ReUNION: What if the Civil War had never happened? (34 page)

“This isn’t a Casablancan
souk
, Eric,” Veronica said. “This is the White
House.”

“Bargaining is the same all over the world,” Wang maintained.

“I don’t think our friend is looking for a lower counteroffer,” Callaway said.

Bourque smiled playfully. “And what do you think I’m looking for?”

“I think you want
more
. Much more,” Callaway said.

Wang was taken aback. “More?”

“Yes,” Callaway said. “President Bourque’s request would turn the Confederacy
into a virtual NAU protectorate. But I think he has something bigger in mind.”

“Bigger?” Veronica said, puzzled. “What could be bigger?”

“Reunification,” President Callaway said, and the effect was the same as if a
husband or wife had suddenly used the word
divorce
in the midst of a
minor argument.

Veronica was the first to recover. “Stop kidding around, Mr. President.”

“I’m quite serious, Veronica,” Callaway said, his eyes locked on Bourque’s.
“That’s what we’ve really been talking about, you know, ever since Roy Pickett
came here. Might as well say it.
Reunion
. It’s certainly been in my mind
since the beginning.”

This time, it was the Confederate President who broke the silence. “Well, Mr.
President—Charlie, if I may—looks like you and me have been trying to tree the
same coon,” he said, with a lopsided grin.

“You know, Mr. President—Buddy—I think you may have a point,” Callaway said.
The two Presidents were still holding each other’s gaze.

At that moment, Bourque stood, and reached a big paw across the table. Callaway
took it and they shook hands for much longer than customary. When Bourque sat
back down, he seemed to be blinking back tears.

“
Mazel tov!
” Veronica said sarcastically. “You have both lost your
minds. Simultaneously.”

“Maybe it’s something in the water,” Wang theorized.

“Look, Mr. President, this is impossible,” Veronica said. “And please notice
that I didn’t say ‘very difficult’ or ‘pretty unlikely.’ I said ‘impossible.’
We’ve been separate countries for 150 years. We don’t like each other
much now and never did—and for damn good reason. You’re not going to get us to
cohabit by executive order.”

“Just think about it for a moment, Veronica,” Callaway said. “We were always
meant to be one country. We were founded by the same people, with the same
ideals. We speak the same language. We would be far stronger together than we
are separately.”

“What same ideals?” Wang asked. “We have a classic case of irreconcilable
differences. It’s like asking the Republicans and the Democrats to tie the
knot.”

Callaway chuckled. “What’s that cliché—about strange bedfellows?”

“What I want to know,” Veronica said, “is what’s changed since 1861. Yeah, time
has passed and we have cell phones and jet planes, but the differences that
split us apart are still there.”

“I’m not sure that’s true,” President Bourque said. “I think something very
important has changed. We
need
each other now. A Mexican invasion would
threaten both of us.”

“He has an excellent point, Veronica,” Callaway said.

“But the task force, and maybe a military alliance—wouldn’t they keep Garcia at
bay?” Katz asked. He’d taken out another cigar, but after a dirty look from
Wang, had thought better about lighting it.

“The task force might prevent an attack, for now,” Callaway said. “But how long
could we keep it on station? And what happens when Garcia sends a full-scale
invasion force? The task force couldn’t hold it off for long.”

“My goal,” said President Bourque, “is
not
to stop Garcia from attacking
the Confederacy or even from invading. My goal is to force him to abandon the
idea of conquering the CSA forever. The only thing that would accomplish that
is reunion.”

“I agree,” Callaway said. “He wouldn’t risk an attack on a reconstituted United
States.”

“Reunion would isolate him,” Pickett pointed out. “It would put him on the
defensive, make him docile, even cooperative.”

“Which would be a pleasant change,” Bourque said.

“Given the circumstances,” Callaway said, “I’m of the same opinion.”

“Mr. President,” Veronica said, “don’t you think we should get Marty Katz’s
take on this?”

“By all means.” He turned to Wang. “Go fetch him, Eric. Tell him what’s been
going on up here.” Wang left.

“The obstacles to reunion are absolutely insuperable,” Veronica said. “Imagine
how the Congressional leaders will react? Ed Lockett is gonna
plotz
. And
he’s a Democrat. The Republicans will have apoplexy, not that that’s a bad
thing.”

“They’ll get used to the idea,” Callaway said, trying to persuade everyone,
himself included. “I’ll see to it.”

“I don’t think we can do this, Mr. President,” Wang said.

“We have to try,” Pickett said. “If we fail…”

Bourque interrupted. “Look at it this way, Mr. Wang—Eric, if I may—the damn
truth is, them that don’t pluck don’t get feathers.”

Veronica studied Bourque, as if that might reveal what the Southern leader
meant. “Feathers?” She said. “We’re all going to get feathers, and the tar to
stick ‘em on. Then we’re all going to be run out of town on a rail.”

“They still do that?” Pickett asked.

“No,” Veronica said, “but they can always revive the custom.”

“Have you spoken about this with your legislative leaders, Buddy?” President
Callaway asked.

Bourque’s eyebrows rose. “Our gubmint operates on a simpler basis than yours,
Charlie. I say what’s going to happen and that’s what happens.”

“So you’re like a king—and the CSA Congress is mostly decorative?”

“Our Congress is more of a voting society than a legislative body,” Bourque
said. “And as for me, I’m more like an orchestra conductor than a king.”

“So it’s your orchestra, and you dictate the tune,” Veronica said.

“I wouldn’t use the word ‘dictate,’” Bourque said. “I’d just say they’re quite
content to play any tune I suggest. That’s what they expect of me.”

“So they’re not going to give you any arguments about reunion?” Veronica asked.

“
They
won’t, at least nothing serious. But I ‘spect there’ll be plenty
of bitching from other quarters.”

The door opened and Marty Katz entered the room, followed quickly by Wang.
“Excuse me,” Katz said, “This the loony bin? Still visiting hours?”

The laughter was somewhat restrained.

“I gather you’ve been brought up to date, Mr. Katz,” Bourque said with a smile.

“Have a seat, Marty,” Callaway said.

Katz did as instructed.

“Well,” Veronica said, “what’s your opinion, Marty?”

“I think you’re all nuts. With all due respect, of course.”

“No one thinks this is going to be easy,” Callaway said.

Katz calmly took a cigar out of his case, lit up, took a deep drag and blew a
spectacular smoke ring. “Easy isn’t the question. Possible is the question, and
in my opinion, it’s not.”

“See, he agrees with me,” Veronica put in.

“Mr. President, you know I think you’re a hell of a guy,” Katz continued. “But
there’s a reason Lincoln let the South go. And there’s a reason no President in
the last 150 years has even daydreamed about reuniting the two countries. But
aid is another story, of course.”

“At this point,” Bourque said, “providing us with aid is about the same as
giving a double amputee a new pair of galoshes.”

“What would you do if we turned you down flat?” Katz asked.

Bourque leaned back in his chair and considered Katz’s question. “Well,” he
said after a moment, “then I’d only have one choice left, wouldn’t I?” He let
the remark linger in the air until everyone realized what he meant.

“That’s a choice you won’t have to make, Buddy,” Callaway said. “However
shocking, however difficult, however unlikely reunion may seem now, we’re going
to make it happen. I promise you that.”

“I’m truly glad to hear you say that, Charlie,” Bourque said.

“I wish I could say the same, Mr. President,” Veronica said. “I hope you
understand the risk here. If you take this on, full bore, and you
fail—which I think is probable—you’re going to be dead in the water for the
rest of your term.”

Katz piped up. “And don’t even think about re-election.”

“Mr. President,” said Eric Wang, “we can do most of this without
reunion—military alliance, foreign aid, expert advisors. It’s just that
word—reunion. That’s poison.”

“Nevertheless,” Callaway said, unmoved. “Reunion is what I want—nothing less.
And the word matters, Eric. In fact, that’s the most important part of it. It’s
not just reunion, you know, it’s rebirth—rebirth of the America we thought was
gone forever.”

“You know,” Veronica said thoughtfully, “I’m told there’s a very thin line
between bold and foolhardy…”

“And you think I may be on the wrong side of it?” Callaway asked.

She sighed. “Trouble is, you can’t tell in advance. Only afterwards. And then
it’s too late.”

For a moment, Callaway seem to be studying the table top. Then he leaned back
and looked up with a faint smile. “Did I ever tell you about my debate with
Gordon Bowman?”

“The Prime Minister of Canadia?” Katz asked, confused.

“I’ve heard the story a dozen times,” said Eric Wang. “I could tell it myself.”

“Well, I haven’t heard it,” Veronica said, “and if you don’t mind, I’d rather
you let the President tell it.”

“All right,” Callaway said, “if you insist. It was back in ’89, when I was a
senior at McGill University. Gordon Bowman was my roommate. We were both
studying political science.”

“That much I know,” said Veronica.”

“Well, one day, Professor Carmichael decided to set us against each other, in a
debate.”

“Poor Gordon Bowman,” Marty said. “That’s a task I wouldn’t want.”

“Don’t underestimate Bowman,” the President said. “He got a better grade than I
did.”

“In the debate?” Veronica asked.

“No, in the course. I won the debate.”

Katz was curious. “What was the subject?”

“Ah. Now, we’re getting to the point,” said Callaway. “The subject was, was
Lincoln right to let the South secede?”

“Which side did you take?” Veronica asked.

“We were assigned sides. I defended Lincoln. Gordon had to convince the class
that Lincoln was wrong.”

Veronica nodded. “That certainly sounds relevant.”

“I already know who won,” Katz said.

“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Wang warned.

“Oh, you’re right, Marty,” Callaway said. “I won, by four votes. But I also
lost—because Bowman convinced
me
that Lincoln was wrong.”

That caught Veronica off guard. “Really? How did he do that?”

Callaway thought a moment. “Well, I relied on Lincoln’s argument—that the war
would have killed tens of thousands and maimed many more, that both sides would
be impoverished by the costs.”

“Strong arguments,” Veronica said, “not to mention that history has proved you
right.”

“Yes, but he had three killer arguments against me,” Callaway said. “The first
was moral. If we let the south go, slavery continues for decades.”

“Well, that happened too, so he was right there.” Veronica admitted.

“Yes. And Gordon’s second argument was economic. He said that if the south were
allowed to secede, both parts of the country would be economically weakened,
which also happened, although more to them than to us.”

“You said there was a third killer argument,” Katz reminded the President.

“Yes. Bowman claimed that if the north and the south became separate countries,
neither one would ever be politically secure again,” Callaway said.

“He was wrong there,” Marty Katz pointed out.

“I’m not so sure,” Callaway replied. “The Mexican threat against the
Confederacy seems pretty real. And what would happen here if we had a weak
President and a bunch of Midwestern states threatened to secede over the
abortion issue, citing Lincoln’s decision?”

“Hmmm,” Veronica intoned.

“The NAU could break up,” Callaway continued. “And the parts might be hostile
to one another, or they might seek European allies.”

“Well, I don’t know…” Marty Katz said.

“You think it’s impossible?” Veronica said. “Well, I don’t. I think we’re damn
lucky something like that hasn’t happened already.”

“It was Bowman’s closing statement that convinced me,” Callaway said. He stood,
took off his jacket and loosened his tie, making them wait for it.

Katz was the least patient of the group. “Are you going to tell us what he said
or make us guess?”

“You know,” Callaway said thoughtfully, “it wasn’t so much what he said as it
was that a Canadian was saying it.”

“Saying what?” This time it was Veronica.

Callaway took a deep breath. “Saying that the Founding Fathers had a great
dream for America, ‘from many, one,’ that they believed freedom came from unity
and strength from diversity,” he said. “Saying that we are a nation of nations,
that we are the only nation that has ever been founded on an idea, that if we
don’t hang together, we will hang separately. Powerful stuff.”

“An emotional appeal,” Katch said.

“More than that,” Callaway answered him. “An appeal to human ideals. An appeal
to the best in us. It had a profound impact on me, and it continues to, twenty
years later.”

Veronica was watching the President intently. “So, when Bourque came calling,”
she said…

“I didn’t expect it to happen in my lifetime,” the President said. “And when
Pickett showed up, I still didn’t believe it was possible. But when I saw
Bourque was serious…”

“I think I understand now,” said Marty Katz.

“Believe me, I know how incredibly difficult it’s going to be,” Callaway said,
“But I owe it to the Founding Fathers to try to revive their vision. I owe it
to the citizens of NAU
and
the CSA. I don’t think I could ever be
forgiven—or forgive myself—if I let the opportunity pass by. It may never come
again.”