As he picked up a drink he had almost forgotten about, GO chided himself for having underestimated the President. Instead of being rocked back on its heels by the failure of the airborne assault that morning, the administration had struck back with a ferocity that damned near brought the entire leadership of the state to its knees. It had taken every bit of GO’s amazing character to keep his state legislature from running straight to the President, hat in hand, begging for forgiveness. “Doing so,” GO pointed out in a heated meeting at the statehouse, “would end the states’ rights movement in the country. What Lincoln started in the 1860s, and Roosevelt expanded upon in the 1930s, must be stopped here and now. We’ve drawn our line in the sand. I’m challenging each of you to be man enough to step up and defend our rights.” In the end, GO won out, but barely. He had no doubt that at that very moment little men were holed up in secret meetings not far from where he sat seeking a solution that would save their own petty political careers.

GO looked around the room as he took a sip of his drink. It was well appointed with hand crafted furniture that he had commissioned. He liked this room. It was a place where a man could relax after a long day. But tonight the deep rich hues and natural wood tones that appeal to a man brought him no pleasure or comfort. At that moment he felt as if he were little more than an exhausted old man who was beginning to feel both his liquor and his age. He needed to purge himself of his concerns and apprehensions. The air of supreme confidence and utterly unshaken optimism that he had been able to maintain when dealing with the leadership of Idaho needed to be replenished. A passionate night with a beautiful woman would do him wonders.

He poured himself another drink. Perhaps the devastating air strike launched was all for the better. Every enterprise that had ever been worthwhile in his life had required hard work and perseverance. Revolution, he figured, was no different. Things took time, a commodity that was on his side. With just the right spin GO began to see that any advantage the President now held could be turned against him. Every story had two sides. This one was no different. After a good rest and a bit of recreation, he’d find a way to turn the Federal government’s actions against the people of Idaho around to his favor.