America's Greatest Challenge: Succession and Continuity
By Seph Bay
Copyright 2008. greatestchallenge.org. All rights reserved.
(No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author).
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The phone call with the President took all of five minutes. Amare was relaxed as he accepted the appointment to the United Nations, and assured the Chief Executive that he would not resign until after his speech at the joint assembly.
On this day he truly realized the value of his assets in international political economy. History had given him this unique role; an irrefutable level of respect from national and business leaders combined with an unprecedented global economic clout.
His only request, before he put the phone down, was to end that day with his family celebrating his daughter’s birthday. This he had to do in order to prepare himself for the fourth of July. His role as the apocalyptic messenger of an entire civilization could wait. For now, all that mattered was his wife and kids.
But history was growing impatient. By 3:00 p.m. Amare received information that representatives from the other seven permanent Security Council member-countries of China, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Brazil, and twelve non-permanent members from Australia, Burundi, Chile, Denmark, Fiji, Haiti, Peru, Qatar, Somalia, South Africa, Thailand, and Uruguay, demanded a formal and official declaration from its seventh permanent member – the United States of America. Within minutes he had a pen and paper in his hand and he began to write his thoughts.
That night, after the celebrations of her daughter’s birthday, Amare informed his wife about his decision and new position.
He had always been loyal to her even when he, as a bachelor, was desired and tempted by college coeds all over the nation. Numerous actresses and supermodels were rumored to be linked to him and the tabloids and paparazzi had their super-busy heydays.
Women of all ages, sizes and professions threw themselves at him and screamed their hearts out whenever he was seen in public. Rock star-status, economic icon, and hot hunk rolled into one, Amare was the perfect package of an alpha male.
But Emily was the inspiration and joy of his life. She, as the romantic cliché goes, meant everything to him, and was his best friend. He was captivated by the fact that no one, from the corporate board room to the international political arena and the academe, could match her intellect and wit. After getting a law degree from Yale she became a full time mother and wife, without compromising the most attractive part of her anatomy – her brain.
Even with three children she was still one of the most beautiful and among the most powerful women in the world.
They held hands as they walked along the deck, with the full moon reflecting on the water. Spending time with his family was the ultimate stress-reliever for Amare, and they were his ultimate source of strength.
