Rebecca lowered her clipboard to the edge of the table and matched Eunice’s seriousness. “Well, under the national health plan you certainly have the right to terminate the pregnancy at any time. But for your own sake, if you’re going to do it, you should probably do it soon.”
Eunice paused and looked again at the floor. Finally she said again, “Maybe...or maybe there’s a different way.”
“What do you mean?” asked Rebecca.
Another pause. “Oh nothing. I was just thinking. I haven’t made up my mind... Say, I guess your brother is the president now, isn’t he? I remember when he was running last year.”
Rebecca’s smile returned. “Yes, it’s exciting. In fact we all got together recently.”
“Well, next time you see him, you can tell him for me that this ‘wonderful’ morning-after pill he talked about so much last year obviously isn’t worth a dime when it doesn’t work.”
Rebecca placed her hand on the younger woman’s shoulder. “I’ll do that. I promise. Now let’s get a blood sample.”
WASHINGTON—Late that same evening the president and first lady were sitting in bed, reading. After almost an hour William lay his book on his lap. “Carrie, I don’t know whether to get mad, laugh, or cry. On the one hand, everyone around me seems to have decided to talk to me about God for the past month, and I’m so tired of it I could scream. I don’t need to ‘accept Christ’—I’m not a bad person. I don’t want you or Mary bugging me any more about it.” He paused for a moment, then said, “But on the other hand, given what I’m reading, maybe there is a reason that I’m supposed to listen to all of this. Why?” He frowned and looked away through the large windows at the lights in the distance.
Carrie lowered her own book and said with genuine concern, “William, if I’ve upset you, I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s not you, Carrie.” He turned back to look at her. “It’s everything. This mess with our legislation. Those dingbats on the other side. My own team. I don’t know how to break the gridlock. It’s driving me crazy. Then Hugh tells me we’re wrong to give gays and lesbians their rightful place on ships. Rebecca reports that the abortion pill is messing up more than it’s helping, Mary has just written to me about some sex education computer at their school, and Katherine is just working out of being miserable living here. Besides all the other problems, there is still that bomb out there and someone threatening to kill millions of Americans, maybe without any warning. The military, CIA, FBI, and ATF have teams following what seem to be hundreds of leads, but so far absolutely nothing of substance has materialized. And then out of nowhere this book by Gary Thornton arrives!
“Here I’ve been a lawyer all my life and a politician. Yet reading this book I feel like I’m learning about a new nation I never knew existed. I’ve almost finished it, and I’m blown away.
“I’m the president of the United States, and maybe just now learning what I’m actually president of.” He paused again. “I’m struck by how we’ve been running around all these years—both political parties—trying to ‘fix’ the country, but we never studied the original model to know the ultimate purpose for what we’re doing. Again, I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry. None of us here in Washington has had a clue; it’s incredible. We’ve all been messing with something we haven’t known anything about! I just hope this Gary Thornton has really done his homework. I asked Barbara to have one of our staff spot-check the original texts. So far, he’s right on.”
“What have you learned?” Carrie asked, turning to him, amazed by his willingness to talk to her about God, of all things. “Give me some examples.”
Flipping back through The Foundations of America, A Study in Christian Faith, William said, “Well, just the fact that almost all the Founding Fathers were strong Christians and identified this nation with that same faith. He makes the point that we’ve interpreted the First Amendment all wrong for over forty years; it apparently was never interpreted the way the courts do now for the first 180 years of our nation’s history!” He stopped and read briefly to himself before continuing. “The amendment was clearly meant, from reading their actual deliberations and defeated substitute wordings, which he’s included, to prohibit the government from establishing an official ‘religion,’ meaning an organized official denomination, like the Church of England. This issue has actually come up several times over the years; we didn’t just invent the debate in the sixties.”
William stopped and searched through the book for a moment. “Listen to what the House Judiciary Committee reported in 1854:
Christianity must be considered as the foundation upon which the whole structure rests. Laws will not have permanence or power without the sanction of religious sentiment, without a firm belief that there is a Power above us that will reward our virtues and punish our vices. In this age there can be no substitute for Christianity: that, in its general principles, is the great conservative element on which we must rely for the purity and permanence of free institutions. That was the religion of the founders of the republic, and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants. There is a great and very prevalent error on this subject in the opinion that those who organized this Government did not legislate on religion.
“I mean, who ever heard that before? If that’s what our nation is supposed to be about, why haven’t we heard it? Frankly, if it’s true, it makes me mad to learn it at age fifty.
“And then the House passed this two months later:
The great vital and conservative element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and divine truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“Carrie, why aren’t we told any of this any more?” He paused. “I guess I know why, actually. The ‘separation of church and state’ keeps it out of the schools, so it’s a self-fulfilling cycle. We don’t hear it, so we don’t act upon it; if we don’t act upon it, we won’t hear it.
“Anyway, I turned down the corner of this page, too. Listen to what Patrick Henry said, and he was one of the champions of the First Amendment:
It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ! For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.”
He looked down at the book in his lap, then over at his wife. “Carrie, I can hardly bring myself to say this, but if this man is right, the ‘separation of church and state’ we’ve heard so much about since we were kids is simply not true. Look: everyone points to the First Amendment as the source of this ‘separation,’ stating that the Founding Fathers never meant to mix faith and government. That just seems to be a figment of the recent Court’s imagination, repeated enough in the media to be believed. On the day after the House passed the First Amendment, the very same elected representatives passed a resolution calling for a national day of thanksgiving and prayer to thank God for our Constitution. Does that sound like ‘separation of church and state’?”
He turned over a few pages in the book. “And he points out that the same First Amendment also contains the famous clause guaranteeing the free exercise of the press. The same amendment that guarantees the free exercise of religion. The same one! Try to take a newspaper down from the wall of a courthouse, and there would be howls and lawsuits. But the Ten Commandments is ordered to be taken down by the Supreme Court itself! No newspaper would accept the exclusions that are placed on religion in all facets of our society, yet it’s the exact same amendment guaranteeing the same freedom of expression for both.
“Carrie, I’m sorry to go on like this. I’m certainly not the world’s strongest Christian—I’m not even sure I am a Christian. How many people in Washington are? What is a Christian, anyway? Am I supposed to pray every hour for divine guidance? Hire my sister Mary as our domestic policy advisor?” He laughed. “But one thing’s for sure, the guys who defined our country weren’t runn
ing around scared of their own shadows about ‘church and state.’ They were shouting their faith from the rooftops and wanted their descendants to know it and to live by it. But we obviously don’t know. Whether they were right or full of bull, I’m just flabbergasted that all of this is unknown today. It’s incredible. Like a cover-up, almost.” He closed the book and looked her in the eyes.
“Did you know most of the states required in their constitutions that their politicians be overt Christians or else they couldn’t serve? I mean, this was only a little over two hundred years ago. What—only about eight or ten generations, that’s all. I’ve been alive a quarter of that time myself, for goodness sake! It amazes me that our ideals have apparently changed so much from what the founders fought for. We politicians have been focusing on the short term, no matter what our ideology. When was the last time any of us stopped to consider how our beliefs—or lack of them—impacted our national policies? Carrie, we don’t do it; it just doesn’t happen. Have we improved on their original model? Or have we lost the most important foundation of all? To say I’m confused is an understatement.”
The first lady had been watching her husband while he was speaking, sharing his amazement and his bewilderment over these discoveries. “It’s strange, William,” she offered, after they were both silent for a while, considering his words. “Lately I’ve been absorbed by how God can and does affect individuals—me, in particular. And you’ve been absorbed since last Sunday by how God apparently established this nation through men and women who had already been changed by him. Isn’t it incredible how he can work on an entire nation as well as on an individual person?”
He considered her words for a moment and frowned. “Carrie, this isn’t about some personal leap of faith for me! I don’t feel any closer to God. I’m just overwhelmed by how little most of us apparently know about the men who founded our country, what inspired them, what they believed, how they made decisions, and what they intended for our nation. I suddenly feel like I’ve been flying this plane blind and someone just told me there may be instruments I can use to find my way, if I choose to do so—and if the instruments really work, I should add. What would happen, I’m asking, if we applied the principles our founders intended to the problems we have today?”
“I don’t know, sweetheart,” Carrie said. “But it just gave me a chill when you said that. How would you ever know that you were really doing it?”
He paused again and spoke more slowly. “I guess I’d have to study their more personal writings and then study their faith, which certainly appears to have been Christianity. If Thornton is correct, our forefathers really lived their faith.”
There was another long moment of silence, and then William said thoughtfully, “You know, most of my contemporaries have always looked at Christianity as something nice for naive people and goody-goodies, but now it looks like it was the most central force for men who were such giants that they make most of today’s leaders seem pitiful by comparison. What did they know about their faith that most of us—me in particular—don’t know?”
William chuckled. “Mary could never get me to read the Bible. But now I’m mad, and my curiosity’s up, both as a lawyer and as the president.
“I’m obviously having problems—we’re both living with them. I’m going to read some more about what these men thought and believed. Maybe I can find out how they overcame problems. It’s amazing. I never really thought about it before. But think what Washington went through, from commander of the army to president of the Constitutional Convention to two-term president of the country. He must have had some problems along the way that make ours today seem pretty mild. He and his friends had to invent the whole thing as they went along! And until now I’ve never even thought to ask how they handled their problems. But I’m going to.”
Carrie returned his smile and took his hand in hers. She was overcome, as Mary had said she would be. But she held back, uncertain of her own new beliefs and of his new questions. All she could say was, “I think it might be one of the most important things you’ve ever done.”
6
Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.
JOHN JAY
FIRST CHIEF JUSTICE
U.S. SUPREME COURT
Tuesday, May 15
Five Days Later
ATLANTA—Rebecca and Bruce were again sitting on the terrace of her high-rise apartment, sipping wine in the lingering May sunlight before their dinner. Much had changed in Bruce’s life since their first such evening on the terrace earlier that spring. For several years he had coped with the early death of his brother and the steadily worsening condition of his father. But the sudden and unexpected illness of his mother and the prospect of her approaching death had almost robbed him of the youthful joy that had originally been one of the qualities that attracted Rebecca to him.
She was trying to be as supportive as possible. She had provided Bruce with the names of brain specialists in Boston. She had reviewed in detail with him the forms the hospital there used to calculate the number of points through which his mother might qualify for an operation; and she had confirmed that unfortunately his mother fell short of the minimum needed.
Now they sat on her terrace, both silently sipping their wine. Bruce appeared to be very far away. Finally he spoke. “I got a call from Mom’s doctor late this afternoon at the office. She’s getting worse, and he was asking me what I wanted to do about Dad.” There was another long pause. He looked down at his wineglass, and Rebecca thought he was close to tears. “I didn’t know what to tell him. Rebecca, I’m just not ready to deal with the deaths of my parents. What am I going to do?”
She sighed heavily, understanding his pain but feeling helpless. “I don’t know, Bruce. It’s really a mess. I deal with problems like this every day at work. But I’m not very good at coping with them when they hit someone I care about.”
Bruce was bent over in his chair, his glass between his knees. He turned his head to look at her. “I’ve been thinking, Rebecca....You know Mom needs this operation desperately, and you know she doesn’t have enough points to qualify. But as far as I’m concerned that’s a stupid bureaucratic decision, made by bureaucrats and politicians. Your brother is the president of the United States. Don’t you think a word from him could change that decision?”
“Oh, Bruce. I don’t know. I’ve never asked him for anything like that, and I’m not sure it’s even right.”
Bruce looked at her in amazement. “You mean saving my mother’s life isn’t right? How can you say that? Your brother is the most powerful man in the world. One word from him can send fleets of ships and squadrons of aircraft scrambling in all directions. So why can’t he say the one word that will save my mother’s life?”
Rebecca paused. “Bruce, first of all, there is certainly no guarantee that even if she has the operation it will save her life. A brain tumor is a very tricky thing. As you saw on the points summary, the doctors think the chance of recovery is at most forty percent.”
“But that’s forty percent more of a chance than she has without the operation!” Bruce exclaimed.
Rebecca leaned back and glanced down briefly at her own glass. “Bruce, I don’t know. The system was set up when the National Health Plan was adopted, and it’s supposed to be fair. If politicians begin to override medical decisions, where will it all end?”
“I don’t care in the slightest where it might end! I’m only interested in saving my mother’s life. Can’t you see that? How can you worry about some far off political consequences when she’s about to die?”
Rebecca was silent again. Then she spoke slowly, looking directly at him. “Bruce, I know your pain. And, obviously, I want your mother to recover. I’ll think about it, of course. But I just don’t know if it’s the right thing to do.”
Bruce stood up and put his winegl
ass on the table in front of him, his anger obvious. “Well, don’t take too long to think about it, or she’ll be dead. Sometimes I just don’t understand where you’re coming from, Rebecca. But right now I need some time to myself. I’m going for a walk.”
He left the terrace, moved quickly through the apartment, and slammed the door behind him.
AT SEA—That night Lieutenant Teri Slocum had the mid-watch as the junior officer of the deck. For that four hours she was the ship’s second-in-command, standing watch on the bridge while the captain and most of the crew slept. Since this was her first duty assignment on a warship, she was in a learning capacity as the J.O.O.D., taking her place in the normal one out of five watches in the daily rotation along with the other junior officers on the ship. This particular night in the western Atlantic the sea was as smooth as glass, and the lack of a moon meant that she could see more stars than she had ever imagined possible. The officer of the deck, Lieutenant Henry Early, had already demonstrated that they could see the rings around Saturn with the Big Eyes, the ship’s very powerful binoculars.
Lieutenant Early was conning the ship from the center of the enclosed bridge as they headed west toward Norfolk and home. Lieutenant Slocum was standing out on the starboard bridge wing, just outside the enclosed bridge, using the binoculars slung around her neck to watch the lights of a tanker about three miles away, which they were slowly overtaking along their starboard side. The door from the combat information center at the back of the bridge opened, and Hugh Harrison walked in. After waiting a minute for his eyes to adjust to the almost total darkness on the bridge and saying hello to Henry Early, Hugh walked out onto the bridge wing, where he and Teri Slocum were alone.
The President Page 18
