CHAPTER EIGHT
12:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
The Press Briefing Room
The White House, Washington, DC
“Good afternoon,” Susan said. “I don’t have a lot of information for you, so I’m going to keep my remarks brief.”
She stood at the podium. She looked out at about fifty reporters and about as many cameras and microphones, which she knew would bring her face and her words to nearly every corner of the globe. She had long ago stopped worrying about that.
For a brief moment, she let her gaze wander the room. It was a bleak winter morning. People did not look like they wanted to be here. Neither did she. The news was bad, and she didn’t want to be the one to deliver it. But the situation demanded leadership, and so…
“As you all know, about four a.m. our time, and eleven a.m. local time
