"Ian Douglas - The Heritage Trilogy 01 - Semper Mars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Douglas Ian)

Corps, not if he had one thin, ragged breath.

Gray gave him a sad smile. тАЬWhatтАЩs the matter, Monty? Trying to save your job?тАЭ
тАЬThatтАЩs not funny. I may be commandant of the United States Marine Corps, but every Marine is a
rifleman first. IтАЩd resign in an instant if it would change this. You know that. IтАЩd give my life for the Corps,
CJ. I goddamn would.тАЭ

The smile vanished. тАЬJesus, Monty, I know how you feel, butтАФтАЭ

тАЬDo you?тАЭ Warhurst gestured at the four-meter flatscreen dominating the wall behind GrayтАЩs desk. The
display repeated in hand-high letters the document called up by the admiralтАЩs wrist-top. The words
тАЬHR378637: The Unified Military ActтАЭ showed at the top of the neatly formatted document in
punch-to-the-stomach bold. тАЬThe BBsтАЩve been whittling away at us for years now, cutting our
appropriations until weтАЩre damn near running on empty. Now itтАЩsтАжthis.тАЭ

Warhurst stopped himself. He was breathing hard, and he could feel the rising flush in his face, feel the
blood hammering at his temples. His meds monitor would be kicking in any second now if he kept this
up, but, damn it, the BBsтАФPentagon slang for тАЬBeltway BastardsтАЭтАФnever failed to raise his blood
pressure.

And now they were trying to kill the Corps. His Corps!тАж

тАЬThereтАЩs not a damned thing I can do about it,тАЭ the admiral said, shaking his head. His gaze flicked to the
left, to the large, 3-D image of a grinning civilian on the wall to his right. тАЬArchyтАЩs backing this thing, and
that means itтАЩll have the presidentтАЩs approval.тАЭ

тАЬSeverin is a political hack. HeтАЩs also an InternationalistтАФтАЭ

тАЬMay I remind you that Archibald Severin is secretary of defense, which makes him our political hack.
That means you, me, and the rest of the Joint Chiefs answer to himтАжand after him the NSC and the
president. They pass the word, and we snap to attention, say тАШYes, sir,тАЩ and politics never rears its ugly
face.тАЭ

тАЬEverything in Washington is politics, CJ, and that includes the Pentagon and everyone in it. You know
that as well as I do.тАЭ

тАЬMaybe. But the final word comes from a document you may have heard of: the Constitution, remember?
It says we work for the politicians. Not the other way around.тАЭ

тАЬI never suggested any different. But this Unified Military Act is political. You know it. I know it. And
thereтАЩs a political way to fight back.тАЭ

тАЬAnd what might that be?тАЭ

тАЬPublic opinion.тАЭ

The admiral groaned, shifting in his chair. тАЬJesus, MontyтАФтАЭ

тАЬItтАЩs worked before. Truman? A century ago?тАЭ President Harry S Truman, a former artillery officer in the
Navy, had come that close to shutting down the Marine Corps in the years immediately after World War