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Marcus paused a moment to let the thought sink in.
“The loss of General Evans, Dr. Davis, and Janelle Thomas is devastating —personally, of course, but also strategically,” he continued. “Bill McDermott is a dear friend and a fine man. He’s prepared to step into the general’s shoes as national security advisor. But he isn’t going to have the time to shuttle throughout the region to make this peace deal happen. Neither will Secretary Whitney —not while managing every other portfolio on her plate. So the president needs someone who . . . well, he needs you.”
“I certainly wasn’t expecting this.”
“Neither was the president —but when I laid out the case, he loved it, and he wants to move on it quickly.”
“I’ll bet he does,” said Dayton, rising from his seat and beginning to pace his office. “But you know what you’re asking me to do, right? I’d have to resign my Senate seat, which I’ve held since the Stone Age. That, of course, would create an open seat. Then my governor —a Republican, mind you —will either take the seat herself or appoint some fire-breathing, pro-life, evangelical conservative who’s the polar opposite of me. Then I’ll have really burnt my bridges with the Democrats, and all for an appointment that will be quickly over if the president is not reelected?”
Pete saw his moment. “Senator, that’s exactly what I told Marcus you’d say.”
“Really?” asked Dayton. “And?”
“And I told Marcus that he and the president were getting way ahead of themselves. The last thing the administration needs right now is to send another high-profile official overseas to become a new target for this Kairos group. So, knowing you as I do, I told Marcus how this should work, if it’s going to work at all.”
The senator raised an eyebrow. So did Annie. But they were both listening, so Pete continued.
“The Senate doesn’t come back into session until next Tuesday, right?”
Dayton nodded.
“Okay, so you and Annie make a secret trip back to Riyadh, not as an emissary of the president —not publicly or officially, anyway —but as a go-between, a back channel. Marcus and I come with you to watch your backs. You sound out the Saudis and find out just how serious they really are. Marcus reports everything back to Bill McDermott. That keeps everything quiet and deniable. But if it’s real —if the crown prince is really prepared to go to Jerusalem —then the president brings you in to get your thoughts, and he has to promise to give you credit for helping broker a historic peace summit in Jerusalem with the Saudis and the Israelis. Specifically, he invites you to the summit as a key player in the negotiations. It’s a huge story. It’s bipartisan. Your base will hate it, but so what? You’re not running anyway. And if the Saudis and Israelis really want to hammer out a treaty, then it’s your choice —stay in the Senate or step down and be appointed the president’s special envoy. The Republicans control the Senate, and your colleagues will want credit for something so huge, so your confirmation is guaranteed. But it would be your call, and there would be no pressure publicly or behind the scenes from the White House.”
“That’s not bad,” said Annie.
“Thanks.”
“Have you spoken to the president about this?” she asked Marcus, protecting her boss from having to ask.
“We called Bill just before we came here,” Pete said before Marcus could answer. “He’s already spoken to the president.”
“And?” Annie pressed.
“Well, obviously he’d prefer it if the senator would come on board immediately, but he’s ready to move either way that seems best to you.”
The senator leaned back in his chair, smiled, and ran a hand through his hair. Then he turned to Annie. “What do you say?”
“I say we head to the White House, sir, and get this thing done.”