Taking The 25TH

A President going slowly but surely insane – is that any way to run a country? Maybe not, but what would America and its leaders do if it happened? President Terence Emerson Grantham has it all -- power, charisma, and boundless popularity. And he’s loyally and expertly served by Chief of Staff John McMasters – "Mr. Superfixer" – the most skillful, canny operative a President ever had. That’s why McMasters and the rest of the nation are so stymied when the President gets odd, then weird, then downright deranged – and the country realizes that you can’t impeach someone for being nuts. The powers that be try every political maneuver they can think of to get rid of the loopy chief executive, including to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution – an involved process, but it might be the nation’s only hope as Grantham’s behavior progresses from silly to dangerous. But the President keeps outwitting them all. Finally a group of powerful men decide they must assassinate Grantham – and McMasters may join them. Just what will it take to remove an insane head of state – and at what cost?

JAMES RYAN knows what he's talking about -- about politics and government, that is, not necessarily insanity. He's worked on a bevy of political campaigns since age 14. Ryan came to Washington in 1985 to work for a U.S. senator from California, then went on to serve as press secretary for a Texas congressional candidate and subsequently for a congressman from Georgia. He was a news reporter for a television station in Virginia, then worked in public affairs for two national associations and later a U.S. government agency. He is also active in North-ern Vir-ginia politics. Jim has also been an English teacher in Japan, and, perhaps the most demand-ing job of all, a night-shift taxi driver in Los Angeles. Jim is interested in just about everything, a predilection that helped him become a four-time champion on the popular TV quiz show "Jeopardy!" Ryan holds a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA and an M.A. in Jour--nalism and Public Affairs from The American University in Washing-ton, D.C. Jim's articles have appeared in The Washington Post (on local history) and BBW magazine (on weight discrimination). He had his first published story at age 7, and at age 14 a satirical story of his on the gun control issue appeared in a teen magazine. This is his first novel. The author has long been active in the movement supporting the inter--national language Esperanto and has been President of the Esperanto Society of Washington for several years. Among his other avocations are history, literature, hiking, genealogy, making pilgrimages to historic sites, foreign languages, Beatles lore, and playing electric guitar and bass. Jim's rock bands have played clubs in California, the Washington area and Japan, and made four appearances on national television. He lives in Chantilly, Virginia.