Dear Comrade Leader, Episode 281
Chapter 98. If one is not enough
‘Okay, let’s calm down, let’s look at the positives first.’
Jeonghwan, who heard the news like a blue sky, wrapped his throbbing head around for a while, then calmed himself by making a promise to himself like this.
I thought about convening a hastily meeting of the Politburo to discuss countermeasures, but I quickly threw it away.
It wasn’t about the time zone of 2 in the morning, it was because he didn’t want to show his embarrassment.
So, in the end, as it was approaching three in the morning, Jung-hwan was wandering in the middle of the clerk’s office, who left the lights on by himself and left work a few hours ago.
‘For now, one positive thing.’
At the time when the current President of the United States, John McCain, is unconscious, and therefore unable to perform his duties as president any longer, all duties and powers as president have been transferred to Vice President Condoleezza Rice as acting president.
She started her political career with Thatcher’s nomination from the Northeast Asian Balance Foundation, a lobbyist firm sponsored by Jeong-hwan, and showed a clear favour to Jeong-hwan and North Korea at the recent G20 summit.
Therefore, it is too early to say that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s attempt to join Five Eyes has yet to be thwarted.
But if you’re going to say something negative… … .
‘Condoleezza Rice has only barely been in central politics in less than 10 years. Moreover, he has never had a congressional political career, and has spent almost all of his time at the White House as McCain’s running mate, Vice President. And the Vice President’s role in American politics is… … .’
Although it varies slightly from person to person and from time to time, the powers of the vice president as determined by US federal law are literally the president’s representative in case of emergency.
There are certainly cases of powerful vice presidents like Dick Cheney, but even that was possible because President Bush fully trusted him and promised to hand over much of his authority even before he took office.
If Condoleezza Rice, a young, inexperienced congressional politician, and even a woman, asks if she can control the worn-out Senate Intelligence Committee members… … To be honest, it was hard for Junghwan himself to deny that he was skeptical.
‘No matter how much I have made the White House with the intelligence officers on my side, if I tackle it in Congress, everything goes in vain.’
If McCain is resurrected like a phoenix and returns to the White House to keep his promise to Jeonghwan, he knew very well that, considering McCain’s age, there was a much higher chance that he would just die in a hospital bed.
Moreover, no matter how he recovers, will he be able to return before North Korea’s request to join Five Eyes is thrown into the trash can from the desk of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is already starting to notice and move out of the control of the White House?
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No, it is a question of whether McCain, who has returned, will be able to continue his previous duties as president.In any case, since this is the reality that has come to pass, Junghwan had no choice but to review the plan he had prepared for the worst scenario.
“Now Washington… … It must be around one in the afternoon.”
For now, the US side should let Vice President Condoleezza Rice, no, Acting President Rice, who will be acting by now, take care of it.
I hurriedly turned on the computer and checked the Internet, and the US Internet and news had already sent out a special report and there was a commotion.
The stock market fluctuated, and both CNN and the Fox News Network had ‘President at stake’ hanging on their homepages.
Seeing this, Jeong-hwan picked up the phone from the secretary’s office and connected it to an official on duty at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Call Prime Minister Kim Yong-gun immediately. In the face of this crisis, I have someone I need to contact with urgently, so I need to contact them and discuss the process of preparing for the summit. … … No, not America. The US should leave it alone for the time being and observe. The other side is talking now.”
* * *
“Vice President, you have taken on a very serious responsibility.”
“… … I don’t want to be offended from the first day of acting, but everyone. Now, my official title is ‘Acting President’, not ‘Vice President’. Please call me by the correct name.”
“Oops, I made a mistake. Mr Rice. It was a very urgent situation, and it’s rare that I’ve been through something like this… … Please forgive our mistakes.”
‘lie.’
Condoleezza Rice’s slight caution as he signed the order accepting the acting president of the United States of America made the cabinet fussier and apologized, but Rice snorted inwardly, realizing that it was nothing more than condescending.
There is no way that the worn-out authors in this Washington political board were unaware of that, and it must have been the first checkpoint thrown at them, who were suddenly seated in the oval office.
And the meaning of that check was very clear.
– Don’t be shy. You didn’t officially succeed to the presidency, but only acting as an acting authority.
Condoleezza Rice looked around again.
Chief of Staff, Security Adviser, Defense Minister… … The table was full of all white, middle-aged white men.
As President McCain was born into a military family, lives as a soldier, and is a well-respected Republican on the Military Security Committee in the Senate, such a cabinet structure was natural in some ways, but again, the only woman among them, even a black woman, seemed particularly contrasting.
Suddenly she felt like she had returned to her racist childhood home, southern Alabama.
Even then, I always had the hope of working in Washington, which moves this country, especially the White House, but not in this way.
Moreover, he did not win the election by his own power, and he did not formally succeed to the position of his predecessor as Vice President by conceding a hundred times.
‘Besides, the Big Guy who delegated that authority to me is in a situation where he is lying in bed and fighting for life, and it is doubtful whether he can continue his duties as president even after waking up… … .’
The media had already drawn provocative head copies, such as ‘For the first time in history, a black woman, even a woman, will sit on the White House president’s chair’ and ‘If McCain dies, the first black female president will be born’, but now the presbytery ministers Rice’s situation was not romantic at all.
She never wanted McCain, a boss she admired and always treated her fairly, to die, but now she has become a losing pitcher in baseball.
As acting authority, she was far behind the experienced and senior senators and ministers of the White House and Congress, but she is still alive because her predecessor, who will empower her to act as president, cannot speak.
Because ‘vice president’s succession’ and ‘acting authority during the president’s lifetime’ are completely different laws.
Already, most media and critics, both liberal and conservative, predicted that even if McCain died and became president, it was highly likely that she would depend on aides and ministers to clean up the rest of her term of office for one year.
Of course, she wasn’t docile enough to prove such a prospect as mere fact.
‘Maybe this is my chance. Superintendent Thatcher has always been like that. As long as my subordinates do what I said, don’t worry about what they say.’
“Now then, everyone, let’s start with the most urgent issue. First of all, I will start by calling the heads of countries and allies to let them know that there is still nothing wrong with the United States and its leadership.”
“Now that we are talking about the Allies, Rice Vuitton… … No, your magistrate. New member of the UKUSA Agreement now under closed consideration by the Senate Intelligence Committee… … So about North Korea.”
“But?”
“I would like to advise you to borrow this space and just crush it. After all, the promise was not made by Acting President, but by President McCain while he was performing his duties. Acting Authorities are too important to make a decision on their own, so they say that there is nothing they can do… … What if we put it off for the first time and then let it happen?”
“… … I can’t agree with that. because… … .”
When the security adviser came out of nowhere, Rice stiffened his face and tried to answer something, but this time the assistant secretary of defense responded.
“I agree. In fact, under this situation, the discussion has progressed so far, and if it is known that a country with a small economic class like North Korea will receive the same level of diplomatic treatment as other member countries, other allies will tilt their heads at once. Of course, there is a geopolitical location, but… … .”
“That’s right. The discussion of the necessity of creating one Five Eyes member state in Asia may be acceptable, although it is a bit radical in such a situation, but it will be difficult for the public to accept that the target is North Korea. Of course, I know that Acting Authority Rice took the lead in upgrading North Korea’s alliance status, but first of all, the system is not a democracy… … .”
“everyone? I haven’t finished my words yet. When a woman and the ‘president’ are talking, isn’t it the duty of a gentleman to listen to the end and object?”
The atmosphere of the table stiffened for a moment at Rice’s quiet but clear anger.
Some of them coughed and looked away, thinking they had gone too far, but Rice glared at each of them with cold eyes.
As he himself had promised, it might be an interim presidency that would come down after a year or less, but he didn’t think it would come down after being ignored or swayed to and fro.
“… … Besides, that’s not the part where I said I wouldn’t agree.”
“If so?”
“I said earlier that it was too important a matter for me to decide on my own, but I was wrong. I will make it clear here. I currently represent the President of the United States of America in all powers, including diplomatic and national defense, and I can and will represent President McCain in all his judgments until he returns to office. Do you know?”
“… … .”
“If you do not agree with this point, please stand up quietly and go out through that door. The resignation will be fixed immediately.”
Silence again.
Rice made eye contact with the generals in shiny epaulets, the financial advisors in three-thousand-dollar three-piece suits, and the gray-haired, wrinkled ministers.
After making sure that none of them looked into her eyes, she nodded and opened her mouth again.
“good. Now that the White House position seems clear, it’s time to figure out a way to pass the Intelligence Committee. What is the most effective excuse they will come up with?”
“… … First of all, the first and most predictable excuse, the backlash of existing member countries such as the UK, was very fortunate for North Korea, which lost a lot of effect when protests broke out in Hong Kong. So this time maybe going down to the allies one level down… … .”
Condoleezza Rice, acting president of the United States of America, raised an eyebrow at the words that the Assistant Secretary of Defense pondered as he wiped his sweat.
In fact, the issue that she herself had in mind from the beginning of this discussion and most sought to cover up came to the surface.
“… … South Korea, that is, Korea’s backlash. In fact, putting everything else aside, if North Korea really joins Five Eyes, wouldn’t it be natural for Korea to jump the most? First of all, 20 years ago, it was an obvious enemy, an enemy that was difficult to live under the same sky. No matter how much the relationship has been restored, it won’t be much different now.”
* * *
Meanwhile, several days after United States President McCain was in bed, South Korean President Roh Yun-hyeon was struggling until midnight with a problem completely different from foreign affairs.
Comprehensive real estate tax and conflicts with the media that arose due to the conclusion of the FTA agreement with the United States were making him to focus more on domestic affairs than on foreign affairs at this point in the life and death of the president of the United States.
Anyway, after wrestling like that, Noh Yoon-hyun finally got up from his seat with a cigarette to get some rest… … .
-President. A call from General Secretary Kim Jeong-hwan is waiting on the North Korean hotline. May I connect you?
“Hey, since I’m president, I won’t even have time to smoke a cigarette.”
While grumbling like that, Noh Yoon-hyun felt a mixture of curiosity and tension slowly blooming in his heart.
After the great inter-Korean compromise in 1998, both sides connected direct hotlines with their North Korean counterparts to the offices of the Director of the National Intelligence Service, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Foreign Minister, respectively. And the hotline came right into the Blue House.
So, for Noh Yoon-hyun, there was no choice but to be curious and tense before being irritated.
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Noh Yoon-hyun answered the phone, presuming that it was probably about the issue of President McCain of the United States, who is now unconscious.“This is the President of the Republic of Korea, Noh Yun-hyun. General Secretary Kim. How have you been doing all this time?”
-Nice to meet you. Listening to the voice, I think I interrupted President Roh’s rest, but I’m sorry.
‘What, what, are you dirty? Is it almost mind-reading? Or has this friend also been interrupted while taking a break recently?’
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Noh Yun-hyeon answered the other side, Jeong-hwan, while smirking with a smirk in his heart and nonchalantly.“ha ha ha… … no. It seems that General Secretary Kim is still on duty this late at night, but it is a bit surprising that such calls usually come during the day.”
-I also recently felt that the night is the best time to think alone. President Noh. Besides, the issue I’m calling is an issue that requires President Roh to be especially decisive.
“… … I’m already nervous. Can you hear what the matter is?”
Unknowingly, Noh Yun-hyeon thought that his prediction was correct, and he unknowingly put strength on his shoulder.
However, Jung-hwan’s words that came to Noh Yun-hyeon’s ears, who were so nervous, at first glance, were hard to understand the true meaning.
-There are five, but there is a problem that I tried to increase by one, but the other five objected, and there is one problem that cannot be solved. So, I am trying to solve the problem by increasing the number to two instead of one. What do you think of President Roh?