Saturday, August 29, 2009

Fiction

I've got the TV on, but the sound off as the drama unfolds in Roxbury. The gathering is remarkable. It is a greater concentration of political movers, shakers, screw-ups and wannabes than even a joint session of Congress on State of the Union night. I'm trying to patch the succession together and ascertain who is the designated stay-at-home to insure survivability of the executive.

Right now I'm missing Pelosi. But I'm not sure if Harry Reid is there or Hillary or Bob Gates either. Regardless, there is a collection in one place and it was inevitable that my mind flashed back to some fictional works.

The first one that came to mind was "Cathedral" by Nelson Demille. Terrorists seize St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City and mayhem ensues. But, that is just city officials and society members.

Then I remembered Tom Clancy's "Executive Orders". A terrorist crashes a 747 into the US Capitol during the State of the Union address and it catapults Jack Ryan into the presidency.

I can't begin to contemplate the security planning that has gone into this event. I'm fairly certain that the plans were laid out well before this week. The traffic jam will be incredible.

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