Melanie strode into the Oval with her copy of the New York Times opened to the editorial page. She read out loud from the page while she walked toward Charlotte, who was seated behind her desk reading the overnight intelligence reports.
“The decision to suspend her campaign cements Charlotte Kramer’s place in American political life as above the fray. She has proven herself as a leader cut out for the complex times we face,” Melanie said, beaming at Charlotte. A glowing review from the New York Times was rare, and as much as they loved to insult the paper, its praise rarely went unnoticed.
“It was a very smart move, Madam President, very smart. I wasn’t sure at first, but you were right,” Melanie said.
“It can’t be helpful with the base to have the New York Times fawn all over me,” Charlotte said.
“No, but they weren’t very excited about your reelection before the speech. And the Times won’t stay impressed with you for long, we can be sure. At least now you have a shot at changing the press narrative. I know it’s not everything, but it’s better than four months of stories about how your defeat is imminent.”
“True,” Charlotte said. “Is Ralph out there, or did he get hauled off to the medical unit when he saw the Times?”
“He was having his second breakfast in the Mess when I last saw him,” Melanie said.
“Do you want to have dinner tonight?” Charlotte asked.
“I can’t. I have a date,” she said, blushing.
“I’d suggest that you bring Brian, but it feels too much like meeting the parents, doesn’t it?” Charlotte said.
“A little bit. Maybe with a larger group. When are Brooke and Mark coming back to town?” Melanie asked.
“Soon, I’m sure,” Charlotte said.
“Did you read the draft statement on the commission findings?”
“I did not, but I will look at it this morning,” Charlotte said, pulling a thin white folder from the small, neat stack of papers on her desk.
“Obviously, we don’t know exactly what they’re going to say, but we can assume that they will find Roger’s actions to have violated his authority as secretary of defense,” Melanie said.
“Will they recommend any criminal charges?” Charlotte asked.
“I don’t think Congress can do that, but they can certainly indict him in the court of public opinion.”
“Hasn’t that already happened?” Charlotte asked.
“Basically, but if the commission finds him guilty of negligence, it will carry more weight. No one will want to touch him.”
“He didn’t help himself by taking the Fifth every time the commission asked him a question,” Charlotte said.
“I don’t think he had an explanation for why he ordered Marine One to be put down except to leave the crew on the ground and let you escape. He can’t offer any explanation for leaving them to die, because he doesn’t regret it. And I know him well enough to know that he’ll never see it differently,” Melanie said.
Charlotte sighed deeply and looked pained as she walked back and forth behind her desk.
“Madam President?” Melanie asked.
“Call me if it starts to leak. I don’t want Roger blowing in the wind. As soon as we get the report, we go before the cameras and deliver the statement, even if it’s the middle of the night.”
“Yes, ma’am. That’s the plan.”
“Have fun on your date tonight,” Charlotte said.
“Thanks, and I’ll see you at the economic policy meetings this afternoon,” Melanie said.
Melanie delivered a speech to the incoming batch of interns in the Old Executive Office Building, had lunch with the secretary of transportation to discuss the Highway Bill, invited a handful of reporters into her office to provide some of the atmospherics surrounding Charlotte’s decision not to campaign for reelection, and then sat through three and a half hours of policy briefings on economic and monetary policy. At around six forty-five, Brian e-mailed.
“I just finished my live shot. Do you still want to have dinner tonight?”
“YES!” she wrote back.
They dined at Hook in Georgetown and walked back to Melanie’s place afterward.
“Thanks for your help today on the tick-tock. Billy was thrilled that I had the color from your internal process,” Brian said.
“That’s what I’m here for,” Melanie said. “Who says there are no benefits to dating a tired, cranky government official?”
“Not me,” Brian said, kissing her.
They fell asleep before the local news came on and woke three hours later to Melanie’s cell phone.
“Hello?” she mumbled.
“Melanie, it’s Annie.”
“What’s wrong?” Melanie asked.
“The report is out. I just e-mailed it to your White House account.”
“Thanks for calling, Annie. Try to go back to sleep.”
“You’re not going to get up and read it now, are you?” Brian asked groggily.
“I have to,” Melanie said, rubbing her eyes.
“You already know what’s in it. Everyone knows what’s in it,” he said, his voice muffled by the pillow he was holding over his face to block the light.
“I know, but I should read it again to make sure it’s the same as the version that leaked, don’t you agree?”
“Fine, go read the report, already. You’ll feel better,” he groused.
“Sorry,” she said.
Melanie left the bedroom and turned on the computer on her dining-room table. She added paper to her printer and waited for the two-hundred-page report. She went into the kitchen to turn on the coffee maker. With a steaming mug of coffee in hand, she sat down and started reading the pages off the printer.
The final report found Roger guilty of gross negligence and behavior unbecoming of a senior government official. The report also found that Roger had acted well beyond his constitutional authority by ordering the landing of Marine One. They were unable to prove that Roger had knowledge that the crew would be attacked by a Taliban missile or that he intended to see them attacked, so the report stopped just short of recommending criminal prosecution. But it did ban Roger from further government service for life. Melanie cringed. He would go crazy.
She rubbed her forehead and tried to brace herself for the inevitable. Roger would retaliate out of sheer desperation, and there wasn’t much they could do about it. He’d go on Fox News and make his case for the constitutionality of protecting the commander in chief above all others. Charlotte would have to endure watching Roger reduced to pandering to the zealots on the far right, who had always distrusted and disliked her. Melanie was frustrated that she couldn’t do more to help. With the affair rumors published by the Dispatch, Peter carrying on with Dale, and all of the various congressional committees and subcommittees focused on further investigations into the crash, there was ample suspicion among the press and Congress that Charlotte’s White House was in complete meltdown.
That’s why it had been so surprising when Charlotte’s poll numbers had started inching upward. Apparently, voters admired a president who could endure adversity. Something else was at play in Charlotte’s steadily improving poll numbers. In revealing Peter and Dale’s relationship, Charlotte had admitted that she wasn’t perfect, that she was prone to the same sorts of heartbreaks and humiliations as any other married woman. Her approval numbers among married women doubled. And in the twenty-four hours since Charlotte had announced that she would not campaign for reelection, her approval ratings surged ten more points.
Melanie pulled up the statement she’d written for Charlotte the day before. Charlotte wanted to take the high road. In the statement, she praised Roger and Stephanie for their service to the country and said she would take the report’s recommendations seriously.
At around four-thirty, she heard Brian get up and turn on the shower. She reviewed Charlotte’s statement and printed out a copy for him. Once Charlotte delivered the press statement in response to the report, Melanie had to figure out how to get Charlotte reelected in the absence of a campaign.
Brian came into the dining room in a towel. “Anything in there that I need to know?” he asked.
“No, it’s the same version I got yesterday. I printed out a copy of Charlotte’s statement for you to take—embargoed—with you this morning.”
“You’re just trying to get yourself out of the dog house,” he said with a smile while walking into the kitchen and pouring a cup of coffee.
“I am not. I am a good and generous girlfriend looking out for her boyfriend,” she retorted.
He walked over and gave her a kiss. “Nice try, but you’re still in the dog house,” he said as he walked back into the bedroom to get dressed.