The White House-2017 Washington RP

[Dentali]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

Slowly nodding her head in agreement to everything Simon divulged, offering only a slight shrug of the shoulders once the point of agreement on issues is brought forth. "Well, guess it depends on what policy positions you're talking about."

"Both of us are obviously Pro-Life, and I think we tend to lie more on the moderate side of the spectrum, with some policy overlap, but I'm sure one could say we differ in plenty of ways too, if we're being objective."

Gianna reached behind her head to scratch a spot that seemed to irritate her slightly, then dropped her hands back down onto her lap, folded. "Still, I have personal reasons. When I say improbable, lionshare of reasons are macro rather than micro."

"Would you ever consider working with the administration?"

[Imperial Esplanade]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

Gianna looked at Simon for a lingering moment, mentally tracing back the meeting's line of questioning thus far, and once more re-postured herself into a comfortable position in the chair. Carrollton then rubbed her hand over her mouth as she thought about what she ought to say next to Denisevich, clearly bemused some, and exhaling once afterward.

"Would I consider it? Suppose I'd be willing to do that, for something President Reed would want of me." She answered back, facial expression remaining somewhat tensed and expressing her inner-puzzlement as to where this is heading.

"I think I can, uh, trust him enough to be able to say that, and with some confidence."

[Dentali]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

Gianna looked at Simon for a lingering moment, mentally tracing back the meeting's line of questioning thus far, and once more re-postured herself into a comfortable position in the chair. Carrollton then rubbed her hand over her mouth as she thought about what she ought to say next to Denisevich, clearly bemused some, and exhaling once afterward.

"Would I consider it? Suppose I'd be willing to do that, for something President Reed would want of me." She answered back, facial expression remaining somewhat tensed and expressing her inner-puzzlement as to where this is heading.

"I think I can, uh, trust him enough to be able to say that, and with some confidence."

"As you know Secretary Bell is... well not doing great, we need an acting Secretary of State. Additionally we need a UN Ambassador, and you have impressive foreign policy credentials. The President and I made a shortlist and well... you're on both of them, then we got your email. It was fortuitous."

Simon allowed a few seconds for this to be processed

"We need to work quickly and come to a decision on the positions, so I need to know right now. Are you interested?"

[Imperial Esplanade]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

Gianna's eyes fixated toward Simon as she repeatedly mentally processed everything he just dropped on her, seemingly momentarily on-loop. She hunches over, looking down at the floor for a brief moment, and rubbed one of her eyes.

"That's... asking a lot, quite a lot, out of anyone, and especially on such short-notice." She said, before looking back up, taking a few more seconds to think about things.

"But, it's understandably urgent, and it seems like Reed is counting on my support. Mark me down as interested, willing to help you and the President out in this." Gianna pursed her lips as she she was going to add something on her mind, though she quickly shook it off and went on another stream-of-thought. "Guess you're right that it's fortuitous, but it's unfortunately fortuitous. How is Secretary Bell doing? I'm sure he knows he has the entire country rooting for him to pull through."

[Dentali]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

Gianna's eyes fixated toward Simon as she repeatedly mentally processed everything he just dropped on her, seemingly momentarily on-loop. She hunches over, looking down at the floor for a brief moment, and rubbed one of her eyes.

"That's... asking a lot, quite a lot, out of anyone, and especially on such short-notice." She said, before looking back up, taking a few more seconds to think about things.

"But, it's understandably urgent, and it seems like Reed is counting on my support. Mark me down as interested, willing to help you and the President out in this." Gianna pursed her lips as she she was going to add something on her mind, though she quickly shook it off and went on another stream-of-thought. "Guess you're right that it's fortuitous, but it's unfortunately fortuitous. How is Secretary Bell doing? I'm sure he knows he has the entire country rooting for him to pull through."

"I'm sorry for this... the speed of it all. Bell's condition is... well its pretty bad. I don't feel comfortable saying more than that. If I honestly believed he would return as secretary we wouldnt be having this conversation."

"Senator... I understand if you need to take a moment but I would like to ask you a few questions about the President's foreign policy agenda. You may consider this now a job interview."

[Imperial Esplanade]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

Carrollton, gesturing with her hand and nodding in response to the first-part of Denisevich's remark, waited till after the second-half was made before commenting further on the previous bit.

"It's... okay, I entirely understand and want to respect the Secretary's privacy. He certainly deserves his own discretion. I wasn't trying to probe, just... I hope he pulls through." She says.

She lets out another sigh, and slowly nodded her head. "Sorry, wasn't mentally prepared for this, but go ahead. I'll, um. I'll answer any questions you have for me." Carrollton says back toward Denisevich, as she attempts to keep a neutral expression.

[Dentali]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

Carrollton, gesturing with her hand and nodding in response to the first-part of Denisevich's remark, waited till after the second-half was made before commenting further on the previous bit.

"It's... okay, I entirely understand and want to respect the Secretary's privacy. He certainly deserves his own discretion. I wasn't trying to probe, just... I hope he pulls through." She says.

She lets out another sigh, and slowly nodded her head. "Sorry, wasn't mentally prepared for this, but go ahead. I'll, um. I'll answer any questions you have for me." Carrollton says back toward Denisevich, as she attempts to keep a neutral expression.

"What is your opinion of the President's foreign policy so far? Both his objectives and how they have been enacted?"

[Imperial Esplanade]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

A small crease forms between Gianna's eyebrows as she wanders into thought, mentally piecing together her answer as she let the question lie several lingering seconds, then cleared her throat to signal she was answering.

"That question is, I guess you could say, nebulous? Certainly complex. Foreign policy is different, every situation in the world is different, so I guess instead of a blanket, straight, and-equally nebulous answer, I'll just start with... say, Syria?"

Momentarily biting her lower lip as she mused in thought some more, Carrollton finally relaxed some as her eyes gazed on the floor by Simon's desk, glancing back up toward him. "Honestly, between you and me, I won't pretend that it's a black-or-white matter, and I entirely sympathize and understand with those who want us to remain in Syria, as well as those who call for us to withdraw. It's a lot of gray, and the President needs to be wholly decisive about whatever it is he decides to do."

"But, honestly, I'm not sure if I would have arrived to that same conclusion of withdrawing our presence. Of course, he may know things I don't, and I'm not receiving anything close to the briefings he is about this anymore, and the situation may have changed just enough to warrant my take on Syria right now to be just outdated enough over these last few months. But, assuming he came to me and asking for counsel right now? I think, my personal and professional opinions on the situation take the back seat to making sure the President is completely aware of all his options. Now, don't get me wrong, I'll certainly give my takes to him if he ever asks for it, but... it's his call to make. It's not my place to be biased."

"At the end of the day, the people elected him, not me, and I've always thought the best Secretaries of State or Ambassadors were those who trusted each other enough, were on the same page enough, to be able to, you know, have the important high-level conversations with global leaders, or whatever foreign ministry equivalents, on behalf of the President, and representing his interests and the country's. Not their own, individually. And, if I can't do that, or if whoever can't, everyone is worse-off for it. No one wins."

"And of course, that really extends far beyond the situation in Syria." Carrollton says, ending with exhaling a breath she didn't realize she was holding since some point in that spiel, not anticipating she would ramble on for as long as she had.

"Guess that went more blanket than I first thought it would've been." She joked.

[Dentali]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

A small crease forms between Gianna's eyebrows as she wanders into thought, mentally piecing together her answer as she let the question lie several lingering seconds, then cleared her throat to signal she was answering.

"That question is, I guess you could say, nebulous? Certainly complex. Foreign policy is different, every situation in the world is different, so I guess instead of a blanket, straight, and-equally nebulous answer, I'll just start with... say, Syria?"

Momentarily biting her lower lip as she mused in thought some more, Carrollton finally relaxed some as her eyes gazed on the floor by Simon's desk, glancing back up toward him. "Honestly, between you and me, I won't pretend that it's a black-or-white matter, and I entirely sympathize and understand with those who want us to remain in Syria, as well as those who call for us to withdraw. It's a lot of gray, and the President needs to be wholly decisive about whatever it is he decides to do."

"But, honestly, I'm not sure if I would have arrived to that same conclusion of withdrawing our presence. Of course, he may know things I don't, and I'm not receiving anything close to the briefings he is about this anymore, and the situation may have changed just enough to warrant my take on Syria right now to be just outdated enough over these last few months. But, assuming he came to me and asking for counsel right now? I think, my personal and professional opinions on the situation take the back seat to making sure the President is completely aware of all his options. Now, don't get me wrong, I'll certainly give my takes to him if he ever asks for it, but... it's his call to make. It's not my place to be biased."

"At the end of the day, the people elected him, not me, and I've always thought the best Secretaries of State or Ambassadors were those who trusted each other enough, were on the same page enough, to be able to, you know, have the important high-level conversations with global leaders, or whatever foreign ministry equivalents, on behalf of the President, and representing his interests and the country's. Not their own, individually. And, if I can't do that, or if whoever can't, everyone is worse-off for it. No one wins."

"And of course, that really extends far beyond the situation in Syria." Carrollton says, ending with exhaling a breath she didn't realize she was holding since some point in that spiel, not anticipating she would ramble on for as long as she had.

"Guess that went more blanket than I first thought it would've been." She joked.

"Lets talk the middle east, obviously a stable middle east is good for our security and world peace. The President and the country don't want boots on the ground in Syria, how would you go about diplomatically ensuring peace in the region?"

[Imperial Esplanade]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

"Now by region, do you mean, specifically, Syria? Or are you asking how the Syria strategy plays out for the Middle East as a whole? I suspect both."

[Dentali]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

"Now by region, do you mean, specifically, Syria? Or are you asking how the Syria strategy plays out for the Middle East as a whole? I suspect both."

"Both"

[Prolieum]

June 30, 2017

Tennis Courts

Aubrey dribbled the ball twice with her right hand, doing her best to maintain control, then brought it up quickly, pulling over her left hand to cradle it as she leapt a short distance into the air, fading backwards, and letting fly. The ball clacked against the rim, then the backboard, then the rim again before bouncing out to the right.

She shook her head, stepping over to rebound the large ball before it made its way off of the tennis court/basketball court/batting cage, a location where she was now spending an appreciable fraction of her time.

The form of it that she was using was a point of mild irritation to her husband. He had showed her, personally, the much-lauded functions of the pitching machine that was currently folded off in the corner, praising its qualities, and she had nodded along, used it a couple times, and then went back to the ball and hoop. His enthusiasm could be contagious, and she had certainly spent plenty of time on that particular game with him, but it still seemed to puzzle Cal that it was not, and had not become, her preference.

Not that this sport was her end-all be-all, as baseball was for Cal, she reflected, as a shot from the corner bounced sharply back at her off of the rim. But confined as she was within a gated compound that was itself within a city, it was the best she had on-hand.

The difficulties, or the complaints, were not really any different from what they had been through the first six months in the White House, and she was beginning to think herself something of a whiner, or perhaps a little incompetent. She still felt cooped up, she still didn't have a handle on what her 'job' was, and so the circle spun round and round. Efforts to break out of it had thus far flopped. Her WNN interview, while a bit of excitement, had generated approximately zero traction, her meeting with Roberts had stalled out before she got to the exciting part, and the would-be Chief of Staff that Denisevich had interviewed had suddenly developed other commitments.

She lobbed up another shot, again hitting the backboard off-centre, but corrected her cold streak with a quick pair of steps forward and a leap, rebounding and laying the ball back in in the same jump, collecting it and returning to a dribble upon landing. Physically, at least, she seemed to be doing pretty well. A cooped-up winter and cool spring had given her plenty of in-house exercise, and practicing this kind of sharpshooting was more physically engaging than pouring through the hundreds of rounds of ammunition a day that she would expend when training for trap and skeet. She felt an irritation over the thought of how little she had done to strengthen her skills in that discipline with nothing to maintain herself but occasional, well-loved trips to Camp David, which themselves often turned into hikes to enjoy the space and freedom instead of going through drills.

The biggest factor, of course, that she was now going through her longest span of time not being pregnant since she was married in two and a half years, since the first stretch after their wedding. That two-year period in which the majority of her time had been spent expecting was a fraction of her adult life, but had somehow become a new normal so quickly, one not long following the other, that the withdrawal felt more alien than it seemed a return to normal. Hormones, or something of that sort, perhaps, or maybe it was a proxy feeling, overemphasized as a counterpart to the new situation of being a First Lady in general. Regardless of the cause, the sensation was undeniably present, and apparently there for the long haul.

The girls had been wonderful, in between spates of being terrible. A surge of endorphins just seeing a child that she had carried and borne, interacting with a small creature still in wonder at the world, and then a bitterness over another night of broken sleep. The latter had become worrying, especially as her reactions seemed to have grown plainly more negative over the last half-year. That was something partially attributable to the girls themselves-Mia's temperament had been remarkably placid relative to Laura and Emma's-part of it, she fretted, was that she was being a bad mother to her children out of her own dissatisfaction.

She had felt guilt when she had to leave them behind with caretakers on the trip to Saudi Arabia, and she had felt a sense of freedom when she had slipped out alone to Connecticut, or in a stop at Camp David. There were moments of genuine emotion, real feelings that she was supposed to have and worries as well, over Mia's still not having taken her first steps, over any sign of bad health on the part of the twins-but the truth of the matter was that she felt that she was treating the children as a sidebar. Even in that thought she showed the same-the children, not her children.

Her little snap-back at Marlowe that long time back in that terrible interview, whatever showing she was trying to make lost between overwrought speeches and ill-thought comments, had come from a legitimate insecurity over whether her parenting had been up to par. The madness of the campaign, the preparation for Rio, the second pregnancy coming unexpected and then going through all of its complications-she hadn't had the time to worry about it before. A couple of months with Mia as a newborn, no other responsibilities, nothing else on her mind-those had been wonderful, and they had been all she had really had. The current combination of more time, a much more mixed slate of responsibilities, and a sharply reduced field of possibilities for spending the time that she had was giving her license to cash it in in sessions of worrying.

She shot again from behind the three-point line, bouncing it in off the backboard. What she needed was some kind of to-do list, a few actionable steps to take. As methodical as she often was, that sort of thing, formalizing actions, had never been something she had committed to. She trained as a shooter with the duration and effort that she did because she needed to get better, not because a list had told her to. The work she did in the RCMP was done because it had to be done, not as the result of a checklist. She had been perfectly fine running through life without an artificial order, because the tasks at hand were, if not easy, simple, and required effort, not direction. Irritating as it may have been, that was no longer the case.

She put up one final shot, the ball swishing through cleanly, and sighed to herself, pushing a few strands of hair back behind her, where it was slowly extending down her back, left uncut since the inauguration. She had her notebook in her jacket, left on the fence, and collected it, pulling on the jacket, unnecessary though it was in the warm early summer, and sitting herself down on the court surface, flipping open to an empty page and pondering just what to write.

[Imperial Esplanade]

Chuckling to herself, and reclining away from Simon and pressing her back against the chair, Carrollton reached up to thoughtfully rub her chin with her thumb and index finger, staring at the ground as her mind wandered into a place of deep thought.

"I won't pretend as if there is a right or a wrong answer." She began, darting a quick glance up toward Simon. "There's much to consider when putting together a foreign policy, much less on a hotbed like Syria."

"I would suggest the President consider every option. Listing pro's and con's for everything from supporting Assad to completely remaining neutral in that fight. It may not be ours to meddle in, but we cannot ignore what it means to our partners there, Jordan and Lebanon. Turkey. Even Israel. Not to mention the other foreign powers intervening, take Russia for example."

Carrollton looked across the room, quickly taking in a look outside of a nearby window of the White House grounds, and slowly nodded her head. "Diplomacy is a tight-rope, always a careful balancing-act." She says, turning to look back toward Simon.

"But when you have a war-criminal authoritarian on one side, a loosely disorganized collective of freedom fighters that may or may not be anything like al Qaeda of late, because of the Mujaheddin back in Afghanistan, in another, and doing nothing isn't much of an option, you're hard-pressed. Regardless, I would make ensuring our allies and friends around Syria feel as though we will do what we can to keep the situation in Syria from bleeding over into their affairs. We may not be in a position to negotiate directly with Assad, or especially the FSA, but we can talk with foreign powers that are supporting each. Russia, for example, but that's just one of many."

"Frankly though, there's so much to consider, and we are limited with our chess-pieces. The entire situation in Syria is just picking among thorns, searching for the least painful one, knowing that there aren't many roses."

"But, for what it's worth, I think I would try to break it down into simpler terms for the President. Not that he isn't capable of otherwise, but it's helpful to process things when you aren't staring at a gargantuan heap of information. Running a list of pro's and con's, a list of probable outcomes for whatever choice we make - ranging from most likely to least likely, some considerations of what it means for everyone else in the Middle East and beyond. Run it all through State Department people, etc. to see if they agree. Then, going all-in with whatever the President decides to do. It's... a process, but Syria is a tricky subject to maneuver through. We all need to be completely on the same page on the mission before uttering a single word."

[Dentali]

Chuckling to herself, and reclining away from Simon and pressing her back against the chair, Carrollton reached up to thoughtfully rub her chin with her thumb and index finger, staring at the ground as her mind wandered into a place of deep thought.

"I won't pretend as if there is a right or a wrong answer." She began, darting a quick glance up toward Simon. "There's much to consider when putting together a foreign policy, much less on a hotbed like Syria."

"I would suggest the President consider every option. Listing pro's and con's for everything from supporting Assad to completely remaining neutral in that fight. It may not be ours to meddle in, but we cannot ignore what it means to our partners there, Jordan and Lebanon. Turkey. Even Israel. Not to mention the other foreign powers intervening, take Russia for example."

Carrollton looked across the room, quickly taking in a look outside of a nearby window of the White House grounds, and slowly nodded her head. "Diplomacy is a tight-rope, always a careful balancing-act." She says, turning to look back toward Simon.

"But when you have a war-criminal authoritarian on one side, a loosely disorganized collective of freedom fighters that may or may not be anything like al Qaeda of late, because of the Mujaheddin back in Afghanistan, in another, and doing nothing isn't much of an option, you're hard-pressed. Regardless, I would make ensuring our allies and friends around Syria feel as though we will do what we can to keep the situation in Syria from bleeding over into their affairs. We may not be in a position to negotiate directly with Assad, or especially the FSA, but we can talk with foreign powers that are supporting each. Russia, for example, but that's just one of many."

"Frankly though, there's so much to consider, and we are limited with our chess-pieces. The entire situation in Syria is just picking among thorns, searching for the least painful one, knowing that there aren't many roses."

"But, for what it's worth, I think I would try to break it down into simpler terms for the President. Not that he isn't capable of otherwise, but it's helpful to process things when you aren't staring at a gargantuan heap of information. Running a list of pro's and con's, a list of probable outcomes for whatever choice we make - ranging from most likely to least likely, some considerations of what it means for everyone else in the Middle East and beyond. Run it all through State Department people, etc. to see if they agree. Then, going all-in with whatever the President decides to do. It's... a process, but Syria is a tricky subject to maneuver through. We all need to be completely on the same page on the mission before uttering a single word."

“Let’s say you were UN ambassador, how would you want to approach that position? How would you reform it? What relationships would you cultivate and what objectives would you pursue?”

[Imperial Esplanade]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

"I don't imagine that the objectives would differ too much, hypothetically, and I'm assuming that the focus, as requested by the President, would not differ too much themselves between the Secretary of State and the UN Ambassador either way."

"I think you could say the same about approach too. It's like any other ambassadorial position, only slightly more prolific, and I imagine it serves as a megaphone for the President's foreign policy, and for the nation on the global stage, especially. Though of course, that's not to say there wouldn't be intensive one-on-one style of negotiations, per say, but that would be particularly more expected as the Secretary of State, so to speak."

[Dentali]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

"I don't imagine that the objectives would differ too much, hypothetically, and I'm assuming that the focus, as requested by the President, would not differ too much themselves between the Secretary of State and the UN Ambassador either way."

"I think you could say the same about approach too. It's like any other ambassadorial position, only slightly more prolific, and I imagine it serves as a megaphone for the President's foreign policy, and for the nation on the global stage, especially. Though of course, that's not to say there wouldn't be intensive one-on-one style of negotiations, per say, but that would be particularly more expected as the Secretary of State, so to speak."

"Lets talk about Israel, the UN has a a fairly hostile reputation regarding Israel. As UN ambassador especially we would expect you to be a fierce advocate for the state how would you handle that?"

[Imperial Esplanade]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

Chuckling, Carrollton folded her hands and shook her head. Grin inching wider across her face. "The UN also has a reputation of letting nations with egregious civil rights records lead certain councils."

"All I will say is... if they do want to go after Israel on my watch, as UN Ambassador, they'd best expect to be called out for their hypocrisy on that end. But, as usual with the UN, it would probably just be a mean letter directed to Israel anyway."

[Dentali]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

Chuckling, Carrollton folded her hands and shook her head. Grin inching wider across her face. "The UN also has a reputation of letting nations with egregious civil rights records lead certain councils."

"All I will say is... if they do want to go after Israel on my watch, as UN Ambassador, they'd best expect to be called out for their hypocrisy on that end. But, as usual with the UN, it would probably just be a mean letter directed to Israel anyway."

"Even so we plan on taking a hardline... Now what is your number one criticism of the Presidents foreign policy so far and what is your number one compliment or best move?"

[Imperial Esplanade]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

"Number one?" Carrollton asked, sighing, and shrugging her shoulders. "I think it's too early to tell a lot of things. I probably wouldn't have pulled out of Syria, personally, but it just happened and I want to give the President the benefit of the doubt before the judgement calls ring in. But one fair criticism I believe that can be made is the lack of a focus on China. I can understand that there is a strategic reason for it all, but China is essentially having a field day, bullying-around a lot of our allies and partners in the East, and there's little-to-nothing we've seen or heard from this administration up to this point about it. I think that can be a point worthy of making."

"For best move? The Taylor Act move is too easy pickings, and as much as I like it, it is simply too obvious for me to say. So, to make it interesting, I'll give you a second one. Dudley. Here, let me explain. The way I see it, the environment is not just a domestic issue, it's also a foreign relations issue. As does the environment degrades, so too does stability and economies in some countries across the globe. I never thought I'd see the day the Republican would coalesce around a carbon tax, of all things, but it was framed in such a way to target the Dudley strike, and in such a way that would, in the long-run, benefit the greater-economy. Might had upset a few GOP voters here and there, but if a Democrat or a Progressive tried to implement some sort of a carbon tax, much less a Republican? Outcry would normally be something from those very constituents. It passed, it's been working, and it will hopefully hinder global warming somewhat - but that last thing is something we can only wait and see on."

[Dentali]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

"Number one?" Carrollton asked, sighing, and shrugging her shoulders. "I think it's too early to tell a lot of things. I probably wouldn't have pulled out of Syria, personally, but it just happened and I want to give the President the benefit of the doubt before the judgement calls ring in. But one fair criticism I believe that can be made is the lack of a focus on China. I can understand that there is a strategic reason for it all, but China is essentially having a field day, bullying-around a lot of our allies and partners in the East, and there's little-to-nothing we've seen or heard from this administration up to this point about it. I think that can be a point worthy of making."

"For best move? The Taylor Act move is too easy pickings, and as much as I like it, it is simply too obvious for me to say. So, to make it interesting, I'll give you a second one. Dudley. Here, let me explain. The way I see it, the environment is not just a domestic issue, it's also a foreign relations issue. As does the environment degrades, so too does stability and economies in some countries across the globe. I never thought I'd see the day the Republican would coalesce around a carbon tax, of all things, but it was framed in such a way to target the Dudley strike, and in such a way that would, in the long-run, benefit the greater-economy. Might had upset a few GOP voters here and there, but if a Democrat or a Progressive tried to implement some sort of a carbon tax, much less a Republican? Outcry would normally be something from those very constituents. It passed, it's been working, and it will hopefully hinder global warming somewhat - but that last thing is something we can only wait and see on."

"Should something like the Syrian pullout occur while you are in the administration will you be able to execute the President's will?"

[Imperial Esplanade]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

Keeping her eyes looking intently at Denisevich, Carrollton slowly nodded her head in agreement only after a second or so once the question had been posed to her.

"Yes." She answered with a confident grin. "And, for what it's worth, I would address any and every hypothetical issue I would have, that are big enough to prompt me to consider resigning from the administration. But even so, I don't imagine Reed is going to be anything like Winston. I wouldn't consider still being here, speaking with you on this subject, if I thought otherwise."

"And... well, if Reed and I trust each other enough to consider this move, I trust our relationship enough to talk about everything that may come up. And, of course, with you too, being his Chief of Staff, you should be the first to hear of that."

"But regardless, it's a serious position. Anyone using that position for the purpose of playing politics back home? As either being the UN Ambassador, or the Secretary of State? They aren't good for the job. They aren't good for the country. Period."

[Dentali]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

Keeping her eyes looking intently at Denisevich, Carrollton slowly nodded her head in agreement only after a second or so once the question had been posed to her.

"Yes." She answered with a confident grin. "And, for what it's worth, I would address any and every hypothetical issue I would have, that are big enough to prompt me to consider resigning from the administration. But even so, I don't imagine Reed is going to be anything like Winston. I wouldn't consider still being here, speaking with you on this subject, if I thought otherwise."

"And... well, if Reed and I trust each other enough to consider this move, I trust our relationship enough to talk about everything that may come up. And, of course, with you too, being his Chief of Staff, you should be the first to hear of that."

"But regardless, it's a serious position. Anyone using that position for the purpose of playing politics back home? As either being the UN Ambassador, or the Secretary of State? They aren't good for the job. They aren't good for the country. Period."

"Those posts are typically supposed to be nonpartisan" Simon said sifting through his notes "Which nations do you have substantial connections in? In the sense of diplomatic connections rather than conflict-of-interest ties though I would appreciate you detailing those as well."

[Imperial Esplanade]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

"I wasn't just speaking about partisanship, and well, I'm an independent right now. Partisanship is a bit irrelevant. I'm just speaking about having a thick skin to address concerns. Anyone can just... quit, outright, and whenever they like. It obviously takes maturity and confidence to talk about things that are on one's mind, to trust that everything will work itself out."

"And, probably my strongest connection would be Breckenridge. None really direct, at least of importance. Probably the closest thing to those have been the usual congressional trips I've taken as my time as Senator. But, Alex is a close friend, and I know he and Reed have been butting heads, but his husband is a translator and he was the US ambassador to Norway. I trust him. Conti, who has been just about everywhere, and Clark, was on the foreign relations committee, are both people I consider friends and good former co-workers, neither I've heard from in awhile. Not in these last few months since Congress. Can call either of them up if they pop back up on the radar. I trust them too."

"Well, not that it's considerable, but I did take that mission trip to Honduras in the middle of the campaign just last year, back during my daughter's health-scare. I can probably dig up the contacts we used for it as-necessary."

[Dentali]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

"I wasn't just speaking about partisanship, and well, I'm an independent right now. Partisanship is a bit irrelevant. I'm just speaking about having a thick skin to address concerns. Anyone can just... quit, outright, and whenever they like. It obviously takes maturity and confidence to talk about things that are on one's mind, to trust that everything will work itself out."

"And, probably my strongest connection would be Breckenridge. None really direct, at least of importance. Probably the closest thing to those have been the usual congressional trips I've taken as my time as Senator. But, Alex is a close friend, and I know he and Reed have been butting heads, but his husband is a translator and he was the US ambassador to Norway. I trust him. Conti, who has been just about everywhere, and Clark, was on the foreign relations committee, are both people I consider friends and good former co-workers, neither I've heard from in awhile. Not in these last few months since Congress. Can call either of them up if they pop back up on the radar. I trust them too."

"Well, not that it's considerable, but I did take that mission trip to Honduras in the middle of the campaign just last year, back during my daughter's health-scare. I can probably dig up the contacts we used for it as-necessary."

"So just Honduras? Alright then." Simon continued to search his notes a bit disappointed "About becoming an independent would you be open to joining the Republican Party?"

[Imperial Esplanade]

Office of the White House Chief of Staff

Picking up a sense of dismay, Carrollton looked at Simon with a grin. "Hey." She said warmly. "It's not just about who you know, it's about who other people you know, know. That's the power in networking. You, of all people, know that, Chief of Staff."

"Besides, this entire interview was sprung on me. If you want more, I'm confident I can come up with more if I had the time. This is all just... strictly going off the top of my head. I've met plently people during my Presidential run, and as a Senator. Like just something I'm remembering, the Polish ambassador a bit recently. Donors, lobbyists, and business-people included. You'd be surprised with the lists we can probably compile while in Congress."

"And, alas, sure. I mean, I'm not sure what the point would be in being a Republican again, but I'm not closed to the idea of it, for whatever that means to the administration."