Neil Shin writes about the McCord Inauguration. I stole some of Elizabeth's speech from the West Wing. The poem portion is credited to the current United States Poet Laureate.
Updated 10/21/2023
McCord Sworn In
Jan. 21, 2021
By Neil Shin
President-Elect Elizabeth Adams McCord stands beside her husband, Dr. Henry McCord, in the capital building. They are waiting to be announced so the soon-to-be president can take the oath of office. They laugh as President Dalton Turns to look at his successor and friend, joking about how she still has time to "run back to the farm, Bess."
Dalton and McCord go back over thirty years. Dalton notably recruited McCord for her position at the Central Intelligence Agency. Her initial reaction was to turn it down. Dalton remembers, "She looked at me like I had two heads... She said she was just a math nerd who knew nothing about National Security." McCord is noted to be a quick learner, however. Within her first three years at the CIA, she became the Lead Case Officer on the Middle East Desk. She would go on to serve in the CIA for twenty years, leading the Al Queda Desk after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001.
After leaving the CIA, McCord was a notable and harsh critic of US policy in Iraq. She wrote a series of articles for The New York Times and Washington Post calling for the end of the "enhanced interrogation" program for Iraqi detainees. By 2007, she called the invasion of Iraq a "Shameful Military Action." Her pacifist tendencies would follow her throughout her academic career and the Department of State.
McCord served as the 68th Secretary of State of the United States. She ran the State Department with a mixture of tenacity, unorthodox decision-making, and political awareness. She publicly stated that the United States needed to "cooperate with other countries instead of going alone." She was also noted for her humanitarian efforts, including Nuclear Disarmament and Refugee Management. While at the State Department, she made significant strides to combat climate change globally. She also actively pushed for new nuclear and clean energy agreements with the Middle East and Asia.
The President-elect did not easily win her campaign. Her opponents repeatedly attacked her gender and personal life. It took a series of blunders from McCord's opponents before she finally gained traction in the polls. During the campaign, McCord made a point to remind the world that her family had a long-standing tradition of service to the United States. Her husband served in the United States Marine Corps as a Fighter Pilot. Her father, Benjamin Adams, served in the US Foreign Service until his unexpected early death in 1983. Her uncle, William Adams, served in the Army, losing his life in the Battle of Anzio during World War Two.
The former living presidents are all in attendance. Each shakes McCord's hand in congratulations before taking their place in line. They are looking at the young new leader with pride. One by one, the former presidents are announced along with their spouses. The President's Own Marine Band plays Hail to the Chief for each of them. When President Dalton is announced, he turns around to McCord again, winking at her like a proud father would. She laughs and steps into the line of former presidents.
McCord is then announced. She walks out onto the stairs of the capital building wearing an elegant white coat dress, starkly contrasting with her husband's navy blue suit. McCord takes her place, waiting to watch her Vice President get sworn in before her. Vice President Carlos Morejon was a surprising running mate for the McCord camp. The two have been known to be opponents on many issues over the years. Both have been famously critical of the other's stance on environmental reform and gun control. But they also worked together on a few issues, such as getting the US Senate to ratify the Calgary Land Mine Treaty, Reforming the Family Separation Policies of State governments, and Legalizing marijuana federally.
Chief Justice Frawley hands Dr. McCord the McCord Family Bible to hold for the President-Elect to take her Oath. This reporter was told that stuffed inside the pages of that bible was a pocket Constitution annotated by the President while she was in High School. Some other things included between the pages were pictures of her family, a small printout of the Declaration of Independence, and funeral prayer cards from loved ones who couldn't be with her today. McCord recited the oath assuredly. It was the first time in history that a woman held the position of president in the United States.
President McCord started her speech by thanking the Congressional Members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies for planning such a wonderful day. She was sure to thank her husband, children, and staff. "I could not and would not have wanted to make it here without each and every one of you." She said.
McCord then gave a bipartisan and unifying speech about her Education, Science, and Infrastructure plans. Stating, "The world is changing, and we must change with it." The President explained that she wants to pass sweeping changes in education and research and help improve access to quality health care and better pay for American farmers. Her speech ended in the way only Elizabeth McCord could write, "This is a time for American heroes. We will do what is hard. We will achieve what is great. This is a time for American heroes, and we reach for the stars."
The rest of the ceremony went off without a single issue. There were performances by Peter Frampton, who notably permitted McCord to use his music for her campaign via tweet, and Ashley Hayes, who has recently been on Broadway and was a notable goodwill ambassador for the State Department under then-Secretary McCord.
The Poet Laureate Amanda Goreman had this to say about recent far-right division and the misogyny directed at the first Female leader of a World Super Power, "We've seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it/ Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy/ And this effort very nearly succeeded/But while democracy can be periodically delayed/It can never be permanently defeated..."
President McCord then followed through with the traditional Parade to the White House. The peaceful transfer of power is now complete.
Editorial Comment by the Author.
I had the pleasure of shadowing Elizabeth McCord while she was at the State Department. What I saw was a brilliant and competent woman. I watched her struggle to make the best possible decisions for the best possible outcomes, and I watched her laugh with her family. McCord had a reputation for being a political realist. However, I met a woman who got emotionally attached to ideological goals. She was well known for her skepticism and questioning of mainstream thinking on American Weapon Stockpiles, immigration reform, and fossil fuel taxes. I met a woman who truly cared about the people she served. In my time with McCord, I saw her question the established dogmas and strive to unite all factions into a powerful force for peace.
On the day that I called her out for a decision, she made, using prisons as housing to deal with a current influx of those seeking asylum in the United States. She looked at me and said, "Just pulling babies off of boats," in reference to our earlier conversation. I could tell in the way she was referring to her job that each decision she made weighed heavily on her. McCord never came off as callous or unfeeling, even though some of her realist political choices may make her seem that way. She is a person with a lot of heart who carries a lot of pain with her.
On the day my twins were born, then Secretary McCord visited me in the hospital. I had written an article about a deal she had made, mentioned above. This article did not paint her in the best light. I was sure she had not read it when she came in with a gift (A wet/dry vacuum, which has turned out to be incredibly useful). When I asked her if she had read it, she said that I gave both sides of the argument, and that was all she ever asked for.
As she walked out of the hospital, I looked down at my newborn daughter and knew that Elizabeth McCord would be the woman to shatter the glass ceiling. I lifted her so she could see McCord walking away and whispered to her, "You see that lady right there? She is going to be your President someday."
This is not to say that I believe McCord is flawless. She has made many mistakes over the years. But I am glad that I get to call her my president.