Not surprisingly, former elected officials were speaking out forcefully, most of them happy to get the exposure, while current senators and members of Congress appeared to be in political hibernation. On the walls around me men and women were doing nighttime stand-ups in front of the brightly lit White House. There was a minor flare-up when CBS correspondent Major Garrett accidently wandered into ABC’s Jonathan Karl’s space as he was discussing this threat to peace. After a little pushing, the two men had to be separated by producers.

Wrightman sent a barrage of tweets intended to shape and reinforce public opinion, trying to harden support before the media could raise doubts:

Confidential briefings from top intelligence analysts after cyjacking of Flt 342 persuade me this is essential …

Time to take the handcuffs off our brave fighting men and women. Our enemy is getting bolder and more resourceful. American lives are at stake …

Well-meaning people seem to be more concerned about protecting the rights of terrorists than lives of Americans …

This is a temporary measure. You have my promise, as leader of the free world, I will not abuse this grant of power. By trusting me, you are trusting yourself …

And if there still was any doubt, first lady Charisma tweeted:

Wonderful news! Our daughter, America, is pregnant. We should be grateful the president is doing what is necessary to ensure our grandchild lives in a safe and secure country.

He was good, I had to give him that. He was raising all the usual fears, calling out the familiar demons.

Several times in the next few hours I tried to reach Jenny. I wanted to tell her about the Van incident as well as get a read on Martha McDonnell’s attitude. Would she support the president? I assumed things were even crazier on the Hill than they were in every news bureau, as people scrambled to figure out what this might mean to the country and to their careers, then determine how to react. As much as I hated to admit it, I was feeling guilty about scribing that deep slice in the car door. Even if the guy was a selfish jerk. Telling Jenny about it would get it off my mind. Although I was pretty sure she would tell me what I already knew, I’d have to find the guy and pay for the repair.

I found myself completely unexpectedly smiling. Life sure was simpler before I fell in love with a walking conscience. With great legs.

Love? The real L word? I remember sitting there amidst the confusion of that night and finally admitting it to myself. For the time being, I decided, I would keep it a secret. Why risk ruining a good relationship?

As the coffee cups began piling up (fourteen) throughout the night, bits of information supposedly leaked from the White House. They weren’t leaks, the administration was watering its plants—growing the story. The challenge for us was to figure out what was public relations and what was real information. According to these so-called sources, Wrightman’s request was going to be delivered to Congress that afternoon. Supposedly there had been considerable debate about doing this at the “highest levels.” The initiative was reported to have been led by Charisma Wrightman, while Attorney General Langsam planned to resign in protest.