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"I wasn't aware that they broke down the congressman's door." Ke
"You didn't answer my question, Dr. Ke
"No they haven't, sir."
Jetland treated this admission as a victory and took the chance to look around the bench at his colleagues. "I find it to be just a bit of a coincidence that after Congressman Rudin goes on TV and accuses you of some very serious violations, you in turn advise the President, and the director of the FBI, that they should conduct a raid on the congressman."
Ke
Ke
Jetlands brows furrowed for the cameras, and he scowled at Ke
"I won't." Ke
"Are you claiming executive privilege, Dr. Ke
"No, I'm not, Senator. For reasons involving national security I ca
Ke
"No."
"And why not?"
"For reasons involving national security."
"How convenient," sniped the senator.
Ke
"Yes," bellowed the senator from New Mexico, "I'm sure you're willing to go to great lengths to protect what you consider to be this nation's national security. Even break a few laws along the way, perhaps?"
In her no-nonsense ma
"I have a question for you," spat the senator. "Do you think this committee will confirm your nomination if you refuse to answer our questions?"
"No." Ke
"Am I to assume then, that you no longer want the job as director of the Central Intelligence Agency?"
"No, you would be wrong to assume that."
"Then you still want the job?"
"Yes"
Jetland threw up his arms in a theatrical gesture of frustration. "Well, Dr. Ke
Ke
Jetland shook his head in frustration. "That is entirely unacceptable!"
Ke
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO.
Saudi Arabia, Monday night
Oasis One was a flurry of anxious activity as helicopters were prepped and equipment was checked. The briefings were all completed and the team was ready to go. Rapp emerged from the command trailer wearing his Special Republican Guard uniform and took in the scene before him. The air was stifling inside from all the cigarette smoke. Colonel Gray and his staff were listening intently to the status reports from the mission's advance element. An MH-53J Pave Low helicopter from the air force's 20th Special Operation Squadron was already across the border and on its way to Scorpion I. The big helicopter was carrying a twelve member air force STS team made up of combat controllers and para rescue perso
The desert sky was bright with stars. Rapp looked up in search of the moon only to find a sliver of white. For his part of the mission he would have preferred cloud cover, but he knew the fly-boys dropping their paveway guided bombs from above 10,000 feet would appreciate the clear skies. Rapp scratched the thick stubble on his face. He'd trimmed it up along the neckline and cheeks, just like Uday Hussein did. The red and gold epaulets on his green uniform bore the rank of general. Rapp found it comical that Uday, who was only thirty-seven, had already reached such a high rank. Welcome to the crazy world of dictators. He had a black leather belt strapped to his waist with two holsters. Uday fashioned himself a bit of a cowboy and was known to carry two Colt .45 caliber nickel-plated pistols. To complete the outfit he was wearing a black beret with the insignia of the SRG on the front and a bright red cravat that conveniently concealed his throat mike. For two reasons Rapp had opted not to wear an American uniform under the Iraqi one. The first was that Rapp was a good twenty pounds heavier than Uday, and putting an extra layer of clothes on under the SRG uniform would have only made the disparity more obvious. The second reason was more fatalistic. If they were caught, they would be tortured and killed no matter what uniform they were wearing. He was also wearing a Kevlar vest and an encrypted radio with a throat mike and an earpiece. Each member of the team was wearing the same radio. This would allow them to stay in communication throughout the operation.
Rapp looked out at the scene before him. Oasis One was a comforting site. It showed a lot of initiative by the military, something they weren't always known for. The rock formation rose out of the desert floor approximately 100 feet and was bowl shaped, with a slight opening at the southwestern end. The bowl was over 500 feet across at its center. The interior of the bowl was covered by desert camouflage netting. More than 100 yards of it was stretched tightly from one side to the other. Underneath the netting sat four highly advanced MH-47E Chinook helicopters with ground crews climbing over the airframes checking every inch of the complicated birds to make sure they were in perfect condition. The twin rotor behemoth was the new workhorse for the army's 160th SOAR.