What little joy he derived from his run on this late summer morning was further diminished by the prospect of the coming day. This would be the day when a Federal judge in Boise would hear arguments concerning a change in venue for the militiamen accused of planning and executing the May raid against the FBI in Wyoming. Though it was clearly a Federal case, the manner in which the FBI and the Justice Department had conducted its investigation of the men, their arrests, and their prosecution to date was considered an affront to many in Idaho. From the state’s Attorney General, to the average citizen, there had been ceaseless cries of outrage over the incident. This was particularly true in Pocatello, where a fire started by the FBI during one of their arrests had resulted in the loss of an entire city block.

Thus far Thomas had been able to stay clear of the fracas, save for an occasional speech in which he condemned the FBI and the Justice Department. Under his state’s constitution and Federal law, there was nothing he could do other than use the incident as political capital. How long this “hands off” policy would last depended on where the defendants were to be tried. Polls in Idaho showed that an overwhelming majorty of the people wanted to see the trial held in Boise, where the men could be judged, according to one radio talk show host, by their peers. Montana, while not quite home, came in a close second.

Those cities were not where the U.S. Attorney General wanted to see the trial held. Her preferences were San Francisco, home of the Ninth Circuit, or Seattle. Either would provide a jury pool that would be more sympathetic to the Federal government’s case. When word of this made its way into the media, Governor Thomas was put on notice by many who had supported him in the past that such a decision, unopposed by him, would not sit well with them. His own Attorney General was quick to remind Thomas that his failure to make a stand would be politically disastrous. “When it comes to state’s rights and an overly intrusive Federal government,” the State Attorney General pointed out, “you’ve talked a good case. Now it’s time to pony up.”

What his Attorney General expected him to do was beyond him. Stopping at the end of the track, GO looked up into the pale blue sky. Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath and held it. The weather was changing, he told himself. The warm, easy days of summer were coming to an end. All he had to look forward to was a long, cold season of storms and dark, gray days. Opening his eyes, Thomas exhaled. Something would come to him, he told himself as he marched back to the governor’s mansion. This was not the first storm he faced, he reminded himself. Faith in himself, and his acute sense of timing when it came to seizing an opportunity, had always come through for him before. He was confident that this crisis, if it came to that, would be no different.