Everyone knows that this country is often referred to as the "beacon of freedom," and in the mouths of certain "America-worshippers" and "public intellectuals," it's portrayed as a paradise of democracy and liberty. But in reality? This country is essentially a place where the ruling class systematically implements a policy of "dumbing down" the masses. However, the descendants of the thieves, scoundrels, and criminals who arrived on the Mayflower are all immigrants to this nation, belonging to entirely different ethnic groups with no inherent sense of national unity. To better control the populace—and, more importantly, to prevent uprisings or the emergence of a strong leader who might turn the country into their personal fiefdom—the founding fathers established a political system known as the "separation of powers."
What does that mean? It means that judicial power, executive power (which manages the state), and legislative power are entirely separate. This system, proposed by British scholar John Locke and later refined by French philosopher Montesquieu, was designed to counter feudal monarchy. In the United States, executive power refers to the government, legislative power to Congress (comprising the Senate and House of Representatives), and judicial power to the courts. These three branches are meant to check and balance each other.
During the Roosevelt administration, executive power expanded significantly, establishing a new separation of powers centered around the presidency. However, in the political practices of Western nations, the separation of powers has almost never been fully realized. Even in the U.S., the three branches frequently overlap and influence each other. The president has the power to veto legislation and can partially exercise legislative power through delegated legislation. The Supreme Court can influence executive policy-making through constitutional interpretation and judicial review. Congress, meanwhile, can widely participate in executive decision-making through its power of the purse.
Of course, even though the president has the power to veto legislation, it doesn't mean he can just arrest anyone he wants. The judiciary is an independent system and is not directly under the president's control. He can oversee the Attorney General but can't directly order federal agents to barge into someone's home and arrest them. This comical separation of powers means that even the President of the United States must obtain a warrant from a Supreme Court justice before the judicial branch can arrest someone.
This is why Benjamin is so well-suited to be a presidential "politician." When the rare opportunity arose—where the U.S. had just been humiliated, his residence attacked, and the whole world watching thanks to media coverage—Benjamin "cleverly" seized the moment. He bypassed the usual red tape that restricts presidential power and directly ordered federal agents to arrest members of the LockSat organization in Washington. After all, he had just survived an attack by "unidentified" armed militants, and the beautiful facade of the White House had been turned into a pockmarked lunar surface by their gunfire. Even after the militants outside were eliminated, Benjamin hadn't left the White House for a safer location, like the Pentagon, to meet with the Speaker of the House and his Vice President. Instead, he stayed put, signaling his anger to the Speaker and the Supreme Court justices in the Pentagon's strategic command center.
The anger of a superpower's leader is not something the Prime Minister of the "greatest nation in the universe" can compare to. The U.S. president is no delicate flower; he's a tiger that must devour its prey to quell its rage. But with the mastermind, Aamir Barkawi, still at large and the Japanese government—complicit in the attack—dealing with its own earthquake and nuclear plant crisis, Benjamin couldn't immediately retaliate against them. So, what could he do? He could only vent his fury by taking down the traitorous LockSat organization within his own country.
Although the Speaker of the House and the Supreme Court justices knew Benjamin was exploiting the situation, there was no denying that LockSat members were involved in the attack on the White House. After all, Colonel Clark, the former deputy commander of Andrews Air Force Base, had been exposed as a LockSat operative who facilitated the preemptive strike on the White House by the gun-equipped plane. Additionally, a mole within the Secret Service had been captured and confessed to being a LockSat member. These pieces of evidence were enough to label the organization, which had originated within the CIA, as a traitorous group.
As for why Castle chose to "retire" at this moment, it was for the same reason. According to the information gathered by JARVIS, two senators were among the LockSat members exposed during the attack on the White House. One of them happened to be in New York at the time. Given Castle's track record over the past year and a half—having taken down several senators, earning him the nickname "Senator Slayer"—it was best for him to stay out of this mess. The U.S. only has 100 senators, and Castle had already made a significant dent in that number. There was no need to add two more names to his list of "senatorial conquests."
As for why a LockSat-affiliated senator was "coincidentally" in New York, it's because New York, as the largest economic center in the U.S., almost always has a dozen or so senators from different states stationed there. Peter Bockel, armed with the president's emergency authorization and an arrest warrant, was already on his way to apprehend the senator.
Meanwhile, Castle had developed a keen interest in the F-22 and was eager to see if the stealth technology from the Marvel universe in his mind could somehow be integrated with the world's most advanced fighter jet. His assistant, the geeky little胖子, had no interest in political intrigue. For him, tinkering with the world's most advanced fighter jet was far more exciting than engaging in power struggles.
Outside the White House, federal agencies were busy cleaning up the mess. However, the U.S. had still been dealt a humiliating blow. The lawn was littered with bodies, the fountain was in ruins from the militants' grenades, and the White House's outer security personnel and the South Korean Prime Minister's escort had suffered heavy casualties in the initial attack. Dozens had died in the assault.
Although the entire attack lasted less than ten minutes, both sides paid a heavy price. The South Korean Prime Minister's delegation, with the exception of the Prime Minister himself—who had been taken hostage by Kim Yeon-kang and dragged into the bulletproof limousine—had been wiped out. All of this had been captured on camera by the reporters gathered outside the White House.
Miraculously, not a single one of these incredibly brave journalists had been killed or even injured. It was almost unbelievable...
Once the situation outside was fully under control, Benjamin, accompanied by Mozzie and protected by Michael Banning and the still fully armed Steve McGarrett, emerged from the White House. His immediate task was to address the swarm of reporters from various news agencies and media companies who had gathered outside. He needed to reassure the world that he was unharmed after the sudden attack.
As for the unfortunate South Korean Prime Minister, he had already been rescued by Banning, who had secured Kim Yeon-kang's cooperation by promising to spare his life. The Prime Minister, who had wet himself from fear, was now on an ambulance headed to the hospital. Whether the U.S. would later use this incident as an excuse to pressure South Korea was the least of his concerns.
Benjamin knew that only by showing his face could he stabilize public sentiment. Regardless of how he would later retaliate against Aamir Barkawi or deal with the Japanese government once they had sorted out their earthquake and nuclear crisis, his top priority now was to demonstrate to the world that he was unscathed.
Meanwhile, Bob and Booth remained stationed on the third floor and rooftop of the White House, keeping watch. At this moment, the only people Benjamin could fully trust were those around him. Everyone else? Well, that was another story...
(End of Chapter)
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