|
Sex, Hoynes, and Northern Ireland "Good morning, Mrs. Landingham." Leo paused at the older woman's desk just outside of the Oval Office. Without fail Mrs. Landingham has been at this desk every time he entered the President's office through the hall. There was even a joke among the junior staff that Mrs. Landingham lived in one of the drawers of her desk, but Leo knew that it was only through a fierce love of her country, and an undying loyalty to Jed Bartlet that enabled Mrs. Landingham to put in the hours that she did. Even the senior staff had to admire the dedication and stamina that the woman had. "Leo. He's already in there and waiting to speak with you. He seems to be in fine spirits this morning." "Well, that'll change," Leo responded as he opened the door to the Oval Office. Mrs. Landingham stared after Leo as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. "Mr. President." "Good morning, Leo. Did you know that my wife spent most of last night telling me more about famous women whom I have never heard of. She seems to think that this punishment should be on-going no matter how much I try to assure her that I will never make fun of her statue dedications again. Why do you think she likes to torture me, Leo?" Despite the break in mood that was about to come Leo afforded himself a good chuckle. Abbey Bartlet never let her husband get away with a slight to issues she considered important. Her emphasis on the lack of women's roles in history was rivaled only by her husband's rabid interest in and protection of Notre Dame's place in the world of football. "Sir, I think Abbey will turn some punishment on me if I deem it fit to answer that question." "Yeah, you're right, Leo. Better say nothing at all. It might as well be only me that's in trouble. So, what's up this morning?" The President moved behind his desk and sat down. Already there were a stack of briefing papers to be read in between scheduled meetings and the impromptu crises that were sure to arise within the hours of the day. Leo seated himself at one of the couches in the room. He was not in the mood to appear brave in the face of the crisis just waiting to break. He had ridden out controversy, but this one so soon after the assassination attempt just might be the one to ride him right out of politics. "Leo, I know that something's wrong. I can see it in your face, my friend. What is going on?" "Mr. President, Josh has done something that could tear this administration apart. He didn't do it on his own though. Hoynes was just as much a part of it as Josh." The President's attention focused on Leo as he set the paper he had been reading down. "What did Josh do? I hope he hasn't been talking to the press again." "Sir, we can't let this thing get to the press at all if we can help it. Josh has been helping Hoynes secure votes to go against our stance on the Northern Ireland peace process. He's only been helping the Vice President because Hoynes found out that Josh was sleeping with Joey Lucas. Josh hasn't helped Hoynes in months, but whatever he did do was enough to permanently damage the peace process, and bring this administration to its knees, not just because of Josh's actions, but because Hoynes was the one to suggest the damn thing in the first place." "Damn it, Leo. How could we not have known anything about this? When did it first start?" Jed got up from his desk and took a seat on the couch opposite Leo. "It started when you declared the newest national park out in Montana, and all the staff except for Josh went out with you. He was working on the peace process, and Hoynes took the opportunity to corner Josh. Sir, I don't think Josh had any choice in the matter. I don't think he harbors any specific loyalty to Hoynes anymore, especially considering how Hoynes treated Josh when he left his campaign, but he did feel that his relationship with Joey was troublesome enough to make him cooperate." "Leo, just because Josh was sleeping with Joey, as stupid as that may have been - that shouldn't have been enough to coerce Josh into helping strike up opposition to everything that he's worked on for six months." "Sir, I didn't think it could have been that bad either, but as Toby so bluntly pointed out in senior staff this morning, sexual escapades not only plagued previous administrations, but we've already had our dalliance with scandal when Sam slept with the call girl. If Josh felt that his sleeping with someone who could deliver public, and probably congressional opinion on an issue would look like that's the reason he's sleeping with her, then he might have taken the chance that no one would find out." Jed settled back into his chair and sighed. "What do you think we need to do, Leo?" "I have an appointment with Hoynes at 11am. He'll stop these antics, and he'll work his ass off to repair the damage done. Danny called CJ this morning with the information, so we know the press has a whiff of it, but Danny has agreed to keep quiet if we answer any question he asks about any other topic. At this point we're not in a position to bargain him down. I think it's a small price to pay. Right now there's nothing you can do, but you may want to speak with Josh. As much as he's done wrong, he's still a good man who works hard for you, and I think he needs to know that you stand behind him. You do stand behind him, right, Mr. President?" Leo looked deeply into his friend's eyes. Jed stared back with the same intensity. "Of course, Leo. You brought Josh into the campaign and this administration, and I have never doubted your choice. Josh is indeed young, headstrong, and clearly vulnerable…but," Jed winked at his friend, "so were we once. Tell him I'll speak to him in a little while." "Yes, sir." Leo rose and retreated into his office. "Mrs. Landingham, what's next?"
THE END
|
|
|