Jack Winslow was an anomaly. He had come from a life of anonymity to the pinnacle of power virtually overnight. It all happened so fast that nobody had time to see it coming.
Just a few months ago nobody had ever even heard the name of the man who now sat behind that big desk in the Oval Office. To the public he was a nobody. To his family and friends he was a beloved human being and a patriot. But, he had never sought national recognition.
To the selectively inquisitive media, there was much more about him that was unknown than there was which they had yet discovered. He was born somewhere in the heartland. Then grew up somewhere out west. Definitely not part of the East Coast establishment. He had a degree of Native American ancestry himself and a beautiful, gracious Asian wife. He simply didn’t fit any stereotypes whatsoever.
He had always been proud and considered himself fortunate to have been born an American. But he never envisioned himself as the leader of the free world. He was actually a career civil servant, one of the many cogs that keep the wheel of government running.
In a dreamscape of events, the Vice President of the United States had cited family issues and quietly resigned. Why the President chose Jack Winslow as replacement, we shall leave to the historians to determine. Not long after his confirmation as VP, the country and the world was astounded when the President decided only months into his second term that his legacy was best solidified by ensuring the right successor. So he resigned.
Unlike Gerald Ford who had been a long-term Congressman from Michigan, Jack Winslow had come out of the wild blue yonder to become President and Commander-in-Chief with zero political ambitions.
He owed no one any political favors nor did he have future political aspirations of his own. As our fourth baby boomer in the White House, his life experience was utterly different from his predecessors.
He was a registered Republican but had always thought for himself and voted on the issues. No one made his decisions for him. Now, on his first day in office, it would no longer be business as usual inside the DC Beltway.
With three and a half years left in the term which he had been elevated into, he knew he would be eligible to run for one additional term of his own, but that played absolutely no part in his life. He had not asked to be where he was and was just there to do the job at hand and take things one day at a time.
Jack was not a golfer nor a member of the country club set. That instantly set him apart from his predecessors of both political parties. He was not a workaholic but most definitely possessed a very serious work ethic.
The moment he had been sworn in and taken the Oath of Office from the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, he realized his life was no longer his own but rather belonged to the citizens of this great country. He was now the leader of all the people, not only those of his own personal persuasion.
Before even considering whom to nominate as new Vice President, his first concern was to properly assess the current state of affairs of the cabinet and staff who had been in place before his ascent. Jack had been known as a subject matter expert on national security and foreign affairs in his own right. He must now surround himself with men and women of substance, no sycophants welcome.
Those who have the president’s ear must objectively and candidly assess all relevant data and provide expert advice to their leader. They absolutely must not say what they think he wants to hear. That dangerous approach will not be tolerated. All sides of an issue must be considered. Even proponents of a course of action must be able to play Devil’s Advocate in reviewing and evaluating their own proposals.
The morning intelligence briefing will begin each and every day for the new president. He will never take a bye or skip this crucial information. Briefings will be conducted in person by both civilian executives and military brass with their key SMEs and intelligence personnel at hand.
This new president will quietly confer with members of the legislative branch. There will be no public animosity or name-calling. Discussions need not always even be publicized. Agreement will not always be reached but respect for one another will be maintained.
Communications and interactions with other world leaders will be immediately assessed and prioritized. One-on-one communications with foreign heads of state without key advisors involved will be extremely rare. It is not the President of the United States’ responsibility to establish a personal relationship with his counterparts around the globe. Whether they like each other or not is actually irrelevant. This new president will not be misled by foreign tyrants under any circumstances whatsoever.
President Jack Winslow will always put the interests of the USA first, never his own ego or consideration of his own legacy. That is fodder for the historians. Doing the job at hand and keeping America both safe and prosperous are all that really count.
Use of Air Force One will be minimized. In this day and age, the president can accomplish what he or she needs to at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with a periodic trip to the seclusion of Camp David. Video conferences work extremely well and do not cost the American taxpayers what jet fuel does.
Social media may be utilized to some extent by our new president. But it will not be overused or abused. Every proclamation of POTUS is an official utterance. Decency and decorum must apply. Timely live and or recorded videos can serve much the purpose that Fireside Chats did for a previous generation.
A president who has never campaigned for political office is a truly novel concept. The essential components of governing are a far cry from the political shenanigans that go into soliciting votes. We need a president, whether under the pseudonym Jack Winslow or otherwise, who is not beholden to anyone for his or her position.
The scenario herein described is obviously far-fetched. Improbable is an understatement. Not impossible but exponentially less likely than driving out of Lost Wages, Nevada as a billionaire if you didn’t drive in as one.
We need a president who is in awe of his or her working and living quarters in the White House. The spirit of former incumbents inhabit every nook and cranny of that ancient and venerable edifice.
Imagine Abraham Lincoln during the dark days of the American Civil War as he strove to restore a nation that had come apart at the seams. Envision John Kennedy as he faced down Nikita Khrushchev in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Yes, even the antics of Bill Clinton that led to his impeachment are still part of American history.
We must very soon reach the point where we put only the most qualified individual, male or female, into the Oval Office. Our political process is frankly broken. It is shattered into tiny pieces. Absolutely nothing you see today on the campaign trail will tell you what kind of president a candidate will be.
That’s why we have taken this brief glimpse into what the presidency can be if it is depoliticized. It would take an extraordinary man or a woman of incredible honor and unprecedented insight as President of the United States to implement the scenario described above.
So, this article is but a work of fiction designed to invoke introspection and provoke thought. Back here in the real world, meanwhile, we can cast our vote for the person best qualified and inclined to govern our country.
I’m sure there is a real Jack Winslow out there somewhere but this was just a pseudonym to demonstrate what someone whose name we do not yet know can do to transform the American presidency. Let go of the political shackles that bind. One of you reading this today may be the person we have just described that we need to be our greatest president ever.
Only time will tell!
We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.
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