ht, Senator?"

And the Senator, champion of Man and Humanity and Right said, "Right,
Mr. Undersecretary. Right. We have the bomb, haven't we?"

Morgan didn't say much in answer to that. I don't think there was much
he could find to say. Psychologists claim there is hardly anyone,
anyone with a modicum of logic in a brain-pan, who cannot eventually
see the light of reason. Maybe. Maybe calm logic could force Senator
Suggs and his brain-pan off his muddy detour. Maybe humanity and
decency and all the other things that complement the civilized man to
this day lie submerged in that pithecanthropic skull. Maybe, but I
hated his guts then, and I do now.

I cleared my throat, and it must have been louder than I thought,
because all the eyes swung my way. Well, so what? If I had anything at
all to say about what was going to happen, or if I was ever going to
be more than just a rubber stamp, now was the time to find out. After
all, I'd been asked to bring my harp to the party, and I was going to
play.

* * * * *

So I said, "Senator. Senator Suggs!"

He was a little taken aback. Like having the sweeper talk back.

"Senator," I said, "you talk big. Let's get right down to rock-bottom,
and let's stay there until we're finished. Okay?... All right; in
words of one syllable, you want us to do what amounts to declaring war
on the rest of the world, winning the war and then running things our
way. Right?"

The Senator teetered on those mental heels again. His lips sucked in
and sharp hollows formed in his cheeks. I could see his mind reach all
the way across the table and throw face-up the cards, one by one.

"You're Mr. Miller, I presume, although we haven't been formally
introduced." His eager eyes flickered over me. "You haven't said much
so far, and it's just as well that you spoke when you did."

Legree groped for his cigar case, and Suggs rumbled on.

"You said I talk big, Mr. Miller, and I'm going to take that as a
compliment. Yes, I do talk big. And you talk plain. I like men who
talk plain. We're going to get along well together." And he paused to
let his thoughts catch up.

I gave my needle a little push. "You're still talking big, Senator," I
reminded him.

He resented that, and tried to hide it. "Hardly, Mr. Miller. Hardly.
But you asked a question, and I'll try to talk plain, like you do. If
we have to fight the rest of the world to do things our way, the
American way, then