Chapter 26

There was NO WAY I was going to be anywhere near the action in Somalia. The Secret Service wouldn't hesitate to throw a blanket over me if I even suggested it, so I didn't. The reports came in day and night, and I spent as much time on the Residence's basement action desk as I did attending to my actual responsibilities.

We were winning.

The phony Muslim group we invented was so busy taking credit for putting down and thinning out al Qaeda, throughout Somalia, that it was impossible to keep up with all the changes in the enemy leadership. Almost as fast as a leader could be identified, he was taken out, and a new fight for the top job broke out within the savage hoard.

Worldwide media breathlessly reported the new violence streaking across Somalia, and many in the press began to talk about the positive effects of a moderate Muslim movement, directly taking on the lunatics that were hijacking their religion. One welcome result was the sudden upswing in Somali citizens rising up against al Qaeda, and taking action against their vicious foes.

Like a tidal wave, the desire for freedom from the never-ending murder, mayhem, pillaging, and rape took hold, as the people realized it was possible to throw off the yoke of oppression. The Somali government saw the possibilities and with overt help from Charles, began to move against their tormentors.

For six months all-out war engulfed Somalia, then al Qaeda started to vanish. It began in the west where the people woke up one morning to discover that al Qaeda simply mounted up and took off overnight, leaving nothing behind but the bodies of a few malcontent members who objected.

Village by village, the imported terrorists simply quit fighting and went home, stranding native terrorists to their unpleasant fate as long suffering locals took out their hostilities on those left behind. Pretty soon, all of the terrorists snuck out of town together, because it was decidedly unhealthy to be discovered after al Qaeda bugged out.

Our operations quickly wound down, once local and federal enforcement became emboldened to strike back, and strike hard. They loved identifying Iranian and Nigerian terrorists, staking them out on the village main street, and setting wild boars loose on them. Their torn, bloodied, impossibly raped bodies became a living-dead testimony of the consequences of committing acts of terror against Somalia.

By the time we pulled out the rest of our mercenaries, the country was well on its way toward restoring some semblance of order, after what seemed like decades of anarchy.

Score one for Freedom!

Charles rode the wave of good news to a higher popularity rating. His re-election seemed automatic, as world news continued to be positive, while at home, unemployment crept steadily down. Our economic actions in Africa paid nearly immediate dividends as several Africa leaders invited him to visit and discuss mutual trade opportunities.

Charles sent me, and I brought Rebecca with me, calling her a member of my medical team. No one cared, so I guessed her presence must have been ignored. If anyone had heard her cries of passion each night they might have felt very different, but the trip came and went without a nibble from the press.

Africa was Africa. The greetings were long, drawn out, and dramatic. The evening entertainment was tribal, long, and drawn out, and the food was ... unusual, to say the least. It turned out that Africa had much to offer in terms of unexploited trading, and we hammered out a number of details that State would formalize, and Charles would sign when the proper time came.

Several Muslim nations applauded Somalia's emergence from what they called, "the dark cloud of brutal regimes hiding behind the curtain of Islam." None of the current warlords, despots, strongmen, or military juntas was receiving favorable treatment from moderate Muslims, and they were finding new pockets of hard resistance where there was none before.

The pushback was costing the warlords millions, if not billions, and one-by-one, they started to be deposed. The first junta collapsed in Nigeria, and their leadership was rounded up and summarily executed, ignoring Islamic law. They were treated like common criminals, and not one international news service complained. My contacts at State claimed that hadn't happened in the last fifty years and represented a sea change of immeasurable proportions.

Rebecca was stunned at the primitive conditions she found in the African medical community, and asked if I objected to her using my trust to build and supply a series of Doc-in-the-Box, style clinics, each staffed by a single physician, two nurses, and two support staff. I was thrilled to find a positive use for our money, and suggested she partner with UNICEF to get it done faster.

When I approached the UN with the offer to underwrite, privately, our medical clinic plan, they threw their weight behind the project and provided innumerable volunteers, retirees, church groups, and locals who pitched in to help.

Once that ball started downhill, we found that local governments, now free of al Qaeda and their adherents, went far beyond the call of duty to secure our buildings, protect our people, and make sure we were unmolested by terrorists, pirates, or thugs. With their support, the Doc-in-the-Box clinics became fairly common and people of diverse ethnic backgrounds found them to be a neutral meeting place, where they could talk without worrying about tribal, or religious dogma preventing communication.

The trust eventually funded one hundred and twenty-six clinics, each set up identically, and staffed from a combination of interns, residents, and young doctors, eager to save the world.

Over the course of time, we set up an adjoining library/educational center, where job skills were taught, and a safe house, where people could come during major weather events. The buildings doubled as a local workshop and warehouse facility.

Among the first things we did when the clinics started to open, was to invite Mbaekwe Okpara of Somalia, who started me down this road, to tour each one as they came on-line. His expressions of joy and hope were historic, and I spent many trips aboard Air Force Two enjoying the DVD's of his grand opening speeches.

As with every good thing, karma is always going to come after you with a vengeance.

We were in Dallas for a party convention at which I was among the key speakers. It was a big event. People came from all fifty states and virtually every county in the country. The Secret Service had kept me abreast of threats against me and Charles, but nothing much seemed to be happening on that front.

I was in my suite on the penthouse level of the Grand Hyatt Hotel. We had the biggest suite because Charles wasn't coming. The Secret Service, various governors, senators, congressmen, and my staff took up the rest of the floor and the one below. I'd refused to hit the taxpayers with that bill, and Rick arranged for the hotel to bill the trust directly for the rooms, which resulted in a humongous discount, once it became known that they weren't soaking the government.

Rick, Yosef, and I were going over details of the out of pocket costs we were paying per clinic, and how many patients we were treating for the money, when the doors flew open and I was rushed to the roof and picked up by Marine Two. Everything happened so fast I couldn't imagine what was going on, but by the looks on the faces of my detail, I knew it wasn't the time to ask.

Rather than make a scene, I complied and we were whisked out of town to a military base relatively nearby.

An enormous amount of military security greeted my choppers, and the base commander stood waiting for me when the doors opened. "Mr. Vice President. Let me welcome you to our base..."

He would have continued, but I was dragged off by the Secret Service.

"Mr. Vice President. Air Force Two was bombed approximately thirty-nine minutes ago. The plane is a total loss, and we lost over forty agents, plus the flight crew and ground maintenance. It was a bloodbath, and Secretary Stanton has ordered us to secure you until we get a handle on what happened.

"Sir, a backup plane is already heading here and will be available for you soon. We don't have any other information but hope to soon. The General is making executive quarters available for you until we receive countermanding orders. If you will come this way we will get you settled, Sir."

I stood fast.

"Rick: get on the horn and find out the next of kin for everyone who died and have the staff set up a schedule for me to travel to each family and offer our sympathies.