THE PRESIDENT WAS beyond pleased as he watched coverage of the crowd at FedEx Stadium on the screen in his limo. FedEx Stadium is where they normally watched the Redskins play. This day, they were there for him -- all ninety thousand of them.

     He was worried when his campaign manager had suggested this venue. If they filled only half the seats, it would send a message that he was losing his popularity. But, apparently, putting butts in seats was not a problem.

     Security was tight -- metal detectors at every entrance -- facial recognition software running on all cameras.

     Half of D.C.’s finest were pulling overtime, as were several plainclothes Secret Service.

     A platform had been erected in the center of the field with thirty chairs for dignitaries.

     VIP seating, out on the field directly in front of the platform, accommodated one thousand significant donors with a few FBI agents salted in.

     The president refused to wear an earpiece, having learned what could make him speechless on national TV just weeks before with Barbara Walters.

     Today’s speech was airing live on all four networks. He couldn’t afford another episode like that.

     He didn’t want to know how many professional bench-warmers were on the payroll. As long as they laughed at his jokes and applauded loudly, they earned their keep.

     All the dignitaries were in place.

     To the tune of Hail to the Chief, the president -- surrounded by nine Secret Service agents -- strode onto the field to a standing, applauding ovation.

     It doesn’t get much better than this, he thought.

     Even after he reached the podium, the crowd continued to applaud for a full three and half minutes! He raised his hands to calm them down, but, as if following an unwritten script, they would have none of it.

     Finally, after he turned around to the dignitaries and shrugged in a what’s-a-mother-to-do gesture, the crowd first sat down, then settled down to await the pearls of wisdom they knew where only moments away.

     “I wish I’d spent more time preparing,” the president flashed his 100-percent veneer smile. “You people are not the type of folks I’d want to disappoint!”

     The audience laughed for the appropriate number of seconds.

     “Just five more months and you will have helped me make it to the halfway point of my presidency.”

     The crowed erupted in applause at the suggestion of a second term for their president.

     In all the clamor, no one noticed the Secret Service agent behind, and to the right of the president as he slowly slumped to the ground.

     Two seconds later, the one in front, on the left, collapsed.

     Then the remaining ones dropped in unison.

     Now everyone noticed -- if a pen dropped, everyone would of heard it.

     The president looked behind him in time to see all thirty dignitaries slump down in their chairs like dominoes -- first from left to right on the front row, then right to left in the back.

     In front of him, the first entire row of VIPs slumped as if on cue. Then the next row -- and the next. In a matter of seconds they were all down -- either dead or unconscious. He couldn't tell from his vantage point.

     The crowd panicked. People were acting like animals in a forest fire -- screaming and bolting for the nearest exit -- in the process  some being crushed while others were hastily stepped over in the milieu. 

     The only ones who managed to remain calm were the camera crews. They continued to take it all in.

     The president didn’t know what to do. 

     No one was shooting. 

     To duck seemed somehow cowardly, although he did stoop down when the crowd started panicking. 

     There were no Secret Service agents available to guide him off the field.

     Suddenly, some of the crowd stopped short to look back at the scoreboard. In simple, lighted text, a message was forming on the large screen -- as if someone was typing it a character at a time:

In memory of

J. D. Edwards, Esquire

Theresa Erhard

and

Gary Smith

who died so needlessly

in the pursuit of justice.