Capitol Threat

20

“What the hell was that?” Senator Hammond asked, pounding on his own conference table. “They walked all over us!”

Ben stared at the floor. “I wasn’t expecting them to go attack dog so soon.”

“You should’ve been!”

“I thought they would at least let him get through his opening statement!”

“You were dead wrong. Anyone with any political sense—”

“Which would exclude me, something I’ve been trying to tell you since you started roping me into this! This was your idea, not mine, remember?”

Roush came between them. “Boys, calm down. You’re misdirecting your anger.”

Christina concurred. “He’s right, you know. You should be ticked off at Keyes and Matera, who couldn’t wait ten minutes before they started with the dirty tricks and sabotage.”

Hammond passed a hand across his wrinkled brow. “They’ve made it clear with their opening salvo that there will be no pretense of fairness in this confirmation struggle. It’s going to be partisan politics right down the line.”

“Then we’re already dead in the water,” said Roush. “There are more of them, I mean, more of me, I mean—” Roush took a deep breath. “More Republicans than Democrats. If they all follow the leader, I lose.”

“But will they?” Sexton, the D.C. lawyer asked. “Some of the Republicans on the East Coast are in a bit of a bind with this one. Roush was selected by their President, after all. If they reject someone who is still technically the President’s nominee, it might look as if they’re voting against him just because he’s gay. The backlash in New England, or perhaps California, could be considerable. Safer to just pass the party’s nominee.”

“Not if President Blake doesn’t want them to.”

Sexton shrugged. “The President is a nice man. But he can’t get them reelected.”

“Unfortunately, the poll data indicates that most of the American voting public is not on our side,” Beauregard said, passing around the latest figures from a late-night phone poll. “A plurality of Americans oppose Roush’s confirmation.”

“Why?”

“Variety of reasons. Mostly because he’s gay, but there are also Democrats who think he’s too conservative, Republicans who think he’s too liberal, or will emerge as a closet liberal now that he’s emerged from another closet. A few people are actually knowledgeable about real issues, and have concerns about his position on the death penalty, abortion, and other topics in perpetual political limbo. There’s a wide spectrum of concerns. Problem is, when you add all those things together, you get a lot of people who don’t want to see Thaddeus on the Supreme Court.”

Roush’s head fell into his hands. “And if the people are against me, I can’t count on anyone’s support. Maybe I should withdraw.”

Hammond’s jaw stiffened. “Is that what you want?”

Roush shook his head. “No, it’s not what I want, but—”

“I don’t think a man with your background gets where you are today by quitting.”

“But if it’s all futile—”

“That’s what they said about desegregation, fifty years ago. Most Americans initially opposed that, too. Like it or not, Tad, you’ve become a symbol. And let’s be honest—in some respects, you’ve asked for it. The only question is what you’re going to symbolize. The futility of fighting? Or the dawn of a new era.”

Roush sighed. “Right at the moment, I’d be content to symbolize ‘hardworking judge most people have never heard of.’ ”

Christina laid a hand on his shoulder. “That ship has sailed, Tad. Are we going to throw in the towel, or are we going to go back out there and give as good as we got? Or better.”

Roush smiled a little. The expression in his eyes made a verbal response unnecessary. “Wish I knew where they’d hit next.”

“I may be able to help you there,” Carraway interjected. “PR 101. Your biggest audience for any televised hearing will be on the first day of questioning.”

Beauregard passed around another file. “Remember, even Justice Roberts was grilled about advice he gave gay rights advocates a decade before he was nominated, and that man had a wife and children. They’re sure to hit you on the issue that troubles Americans the most. Play on their greatest fear. Xenophobia. The fear of the different.”

“The ‘gay lifestyle?’ ” Ben asked.

Beauregard nodded. “Count on it.”