Chapter 614: Interlude (1/2)
”Senator, can you explain how you felt authorized to change the Rules of Engagement for 101st Airborne in Zaire during the Lahdstuhl Incident?”
”At the time there was no chain of command willing to adapt to the rapidly changing circumstances on the ground that the 101st Airborne Division command found itself forced to deal with. With rapidly escalating civilian casualties, a bioweapon outbreak, a space elevator cargo that later turned out to be a radioactive bomb, and a reactor meltdown due to sabotage, the situation was rapidly becoming untenable for American citizens trapped at the embassy. I felt that...”
”What made you feel you had authorization, Senator?”
”Are you interested in the truth, Congressman, or do you just want a show trial?”
”Answer the question, Senator. What made you feel you had authorization? We of the Senate Pullman Committee feel that Americans are entitled to the truth of why you felt you had the authority to change the Rules of Engagement to such vague restrictions.”
”Do you want the truth, Congressman, yes or no?”
”Senator, what made you feel you had authorization to change the Rules of Engagement over the authority of the President, the Senate Armed Services Committee, the House Armed Services Panel, and the Department of Defense?”
”Do you want the truth to be part of the record, Congressman?”
”Answer the question, Senator, and may I remind you, you are under oath.”
”Because the entire chain of command was too busy consulting lawyers and hoping everything would blow over, more worried about your legacies and public opinion that stopping what was happening on the ground from taking more American li....”
”What made you think you had the authority, Senator?”
”Because the entire government is full of ass kissing baboons who don't care about the dead unless they can smear the blood on themselves and prance around for reelection.”
”That's not an answer, Senator.”
”Because your precious Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Army both decided to go on vacation.”
”Still not an answer, Senator.”
”Because, as Zaire and all of Central Africa were in critical danger, AFRICOM was suddenly shut down by the House Armed Services Panel and Senate Armed Services Committee.”
”Still not an answer, Senator.”
”I had the authority to amend 101st Airborne's RoE because nobody else with the authority was willing to do anything because of fear of bad PR. Authority discarded or unused may be wielded by anyone willing to use it.”
”That is not an acceptable reason for undermining the Commander in Chief or the Secretary of Defense, Senator.”
”Civilian and military casualties were mounting, the military was receiving conflicting orders that were hours or days behind the situation on the ground, the Joint Chiefs were not issuing orders, the President and the Secretary of Defense went on vacation to their homes in their home states, AFRICOM was not issuing orders...”
”Did you or did you not adjust the 101st's RoE to read: ”Attempt to avoid civilian casualties” with no further instructions, Senator?”
”Yes.”
”Did you or did... what?”
”Yes. I did. Without hesitation and without regret.”
”Your alteration directly and indirectly led to the deaths of thousands of civilians when you ordered 101st Airborne to, and I quote: ”fight [their] way into the city, regardless of civilian casualties, with all necessary force, take control of and shut down the nuclear reactor, eliminate the bioweapons facility, and shut down that damned elevator.” Did you not? I remind you that you are...”
”Yes.”
”Senator, you're under oath here. Answer the... wait. What did you just say.”
”I said, you disingenuous kabuki theater shadow puppet, that yes, I gave those orders, on an unsecure line, from my cell phone, at three AM local time, while watching the General News Network broadcast on how the reactor was spewing out literal kilotons of radioactive debris and the space elevator was potentially loaded with dangerous materials.”
”Yes or no, did you alter...”
”I said ”yes”, what part of ”yes” do you not understand, you political cretin?”
”Senator, this is not the time or place for insults. Yes or no, did you...”
”I did it. I authorized those men to open fire on crowds, ram through barricades, whatever it took.”
”Despite the fact that your order directly led to the deaths of over three hundred American soldiers due to the suicide mission you sent them on?”
”No. I sent them knowing that they would more than likely die within seventy two hours or radiation poisoning instead of dying within two week from their already incurred radiation exposure. They knew it, I knew it, we both accepted it.”
”So you don't deny any of it?”
”No.”
”Why not?”
”Because, Congressman, someone had to do something and none of you political cowards in this Administration were willing to do anything but hide and hope it all blew over. If that reactor had not been shut down it would have contaminated everything for a thousand miles.”
”Senator, that has no bearing...”
”AND FURTHERMORE, if that bioweapons lab had not been destroyed, who knows what additional pathogens would have been released. If the space elevator would have been allowed to continue operation, there was the very real danger of
”Senator...”
”ADDITIONAL CRITICAL damage to the space elevator itself as well as the radiation bomb detonating high enough to cause contamination across the entire jet stream.”
”So you sent them in, with an RoE you modified, without protective gear, on a mission you knew would result in all of their deaths.”
”I did.”
”You do not deny any of it?”
”No, I do not, Congressman. And I'd do it again.”
”Congressman, your time is up.”
”Thank you.”
”Congressman Schulaker, you may now ask the Senator questions.”
”Thank you. Senator, do you admit to altering the RoE to allow 101st Airborne Division to target civilians?”