Corruption in the White House

Political corruption is rampant in The Gambit stemming from the very top of the political food chain, the White House. The President of the United States has a nasty little secret; he managed to hide it in his first presidential election campaign. Now, embarking on his bid for reelection, the one person in the world who could possibly ruin everything has issued a veiled threat if not personally accommodated. Actually, the leader of the free world is relieved that the shadowy character emerged from his hole. He can now engage the man and, at the right time, terminate him and render his worst political nightmare null and void permanently.

Americans like to think of their presidents as above reproach but relatively recent history proves that to be an illusion. Kennedy had his many dalliances on the side while his father helped to rig the 1960 election by stuffing the ballot box in Chicago. Johnson had a Lazarus act in his first congressional campaign by literally using voters from the graveyard to squeak by his opponent. Does Richard Nixon merit any further comment, later to be pardoned by his nominated successor? Reagan had his Iran Contra and Clinton his fling with an intern in the White House.

But The Gambit adds a much different twist to political corruption at the highest levels. The worst fears of conventional conspiracy theory are realized. The occupant of the Oval Office is a bought man and by foreign interests no less. Those interests now are conspiring to "engineer" terrorist events designed to ratchet oil prices into orbit. The timing is paramount to the conspirators: they know full well that the President cannot respond and certainly not during an election campaign for fear of discovery.

Predictably, oil prices rocket upward and the man in the White House sweats out the implications during a tight campaign. The conspiracy will push the incumbent to the limit but not to the point of actually costing him the election. However, one minor glitch appears. A member of the conspiracy is actually engaging the U.S. government to the side, using the assault on global oil markets as an opening to free himself from the terrorist clutches closing in on him. Suddenly, the conspirators are in play themselves.

The President realizes vengeance to a degree as The Gambit's plot nears climax. He grasps an opening and exacts the ultimate price on his former benefactor turned tormentor. Completely relieved, he can now cruise to victory at the polls. Even the man who knows too much will stand down if given his freedom, a promise the President will renege on at a later time in his next administration. He never dreams that his own Director, National Intelligence(DNI), sworn to silence but also fully versed in the duplicity and corruption of the nation's leader, is wrestling with his own judgment on the matter and perhaps will take a critical turn at the last moment.

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