Chapter 19

"PUTIN PUNTS FOREIGN POLICY"

"PREMIER PLACATES PRESIDENT"

"WHAT'S UP WITH VLAD?"

"HAS THE BEAR BEEN DECLAWED – Putin Backs Down"

The newspapers shouted the headlines six inches tall. Putin chose to stand down, when faced with the choice of fighting to retain control of oil shipping in the Black Sea. His move shocked everyone and further depressed oil prices. Analysts had set the ceiling of a barrel of crude at forty eight to fifty dollars a barrel – long term. Now it looked like it would settle at around forty-four.

If you bought oil futures, one thing you couldn't do was buy Russian oil six months out. Putin refused to allow futures trading on his oil, as he was betting everything on oil prices spiking, sometime soon. If not, his government would likely collapse, and the world would get to revisit the late eighties, when the now defunct USSR disappeared on Tuesday night.

The weakness of Russian oil prices had damaged Putin's iron fist hold on the country, and far too many incidents of radical Muslim terror were being perpetrated against Russian interests.

"We were taught in high school history that men who choose to live by the sword, will often die by the sword," Charles spoke solemnly to a cooperative of university scholars, writing tomorrow's history books about the last days of the second Soviet empire. Charles was speaking softly, but each of his words resounded like a hammer hitting a railroad spike, driving it through the heart of Putin's regime.

The assorted historians, including former Speaker of the US House, Newt Gingrich, were fascinated by the matter of fact dismissal of Russia's stranglehold on Eastern Europe. Charles was cutting Putin's legs out from under him, and doing it without saying a single inflammatory word. There was nothing Vlad could complain about, because President Charles Thornton was being studiously correct in every way. "Russia has a long history of political struggles, punctuated by times of fabulous success, and then followed almost automatically by disturbing abuses against her people. Those abuses always precede an accounting that often causes those that hurt Russia's citizens to suffer ignominious ends.

"President Putin is fighting an uphill battle, caused by an ill thought out, empiric expansion policy that cost far more than any potential gain. When he gambled Russia's future on rising oil prices, he wrote the terms of his own demise. America has no argument with the Russian people. Americans have no desire to see Russians suffer hunger, deprivation, or hardship. Those things seem to follow bad government, bad choices, and bad timing.

"To the Russian people, I say, "You are full members of the world community, and we will help in any good way we can. To the Russian regime, I say, 'Let Freedom RING!'"

The unexpected applause of traditionally hostile academics was like a wave of fresh air, blowing through the Kennedy Center. Once the ovation took hold, professors began to stand and cheer the words of President Charles Thornton. His unexpected rallying call ignited patriotism through the heartland, and protestations of support from our allies around the world.

'This is going to be his high water mark, ' I thought as Charles blinked in surprise at the standing academicians, applauding a speech about strength, courage, and the power of people who demand freedom over the oppression of the old Soviet style, hammer and sickle politics. Charles would look back on this speech as the defining moment of his Presidency.

I was sure of it.

The press stood transfixed at the sight of cynical professors hungrily celebrating the challenge Charles dealt out to Putin, during a nothing speech, to a bunch of history teachers. They couldn't comprehend anyone, especially a group of liberal professors, getting behind the simple words of Charles Thornton. I laughed inside, taking it all in, and cheering along with the throng of people around me on the Capitol Mall. We were watching the speech on a huge screen, erected so anyone that so chose could enjoy the beautiful weather and great oration by their president.

Before people started to move around too much, the Secret service hustled me away to my waiting car and whisked me back to the Residence. After several attempts on my life, they weren't taking many chances.

Jason and Rick were there ahead of me, and we discussed the game changer that a speech that touched people so deeply could be if we kept it in front of people, especially school children. Jason suggested we put together an action team and print booklets with the speech and some background information that teachers could use as a civics lesson. The idea had merit, and we put it on the schedule of things to follow up on.

Colleen called on my special phone, provided by the Judge. "Hey, Baby-doll," I said, quietly.

"Hey, Yourself, Daddy," She replied.

"I'm thinking you have some news for me, with a greeting like that?" I laughed at her sense of fun in the simplest things.

"Your little Marines apparently know how to dig through big barriers, because I'm due on December twenty-forth!" We'd discussed her potential pregnancy when she missed her last period. It was wise to wait an extra month and see if it was just biology, before getting too excited. The news that she had a due date had us both over the moon with excitement.