Executive Orders

CH 05 | Grant For The People

Chapter 05

"I'm not sure that's a wise idea, Mr. President." Sally said. "It's not as though she's a member of your regular senior policy staff. I find it highly irregular that your press-secretary would be allowed to sit in on a policy meeting."

"A policy meeting? Is that what this is?" Fitz asked her. He shook his head. "I thought that this was an informal meeting that you just happened to drop in on?"

Garner had picked up on Fitz's displeasure, he flashed a look of dislike at the vice-president, then turned his attention back to Fitz. "I'm sure the vice-president was just looking out for your best interests, sir. As Communications Director, surely Ms. Pope doesn't concern herself with matters such as this -"

"You must have forgotten how she ran my election campaign - successfully, I might add."

"I'd think that Cyrus might have something to say about that." Sally said.

His manners went out the window as Fitz cut her off. "He'd be the first one to tell you how much he valued Olivia's advice - enough to coax one of the best and brightest of his former students away from an extremely well-paying job to come work for us and that the smartest thing he ever did was to bring her on-board."

He turned back to Olivia. "Please, join us and explain just what it is we've been working on."

"If you insist, Mr. President." Olivia crossed the room and handed Fitz a stack of folders. While he began to sort through them, she remained at his side as she turned to face the others.

"At the president's request, I've had my staff conducting research through several media environments across the country, from think tanks to colleges, local and national polls, and from PTA meetings to town halls across the country -"

She exchanged a glance with Fitz. They hid it well from the others, but there was no doubt that they were both enjoying this.

Olivia continued "- "Grant For The People" has always been more than a slogan. It's been a clear signal on how he meant to govern and he's done his best to do exactly that. It's why he continues to enjoy his grass-root level appeal across party lines.

"It's been an on-going project of the president that he keep these lines of communication open and his intent to be prepared for any contingency - up to and including anticipating any shifts in the judicial make up of our country on the highest levels."

Garner had enough honesty - or otherwise he'd just been too surprised to hide it for a moment to look confused. How was it that he'd heard nothing about the president's studies? Why hadn't he been briefed? He was beginning to feel more than a little foolish - here he was having barged into the Oval Office with what was supposed to have been wise advice for the president, to be the bringer of information that supposedly only he and a few others knew and for which the president was to have been grateful to receive. That was supposed to have endeared himself to the Oval - only now to learn that he'd hadn't needed his help. He was starting to feel embarrassed and a flush of barely controlled embarrassment threatened to overcome him.

He tried not to look at the vice-president, but he could feel the waves of righteous anger rolling off of her; she was obviously even less pleased with the president's Communications Director than he was. Don't shoot the messenger, he thought. Especially if they were as pretty as this one was.

While Grant had kept several of his former campaign staff around - their loyalty had become something of a legend and obviously it went both ways, he couldn't blame the president for keeping this particular campaigner around closer than most after the battle had been won. Brains and beauty in one petite package. She was worth it for the eye candy alone.