George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 30

He was too much of a wild colt to be a president, yet the impact of his actions was as massive as an elephant. In the eyes of the public, he was seen as someone half-mad. However, he appropriately maintained the decorum and boundaries expected of a president, never daring to cross the line.

To most Republicans, machoists, nationalists, and some neocons, he was the quintessential ‘strongman.’ A strong America. A strong president. From the start, their aesthetic sense was inclined towards strength. An increase in his support base was not a problem. The issue was that the number of such people was noticeably increasing.

“Bush! Bush! Bush!”

Personal beliefs are partly innate, but they also change from moment to moment depending on social phenomena, much like the plots of novels. Although there are exceptions, alternate history novels that deeply reflect social phenomena are prone to causing mental distress if reread after 10 years.

Although his term had just begun, his actions so far, while questionable in conduct, had no administrative or legal issues. Except for revealing foreigners’ personal information and that quasi-request to the Federal Reserve Chairman?

Didn’t everyone learn in the military? If you don’t know, it’s legal. Legal.

Of course, rumors can arise even from a smokeless chimney, and the meeting between the President and the Federal Reserve Chairman could not remain a secret. However, without concrete evidence, it only spread as a rumor. Only a few sensationalist media outlets cautiously covered it. For now, there were no significant changes in their lives, so the media and public opinion remained calm.

For the record, George Bush unofficially replied as follows:

“Do you have proof? Do you have proof!”

* * *

The bigger the bubble, the greater the impact. In other words, WorldCom had to collapse before it inflated further. It was a company destined to fail within a year due to internal whistleblowing, so there wouldn’t be any problems even if I did this.

By assigning a few CIA and FBI agents through Cynthia Cooper, who would become famous for her internal whistleblowing at WorldCom in a year, everything proceeded smoothly. WorldCom collapsed overnight, and Cynthia Cooper became a celebrity. Cynthia Cooper later said that what she feared most was retaliation. In reality, she suffered considerably, facing threats to her life and struggling with depression for several years due to her whistleblowing.

Anyway, with the President as her backer, she wouldn’t have to suffer from retaliation anymore.

Ah, but why go to such lengths to detonate WorldCom?

‘Public opinion can always be covered up with bigger public opinion.’

Sensationalist media might seem like scavengers that eat anything, but they are surprisingly gourmets who only insist on fresh bait. Strictly speaking, they are more like hamsters that eat whatever is visible.

Anyway, when fresh bait is given, they don’t even glance at stale bait.

‘I’ve covered up public opinion with this.’

Next were Wall Street and other banks, which would be suspicious of me for a while, but they would have difficulty speaking out without solid evidence. Above all, the proposed regulations were so obvious that it was hard to say anything. Thus, only suspicion piled up, quietly passing by.

In fact, what kind of madman lends money to subprime borrowers without asking questions?

The problem is that it actually happened. In Ohio, there were even people taking out loans in the names of dead people; it was that lax.

‘Ah, this cola tastes really amazing.’

This is the taste of capitalism.

“It feels like it’s been a long time since we’ve been active outdoors, Secretary Card?”

“That is correct.”

Well, the bodyguards will suffer instead. When someone like the President moves outdoors, the control is truly an art. An art. It’s a natural measure because you never know where an assassin might be hiding.

I was in New Orleans, Louisiana, not the Oval Office. I was very curious to see if the preparations were proceeding properly. Since I was originally a construction worker, I was not very familiar with complex designs, but I knew how to make things sturdy and how to make them shoddy.

The coastline of New Orleans had public housing very close together, and since public housing is provided by the country for the poor, the sanitation did not look very good. The condition seemed so serious that I wanted to redevelop it all if I had the funds. By the way, that place will be flooded in 2005?

‘Well, the construction seems to be going well.’

Since the country is large, the level of construction sites was different. Thousands of people were mobilized, dozens and hundreds of concrete trucks moved, and the existing old levees were broken down, and the thickness and height were doubled.

“It will be over soon. It will cost a lot of money, though.”

“As you said. Some residents don’t seem to welcome it.”

They probably want more attention to welfare rather than preventive policies like levees. But will they be able to say the same thing after Hurricane Katrina visits?

‘The hurricane damage has increased as the wetlands and coastal islands of Louisiana have disappeared, so the levees have to be raised.’

“Speaking of which, how is the issue of stockpiling relief supplies going?”

“I thought you would ask, so I brought it with me.”

He submitted neatly organized documents from his briefcase instead of conveying it verbally. He was a truly competent friend.

“Um, double it.”

Relief supplies were not simply composed of food. They were largely divided into winter and summer. Below that, they were divided into men and women, and then into adults, boys, and infants. The components ranged from clothing to toiletries such as razors and toothbrushes. Hand mirrors and flashlights to help with rescue. Waterproof tarps to lay on the floor. Furthermore, even sanitary pads were handled.

In short, it was a bundle of necessities. Originally, there were a few missing items, but I just told them to include them.

Of course, distributing them was also a task, so even though the budget was increased, it was certainly too much for the fire department alone.

“Well, we’ll have to mobilize the National Guard if things get really tough, depending on the situation.”

Maybe. There was a good chance that Katrina would not come to Louisiana. I wasn’t a survivalist, but there was no harm in being fully prepared. What you regret most when a disaster strikes is ‘I should have done it then.’

I had been a disaster victim a few times, so I couldn’t help but be sensitive to these things. Have you ever been electrocuted by flooding? It was really electrifying, like becoming a yellow electric rat.

Even in 2019, stories about flood electrocution prevention devices are barely coming out. In places that are actually flooded, there is no such thing. Residents have to take care of themselves.

I really hated that. So I’m going to do these policies as I please. No one can stop me!

American President? Good. But what I want is not just the American President. It was the strongest country on Earth, with influence over the entire planet. But if it is the strongest country on Earth, shouldn’t it be able to solve the disasters that befall its own country?

Hmm, come to think of it, there was a part that I kept putting off slightly.

“What is the situation on the Korean Peninsula?”

It wasn’t a very abrupt question. I had ordered them to gather information, but it was also a question that I had strangely avoided asking.

“Well, it’s still on a path of reconciliation. Considering the precedent of the Soviet Union, I am optimistic.”

The Soviet Union could no longer withstand the contradictions it had created and declared its own end. So the Chief of Staff thought that North Korea would also become self-contradictory and collapse on its own by tasting the secret honey of capitalism like the Soviet Union.

This was what he had told me. Of course, I thought it was ridiculous nonsense. There was a crucial difference between North Korea and the Soviet Union. That was the system. North Korea claims to be communist, but in the end, it was closer to a militaristic monarchy. Since all the energy of the country is used for military and dictatorial maintenance, it will not collapse in at least a hundred years. And even if it collapses, what will change? Do you think democracy has no dictatorship?

“No, not that. Tell me more about South Korea.”

“Ah, Incheon International Airport opened around March of this year. The World Cup will be held next year. You probably know this.”

“That’s right. You can skip the obvious things.”

Chief of Staff Card rummaged through his PDA this time and opened his mouth.

“It’s here. Well, the biggest thing is that the government has declared war on the chaebols [large, family-owned industrial conglomerates] and officially ended the IMF [International Monetary Fund] management system. A war with the chaebols while pursuing neoliberal economic policies. I don’t understand at all.”

Americans were basically believers in libertarianism. The government suppressing companies. In America, the government’s intervention in the economy alone was a sin and could not be tolerated. That’s why I started desperately hiding it. Just being caught could bring about a wave of impeachment.

“The USFK [United States Forces Korea]?”

“There have been no major incidents except for the illegal discharge of formaldehyde during the Clinton administration last year.”

“There were crimes before that, too, right?”

“Yes. There have been crimes, from big to small. Most of them are traffic accidents or assaults.”

“First, implement crime prevention education and adjust the system so that soldiers stationed abroad receive aggravated punishment. And tell them to think about understanding the local area like Afghanistan. In short, don’t make me issue an official letter.”

2002. It was about the time when the armored vehicle incident occurred and the anti-American sentiment that had been building up exploded at once. I had been subtly avoiding it because of the strange feeling that came up whenever I thought of Korea, but now there would be no time to turn away.

‘Hmm, I should visit at least once.’

I’ll ride the F-18 then.

“North Korea?”

“It remains closed. The information and news itself is mostly obtained from the CIA, satellites, neighboring countries, and the South Korean National Intelligence Service, but the information is conflicting. There is too much different information. The budget should be sufficient.”

They must be developing nuclear weapons right now. So they’re probably keeping their mouths shut until they succeed. Once they succeed, Lee Chun-hee, the announcer of the Korean Central Television, will be enthusiastically blabbing about it, even if you don’t want to hear it, so you don’t have to worry about it.

‘And that will be your grave. The thought alone is exciting!’

Once the justification is established, it’s over. A powerful carrier strike group will be at the forefront, and at least Pyongyang will be truly returned to the Stone Age. Since Kim Jong-il is also in Pyongyang, it doesn’t matter if the rest only neutralize the anti-aircraft defenses.

That’s when it happened. Suddenly the bell started ringing.

“Huh?”

The source of the sound was the Chief of Staff’s pocket, where I had roughly tossed my phone to charge.

“Mr. President?”

But the Chief of Staff’s expression was not good.

“Who is it?”

“It’s the First Lady.”

‘Ah, damn it.’

It was a call from the person I wanted to avoid like crazy.