Uncivil Liberties (25 page)

The scowl slowly left Senator Culpepper’s face, replaced by the beginnings of a campaign smile. “Mr. Secretary, if you and your colleagues would please have a seat, I believe we can proceed as intended. You may not like all that I have to say or where I point the finger… or at whom… but, sir, I admire your stance, and, begrudgingly perhaps, I will remove the partisan cloak I must often wear. As you request, I will try to remember that I am an American first, a Democrat second.”

“That, sir,” Austin said as he moved back toward the witness table, “is all that I can ask of any man… or woman,” he added, glancing at Senator McKenzie.

Three hours later, after all committee members had, in turn, taken their moment of private glory in the questioning process, all parties filed out into the corridor. General Austin took a few moments to wait until Senator McKenzie left the dais, approaching her in the hallway. Pug followed close behind.

As the senator approached, Austin proffered a broad grin. “Rachel, how very nice to see you again. How are your girls?” Senator McKenzie stood about five foot nine, trim with exceptionally healthy looking skin and facial features. Her clear blue eyes, framed by loose-hanging shoulder-length dark hair, projected an aura of intelligence along with a sincere warmth. She quickly closed the gap, obviously pleased to see Austin. “Uncle Bill, it’s so nice to see you again.”

Rachel stepped close to the general and was immediately enveloped into a warm embrace. She then stepped back, his hands still on her shoulders. “You should come and see my girls for yourself. We’ve all missed your visits since you retired from the Air Force. Congratulations on your new appointment. I knew President Snow would make good choices.”

“I’m grateful for his confidence,” Austin replied. “Christine was talking about you the other day,” he said, speaking of his wife. “She said something about your daughter, Charlotte, getting married. She also thinks I’m too busy and that perhaps it’s time we
really
retired and headed somewhere warm . . . and peaceful.” He laughed. “Rachel, let me introduce General Pádraig Connor.  Pug and I worked together for the past several years. He’s now the Director of Homeland Security’s Office of Information and Public Relations.”

Rachel extended her hand, holding Pug’s eye contact. “My pleasure, General. I was impressed with your testimony this morning. And of course, yours too, Uncle Bill,” she added. “It was a bit testy at first.”She chuckled. “But Senator Culpepper has his own inimitable style.”

Austin grunted. “So I noticed. In fact, one of his aides handed me a note just as we broke up. We’ve been invited to his office for an
informal
chat.”

Rachel nodded her understanding. “The
real
meeting, I would guess. Well, please try to find some time to visit us, Bill. And Christine is correct. Charlotte is twenty-three and getting married next week. Allison is twenty-four and just about to finish law school at Georgetown. They grow up fast, don’t they?”

 “So did you,
Senator
. I miss the days when I could take you on my knee or scare the wits out of you on the roller coaster.” He laughed.

“Yes, well,” she blushed slightly, “we shouldn’t burden General Connor with
those
stories now, should we?”

Austin smiled warmly and put his hands on Rachel’s shoulders once again. “It’s
so
good to talk with you again, Rachel. Christine and I will make it a point to call and come for a visit one weekend soon. I promise. Be sure to send us a wedding invitation. And thank you for an excellent compromise solution this morning. The meeting could have gone very badly without your assistance.”

“All in the line of duty, Uncle Bill. It was my pleasure to meet you, General Connor,” she said, turning to face Pug once again and offering her hand. She then embraced General Austin, kissing him on the cheek.

Austin and Pug walked in the opposite direction from Rachel McKenzie, heading for Culpepper’s office.

“General, is Senator McKenzie part of your extended family? She sounded like you and she had a lengthy history.”

“I’m an honorary uncle. But she’s as much a member of our family as the children we never had. A surrogate daughter, I would say. I flew in Vietnam with her father the day he was shot down and killed. She was about one at the time. My wife and I stayed in touch with the family over the years. I attended her wedding about twenty-five years ago. She already had two children before she graduated from law school. A very organized and determined woman. Then, several years ago, her husband was killed and history repeated itself.”

“Her father and her husband
both
killed in combat. What a tragedy.” Pug glanced back down the hallway just in time to see Rachel McKenzie stepping into the elevator.

“Indeed. Now, let’s see what General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s triple great-grandson has to say to us.”

Reaching Senator Culpepper’s office, they were shown in immediately, and the senator came out from behind his desk, all smiles and southern hospitality.

“That hearing didn’t turn out so bad now, did it, Mr. Secretary?” Culpepper smiled.

“I’ve faced worse,” Austin said, his demeanor relaxed, but his political antennae vibrating. The quietly offered invitation from one of Culpepper’s low level staffers had not been anticipated. Austin had sent Brooks back to the White House to report to the president, but directed Pug to remain with him.

Despite his
‘I’m new at this’
charade in the committee room, former Lieutenant General William Austin had spent countless hours with behind-the-scenes congressional committees over the years and knew the ropes quite well. Staging a walkout had been a ploy that worked to establish his reluctance to impugn the president or others of the Republican persuasion and had resulted in the committee members toning down their verbal assault.

“To employ an oft-used phrase, ‘I was just doin’ my duty,’ General, satisfying my constituents and party adherents. Nothing personal, of course. Actually, I find I rather like our new president. He’s more approachable than Cumberland would have been, God rest his soul.”

“I understand the need for theater, Senator. Now, how can we help you further?” Austin asked, still wary of the senior senator’s intentions. Culpepper motioned for both men to take seats.

Senator Culpepper had decorated his office, in which he had been firmly ensconced since the Hart Senate Office Building had been built thirty years earlier in 1982, with primarily antebellum and Civil War themes, most of them reflecting his home state of Tennessee. A half-dozen limited editions and two excellent originals of Civil War battles lined his walls, all done by the famous military historian and artist, Don Stivers. Both the original paintings depicted stages of the Civil War in which Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest led his cavalry regiment.

Bronze statutes rested on several bookcases and a nearly life-size statue of Andrew “Old Hickory” Jackson, another famous Tennessean and the seventh president, stood just outside the entrance to his private office. On the front of the senator’s desk was an engraved sign,
“Git thar fust with the most men!”,
which was the famous quote from General Forrest, noted for his use of quick mobility in battle.

“General, I know you’re not as naïve about political matters as you pretended this morning, but I’m not as curmudgeonly as I might appear, either. I just might surprise you with my, shall we say,
private
beliefs regarding the current situation. I thought it would help if we could get together, out of the public eye, and discuss the matter.” Culpepper reached into a drawer to the side of his desk and retrieved a clear plastic document protector, about a half-inch thick with documents, placing it on his desk top.

“Let me try to sum up why I asked you to meet with me this afternoon. As is the case in any war in world history, there are devious factions in society that would use any crisis, our current predicament included, to enhance their own objectives. Translated, that means ‘build their bank accounts,’ General. War profiteers. Scum of the earth, if you ask me, and dishonorable to their respective nations in time of crisis. As we both know, there are some Iraqis who are more wealthy today than Saddam was before the war. The same thing will happen in America with this latest invasion of our shores. I hope, General Austin, that you and I can form an alliance against them, but my opening gambit this morning was necessary to renew my well-established ‘anti-administration’ bona fides. The people we’re dealing with are concerned, with good reason, that the current administration will not favor their plans for increased profitability. From what I’ve seen of President Snow and some of his cabinet-level appointments, yourself included,” he chuckled, “they’re probably right. Oh, they shield their plans with verbiage of patriotism, honor, security for the nation, etcetera, but it’s all . . . what did you call my harangue this morning?
Hyperbole
?”

The crusty old senator, a veteran of many such clandestine political conspiracies, chuckled for several moments. “Perhaps I laid it on a bit thick in my opening monologue, and, given my history in the Senate, I’ve already confirmed my anti-administration stance. Your walk-out disrupted that plan rather quickly, but we can both thank Senator McKenzie for saving the day. A very astute woman. As to my true intentions, perhaps you should ask President Snow to have a quiet word with President Steadman, my Democratic cohort in many a clandestine battle, before condemning me completely.”

Austin nodded his understanding. “Perhaps we both were grandstanding a bit this morning, Senator. ‘
Public performance often belies private action
,’” he said, quoting a phrase from Senator Culpepper’s recent political treatise.

Culpepper grinned at the reference. “Now
that’s
what I’m talking about. You’re smarter, politically speaking, than you pretend.” He then turned his attention to Pug Connor. “Son, it speaks highly that General Austin brought you with him to this private meeting, and I’m going to infer from his decision that he trusts both your integrity and your confidentiality. Unless informed otherwise,” he said, glancing toward Austin, “I’m going to proceed on that assumption. I’m playing a dangerous game here, General Connor. Perhaps not as life-threatening as some of the missions I’ve learned you’ve undertaken, but potentially as damaging, politically speaking.”

Noticing Pug’s surprised look, Culpepper laughed. “Yes, son, I try to learn as much about those appearing before my committee as I can, and I’m certainly impressed with your military exploits before you landed behind a desk. I read your complete file when your name came before the Senate for confirmation as a general officer. Despite the . . .
hyperbole
. . . we are careful who we promote to flag officer rank.

“The Navy Cross doesn’t display as prominently when the recipient is attired in civilian clothing, but believe me, I’m highly impressed with what I know about you. Our common enemy, General Connor—and I’m speaking of the war profiteers, not the terrorists—don’t fight in the same way as your former opponents. Even the current terrorists, as cowardly as they are to be shooting innocent civilians, are more prepared to do battle than the culprits I’m talking about. Terrorists are prepared to die for their cause. These greedy insiders are only prepared to kill, not to die. Be that as it may, I trust I can rely on your discretion regarding this discussion?  We must keep it between just the three of us.”

“I’m learning by the minute, Senator,” Pug said with a smile, “and I believe I’m under the tutelage of another master teacher this morning. I’ve learned that being under General Austin’s command carries a different kind of danger, but I’m finding it can be more intimidating than facing an AK-47, if you understand what I mean.”

Culpepper laughed boldly, a bit more vocal in his outburst. “I do indeed, son, I do indeed. My committee has massacred many a person across a green felt tablecloth. Now, General, before we get to the meat of our discussion, tell me what you know about PSC’s, private security companies.”

Austin hesitated only a moment. “I know they’ve taken on an increasingly larger role in our overseas government operations, especially what used to be referred to as BG, or bodyguard security work. Beyond that, if you’re referring to any covert military operations, domestic or international, I’ve not queried into that area, not in the short time I’ve served in Homeland Security. I gather from your comments that I better open my eyes a bit.”

“Wide open, General, wide open. They’re making inroads that would astonish the most ardent follower of our military posture. And, to be fair, they serve a very important purpose to meet our security needs, especially with the all-volunteer military we’ve had since we ended the draft. However, for about the past ten years, they’ve been seeking to change the dynamics and especially the scope of that relationship. Are you familiar with a firm called SI? Strategic Initiatives is the formal name. John Harford is the principal owner, a West Point graduate and former Army Ranger.”

“Absolutely. I’ve met with Harford and some of his key staff. The State Department and Homeland Security have a long-standing contract with them to provide security for traveling diplomats, especially for overseas meetings in hazardous countries.”