Chapter Twenty-Nine
Nothing is ever simple or straightforward in Washington.
Over the next three days, Jim and Rebecca got a civics lesson they would never forget and, in Jim’s case, barely understand.
The Senator welcomed them to join him in a series of meetings and negotiations, including with the Senate bill drafting manager who, despite his seniority and experience, had never converted a handwritten Civil War treaty into the legislative format required for ratification. In fact, no one alive on Capitol Hill had ever done it.
It was virgin territory for everyone, which meant there were no rules, which meant the Senator could be creative. They copied pertinent parts of historic treaty ratification between the US and other nations, but this one was actually simple because the general
