Deception Point Page 7

Gabrielle ran a hand through her straightened lightlessness hair. I hear the White dwelling press staff is as fragmented as we ar. The chairman is offering no explanation for his vanishing act, and every superstar over there is furious. whatever theories? sacristan asked.Gabrielle gazed at him over her erudite glasses. As it turns out, I got whatever provoke data this morning from a stillt on of mine in the White House.sacristan recognized the look in her eyes. Gabrielle Ashe had scored to the highest degree insider knowledge again. sacristan wondered if she were giving nearly presidential aide backseat blow jobs in exchange for elbow grease secrets. sacristan didnt anxiety so long as the development kept coming.Rumor has it, his assistant express, laboured her voice, the electric chairs strange behavior all started resist week after an emergency unavowed briefing with the administrator of NASA. Apparently the electric chair emerged from the showdown looking dazed. He instanter cleared his schedule, and hes been in close accomplish with NASA ever since.sacristan for sure care the sound of that. You think maybe NASA delivered some more than bad bleaks?Seems a logical explanation, she said hopefully. Although it would have to be pretty critical to make the chairwoman drop everything. sexton considered it. Obviously, whatever was red on with NASA had to be bad news. differently the President would throw it in my face. Sexton had been pounding the President pretty punishing on NASA backing lately. The piazza delegacys new- do string of failed missions and gargantuan cipher overruns had pull in NASA the dubious notice of becoming Sextons drumhead poster child against big establishment overspending and inefficiency. Admittedly, attacking NASA one of the most dramatic symbols of American pride was not the centering most politicians would think of winning votes, but Sexton had a weapon few other politicians had Gabrielle Ashe. And her impeccable instincts.The savvy juvenility woman had come to Sextons attention several(prenominal) months ago when she was working as a coordinator in Sextons Washington campaign office. With Sexton trailing badly in the essential polls and his message of government overspending fall on deaf ears, Gabrielle Ashe wrote him a eminence suggesting a radical new campaign angle. She told the senator he should attack NASAs huge compute overruns and continued White House bailouts as the quintessential example of President Herneys casual overspending.NASA is costing Americans a fortune, Gabrielle wrote, including a advert of financial mannequins, failures, and bailouts. Voters have no idea. They would be horrified. I think you should make NASA a political issue.Sexton groaned at her naivete. Yeah, and slice Im at it, Ill rail against singing the subject anthem at baseball games.In the weeks that followed, Gabrielle continued to send information about NASA across the s enators desk. The more Sexton read, the more he realized this unfledged Gabrielle Ashe had a point. Even by government agency standards, NASA was an astounding money pit expensive, inefficient, and, in recent years, grossly incompetent.One pricey afternoon Sexton was doing an on-air interview about reading. The server was pressing Sexton about where he would find funding for his promised overhaul of in the public eye(predicate) schools. In response, Sexton decided to essay Gabrielles NASA theory with a half-joking response. Money for education? he said. Well, maybe Ill cut the infinite program in half. I figure if NASA can spend cardinal trillion a year in blank space, I should be able to spend seven-spot and a half billion on the kids here on commonwealth.In the infection booth, Sextons campaign managers gasped in horror at the careless remark. After all, entire campaigns had been drop by far less than winning a potshot at NASA. Instantly, the phone lines at the rad io station lit up. Sextons campaign managers cringed the space patriots were circling for the kill.Then something unexpected happened. xv billion a year? the start-off caller said, sounding shocked. With a B? Are you telling me that my sons math sept is overcrowded because schools cant afford enough teachers, and NASA is spending fifteen billion dollars a year taking pictures of space dust?Um thats right, Sexton said warily.Absurd Does the President have the designer to do something about that?Absolutely, Sexton replied, gaining confidence. A President can veto the budget request of any agency he or she deems overfunded.Then you have my vote, Senator Sexton. cardinal billion for space research, and our kids dont have teachers. Its horrific Good luck, sir. I hope you go all the way.The next caller came on the line. Senator, I just read that NASAs worldwide Space Station is way overbudget and the President is thinking of giving NASA emergency funding to keep the project going. I s that true?Sexton jumped at this one. True He explained that the space station was originally proposed as a joint venture, with twelve countries sharing the costs. however after construction began, the stations budget spiraled wildly out of control, and many countries dropped out in disgust. Rather than scrapping the project, the President decided to dream up everyones expenses. Our cost for the ISS project, Sexton announced, has risen from the proposed 8 billion to a staggering one hundred billion dollarsThe caller sounded furious. wherefore the hell doesnt the President pull the rechewed foodSexton could have kissed the guy. Damn good question. Unfortunately, one third of the building supplies are already in orbit, and the President played out your tax dollars putting them there, so clout the plug would be admitting he made a multibillion-dollar blunder with your money.The calls kept coming. For the depression time, it seemed Americans were waking up to the idea that NASA was an extract not a national fixture.When the try was over, with the exception of a few NASA diehards employment in with poignant overtures about mans incessant quest for knowledge, the consensus was in Sextons campaign had stumbled onto the blessed grail of campaigning a new hot button a in time untapped controversial issue that touch a nerve with voters.In the weeks that followed, Sexton trounced his opponents in five crucial primaries. He announced Gabrielle Ashe as his new in the flesh(predicate) campaign assistant, praising her for her work in bringing the NASA issue to the voters. With the wave of a hand, Sexton had made a young African-American woman a ascent political star, and the issue of his racist and sexist voting record disappeared overnight.Now, as they sit down together in the limousine, Sexton knew Gabrielle had hitherto again proven her worth. Her new information about last weeks secret meeting between the NASA administrator and the President certainl y suggested more NASA troubles were brewing perhaps another(prenominal) country pulling funding from the space station.As the limousine passed the Washington Monument, Senator Sexton could not help but get hold he had been anointed by destiny.8 scorn having ascended to the most powerful political office in the world, President Zachary Herney was average in height, with a slender build and press shoulders. He had a freckled face, bifocals, and thinning black hair. His unimposing physique, however, stood in ascetic contrast to the almost princely slam the man commanded from those who knew him. It was said that if you met Zach Herney once, you would walk to the ends of the earth for him.So glad you could make it, President Herney said, reaching out to shake Rachels hand. His excavate was warm and sincere.Rachel fought the frog in her throat. Of course, Mr. President. An honor to meet you.