Drones and the use of AIs in the drones was really changing the way wars were being fought. The Americans held a slight advantage in fighter jet drones, railgun technology and the infantry railgun rifles and HUD systems. Where the Americans were behind was drone tanks, IFVs, manned fighter aircrafts, additive manufacturing, shipbuilding and an industrial network that had been on a war footing for years. The American and EU governments and economies were behind the eight ball; neither economy was on a war footing and it was going to take time to convert. Both militaries were also behind in recruiting and training the needed force to challenge the Axis powers of the Islamic Republic, Russia and China; at this point their adversaries had had both their economies and their military forces on a war footing for several years before the conflict of World War III had even begun.
Smile for the Cameras
After months of requests by the networks for a one-on-one interview, the President finally agreed to a two-hour interview with John Blume of Fox News. John was a well-known journalist who hosted Special Report on Fox. Fox News was probably one of the friendlier networks to the Stein administration, but that was not why the President agreed to talk with him. The President knew an interview like this would be a chance for him to continue to make the case for the Freedom Party as the party of growth, and to assure the American people that the war was winnable and progressing well, despite the losses occurring in Germany and the Middle East.
“Good evening, this is John Blume and I am here with President Henry Stein to discuss domestic and overseas issues in this special segment of Special Report,” John said as opened the show.
“Mr. President, under your leadership the US economy has made quite a turnaround; the country had gone from 20 %+ unemployment to less than 3 %, and essentially there is now a critical shortage in labor, particularly with the current draft going on. Do you attribute that growth to the war, or to something else?”
President Stein responded, “I attribute the economic growth to a government functioning within the guidelines of the Constitution. The Freedom Party stands for just that — freedom to choose to be who you want to be in this country, and freedom to work for yourself if you choose to. For decades, our country had been saddled with regulations and rules that made it impossible for an entrepreneur to succeed. The bulk of American corporations had their headquarters overseas because of taxes and regulations. This was killing our economy. We also needed tax reform, a remonetizing of our currency and a reform of our social programs to make them financially viable.”
“The unemployment really began to drop once we began to put people to work through the Reconstruction and Modernization Act of 2037. Millions of job positions were created through this program and the America First Corporation (AFC); people were suddenly getting hired, or in some cases, receiving multiple job offers. AFC has proven to be an incredible boon for the American people, not just because of the jobs it provides, but the revenue it has generated for the Federal Government. It has made social security solvent, and we’ve even been able to increase social security payments to ensure that every American retiring through it will receive a minimum yearly retirement of $40,000 if they retire at 67 and $52,500 if they retire at 73.”
John countered, “I would like to go back to the remonetizing of the debt. Some would attribute your remonetizing of our currency as one of the reasons we are at war with China. How do you respond to that?”
The President replied, “This war is about power, resources and land. It has nothing to do with our monetary policy. China wants to conquer Asia, and as we can see, they are in the process of conquering Africa as well. Russia wants to occupy and control the EU. Their empire would stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and place over 750 million people under the rule of the new Communist State they have established. The Islamic Republic wants to exert Islam as the dominant religion across the world; they conducted a genocide of the Israeli people, as well as anyone who did not agree with their brand of Islam. As we have already seen, they have killed nearly one million Jews in Israel alone. They crucified over 3,000 US Servicemen and women, and cut the heads off of our dead soldiers and placed them on pikes. They are barbaric. This war is about tyranny… Will we stand by and let the forces of evil in this world prevail or will we stand up, united by freedom to do something about it?”
John Blume seemed a little taken aback by this answer. He continued, “The United States has already suffered over 200,000 men and women killed. How many more losses do you believe the American people will accept before they demand an end to the war?”
Without missing a beat, President Stein replied, “You mean how many more casualties will it take for America to surrender? That is essentially what you are asking.”
Obstinately, Blume retorted, “I did not say surrender; I just said an end to the war.”
President Stein smiled at the lack of logic in his counterpart’s response, and explained, “The Axis Powers will not accept anything less than our complete surrender. Some will argue that that is not true, but let me ask you this. Are you willing to give up our Constitution for the sake of peace? As long as I am President, America will never surrender. To capitulate means to give up our rights as Americans. It means we give up our Constitution, and I will not allow that to happen. I will also not sacrifice our Allies and all of Europe for the sake of appeasing the political left in our country. This war is barely six months old, and already people on the left are wanting to give up. Let’s not forget that our country was savagely attacked. Our soldiers were being crucified and their heads cut off and placed on spikes. We were further nuked, killing nearly six million civilians… and people want talk about ending the war? We will end the war when we have won it. Mark my words, the American manufacturing and ingenuity has only just awoken. Our economy, and our military will see this war through to victory.”
Changing topics, John continued, “It would appear that Alaska is about to be invaded by the Russians and Chinese. What are you doing to ensure we do not lose one of our States? This is, after all, the first time America will have been invaded by a foreign power in force since the War of 1812.”
The President replied, “I assure you, and the American people, the military is doing everything they can to protect this country and Alaska. As the Commander in Chief, I am working to ensure our military has every resource they need to win this fight. I have the utmost confidence in our Generals and military Commanders—”
Blume interrupted, “—Even General Gardner? The General who destroyed the Al Aqsa Mosque?”
Stein did not get flustered. He calmly responded, “I did not agree with, or authorize, General Gardner’s destruction of one of Islam’s holiest sites. That said, General Gardner has done a superb job of defending Israel and moving us that much closer to defeating the Islamic Republic, the country who nuked New York and Baltimore.”
The President continued, “I also want to release a new piece of news; as of an hour before this interview started, the Chinese Expeditionary Force in the Middle East has officially surrendered, and so has the 2nd Shock Army. It will not be long before our Armies are driving through Riyadh. We have General Gardner and the US Third Army to thank for that, along with our ally, the Israeli Defense Force.”