Chapter 775 For the Cornerstone of the Empire

Pittsburgh City Hall.

Leo’s thoughts were still fixated on that red line in the Hormuz Strait.

He had deduced the outcome, but instead of bringing him relief, the conclusion only plunged him into deeper confusion.

“Why?”

Leo asked the empty room, as if the master of the White House were sitting right there.

“Why would the President choose to go to war now?

“The general election is less than half a year away! It’s the most critical sprint of the campaign.

“Starting a war will bring immense uncertainty. International oil prices will skyrocket, domestic inflation will spiral out of control, and the stock market will experience violent turbulence.”

Leo’s tone was filled with bewilderment.

“In peacetime, even the slightest fluctuation in economic indicators can cost the ruling party an election.

“To willingly ignite a powder keg right now—is he insane? Isn’t he afraid that the voters’ fury will drive him out of the White House?

“This is nothing short of political suicide.”

The room fell silent for a moment.

Then, a long sigh echoed deep within Leo’s mind.

“Leo, you are always like this. Whenever you encounter a major crisis that surpasses your current level of power, you panic, and your reasoning begins to warp.”

Roosevelt’s voice was deep, laced with the harsh strictness of tough love.

“When will you truly learn to think like a supreme commander? How can I leave in peace when you act like this?”

Leo froze for a moment.

“Mr. President, you’re leaving?”

“I am but a wisp of a ghost, Leo. I cannot stay in your head forever.

“I have to leave someday. I will return to my era, back to my silent grave.”

A hint of weariness seeped into Roosevelt’s voice.

“When that time comes, you must face all of this alone.

“You must learn to read the chessboard by yourself and make decisions on your own.

“You need to grow up fast, kid. This world won’t give you much time to make mistakes.”

Leo remained silent.

An unprecedented sense of urgency gripped his heart.

Roosevelt did not give him much time for sentimentality.

“Put away those naive thoughts of yours, Leo.”

Roosevelt pulled Leo’s thoughts back to the last century.

“Think back to 1940. At that time, I was also facing the pressure of reelection.

“Isolationists were clamoring in Congress, and the economy was still fragile. If it had been peacetime, it would have been very difficult for me to break the tradition of a two-term presidency.

“But when the flames of war ignited in Europe, and when Japanese planes circled over the Pacific Ocean…

“…everything changed.

“I became the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. I became the guardian of the Free World.

“War granted me limitless power; it endowed me with a sacredness that transcended partisan politics.

“The reason is very simple.”

“The rally ’round the flag effect,” Roosevelt said. “It is a tribal instinct etched into human DNA.

“When an external threat descends and a nation faces war, no matter how fierce internal partisan struggles are during peacetime, or how dissatisfied voters are with the status quo, they will instinctively unite around the sitting President.

“Because in that moment, the President no longer represents the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. He represents us.

“No one will replace a commander during wartime.

“Even if he is a cripple. Even if he is a tyrant.

“As long as he stands on the war chariot with a sword in hand, the people will follow him.”

Roosevelt’s voice turned cold and ruthless.

“Compared to economic data and inflation, fear and patriotism are the cheapest, most efficient tools for mobilization.”

Leo recalled the surging approval ratings that accompanied every foreign war.

“The second reason: diverting class conflict.”

Roosevelt continued his analysis.

“You’ve been making a lot of noise in Pennsylvania lately. The workers are awakening. They are talking about class, about exploitation, about why the rich keep getting richer while they keep getting poorer.

“This awakening has terrified Washington. Internal tearing is the ruling party’s greatest nightmare.

“So, how do you eliminate class conflict?” Roosevelt asked and answered his own question.

“Very simple.

“Manufacture national conflict.

“When the news is full of our aircraft carriers being threatened, and all the headlines are discussing enemy nuclear weapons…

“…who will care about how many people were denied coverage by insurance companies? Who will care whether your Mutual Aid Alliance is legal? Who will remember those arguments about the minimum wage?

“In the face of an external war, all internal conflicts become insignificant.

“The President doesn’t need to solve problems. He just needs to divert attention.

“He uses a war ten thousand miles away to paper over all the festering wounds at home.

“And behind all of this lies the backing of capital.”

Roosevelt pointed out the financiers behind this war.

“Lockheed Martin’s missiles, Raytheon’s radars, General Dynamics’ submarines. Their inventories will be emptied within days, and Congress will pass hundreds of billions of US Dollars in supplementary budgets without any hindrance.

“Global oil and gas prices will soar. The energy giants of the United States, those who control shale gas and oil, will rake in maximum windfall profits.

“This is a feast for capital.

“And the President, serving as the host of this feast, will receive the unreserved support of these titans.

“Power and capital, under the banner of war, have sealed their partnership.”

Roosevelt’s voice gradually faded away.

Leo stared at the ceiling, feeling as if all the strength had been drained from his body.

He had manipulated the rules, public opinion, and the conflicts among different capital factions, playing Pennsylvania like a fiddle.

He thought he had built an indestructible fortress.