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"I've got the easy path, sweetie" Marie kissed Dana on to cheek lightly "It's you I'o too far too fast and fall off the deep end"

"The deep end is where all the fun is"

"Take my word for it Learn to swim in the shallows"

"Too ta to start at the very crest"

"And just how are you going to initiate that little feat?"

Dana met Marie's eyes evenly "All it takes is one little phone call"

The President careeted the Majority Leader of the Senate, John Burdick, armth

"John, it's good to see you How are Josie and the kids?"

Burdick, a tall, thin ed good naturedly "Josie's fine And you know kids As far as they're concerned, good old Dad is nothing but a money machine"

After they were seated, the talk kicked off with their differences on budget progra party leaders and sniped at each other at every opportunity in the open, behind closed doors they arm, intimate friends

"Congress is beginning to think you've gonethe past sixbill sent to the White House from the Hill"

"And I'h that door for the last tiar "Let's face the cold, hard truth, John The government of the United States is broke, and it's been broke since the end of World War Two, but nobody will ad up a national debt that defies co that somewhere down the line the poor bastard that defeats us in the next election will pay the piper for the spending spree of the last fifty years"

"What do you expect Congress to do? Declare bankruptcy?"

"Sooner or later it may have to"

"The consequences are unthinkable The national debt is carried by half the insurance cos and loans, and banks in the nation They'd all be wiped out overnight"