tc.thebearandthedragon-第19部分

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some　place　he　could　buy　this　after　escaping　from　his　current　job；　he　hoped。
　〃Okay；　I've　had　my　national　security　brief　and　my　Secret　Service　brief。　Now　tell　me　about　politics　for　the　day。〃
　〃Hell；　Jack；　I've　been　trying　to　do　that　for　over　a　year　now；　and　you　still　aren't　getting　it　very　well。〃
　Ryan　allowed　his　eyes　to　flare　at　the　simulated　insult。　〃That's　a　cheap　shot；　Arnie。　I've　been　studying　this　crap　pretty　hard；　and　even　the　damned　newspapers　say　I'm　doing　fairly　well。〃
　〃The　Federal　Reserve　is　doing　a　brilliant　job　of　handling　the　economy；　Mr。　President；　and　that　has　damned　little　to　do　with　you。　But　since　you　are　the　President；　you　get　credit　for　all　the　good　things　that　happen；　and　that's　nice；　but　do　remember；　you　will　also　get　the　blame　for　all　the　bad　things　that　are　going　to　happen　…　and　some　will；　remember　that　…　because　you　just　happen　to　be　here；　and　the　citizens　out　there　think　you　can　make　the　rain　fall　on　their　flowers　and　the　sun　e　out　for　their　picnics　just　by　wishing　it　so。
　〃You　know；　Jack；〃　the　Chief　of　Staff　said　after　sipping　his　coffee。　〃We　really　haven't　got　past　the　idea　of　kings　and　queens。　A　lot　of　people　really　do　think　you　have　that　sort　of　personal　power　…〃
　〃But　I　don't；　Arnie；　how　can　that　be？〃
　〃It　just　is　the　truth；　Jack。　It　doesn't　have　to　make　sense。　It　just　is。　Deal　with　it。〃
　I　do　so　love　these　lessons；　Ryan　thought　to　himself。　〃Okay；　today　is。。。？〃
　〃Social　Security。〃
　Ryan's　eyes　relaxed。　〃I've　been　reading　up　on　that。　The　third　rail　of　American　political　life。　Touch　it　and　die。〃
　For　the　next　half　hour；　they　discussed　what　was　wrong　and　why；　and　the　irresponsibility　of　the　Congress；　until　Jack　sat　back　with　a　sigh。
　〃Why　don't　they　learn；　Arnie？〃
　〃What　do　they　need　to　learn？〃　Arnie　asked；　with　the　grin　of　a　Washington　insider；　one　of　the　anointed　of　God。　〃They've　been　elected。　They　must　know　it　all　already！　How　else　do　you　think　they　got　here？〃
　〃Why　the　hell　did　I　allow　myself　to　stay　in　this　damned　place？〃　the　President　asked　rhetorically。
　〃Because　you　had　a　conscience　attack　and　decided　to　do　the　right　thing　for　your　country；　you　dumbass；　that's　why。〃
　〃Why　is　it　you're　the　only　person　who　can　talk　to　me　like　that？〃
　〃Besides　the　Vice　President？　Because　I'm　your　teacher。　Back　to　today's　lesson。　We　could　leave　Social　Security　alone　this　year。　It's　in　decent　enough　fiscal　shape　to　last　another　seven　to　nine　years　without　intervention；　and　that　means　you　could　leave　it　to　your　successor　to　handle　…〃
　〃That's　not　ethical；　Arnie；〃　Ryan　snapped。
　〃True；〃　the　Chief　of　Staff　agreed；　〃but　it's　good　politics；　and　fairly　Presidential。　It's　called　letting　sleeping　dogs　lie。〃
　〃You　don't　do　that　in　the　knowledge　that　as　soon　as　it　wakes　up；　it's　going　to　rip　the　baby's　throat　out。〃
　〃Jack；　you　really　ought　to　be　a　king。　You'd　be　a　good　one；〃　van　Damm　said；　with　what　appeared　to　be　genuine　admiration。
　〃Nobody　can　handle　that　kind　of　power。〃
　〃I　know：　'Power　corrupts；　and　absolute　power　is　actually　pretty　neat。'　So　said　a　staffer　for　one　of　your　predecessors。〃
　〃And　the　bastard　wasn't　hanged　for　saying　it？〃
　〃We　need　to　work　on　that　sense　of　humor；　Mr。　President。　That　was　meant　as　a　joke。〃
　〃The　scariest　part　of　this　job　is　that　I　do　see　the　humor　of　it。　Anyway；　I　told　George　Winston　to　start　a　quiet　project　to　see　what　we　can　do　with　Social　Security。　Quiet　project；　I　mean　classified　…　black；　this　project　doesn't　exist。〃
　〃Jack；　if　you　have　one　weakness　as　President；　that's　it。　You're　into　this　secrecy　thing　too　much。〃
　〃But　if　you　do　something　like　this　in　the　open；　you　get　clobbered　by　ill…informed　criticism　before　you　manage　to　produce　anything；　and　the　press　crawls　up　your　ass　demanding　information　you　don't　have　yet；　and　so　then　they　go　make　up　stuff　on　their　own；　or　they　go　to　some　yahoo　who　just　makes　up　bullshit；　and　then　we　have　to　answer　it。〃
　〃You　are　learning；〃　Arnie　judged。　〃That's　exactly　how　it　works　in　this　town。〃
　〃That　does　not　constitute　'working'　by　any　definition　I　know　of。〃
　〃This　is　Washington；　a　government　town。　Nothing　is　really　supposed　to　function　efficiently　here。　It　would　scare　the　hell　out　of　the　average　citizen　if　the　government　started　to　function　properly。〃
　〃How　about　I　just　fucking　resign？〃　Jack　asked　the　ceiling。　〃If　I　can't　get　this　damned　mess　to　start　working；　then　why　the　hell　am　I　here？〃
　〃You're　here　because　some　Japanese　747　pilot　decided　to　crash　the　party　at　the　House　Chamber　fifteen　months　ago。〃
　〃I　suppose；　Arnie；　but　I　still　feel　like　a　damned　fraud。〃
　〃Well；　by　my　old　standards；　you　are　a　fraud；　Jack。〃
　Ryan　looked　up。　〃Old　standards？〃
　〃Even　when　Bob　Fowler　took　over　the　statehouse　in　Ohio；　Jack；　even　he　didn't　try　as　hard　as　you　to　play　a　fair　game；　and　Bob　got　captured　by　the　system；　too。　You　haven't　yet；　and　that's　what　I　like　about　you。　More　to　the　point；　that's　what　Joe　Citizen　likes　about　you。　They　may　not　like　your　positions；　but　everybody　knows　you　try　damned　hard；　and　they're　sure　you're　not　corrupt。　And　you're　not。　Now：　Back　to　Social　Security。〃
　〃I　told　George　to　get　a　small　group　together；　swear　them　to　secrecy；　and　make　remendations　…　more　than　one　…　and　at　least　one　of　them　has　to　be　pletely　outside　the　box。〃
　〃Who's　running　this？〃
　〃Mark　Gant；　George's　technical　guy。〃
　The　Chief　of　Staff　thought　that　one　over　for　a　moment。　〃Just　as　well　you　keep　it　quiet。　The　Hill　doesn't　like　him。　Too　much　of　a　smart…ass。〃
　〃And　they're　not？〃　SWORDSMAN　asked。
　〃You　were　na？ve　with　that；　Jack。　The　people　you　tried　to　get　elected；　non…politicians；　well；　you　semi…succeeded。　A　lot　of　them　were　regular　people；　but　what　you　didn't　allow　for　was　the　seductive　nature　of　life　in　elected　government　service。　The　money　isn't　all　that　great；　but　the　perks　are；　and　a　lot　of　people　like　being　treated　like　a　medieval　prince。　A　lot　of　people　like　being　able　to　enforce　their　will　on　the　world。　The　people　who　used　to　be　there；　the　ones　that　pilot　fried　in　their　seats；　they　started　off　as　pretty　good　people；　too；　but　the　nature　of　the　job　is　to　seduce　and　capture。　Actually；　the　mistake　you　made　was　to　allow　them　to　keep　their　staffs。　Honestly；　I　think　the　problem　down　there　is　in　the　staffers；　not　the　bosses。　You　have　ten　or　more　people　around　you　all　the　time　telling　you　how　great　you　are；　sooner　or　later　you　start　believing　that　crap。〃
　〃Just　so　you　don't　do　that　to　me。〃
　〃Not　in　this　lifetime；〃　Arnie　assured　him；　as　he　stood　to　leave。　〃Make　sure　Secretary　Winston　keeps　me　in　the　loop　on　the　Social　Security　project。〃
　〃No　leaks；〃　Ryan　told　his　Chief　of　Staff　forcefully。
　〃Me？　Leak　something？　Me？〃　van　Damm　replied　with　open　hands　and　an　innocent　face。
　〃Yeah；　Arnie；　you。〃　As　the　door　closed；　the　President　wondered　how　fine　a　spook　Arnie　might　have　made。　He　lied　with　the　plausibility　one　might　associate　with　a　trusted　member　of　the　clergy；　and　he　could　hold　all　manner　of　contradictory　thoughts　in　his　head　at　the　same　time；　like　the　best　of　circus　jugglers。。。　and　somehow　they　never　quite　crashed　to　earth。　Ryan　was　the　current　president；　but　the　one　member　of　the　administration　who　could　not　be　replaced　was　the　chief　of　staff　he'd　inherited　from　Bob　Fowler；　by　way　of　Roger　Durling。。。
　And　yet；　Jack　wondered；　how　much　was　he　being　manipulated　by　this　staff　employee？　The　truthful　answer　was　that　he　couldn't　tell；　and　that　was　somewhat　troubling。　He　trusted　Arnie；　but　he　trusted　Arnie；　because　he　had　to　trust　him。　Jack　would　not　know　what　to　do　without　him。。。　but　was　that　a　good　thing？
　Probably　not；　Ryan　admitted　to　himself；　checking　over　his　appointment　list；　but　neither　was　being　here　in　the　Oval　Office；　and　Arnie　was　at　worst　one　more　thing　not　to　like　about　this　job；　and　at　best；　he　was　a　scrupulously　honest；　extremely　hardworking；　and　utterly　dedicated　public　servant。。。
　。。。just　like　everyone　else　in　Washington；　D。　C。；　Ryan's　cynicism　added。
　
　
　
　
　　CHAPTER　6
　　Expansion
　　
　Moscow　is　eight　hours　ahead　of　Washington；　a　source　of　annoyance　to　diplomats　who　are　either　a　day　behind　the　times　or　too　far　out　of　synch　with　their　body　clocks　to　conduct　business　properly。　This　was　more　a　problem　for　the　Russians；　as　by　five　or　six　in　the　evening；　most　of　them　had　had　a　few　stiff　drinks；　and　given　the　relative　speed　of　all　diplomatic　exchange；　it　was　well　into　the　falling　night　in　Moscow　before　American　diplomats　emerged　from　their　〃working　lunches〃　to　issue　a　démarche　or　muniqué；　or　a　simple　letter　of　reply　to　whatever　the　Russians　had　issued　the　previous　working　day。　In　both　capitals；　of　course；　there　was　always　a　night　crew　to　read　and　evaluate　things　on　a　more　timely　basis；　but　these　were　underlings；　or　at　best　people　on　their　way　up　but　not　quite　there　yet；　who　always　had　to　judge　which　possibility　was　worse：　waking　up　a　boss　with　something　unworthy　of　the　nighttime　phone　call；　or　delaying　until　the　post…breakfast　morning　something　that　the　minister　or　secretary　ought　to　have　been　informed　of　right　now！　And　more　than　one　career　had　been　made　or　broken　on　such　seeming　trivialities。
　In　this　particular　case；　it　would　not　be　a　diplomat's　hide　at　risk。　It　was　six…fifteen　on　the　Russian　spring　evening；　the　sun　high　in　the　sky　still；　in　anticipation　of　the　〃White　Nights〃　for　which　the　Russian　summer　is　justly　famous。
　〃Yes；　Pasha？〃　Lieutenant　Provalov　said。　He'd　taken　over　Klusov　from　Shablikov。　This　case　was　too　important　to　leave　in　anyone　else's　hands　…　and　besides；　he'd　never　really　trusted　Shablikov：　There　was　something　a　little　too　corrupt　about　him。
　Pavel　Petrovich　Klusov　was　not　exactly　an　advertisement　for　the　quality　of　life　in　the　new　Russia。　Hardly　one　hundred　sixty…five　centimeters　or　so　in　height；　but　close　to　ninety　kilos；　he　was　a　man　the　bulk　of　whose　calories　came　in　liquid　form；　who　shaved　poorly　when　he　bothered　at　all；　and　whose　association　with　soap　was　less　intimate　than　it　ought　to　have　been。　His　teeth　were　crooked　and　yellow　from　the　lack　of　brushing　and　a　surfeit　of　smoking　cheap；　unfiltered　domestic　cigarettes。　He　was　thirty…five　or　so；　and　had　perhaps　a　fifty…fifty　chance　of　making　forty…five；　Provalov　estimated。　It　was　not　as　though　he'd　be　much　of　a　loss　to　society；　of　course。　Klusov　was　a　petty　thief；　lacking　even　the　talent　…　o