Governor Bode Bonner stood naked-he had no teleprompter, just his handwritten notes-before the other forty-nine governors finishing off their chicken entrees and pecan pie desserts and the cameras carrying his speech live on cable television. He was the keynote speaker at that year's governors' conference in Dallas. He spoke in the voice of a man irrevocably changed by death.
"In the last two months, I killed six members of a Mexican drug cartel and survived two assassination attempts-but three people close to me did not. I went from obscure governor to American hero to leading presidential candidate to object of scorn and back to hero. After the last assassination attempt, I realized that I needed to reconsider my life. So I went back to where my life began, to the ranch that was my father's ranch and my grandfather's ranch before me, the land where Bonner men had lived good and decent and honorable lives for over a hundred years. I spent the last two weeks reevaluating my life-who I used to be and who I want to be. I decided I want to be the man I used to be."
He glanced over at the Professor standing in the corner. His hands were spread and grasping his speech-the speech Bode was not giving that night. His expression was that of Dr. Frankenstein watching his creation think for himself. For the first time in his political career, Bode Bonner was his own boss.
"I used to be a cattle rancher. I wore old boots and old jeans and an old cowboy hat. I rode a horse. I drank beer. I never heard of Twitter.
"But once in the Governor's Mansion, I started wearing Armani suits and French-cuffed shirts and the finest handmade cowboy boots. I drank bourbon. I sprayed my hair. I became more concerned with polls than people, more worried about how many followers I had on Twitter than how many teachers I had to fire.
"That's what ambition does to a man.
"I stand before you a man seduced by ambition and corrupted by politics.
"Politics changed me. I was once a Democrat and then I became a Republican and then a tea party favorite. I was once a good man and then I became a politician. I once had character but then I became a character.
"But looking death in the eye changes a man.
"I stand before you a changed man.
"I lost my way. That happens to men in politics. We're driven by testosterone to make our mark on the world, but too often it's not a mark our children can be proud of. We play politics as if it's just a game, but it isn't a game to the people. Politicians have let the people of America down. I've let the people of Texas down.
"I'm going to try to do something about that."
Bode Bonner walked off the stage to silence.