Government Camp
Kasey


I was the Valedictorian of Palm Grove High School. Got a ¾-ride scholarship to Princeton, where I graduated second in the class, then on to Duke Law School where I would've finished first except for that teacher who hated me. I worked as a staffer in Congressman Ericson's office until he retired, at which point I wanted to get out of politics and use the law degree I had earned, so I moved back to my home state and got an offer from Dewey Ballatine. I worked there until I moved East so I could stay with Lisa and she could take her lucrative job offer in Manhattan, at which point I was made an associate at Gage Whitney Pace, one of the best firms in the area. And I was a month away from making partner when I left to go chase my dream of going back to politics and making great oratory inspire great works, not making great oratory inspire a jury to find my client not guilty, even if he was guilty as sin. I was the second-highest speech writer on the campaign, second only to Toby, I wrote the majority of the President's stump speech, acceptance speech, and Innaugural addresses. Not to mention the two State of the Union addresses since then. Not to say I wrote them myself, but a large portion.

So now here I am, being treated like the kid sitting in the front of the classroom answering questions and doing work while the rest of the class snickers because there's a big ol' "Kick Me" sign on his back.

He's been pissed ever since he screwed up, so now he's trying to make other people look as bad as he did. Like it's my fault he went and had breakfast with Anne Stark and gave her that stupid-ass, arrogant quote.

"Friends are honest with each other?" That's crap.

No, it's not. Real friends are honest with each other. Like Josh when he couldn't lie with his face about Hoynes not being the wrong thing...or anything else, for that matter.

Maybe I should go see him before every speech. He would give something away - he wouldn't be able to look me in the eye if there was something going on.

But, then again...I never would've thought he would let this happen without telling me, giving me a heads up. I didn't figure he would've let me just-...I was **standing** there, and I...I was the only one standing. No one else in that room-...

It wasn't just Toby, just Josh...everyone but me. Everyone but me, and this was **my speech!** Ever since we accepted this has been **MY SPEECH!** I worked on nothing else but **this**, which was supposed to be **OUR** speech, the one that would get us more support and better numbers, now we're getting screwed.

I got screwed.

I wasn't hired because I'm Josh's friend or because I was someone's kid brother or because I hung out and they felt sorry for me, I was hired because I'm a speechwriter and I have been since Josh got me.

Unless maybe I wasn't. Who the hell knows anymore?

I honestly don't know what I would've done if Toby hadn't kept me out of the Oval Office. Maybe I would've yelled. Maybe I would've quit. Maybe I would've just sat there while I couldn't find words to express how angry and betrayed I felt.

But what's it matter? It happened in the way that it did and no one can change that and we can't get back the points and support we lost tonight with the GDC.

Toby's wrong - they shouldn't sit down and shut up. It's their responsibility under the theory of pluralism to question what we do and try and get us to do what they want. And sometimes they'll win and sometimes they'll lose, and sometimes **we'll** win, and sometimes we'll lose, but that's how the system of government works. This system I have idolized since I was nine years old.

Toby's wrong.

Go figure.

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