Lady In Red Pt 03 Ch 04

The long flight from Australia gave the travelers an opportunity to discuss issues, as well as catch some much needed rest. At the first meeting, Lisa presented Gwen with a laundry list of issues facing her in Washington.

"The conflict of interest situation is really gaining traction in both Houses of Congress," began Lisa. "While as President, you are not subject to the pertinent or perhaps impertinent statute, there is an obscure law that's causing problems. Kate, could you explain it to everyone?"

"I'll try," responded Kate as she studied her notes. "The Title of Nobility is a provision in Article 1, Section 9, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution that prohibits the federal government from granting titles of nobility, and restricts members of the government from receiving gifts, emoluments, offices or titles from foreign states without the consent of the United States Congress.

"Some members of Congress are insisting that when Lady in Red sells music, fashion, movie tickets or any of our many other franchise products in a foreign nation, you're receiving an emolument, which is a salary, fee, or profit from employment or office," finished Kate as she looked up from her notes and directly at her sister.

"So they're saying that as long as Lady in Red does any business internationally, I'm breaking the law, unless I place the company in a blind trust, or something similar?" asked Gwen to clarify her understanding of Kate's statement. "Congress feels I'm accepting remuneration from foreign governments when Lady in Red does business with them? I'm receiving forbidden 'Emoluments'?"

"That's it in a nutshell," replied Kate. "Then there are the issues with the rest of us being either directly or indirectly involved in the profits from Lady in Red. Jason, Lisa, and I are obvious targets since we profit directly as owners, although Jason is technically only married to an owner, but we can't deny that he benefits from his wife's ownership share in the company. Federal employees are prohibited from participating in matters where they could enrich themselves. There are very few situations where the outcome of any decision made by any of us, except perhaps one that adversely affect the economy, couldn't be interpreted as making money for Lady in Red, and therefore for ourselves."

"Does this mean that I'll be removed from office, or that many of my appointments will not be approved by the senate, or both?" questioned Gwen as she turned to look at Steve with concern as she asked Kate to respond.

"It seems to be a possibility, and if Lancer has his way, a strong likelihood," answered a dejected Kate.

"Steve?" was all Gwen said as she sought her husband's wisdom.

"This is exactly why I never wanted to be involved in politics," replied Steve grimly. "You've led the country back from the brink of war. You're improving America's standing in the world community. Every leg of this peace tour has improved America's standing around the world. You're the best thing that's ever happened to the Presidency, yet petty political hypocrites appear to have the potential to remove you from office, as well as block your choices for your cabinet. How badly do you want this job?"

"You know I never sought the office and I was even uncomfortable accepting it. If I hadn't had you to back me every step of the way, I never would have accepted the Vice Presidency," responded Gwen sincerely.

"You said something the other day in response to a question about conflict of interest that really helped me see this issue clearly," revealed Steve. "Lady in Red has spent more on the welfare of people of the world in the last few years than any sovereign nation. I would submit to all of you that the goals of Lady in Red supersede the office of President, if a choice must be made between the two."

"Oh, wow!" exclaimed Kate as her face seemed to illuminate. "You're right! We've been fixated on protecting Gwen's position as President like it's the most important thing she can do, but it isn't!"

"Exactly what are you saying, Steve?" questioned Gwen with increasing emotion. "Do you think that I should resign?"

"No, I don't. I do think you need to stop worrying about the politics. I want you to concentrate on doing the best job as President you possibly can. If the idiots in Congress want to hamstring you, or even remove you from office, it's their loss, not yours. I expect the American people to make their voices heard on the matter, but if they don't strongly support you and your agenda, then they don't deserve you."

"I think I get what you're telling us," chimed in Naomi. "There comes a time when the citizens of a nation need to decide their course. If the American public wants Gwen to lead them, they'll need to get involved. If they don't want her, or if they don't want to exert the effort required to keep her, she'll return to private life, and by so doing, continue to improve millions of lives around the world with her work in Lady in Red. Gwen has nothing to prove! She doesn't need the Presidency, it needs her!

"The real danger for Gwen is not that she could be removed from office, but rather that she becomes distracted by the possibility. She simply has to be the best President she can possibly be. Protecting herself from Representatives and Senators shouldn't even be an issue for her. The American public should be fighting for her Presidency. If they don't, they'll get what they ultimately deserve, which in this case would be a much less effective leader."

"That's kind of what I'm thinking. If the citizens of the United States care so little about who occupies the White House, why should Gwen expend so much energy and effort for them? She doesn't need to fight for the office. She'll be fine without it, and many would argue that she'd be better off. But will the country? Voters didn't elect Gwen, but I think they need to take steps to make their opinion known," argued Steve.

"That's placing a lot of faith in the people of the country, as well as the willingness of Congress to accept the desire of the people," cautioned William Patterson. "The possible result would be for Gwen not to have her cabinet selections approved, and eventually to be removed from office."

"Isn't that rather extreme?" questioned an obviously distressed Paula. "Gwen's doing an incredible job as President! How could Congress remove her from office?"

"If enough members of Congress decide that Lady in Red's business revenues are considered emolument, they'll be able to impeach, and even convict, if Gwen doesn't place it in some sort of trust," explained Kate. "We all know they won't be acting in the best interests of the nation, but when has that ever concerned them?"

"I've discussed this with Steve several times since taking office," admitted Gwen. "We will not be surrendering any of our interests in Lady in Red. We've worked too long and hard and can help far too many people, to allow it to languish. It sounds odd, but the Presidency has already taken too much of my time and energy away from our company. If our work for the United States isn't accepted, or appreciated by most Americans, than we really shouldn't be here, should we?"

"I've come to that same conclusion," stated Steve with a sigh. "I believe the nation needs you far more than you need the pressure and aggravation you've been dealing with. Keep doing your best as long as you're President, but stop getting sidetracked by the politics. Let Congress and the everyday, average citizens decide what they can live with. If they want you to continue, you will. If they decide to remove you, that's okay, too. We've all been expending far too much energy on something over which we have no control. Just let it go. It'll all shake out one way or the other."

"I've got to say that I'm quite surprised that you'd let members of Congress berate Gwen without taking some measured steps of your own," allowed Ted. "It doesn't go with what I've come to expect from you."

"I never said that I wouldn't extract some satisfaction from these politicians, but not while Gwen's in office. I don't want anyone accusing her of abusing her office in any way. When Gwen becomes a private citizen, all bets are off," replied Steve calmly, but with the deadly demeanor those close to him had come to recognize.

"You know what?" asked Gwen rhetorically. "I feel better already! I'm not going to play their games to keep a job I never sought and only accepted because I was asked and I thought it would help the country. I'll do my best as long as I hold the office, but I won't be trying to placate any politicians.

"I gave up working with two hospitals as a pediatric surgeon when I assumed the vice presidency. I wasn't too pleased about doing that. You all know how hard and long I worked to attain that position. I love helping children and if I'm removed from office, I'll be back in the operating room as quickly as I possibly can."

"How will we handle our confirmation hearings, if we ever even have them?" asked Kate. "I'd become a government employee if I was approved as Attorney General and there could be no denying the conflict of interest."

"Kate, tell Congress that you'll accept no compensation from the government for your service. Then you wouldn't actually be a government employee," pointed out Steve. "I seriously doubt that simple ploy would satisfy the Senate, but it's worth a shot. If they don't approve your appointment, you'll be advising Gwen and even speaking on her behalf without any official title, much like I do. She may ask you to keep an eye on the Department of Justice and even have people report to you without the formality of an official position. Congress will have to pursue the situation and either pass laws with a large enough majority to prevent a Presidential veto from overriding them, or accept that Kate is in charge. I don't think any of us care too much which way they go. That's how it's going to be during Gwen's remaining time in office."

"Yeah, however short that time may be," laughed Gwen. "I like this approach to handling the situation. Congress will have to deal with the problem, not I. I won't even admit that I consider it an issue. If they can't accept my actions as President, they'll have to remove me. We have thousands of politicians that would love to serve as our next President, so I won't be hard to replace, but the good work that Lady in Red does could be greatly compromised if we don't continue to oversee it, and I like to think that I still can help a lot of children in my capacity as a surgeon."

"Okay, I think we have a plan," concluded Lisa. "We were caught up in trying to keep Gwen in the White House, when we should have been concentrating on the best way for her to perform as President of the United States. Rather than appease politicians that will never be happy regardless of what she does, we'll ignore them as much as we can, without being overly rude or breaking laws. Let the American people decide if they want to put forth the effort to keep Gwen in office."

Everyone in Gwen's circle was able to relax and get some much needed rest once a course of action had been determined. It was a refreshed group that landed in Dubai many hours later.

Lady in Red had reserved an entire floor at Hotel Burl al-Arab. Even with the modern facilities on Air Force One, the sheer number of people traveling with Gwen necessitated leaving the aircraft for an opportunity for everyone to enjoy long, hot showers and full bathroom facilities. Once they had the chance to freshen up, the entire troupe visited the nearby water park, Wild Wadi.

The adults spent the afternoon ensuring that the kids had a good time. Saint was tall for his age and was allowed on all of the rides, although some required that he be accompanied by an adult. There were a surprising number of American families enjoying the park that afternoon. They were delighted at how accessible and friendly President Hammer, her husband, family, and friends were.

Naomi and Lisa each suffered slight wardrobe malfunctions as the artificial waves pulled at their tops. Naomi made a very quick recovery when her left breast was briefly exposed by a wave that caught her by surprise. Lisa was less fortunate when she failed to realize her top had been pushed up to her neck by a strong wave, exposing both breasts. Jason had been helping Theresa stand up after being knocked down when he saw Lisa's nipples smiling at him from several feet away.. He quickly stepped over and pulled her close before tugging her top back down to cover her firm breasts.

"Oh, no!" gasped a surprised Lisa as she looked around her to see if anyone had noticed. Her gaze was met by huge grins on the faces of several fathers in the area, including Steve and Chip. Chip gave Lisa the thumbs up as she carefully rearranged her 'girls'. After two hours of relaxation at the water park, the entourage traveled back to the hotel for a brief rest before preparing for the final leg of the flight from Australia to Rome.

Before takeoff, Gwen led Steve over to the area occupied by members of the media to allow her an opportunity to answer questions. "Madam President," began a cable news reporter, "Congress appears to be unwilling to accept your evaluation concerning conflicts of interest. How are you going to handle this controversy? Will you be placing your company in a blind trust?"

"I'm glad you asked," replied Gwen with her dazzling smile. "I've come to the conclusion that I've already wasted far too much time trying to deal with the irrational behavior of Congress. These are the same people that asked me to accept the vice presidency, yet never questioned my business dealings. I never promised to place Lady in Red in a blind trust. The subject never even came up during my confirmation hearings. Even Congress should realize that the Vice President needs to be held to the same standards as the President. If I were qualified for one office, it follows that I would automatically be considered qualified for the other.

"Congress is either telling America that they didn't know I was wealthy when I was appointed Vice President, or that they didn't care. Why is it suddenly important to them? The short answer? Politics as usual.

"I had an epiphany earlier today, with the assistance of my amazing husband and other close advisors. Congress requested that I serve as Vice President. I didn't seek the position. Then I ascended to the Presidency when President Crawford passed away. I take the office very seriously and I will always do my very best to perform my duties faithfully.

"That said, I won't be exerting any further effort to remain in office. I was appointed by Congress, but I serve at the will of the people. They will determine, through their elected representatives, if I should be removed from office," stated Gwen calmly. "Or they will determine if I shall remain. I only serve with the approval of the American people, and I would have it no other way."

"Steve and I, along with my closest friends and family, feel that the mission of Lady in Red is far too important to allow it to be placed in a blind trust. We built this company through good fortune, hard work, and the support of millions of people, both in America and around the world. Our company is dedicated to helping people, and will continue to do exactly that. Our record speaks for itself. It would be more logical for me to place the Presidency in a blind trust since Congress is so intent on controlling the office."

"Madam President, are you telling us that you will give up the Presidency?" asked a stunned Amber Stahl.

"No, But I am telling you that it really isn't worth spending a great deal of effort to keep the office; not if the people of America determine that they no longer want me to serve."

"But the American public won't be making that decision," argued a woman network reporter. "That determination will be made by Congress."

"Will it really?" questioned Gwen. "Congress is elected to serve and represent the people. If the wonderful people of America want me as their President, then they'd better make that desire known to their elected representatives. I'm not going to waste my time with Congress. I'm simply too busy. I'll serve as President of the United States to the best of my ability as long as I hold the office. It isn't my place to determine how long that will be."

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, we have a long flight ahead of us and the President needs to board Air Force One," broke in Steve. "I'm extremely proud of her accomplishments as President and hope she'll be allowed to continue to serve her country in this capacity for the next three years. However, regardless of any actions by Congress, we'll also continue to work to improve our company's position, which in turn, will assure its ability to assist people in time of need. Our disaster relief efforts went international six years ago. It's with great pride that we can state that Lady in Red is the leader in disaster relief in the world. We outspend every nation, and that includes the United States. It's a top priority."

Steve led Gwen away as the reporters scurried to file their reports. President Hammer had stated matter-of-factly that she wasn't going to bother trying to explain her position to Congress any longer. She felt her work with Lady in Red was too important to give up, even for the Presidency!

"I think you shocked the press when you told them that you weren't going to bother worrying about what Congress decided about your business conflicts," observed Naomi. "I hope the everyday Joes and Janes make their voices heard by their elected representatives. It doesn't look like I'll be adding Secretary of State to my résumé any time soon."

"You know what? We've been relying on the press to report about Gwen's presidency," stated Kate. "We need to be more proactive. We have all kinds of websites, blogs, and social media accounts for Lady in Red, and we all post to them as much as we can. We need to do the same thing for Gwen's Presidency! I don't mean we need to be political, but we should keep on stressing the good things she's already managed and detail what she hopes to accomplish. We can also do the same thing to explain our views in each of our fields of expertise.

"Everyone in Gwen's Cabinet, or who hopes to be in Gwen's Cabinet should have a public Facebook page dedicated to their specific government service. I bet we'd have lots of 'friends' follow us, and it would be a great way to get our message across to the public."

"It took us long enough to think of that!" lamented Lisa. "That's what we get for not being politically astute. We've got some time before we reach Rome. Let me get a couple of interns to set up accounts for us. Then we should each write a mission statement and start posting. We need to get our message out to the public right away. I think we need to allow everyone to view our posts, but what about commenting on them?"

"We should allow comments but hire some people to scrub out the inappropriate questions and comments," replied Kate. "We don't want discussions by hormonal boys on the size of our breasts or asses."

"That means that we'll have to 'unfriend' all the men in our group," laughed Lisa. "Those guys, especially our husbands, act like hormonal teens most of the time."

"True, but I'm not complaining about them," chuckled Kate.

"Then we'll work on Twitter, too," suggested Naomi. "If Americans don't know what's going on, they won't be able to help us. I'm sure that most people will agree with Gwen, not Congress, if they understand her reasons and goals."

"I'll go speak to the interns right now," stated Lisa as she went in search of the two young interns that were traveling with them.

Air Force One landed in the early afternoon. Gwen was extremely pleased with the enthusiastic welcome she received from the President of Italy and his 'donna'. After a short ceremony at the airport, Gwen's group was whisked by motorcade to a luxury hotel not far from the Trevi Fountain.