous wealth within our society and throughout the world

Lord we pray that you will continue to guide our thoughts and actions Lord give us the wisdom to make the right financial investments and build more churches

Lord help us to make the right choices in terms of the weapons systems we build so that we may better be able to conquer infidels, and ensure that the riches of this world are secured in such a manner, that your humble followers may achieve even greater things in thy name

Lord, as we gather here today to develop our strategy, we trust that you will guide our thoughts and actions

Lord, finally, you know we need to select someone as our Presidential candidate that will be appropriately and sufficiently simple and flexible, such that he will perform his duties according to your will Lord continue to bless us, in the name of Jesus Amen."

By the time Wright had pronounced the final Amen, his voice had become a high-pitched shriek. The others were somewhat more muted as they mumbled theirs in response:

Amen.

Wright was not finished just yet. He assumed a more becalmed air and actually placed his Bible down on the table in front of him. As far as policy is concerned I guess I have already said a lot, he mused. However I want to emphasize that it is important that we create an environment within society that is morally uplifting. I want to see a society where Christian values are a way of life rather than the exception. I want to see a society that cherishes and enshrines traditional American values of family and hard work. These things must become the cornerstones of our daily lives. I believe that as we develop our plans and move into their execution, these values will become even more important. Without them, exercising control over the kind of society we need to develop will be far more difficult than any of us could contemplate. I think that this is as much as I want to say right now. Thank you all very much for your time.

The others nodded politely and there was even a slight ripple of applause. Wright sat down.

Colt Reiffel was the next to get up. Reiffel was a lawyer who had devoted a large amount of time and effort to the great constitutional issues of the day. He focused much if not most of his work on the powers of government and the right of the people to bear arms. Along with everyone else at the meeting, he was by nature pro-life, pro-death, for low taxes, and in general an avid supporter of a strong domestic agenda.

Friends, Americans, countrymen, Reiffel greeted them. Invariably, he was one who skipped the histrionics and focused on the substance of what he had to say. So he simply stood in front of them and delivered his words as if he were presenting a major point of law before The Supreme Court.

Today I feel especially proud, Reiffel continued, because we have an opportunity to bring to bear on this country and ultimately the world, a natural order, without which progress cannot be made. Shakespeare referred to it as the ‘chain of beings’. Integral to creating that natural order will be our vision of the kind of country we want to have. I will not say much more at this time as I have spoken in detail on domestic policy issues at enough rallies and meetings and in enough courtrooms for everybody to know precisely where I stand. What I do believe I must emphasize at this time, however, is that our domestic policy framework must be completely and comprehensively adapted to our domestic agenda.

Reiffel paused, leaned across the table with his hands resting on it, palms down, and addressed his fellow Principals in almost philosophical tones: Moreover, we should do this without fear, without favor, and without compromise. We must do it because that is precisely what we stand for and we must do it because we know precisely what it is we want to achieve. Then there was silence. Reiffel maintained his pose for a while, looking at each of them around the table, then quietly sat down.

The mood of the whole room had changed from what they had witnessed before. It was as if the gravity of the task ahead had suddenly dawned on them. They reflected for a while before Marshall Byas, who was next in line going around the table, slowly got up.

Marshall Byas was a former Colonel of Army Intelligence and White House Aide who once secretly coordinated the false accounting of several weapons programs, much to the delight of the Pentagon and military contractors. He then became a defense lobbyist for several years, after which he again served at the White House, but this time in a more senior capacity. Having completed that assignment, which included establishing policy guidelines for defense procurement, he was now serving on the board of a major defense contractor.

Our number one objective, above all else, is to keep America strong, by any means necessary, Byas stated flatly. His tone was more matter-of-fact, this-is-how-it-is than the others’ and, amazingly, he seemed to look everyone directly in the eye all at the same time. At least it seemed that way given his six-foot-four-inches-and-maybe-just-as-wide frame. Byas was an intimidating sight and he seemed to enjoy that fact.

In order to accomplish this, Byas continued, given that a champion is only as good as his opponents, America must have enemies, he emphatically pronounced, making it sound as if it were the first law of life itself. Whether those enemies are real or imagined, I frankly don’t give a damn, that is an irrelevance. People have to believe or at least perceive that there is a threat to the constitutional democracy that is the United States. Only then will Congress devote the necessary resources for us to do what we know is right.

Byas paused, as if he was changing gears, then addressed the issues that ultimately represented the core objectives of his proposed policies: The exploitation of natural resources backed and facilitated by a strong military will drive the further rise and projection of American power into the 21st century, he expounded, slamming the desk with his fist as he did so. The others caught on to his upbeat mood.

Bingo.

Right on.

That’s telling it like it is.

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.

Gentlemen we have liftoff.

The comments came thick and fast and, once again, they were looking a happy bunch. This was what they really wanted to hear. It was the very essence and core of their plan. Byas essayed a grin, albeit metaphorically—its effect was more like that of a crocodile sharpening its teeth. Having these two elements working in strict coordination would define the very nature of America and the world for the foreseeable future. Why do we say that? As with all the great empires in history, it will be our ability to secure natural resources that will sustain both our economic and military supremacy.

It was in pursuit of this stated goal that Byas, along with Tom Hawk, Rich Wells, and others, had co-authored a paper entitled In Defense of America. The paper provided a comprehensive analysis of America’s resource requirements into the next century, and the outlay in terms of men and materiel required for securing and exploiting it. When the paper was first circulated Byas had joked, The Bible says that the meek shall inherit the earth, but that’s OK. As long as we get the oil, the gas, the gold, the strategic minerals, and all the other shit we need.

However, the paper itself was no joke. Many within the party were considering it an article of faith; a basic framework for what in some corridors was being called the New Jerusalem. A very important aspect of the paper was its inherent design, in that it brought into perfect alignment all of the main interest groups. The Pentagon would get more weapons and the military industrialists would get more contracts. The oil and gas lobby was positively drooling at the thought of getting their slice of the eagerly awaited global carve-up. Finally, the various think-tanks, PR agencies, and lobby groups would be handsomely rewarded for shaping public opinion towards enactment of the required policies. In short, there was money in it for all the right people. Byas had laid his plans out very carefully, waiting for a chance to act, and now here he was, the right man, in the right place, at the right time.

When Byas sat down, given what he had said before, it was only natural that the person that followed was the living embodiment of the energy lobby:

I could not agree with my good friend Marshall more, Wells started. I too believe that a small group of us working together in an integrated way is the best way forward. I too believe that we have a unique opportunity to be the masters of our own destiny rather than being hostages to it. I might also add that there are people of a mindset similar to ourselves that are more than willing to provide whatever assistance they can in order to ensure the success of our venture.

Rich Wells was born into a family of independent Texan oilmen. By the time he was in his early thirties, Wells had not only taken over the firm but had also acquired others and developed the business well beyond the size of his initial inheritance. Later, as the economics of the situation dictated, he had arranged for the company’s acquisition and merger with one of the majors. The fact that he now sat on the board of that major, as well as that of a major oil services company, was a testament to how well he was regarded in the business.

To the absolute fury of environmentalists, he had pushed for drilling for oil in the Arctic Wildlife, in addition to just about every offshore location possible. On several occasions, he had served as an advisor or member of a task force to the White House or Department of Energy. Essentially, Wells was consulted on every Washington decision that concerned oil and gas, and that was irrespective of who was in power. As such, conservationists constantly targeted him. They hated his guts, but it did not seem to bother