14
General Hightower
General Hightower outlined his battle plans, dividing up the senators between those most likely to vote against the bill, and those most likely to vote for it. He decided to concentrate his efforts in the middle, either neutral or lukewarm. Their indecisiveness made them more amenable to persuasion.
He began his siege on Senator Patrick Callahan from Maine. Welcomed cordially, the General admired a photograph that hung on the wall of a highly decorated, Vietnam War pilot standing beside his plane. “You, I presume?” the General said.
“A young me, full of piss and vinegar. I flew twenty-two missions, killed a lot of gooks, lost several friends—my best buddy died in my arms—, and won a purple heart.” He gazed reflectively at the photo.
“A potpourri of memories,” Gene
