Books - A Planet for the President

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	Books - A Planet for the President

A Planet for the President (2004) is a novel by Alistair Beaton. Set in the not-too-distant future, it satirically ponders the question of what action the President of the United States might take if he finally realized that global climate change is converting the earth into an increasingly uninhabitable planet, also for Americans. Eventually persuaded by his aides to "think the unthinkable", the President in the novel, Fletcher J. Fletcher, greenlights drastic measures to stop environmental destruction and to secure for himself a place in history as the saviour of the earth. A biting political satire, A Planet for the President is a (deliberately) thinly disguised take on George W. Bush and his administration. The book has been hailed by a reviewer as "Dr Strangelove for the Eco generation" .

The environmental situation

In the face of all sorts of natural disasters of an unprecedented scope, an ever increasing percentage of the U.S. population demands leadership from their President. So far, however, Fletcher has turned a blind eye to ecological concerns, repeatedly dismissing warnings from scientists and environmentalist groups alike as the rantings of "eco-nuts". For example, when wildfires in California do not only kill off 38 of Hollywood's celebrities gathered for a private party in Malibu, but also fell the 2,200 year-old General Sherman tree in Sequoia National Park and thus destroy a symbol of American strength and continuity, Fletcher rationalizes his practically non-existent environmental policy by concluding that the fire must have been started by arson, while at the same time ignoring the drought which, at least partially caused by human intervention, enabled the fire to spread so quickly in the first place.

The terrifying consequences of environmental destruction have become a day-to-day reality to people all over the world. The United Kingdom, for example, America's closest ally, suffers "the loss of much of East Anglia" due to flooding, and Prime Minister James Halstead, as a gesture of friendship, sends Fletcher "the last cod from the North Sea for at least ten years", a specimen which, he adds, could just as well be "the last North Sea cod ever". In Nepal, inexperienced engineers trying to drain a glacial lake cause the surrounding moraine to burst, which results in a valley being flooded and in 62,000 Nepalese losing their lives. And in the United States, New Orleans is flooded and destroyed and 23,142 people are killed when Hurricane Wendy, a Category 5 hurricane, hits the city.

In these troubled times, many state leaders turn to the American President for support, a fact which on occasion makes Fletcher J. Fletcher reflect on the state of the union and that of the globe at large:

Sometimes Fletcher got resentful at having to spend so much time dealing with the rest of the world. Oh sure, they rang up to weep their crocodile tears, but most of the time the rest of the world was just plain ungrateful. Here was America sending guns and planes and soldiers to defend freedom in just about every part of the globe, and never a word of thanks. Worse than that, Americans everywhere were being shot at or bombed or kidnapped, when all they wanted to do was help make the world safe for democracy. And it wasn't all that easy at home, either. There were liberals coming out of the woodwork all over, and eco-nuts who wanted to close down American industry so that their little feathered friends could be happy. Fucking tree-huggers and duck-squeezers. (Chapter 6)

Domestic politics

In theory, the United States is still a democracy. In practice, Fletcher is heading a War Cabinet. The FBI, the CIA and the Pentagon have assumed most of the tasks of the former government. In order to avert attention from the many presidential lapses, the members of Fletcher's inner circle have become ruthless beyond imagination. For instance, when the President meets "Inspirational Moms and Dads" in the White House and chats animatedly in front of the television cameras with Chuck and Geraldine, a couple who has four kids, his media chief is at first pleased with her boss's performance and the extensive media coverage this event gets. When, however, a few days later that father runs amok and kills his wife and their four children she decides that something has to be done to get the meeting between the President and a murderer out of the headlines. This is the only reason why, during an impromptu conference, the Defense Secretary and she decide to launch an airstrike against Haiti on the following day. In the morning she informs Vince Lennox, Special Assistant to the President, that

" we're about to bomb Haiti. Should we wake the President?"
"Why are we bombing Haiti?"
"We have evidence of terrorist groupings planning an attack on the United States."
"You mean that sad little bunch of leftist guerrillas? The ones we've known about for ages?"
"Terrorist groupings, Vince."
"Oh, I get it. We need to deflect attention from Chuck and Geraldine."
"That's one way of looking at it. I'd say it was Chuck and Geraldine and the celebs and General Sherman."
"Anna. Are you really sure about this? People will be killed."
"Anna Prascilowicz gave Vince a long hard look. "You know, Vince, sometimes I worry about you."

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