NOTE: This is part of a continuing online novel. Here is the Table of Contents.

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The President’s speech was timed to coincide with the opening of markets in Asia.

By the time the U.S. markets opened 13 hours later the tale had been told. The news was good, but not overwhelmingly so. As CNBC’s Silvia Wadhwa said on Squawk Box, “We’re from Missouri. Show Me.”

Laurence of America (host Mark Haines' nickname for Larry Kudlow) was taken aback. “You mean our word is no good?” he said with a smile.

“No,” Sylvia said blandly. “Your word is no good. We expect to see action. And most of what must be done to fulfill the President’s pledges last night must be done by Congress.”

“But we have control of both houses!” Kudlow protested.

“And that’s why the dollar, overnight, gained as much as it did,” Wadhwa said. “For any speculators who were long last night and could not get out this day has been a disaster. The dollar is about half-way to where it was a month ago. It will likely make the rest of the trip when the policies are in place.

“But if a German prime minister announced such a radical course his government would fall before it was passed. Unless a policy change is truly endorsed by the voters it is subject to immediate revision. That means uncertainty. Markets don’t like uncertainty.” She gave an almost Gallic shrug. “You know that as much as anyone, Larry.”

“Where’s the uncertainty?” responded Kudlow, with mock offense. “The election is over, the Republicans have control of the government, there’s no such thing as a no confidence motion that might bring it down. We can get all this done by the Inaugural.”

“Don’t be so certain,” said a screen holding the face of Alan Murray, the CNBC Washington correspondent previously shared with the Wall Street Journal. “I’m hearing a lot of grumbling about this program, from some very conservative Senators and Congressmen who are going to have a lot of hard questions. And while overnight reaction was positive, the devil’s in the details.

“Will people still feel positive when they realize that their mortgage interest deduction is being blown away, that their deduction for capital losses is being blown away, that their deductions for charity are being blown away? We can assume Democrats will oppose the spending cuts, but this also blows away a lot of what the President called ‘faith-based’ spending on the campaign trail, leaving everyone to their own devices.

“It’s virtually certain there will be strong efforts to amend this package. And all those amendments will all serve to weaken it, not strengthen it.”

As the day wore on Murray appeared prophetic. From 6 Yuan to the dollar, the dollar fell steadily, first slowly and then more quickly, reaching 6.36 by the close of trading. Each quote generated from the Congress, whether from a Republican or a Democrat, made chances of the package’s passing look worse than the one before.

Any why not, I thought as I watched the TV while typing my blog the next day. The President had proposed, in one fell swoop, the dismantling of the entire social safety net, and the destruction of every tax loophole known to middle class man, without taking back any of his tax cuts for investors, without even nicking Halliburton or the other corrupt outfits laying waste to Iraq. It was, as everything Bush had ever done, audacious (why don’t the French like this guy more, I thought) but it was also about six steps beyond which any American politician, or most Americans, were willing to go.

Meanwhile, as the week continued it seemed the crime wave we thought would end with Christmas kept going merrily along. Now car lots were under attack. Any import would do – Toyota, Mitsubishi, Kia, or Mercedes. Even a few Chrysler places were nicked.

Each crime was a little more brazen, a little more organized, than the one before. Cars were parked a few blocks from the targets. People crept up on the victims in military formation, then scrambled over the curbs and hot-wired each car, like they knew what they were doing. They carried gas cans, knowing many dealers had been told from the first burglary to drain cars’ tanks to keep thieves from going far.

I wondered what might happen in a few weeks, when gun show season started up again. I suspected the Elmers were already pretty well-armed.

So on Thursday night I was thinking about all this in the bar at Wahoo, around the corner from my house. I was watching the Houston Bowl from my old home town. Colorado was playing UTEP, which Rice nearly beat before falling in overtime, and it’s not a popular choice by the fireside.

Jenni was working on some big project for work, the kids had control of the TV. They have Guinness on draft at Wahoo, and I’ve been by so many times since this place opened I’m practically part of the family anyway. I doubt they would toss me out if I wore bunny slippers.

I was on my second draft, and happened to have brought my mobile phone with me, in case the kids abandoned the set for their PCs and Jenni could give me the all clear. So when it rang I was in a good mood. (I should avoid good moods.)

“Hey, Dana, it’s Joey Ledford.”
Ledford, formerly the Journal-Constitution’s traffic reporter, is now editor of their Gwinnett section. I’d done a few stories for him when he first came in, but stopped after the last one, which he ran inside the section rather than on the cover, sending me a check for $175. I’m too old to be busting my butt for chicken scratch.

“Yes, sir, how can I help you?” Never let an editor know you don’t like him is my motto. He might be offering a pay raise.

“I want you to do something for me on these store break-ins going on around the county,” Ledford said. “I’ve got a few leads you can start with. It could be interesting. Could be a cover. Could be more.”

A cover pays $450. “Can you e-mail them?” I asked. “I can get on it in the morning, no problem. Sorry you’re working so late.”

“I’ve gotten used to it,” Ledford replied. We had comiserated on his new job when he first took it, but I’m not doing any hand-holding for $175 checks. For $450, on the other hand, an unemployed journalist will wipe an editor’s ass for him.

Cars go by Wahoo pretty quickly.. The road by my MARTA station is four lanes wide, and it narrows to two just at this building. It goes downhill a bit here, too, and for an extra bonus there’s a bad drain that fills up fast in a heavy dew. Just watch as you walk out, or go around back by the patio, I figured.

I was looking right at the front window while chatting with Ledford. I never saw the car. I only heard the crash, the glass breaking, and saw the brick, with a note tied to it. I, being half-sloshed and feeling like a big-time journalist, sauntered over to the brick and reached it right alongside one of the waitrons, who pulled the rubber band off the paper.

“Fags must die,” it said, along with a Web address. “Not for me,” I said, handing it back to the waitron. Then, into the phone, “Hey, Joey, I may have a lead for you. Check out this Web address, will you – Georgiachristiansoldiers.com. We can chat in the morning.”

I threw a ten at the bartender, and walked out the back door. I looked cool, but my legs were jelly.