There were riots outdoors.
The president couldn't shut the window, couldn't close his blinds or shut his eyes, the people were lifting their fists in rage. The economy had been sluggish for months under him, and the newspapers constantlytold of his generous grants to the Free World.
The sign waved taller than the rest, 'Mr. President, why have you forsaken us?'
The President frowned, being President came with hard decisions.
He stared out the window, his pale reflection staring back as the Secret Service directed the crowd back, "Cut America a Break!" were the shouts.
It hurt the President to see this, he wanted to see America triumph, to see her ride the stars to glory, but he knew that his allies needed him.
Being President came with hard decisions.
The survival of freedom and liberty, did they not outweigh the ambitions of America for a moment? The President had once felt like Atlas, with the weight of the world on his shoulders, as he watched the crowd scream at him he realized how insignificant he actually was, how little he truely amounted to. He felt Atlas shrugging beneath his feet.
Being President came with hard choices.
The world needed America now, in this moment, the President turned away from the morbid enrapture of the window.
"Jim, call a Press conference."
The Secret Service man nodded.
-
"My fellow Americans there is a time for selfishness. There is a place in the world in which self interest conquers all, there are many times in every life where it is not only excusable but it is virtuous to act in ones own best interests.
"There are also times for sacrifice, when our lasting survival requires that we give something up. Today we must send aid to our allies in foreign nations who struggle with us against the menaces that threaten this world. This is a sacrifice my fellow Americans, and while I might wish that I were President in a time of selfishness and a time when things are easy, I am not."
The speech cut short because the spech writer had passed out.
The President smiled awkwardly and left the stage.