By Adam Graham
The Senate Majority Leader stood in the oval office.
Senator Susan Johnson had dark shadows under her eye. The President looked at her with pity in his eyes. Thirty years of public service had to come to an end. After sixteen years in the house and fourteen in the Senate, she had disqualified herself from political leadership.
"You've got to go," said the president.
"I made a few mistakes when I was younger," she said. "And I was just trying to be nice at Senator Bergin's retirement."
The president snapped.
"Nice!" said the president angrily. "I don't call what you did nice. I call it suicidal! You said that Senator Bergin won your state's primary and that you were proud of it. You said that America would have been better off with Senator Bergin!"
"He's a great man," she said.
"That doesn't matter," said the president. "When this guy was a Democrat, he voted for Clinton for crying out loud! Worst yet, when he was running for President, his primary issue was getting Roe v. Wade reinstated."
"Look," she said. "He's sorry about all that, and since then he's been a great Senator with knowledge on a number of issues."
The president shook his head.
"We both know it doesn't matter," said the president. "All that matters is the media and they refuse to forgive him, no matter how much he repents, nor how much he gives to crisis pregnancy centers. They still won't forgive him for one simple reason. He's a Republican."
"But, I was just paying him a compliment," said Senator Johnson.
"If it were just that," said the president, "it could be forgiven. But Time just uncovered the fact that when you were in college, you were an organizer for a NOW rally."
"I was young," pleaded the senator. "I was raised up in New York. It was what I was taught. I've been good since then."
"No," said the president. "I'm sorry that's not enough for the media. There's no room to understand you or forgive any of your past transgressions. You see in order to be successful in politics, you must have perfect moral insight at all times and instantly rid yourself of any beliefs that may sometime in the future become politically damaging."
"But Democrats get away with this all the time," said the senator.
"Yes, but they have the media on their side so the rules don't apply to them," said the president.
With that the senator left to write her resignation speech.