"Vandenberg liked what he saw. The downing of Flight 002 dominated the front pages of every major newspaper in the country. The presidential campaign seemed no longer to exist." (Chapter 9, p. 86)

"Most of the predecessors had believed it was their job to help the President arrive at decisions by making certain he saw the right people and read the right information. Vandenberg saw his job differently: He made the decisions and sold them to the President." (Chapter 9, p. 87)

:One image remained long after she arrived home, as she lay in bed awake, waiting for Michael. It was the image of Mitchell Elliott and Samuel Braxton, huddled together like a a pair of giggling schoolboys in the darkened garden, toasting each other with champagne." (Chapter 9, p. 110)

"He played politics with Flight Double-oh-two all the way, and the American people were too bored and too distracted to notice. I supported him...