"Leo, time to wake up."
Leo opened his eyes. The President was dressed in a suit, ready for the day's talks with the Brazilian President. "What time is it?"
"6:45."
"Oh, okay." He yawned and reached down to put on his shoes.
"Did you have a good sleep?"
"Yes, sir. Sure did. This sofa is the best on the plane, so I grabbed it after you left last night. Being Chief of Staff should have some perks."
Jed laughed. "Well, if you can't have your own cabin, I guess having your own sofa is a good second. I've already ordered breakfast for us and coffee should be here any minute. Why don't you use my bathroom to freshen up?"
"Thank you, Mr. President." Leo stood, grabbed his travel bag, and exited the office.
Twenty minutes later, a refreshed Leo reentered and grabbed the hot coffee waiting on him. Sipping the savory fluid, Leo noted the expression on the President's face. "What's wrong, Mr. President?"
"Oh, nothing. Toby just brought me the morning headlines from the States and something he said troubled me."
"What did he say?"
"He said that the New York Times had reported that a member of my cabinet had been overhead saying that I should withdraw my nomination for Labor Secretary because of a hidden serious health problem. Now why would a member of my cabinet speak that way about one of my own nominations? You would think if they had a problem they would speak to me or at least to you or Josh discreetly about it rather than in a public setting. And if John Moore had a hidden health problem, then why hadn't he told us at some point in the discovery process? The public won't tolerate another MS-type scandal. One hidden health problem in an administration is about all the public will tolerate."
Leo was shocked. He and Josh had talked with John for hours on end and felt they and the FBI had vetted the man forever. There's no way he could have hidden any problem from that process. Surely this was just an unfounded rumor that was being blown out of proportion. He told the President just that.
"Well, find out if it is a rumor or if there is something to it. We will not send the nomination forward until you find out the truth. You hear me?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Oh, good, breakfast is here."
Just as breakfast was finished, the loudspeaker came on. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are on our final approach to Galeão International Airport. It is seventy-nine degrees and partly sunny. Due to the time change, it is now 8:30 am. Please take your seat and fasten your seatbelt. Thank you."
Both men continued to talk as the plane landed smoothly and taxied to the designated parking area. President Cardoso and his advisors were meeting President Bartlet at the venue so the motorcade would travel from the airport to the Espaço Rampa meeting hall. Jed and Leo waited a few minutes while the press exited the plane and were escorted to the press bus. Once situated, Ron gave the go ahead for the President to exit the aircraft.
There was no press or public allowed to greet the plane so the exit went quickly, with the President going first, and the Chief of Staff following quickly behind him. They both slid in the Presidential limo, with Charlie already inside, and waited for the motorcade to proceed. The motorcade moved out and the thirty-minute ride to the meeting hall proceeded without incident. Once there, the limo headed to the basement to discharge their passengers who then headed to the meeting hall.
The Presidential party quickly made their way to the meeting floor. The US press had been merged with the Brazilian press into a holding area off to the side of the huge room. The news cameras were situated in the center back of the room so the feed to the Brazilian and US networks could go out live without distraction.
President Bartlet was kept in an anteroom off to the side of the main room, awaiting the arrival of the Brazilian presidential party, who had apparently been held up in traffic from their hotel.
He turned to Leo. "While I'm waiting, have you had a chance to talk with Josh yet about the problem with our nomination?"
"No, Sir. I was going to call after the welcoming speeches. Anything else you want me to talk with Josh about?"
"Yeah, ask him about the status of the Rural Communications Bill vote in the Senate. I learned yesterday it was supposed to be close with a couple of our guys threatening to vote no. See if he can persuade them to stay on our side for once."
"Yes, Sir."
Just then, the meeting coordinator came in and said everyone was finally present and the meeting would start.
Jed heard the introductions start, and he walked out, his usual political smile on his face and his hand in position to wave to the applauding crowd.
President Cardoso entered from the opposite side and waved to the applauding crowd as well. Both men met in the middle, shook hands, and smiled for the audience. President Cardoso said the first welcoming words in Portuguese, then repeated them in English. President Bartlet stepped forward, gave his welcoming words, then the translator repeated them in Portuguese. Following polite applause from the three hundred invited guests from all over Brazil, the two Presidents turned and took their seats on the dais. The moderator then spoke for the next twenty minutes explaining the outline of the day's events and how the groups would be divided into smaller groups for discussions with the two leaders based on various concerns.
The first small group discussion was just between the two leaders and the translators, and was held in a small room to the right of the dais. That was scheduled to last two hours, and was to include a light lunch toward the end. The invited guests were divided into their specific areas of concern and used that time to develop specific questions for the two leaders when they came to their small group sessions.
Leo used that time to find a quiet place to call Josh back at the White House.
"Hey, Josh, what's going on back there?"
"Hi, Leo. You must have seen the Times story."
"Yeah. The President brought it to my attention."
"Well, their second-string reporter called me late last night and warned me that it was coming. I didn't let you know because I spent most of the night trying to find out which cabinet member supposedly leaked the story. And also trying to contact John to see if there was any truth to the story."
"And…"
"Well, first of all, John vehemently denied any health problem that we don't already know about. He even gave his doctor permission to talk with me, so I called him first thing this morning and his story checks out. There's no hidden health problem his doctor is aware of."
"Do you believe everyone?"
"Yes, I do."
"Okay, then. Then there is a traitor in the cabinet. Can you think of who or why?"
"I'm stumped."
"Investigate a little further, will you? Someone has a grudge against the President and he or she feels that this is a means to get revenge. Do you think there is any hope of getting the reporter to tell us who his source was?"
"I doubt it."
"I don't either. But I'll let CJ and Toby know what's going on and maybe they can talk to the Times reporter on this trip. Also, the President wants to know the status of the vote on the Rural Communications Bill in the Senate. He thinks a couple of our guys might be thinking about voting no. Know anything about that?"
"I've heard rumors about Wilson and Starr, but I don't know for sure."
"Well, find out. The President really wants this bill. Badly wants it. Don't give away the store, but if they're reasonable, see what we can do."
"Sure. How's the trip going?"
"It's only the first day, Josh. And the day is still young."
"I understand."
"Let me know what you find about the cabinet, Josh. I want the name of the bastard."
"Yes, Leo. I do too. Bye."
"Bye."
As he hung up, Leo noticed some aching in his left arm. So he searched in his pants pocket and found the little bottle from last night. He put one pill under his tongue and waited. In a few minutes, the ache disappeared and he put the bottle back in his pocket. No big deal.
Now, to find the President and see what was going on.
