The Return of Elliott Eastman by Ignatius Ryan Read Free Book Online Page B

compile some data. It’s only a dozen pages or so, and I must admit it’s some very boring reading. I’ll summarize it for you. Out of 1,100 military bases we have around the world there are upwards of 400 to 600 bases that could be shut down at a savings of 600 billion dollars a year. For instance, one base in Saudi Arabia, one in Diego Garcia, one in the Philippines, along with our carrier fleets in the region are more than sufficient to protect our interests in the Indian Ocean theatre. Yet we have over a hundred and fifty bases and two hundred thousand men and women of our armed forces and contractors deployed there. We send $500 million dollars a year to Pakistan, $1.8 billion to Egypt and another one billion to the Saudi’s. It’s all detailed in the summary here. All told, the savings could be approximately 400 billion dollars a year.”
    Dick Henghold laughed. “You’ll never get Congress to pass cuts of that size.”
    Elliott gave the director of the Office of Management and Budget a nod.
    “True, but let me continue. I’ve heard it said that certain people, off the record of course, feel the war on the Taliban is a joke.”
    Elliott stared pointedly at the Secretary of Defense for a moment.
    “The figures I’ve seen, which are also compiled here, indicate there are maybe 5,000 Taliban fighters, maybe a few more when the harvesting is over. They don’t have planes, missiles, or anything in the way of modern weaponry and yet we are supposed to believe they pose a threat to our national security?”
    “I argued the same point ten years ago,” Robert Gates interjected.
    “The expenses far outweigh any gains we have in fighting a war against them. All the facts and figures are here,” Elliott concluded.
    “I still say you’ll never get it passed through Congress,” Dick argued. “The military lobbyists will be all over them.”
    “Which is why I’ve waited to tell you the other half of the plan; the two of you labor in relative obscurity. The average American will know the starting lineups and slugging percentage of the home team, but know nothing of you or what you do. That’s because what you do, at least in their perception, has no impact on their lives. I’m proposing to change that starting today if I can get your agreement to spearhead this approach. I will take out full page ads in the Washington Post, The New York Times and The USA Today with a photo spread of the two of you, Bob here, and the head of the SEC touting you as the leaders of the War on the Deficit. The article will outline the plan of attack and the proposed dollar amounts we are saving. You will be instantly vaulted to celebrity status and you will become household names. Who knows where it might lead your careers? President, vice president, hell Ron Reagan was a spokesperson for General Electric or something before he became president. But more importantly I’m hoping to educate the public in a big way, and in doing so counteract the influence of the corporations.”
    Elliott took a breath.
    “Seriously, you will be spearheading the single most important effort in the history of this country, aside from perhaps D-Day. Our national debt is the single greatest threat our nation has faced, and it is largely being addressed with aimless drivel by our leaders. You gentlemen are in a position to save our nation. If the opposition is too strong in Congress I’ll post more articles. I have a team of free lance writers who are ready to go to work on this, naming names of those lobbyists and members of Congress who would stand in our way. Lastly, if it appears Congress is to stand in our way, I will personally fund a national referendum so that the American people can vote directly on these measures. We cannot let corruption in high places ruin our chances here.”
    As Elliott ceased speaking the room fell into an eerie silence. The two men seated opposite him were quit literally stunned. Neither had been sure exactly what this