Ultimatum

by Matthew Glass

  Joe sighed. “Well, let’s see. Could be the fact that Senator Edwards has said he’s going to withhold support for the Teacher Support Bill unless we award one of our new integrated viral research grants to the University of Arkansas, which has rather a dubious claim to it, given that the University of Arkansas hasn’t exactly undertaken the world’s greatest viral research in the past. Or it could be that the military is already attacking us over our alleged plans to reduce funding for the self-propelled battle tank, which, by the way, haven’t even officially been presented to me yet, let alone reduced. Or it could be the fact that the Polish president, who was meant to be in Boston next week—and no, don’t ask, I have no idea why he’s going there on some kind of semiprivate visit—but the Polish president has now taken exception to some remark made by Congressman Batty and has decided he might cancel unless Congressman Batty retracts the comment, which normally I wouldn’t worry too much about, if not for the fact that Senator Wojciek, who’s also a little shaky on the Teacher Support Bill, has decided that she absolutely has to host President Koslowski at some dinner she’s organized, and she doesn’t think she’s going to look too good if we can’t lean on Congressman Batty, who, by the way, is exactly as his name suggests, and has built his entire career on his legendary ability— self-proclaimed, I should add—not to be leaned on.” The president paused, looking at Heather expectantly. “Should I go on?”

  “I don’t believe you gave Senator Wojciek a moment’s thought tonight.”

  “True,” said the president, pulling off his other sock. “But I should have. And that’s even more of a problem.”

  Benton tossed his socks on the floor.

  “You’re not happy with him? The guy you sent to China. You don’t think he was the right choice?”

  “No. He was the right choice. I didn’t much like him, but he was the right man for the job.”

  “So?”

  “He’s meeting Wen tomorrow.”

  “Sunday?”

  “Alan told me today.”

  “So that was on your mind?”

  “It’s kind of important.”

  Heather nodded. “When will you hear?”

  “Depends how long Wen takes to get back to him. Could be a couple of days. Could be a week.” Joe lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. “I don’t even want to think about what we’re going to do if he comes back and says Wen’s not interested.”

  “But he won’t, will he? Joe?”

  “I don’t know. I really don’t. They all tell me that’s what they’re like. China goes on. China can absorb more pain than we can. Therefore China will out-wait us.”

  “I don’t believe that,” said Heather quietly.

  “That’s what they keep telling me.” Joe got up on one elbow. “I don’t know. But I tell you one thing. I can feel time slipping away. There’s a historic moment here, and if that’s the attitude the Chinese government takes, it’s going to go. And that means we’ll be condemning another generation or another two generations or I don’t know how many generations to suffering that we could help them avoid.”

  “Did you put that in your letter to Wen?”

  “Sure, along with a lot of stuff about stability, which is apparently all he cares about.”

  “So the letter’s some kind of ultimatum?”

  Joe smiled, shaking his head. “No. It was just. . . let’s deal with this. Now. Together. Let’s do what leaders are supposed to do.” Joe was silent, thinking about it. Then he sighed. “Whatever it is, the answer’s not going to be simple. It’s not going to be a straight yes or no, that’s one thing I can be sure of. And in the meantime I’m meeting Nleki, and what am I meant to say about Kyoto? They all want to hear me say Kyoto’s the be-all and end-all. I can go ahead and say it, but it isn’t true.”

  Heather frowned. “Maybe he’ll get back to you before you meet Nleki.” Joe shrugged.

  There was silence.

  “I miss having the kids around,” Joe said suddenly. “Do you miss them, honey?”

  Heather smiled.

  “Seems like they used to be around more before.”

  “Joe, they haven’t been around for years. Have you just noticed?”

  “Amy used to come back more for weekends, didn’t she?”

  “Not since she went to Stanford, Joe. That’s almost two years ago.”

  “Really?”

  “You’ll see more of her in the summer.”

  “She’s definitely interning with that firm?”

  Heather nodded.

  “But that’s in New York, right?”

  “We’ll see her.”

  “Yeah, I guess so.” Joe frowned. His resolution to make time to speak regularly with Amy had proven a lot easier to make than to keep. “What about Greg?”

  “Greg’s okay, honey. He’s just in a phase.”

  “He’s been in a phase for about ten years.”

  “He’ll come back. You just need to give him time. All of this... it complicates things for him.”

  Joe frowned. “I don’t think I was ever in a phase.”

  Heather laughed. “You wouldn’t know what a phase is, Joe Benton. You were always way too focused.”

  “Is that a good thing?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Joe nodded. His thoughts drifted. His face grew serious again. “If Wen says he isn’t interested . . . We’re going to have to do something, and it’s not going to be pretty.” He frowned, gazing blankly at the rug. Heather watched him. Suddenly he looked at her. “You want to go to church tomorrow?”

  “If you like.”

  “Let’s go to church. We haven’t been since...when was the last time?”

  “Easter.”

  “That’s right. What do you think? Do you want to go? Do you want to go or not?”

  “If you want to.”

  “Calvary?”

  Heather nodded. Neither she nor Joe were regular churchgoers, and if it wasn’t for political reasons, they probably wouldn’t have gone but once a year. To the extent that they did attend, Calvary Baptist on Eighth was the one they had used since Joe came to D.C. as a senator all those years ago. They counted Seb Miles, the minister, as a personal friend.

  Joe picked up the phone. The White House duty administrator answered and the president asked to be put through to the duty officer in charge of the Secret Service detail. It was a Lieutenant Koposi. The lieutenant said he would find out what time the service started at Calvary and arrange for the president and first lady to be there.

  “Joe,” said Heather, when he had put the phone down, “you realize now that poor boy has to work out a whole security plan, and he probably has to wake someone up to get authorization, and you’re probably going to have a dozen guys working all night just to get this organized.”

  “You think I should call him back and tell him to forget it?”

  “I think you should give them a bit more warning next time.”

  “But I didn’t think of it till now.” Joe frowned. “You think I should call him back?”

  “No, Joe.” Heather took his hand. “I think we should go to church.”

  ~ * ~

  Wednesday, May 18

  United Nations Headquarters, New York City

  Hands were going up. Al Graham and Jodie Ames watched as the president and the UN secretary-general, Joseph Nleki, stood side by side behind a pair of lecterns at the press conference following their meeting. Nleki was a small, meticulously groomed man, formerly a South African foreign minister, and Joe Benton towered over him.

  “Michel Temple, Le Monde, France, for President Benton. Mr. President, your predecessor famously described the Kyoto process as something that would be a dead duck if it was even a duck. What kind of a duck is it to you?”

  Joe Benton smiled at the journalist’s question. “President Gartner had quite a turn of phrase. It’s not any kind of duck, let me say that right away.” There were smiles among the journalists. “And it’s not a go
ose, either,” he added to laughter. Then he was serious again. “I said throughout my campaign, and I’ve repeated it since I came to office, that my administration will engage with any and all parties on all major issues, including environmental ones. The Kyoto process is a major element of that engagement, and the United States will play its full role in the upcoming round over the next eighteen months, starting with the time-tabling talks that are under way. In fact I think Secretary Powers has already shown a clear intent in this regard. Andrea Powers is a fine secretary, and she’s doing a fine job and my administration is lucky to have her.”

  “If I may follow up, Mr. President? The EuroCore, as you know, has stated that the Kyoto process is the only process that it recognizes in order to prevent a fragmentation of effort and a true transparency. In particular, it has condemned bilateral and regional approaches. I suppose my readers, and I suppose all of Europe, would like to know whether your support of Kyoto extends to that degree, whether you accept it as the sole process, or whether you leave the door open to competing approaches, in particular bilaterals and regionals?”

  “I have today explained to Secretary Nleki that the United States government does support the Kyoto process, and we will be playing our role in it, and I think that statement stands for itself.”

  “But if I may, would you explain to us, Mr. President? Does your statement exclude other approaches?”

  “Nothing about my position has changed since what I said during my campaign, and I think that was very clear. The United States is fully behind the Kyoto process and will engage strongly in it, in a way you certainly wouldn’t have seen under the previous administration. What I’m saying is that I see the Kyoto process as a very important part and, yes, a primary part, you can say the most important part in dealing with the world’s environmental issue. And when there’s a primary part in a process I think you can say that’s a pretty important part, and I think that ought to be enough for anyone, so I think that answers your question.”

  He glanced at Nleki. The secretary-general nodded thoughtfully. Anyone who knew the secretary-general knew that didn’t mean anything. As head of the UN, Joseph Nleki spent a good part of his time nodding thoughtfully as leaders spoke beside him, whether or not he agreed with what they were saying.

  In the car to La Guardia, Al Graham was on a high. He thought the meeting with Nleki had gone well. It was clear the secretary-general felt a lot more comfortable with Benton than he had ever felt with Mike Gartner. There was just one thing that worried him.

  “Your answer on Kyoto, Joe. I didn’t get that. What is it? Are we looking at other things?”

  Benton knew he hadn’t fielded that question well. He had felt his own ambivalence coming through, even as he tried to conceal it.

  “Al,” he said, “Gartner said he didn’t believe in Kyoto for four long years, and he didn’t do a single thing about creating an alternative. I said that we see Kyoto as the primary part of the process. That’s a big step. They ought to be happy with that.”

  “But you’d tell me, right? You’d tell me if we were cooking up something else.”

  Benton nodded.

  Graham watched him.

  “Al, of course I’d tell you.”

  “Joe…”

  “Look, I’m not going to rule it out in public, am I? Where does that leave us if I do? The EuroCore, you know the game Brussels plays. I don’t have to play that game.”

  “But you’d tell me, right?” Graham turned sideways in his seat, looking full on at the president. “Joe, I’m going to look an awful fool if you turn around here and announce something else.”

  “Al, I’m not announcing anything else.”

  “But you’d tell me, wouldn’t you?”

  “Al, stop it. That’s the line, okay? What I said today is exactly what I planned with Jodie.”

  “Not Larry?”

  “If you want clarification on the line,” said Benton impatiently, “talk to Jodie.”

  The convoy swept onto the tarmac and came to a halt. The door swung open.

  Benton hesitated. He felt bad. “Al, look, come on. It was a good meeting. You said so yourself. Don’t spoil it.”

  Graham didn’t reply.

  Benton got out. The door closed behind him. As he took the steps up to Air Force One, the limo with Al Graham inside it pulled away.

  On the plane, Alan Ball and Larry Olsen were waiting with F. William Knight.

  ~ * ~

  The president held out his hand. “Sorry to do this to you, Mr. Knight. Looks like it was the only slot we could find. I appreciate your flexibility.”

  The four men sat down and buckled themselves in. The tone of the plane’s engines changed and the aircraft began to move.

  “All right, Mr. Knight, tell me what happened.”

  Knight cleared his throat. “I told President Wen what I had been asked to say, and then I gave him the dossier that I was given.” The banker paused. The plane was gathering speed.

  “Go on.”

  “He…um, he looked through the dossier while I was there and said he would need time to consider it. Then he asked me to come back the next day, and then there was another delay of a day so it was only yesterday I met him again.”

  “And did he make any other remarks at your first meeting?”

  “We exchanged news,” said Knight. “Personal things.”

  The president nodded. The plane took off and pitched up.

  “We also exchanged thoughts on the economy. After President Wen had looked at the dossier and said I would have to come back, we had a brief discussion, just as we would normally do.”

  “What happened when you went back?”

  “President Wen said the issues you raised are grave.”

  “Was that his exact word?”

  “I’m translating, sir.”

  “What language do you use with him?”

  “Mandarin, mostly. Technical economic stuff, we sometimes go into English. He has excellent English.”

  The president nodded. “I interrupted you.”

  Knight cleared his throat. “He said the issues are grave. They require much thought. They will affect the lives of our children and our children’s children. He gave me a letter, sir. He asked me to be sure to deliver it to you personally.”

  Knight pulled a plain envelope out of his jacket pocket. He unbuckled his seat belt and handed it to the president.

  On the envelope was written, “For the President of the United States.” For a moment it struck Benton as funny, like something a kid would write if they had to send a letter to the president.

  Benton slid a finger under the flap of the envelope and tore it open. He pulled out the single page that was inside.

  To His Excellency Joseph Benton, President of the United States of America.

  I thank you for your letter and the information you have sent me. You have chosen a good man to carry your word. Our world faces a grave danger. As you have written, this is truly a historic moment, and it is our duty, as the leaders of the two greatest economies in the world, to lead the world out of this danger. The People’s Republic of China is prepared to fulfill its historic role at this time. Together, our two great countries can lead the world to a brighter future. Let us try to find the way. Let us not have people who come between us. When we speak, let our words be carried direct to the other.

  Sincerely yours,

  Wen Guojie

  President of the People’s Republic of China.

  The president looked up. Ball, Olsen and Knight were watching him.

  He handed the letter to Ball, who was sitting closest to him. Ball scanned it and gave it to Olsen.

  Knight cleared his throat. “President Wen asked me to say, after you had read the letter, that he would consider a channel to take this matter further.”

  “Bill, “ said Alan Ball, “is he expecting you to come back with an answer?”

  Knight nodded.

  “Mr. Knight,” said the pre
sident. “You’ve done a fine job for your country. I want to ask if you’ll wait outside.”

  “Yes, sir.” Knight unbuckled his harness and stood.

  Ball got up as well and took him out.

  The president looked at Olsen. “This is good, huh?”

  Larry Olsen nodded cautiously. “He didn’t say any of the information we gave him was new.”