by Jack Strain
The Iran War
A Military & Political Thriller
by Jack Strain
The Iran War
Legal Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Text Copyright @ 2018 by Jack Strain
All Rights reserved.
Follow me at www. jackstrainbooks.blogspot.com
This novel, formally published under the title, The Fall of President Douglas J Wolfe, has been revised, renamed, and updated.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author.
Dedicated to my brother,
James Patrick “Philly” Strain (1974-1997)
You’re always with me bro…wish my kids got to know you.
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.”
President Abraham Lincoln
“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
George Orwell
2016 U.S. Presidential Election Map by Precinct
“What you see Mr. Secretary is a sea of red, with islands of blue.”
Chapter One
October 10th
CNN Coverage, Jerusalem
“Good Morning to our viewers in the States, I’m Jake Talens reporting to you for CNN live from the Holy City of Jerusalem on this most historic of occasions. In just about fifteen minutes, opening remarks will begin to mark the beginning of an international conference dedicated to ending nearly eight decades of violence and conflict. After months of intense U.S.-brokered secret negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, we very well may be on the cusp of a genuine peace deal based on a two-state solution.
I’m joined here today with Colin Anderson and Christine Lacquer, both of whom have covered this part of the globe for several decades. Let me start with you Christine, how did the Wolfe administration come so close to securing this peace accord when so many others before have failed?”
The dark-haired international broadcast journalist answered with her now-quite-familiar English accent, “First, Jake, I would like to say that I have been in this troubled city countless times to cover events that so often were tainted by violence and human suffering, so to be here on this momentous day brings me a great deal of personal and professional satisfaction.
I must begin by admitting that, like most foreign policy experts and fellow professional journalists, I scoffed at then President-elect Wolfe’s assertion that he would be a natural to help forge peace between Jews and Palestinians. He never offered much in the way of strategy to support this assertion, so most assumed it was just another piece of bombast from the former media and real estate mogul. We were all wrong.”
Talens then asked, “Christine, I would like to cut in quickly and get Colin’s views on this. He broke the story of the pending deal six weeks ago. President Wolfe blasted CNN quite publicly for broadcasting the details as it came out at the height of some pretty contentious negotiations. Who can forget some of the rather nasty tweets about our good friend here? Colin how did President Wolfe succeed where so many others have failed?”
Chuckling, the thin, white-haired, familiar face answered, “Thanks Jake, I really appreciate you mentioning those tweets again. Let’s back this up first and recognize that we would not be here today if former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not been forced from office by a corruption scandal that rocked Israeli politics. Without his fall from grace and the subsequent rise of Israel’s new Prime Minister, Isaac Herzog, we would not be here today.”
The dark-haired Lacquer, with her clipped British accent, was eager to contribute and said, “Colin is quite right about Netanyahu’s fall from power being a necessary first step, but if I could just add that, unlike Wolfe’s predecessors who were reluctant to risk their prestige and political capital on Middle East peace matters, President Wolfe came to Washington with a promise to be different and no one can argue that he has been unlike any president in American history.
Let me offer up a quick overview of the past eighteen tumultuous months. As promised, he forced a reluctant Republican led Congress to replace the Affordable Care Act with a controversial market-based plan now known as “Wolfecare.” Next, he teamed up with Democrats and waged a vicious Twitter and Snapchat campaign against his own Republican party to pass his one and a half trillion dollar “Wolfe Works” infrastructure plan and then quickly turned on his temporary Democratic allies by pushing through a massive series of tax cuts, including the biggest single decrease in corporate taxes in U.S. history.
He snubbed the international community with his decision to de-fund the Paris environmental accords and ripped up trade agreements with American allies that go back decades, and at times seems to be on the verge of ending NATO. President Wolfe did run into a major foreign policy snafu when the North Koreans successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile last year, even though he promised the American people that it would never happen on his watch and this trade war with China is starting to cause serious economic ripples across the globe.
However, there is no denying that President Wolfe’s approval ratings are higher than ever as the American economy continues to boom, employment is up, manufacturing is on the rise, and the Dow Jones is nearing almost unheard levels of close to 25,000 - and now this historic conference. Amazingly, all of this happened even as Congress continues to investigate the Wolfe campaign’s alleged connections to Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election. Wolfe continues to deny all such allegations.
More significantly, this conference is on the verge of not just establishing peace between Israel and Palestine, but by encouraging Saudi Arabia to participate, we have the makings of a larger regional peace agreement. I feel compelled to say that no other president would have dared such an audacious undertaking. Peace very well may be at hand and for this, the world community owes President Wolfe their profound respect and thanks.”
Wolfe Villa Hotel, NYC
Gathered together at the president’s personal residence at the world-renowned Wolfe Villa Hotel was a small collection of the president’s family and closest friends. There was something of a party atmosphere in the air. Even though it was only mid-morning, cocktails and refreshments were on hand and over his wife’s objections an assortment of his favorite food; from Texas barbeque to hearty NY Hero’s, decadent fried mac & cheese, and heaping portions of freshly made strawberry ice cream made especially for Wolfe by a longtime local vendor.
Most of the crowd of guests gravitated to the new Samsung 146-inch micro-LED wall mounted TV and sat on plush couches and chairs to watch the broadcast but sitting right in the middle so he could see and hear best was the man of the hour. There was no denying that the sixty-year-old Douglas J. Wolfe was a larger-than-life figure. He stood just short of six feet, but his thick wavy bright red hair always gave him the appearance of being taller. Much to his frustration, though, he was starting to sport a bit of a paunch.
His unrelenting confidence, signature winning smile, and aggressive cocksure attitude propelled him from the “Prince of New York City” to the highest office in the land. In many ways, his life personified the very best and worst of that uniquely American rags to riches story. The rags part though tended to be a bit exaggerated for effect.
Douglas - never “Doug” - did not exactly grow up living in a rat-infested tenement, though some of his many det
ractors accused him of owning quite a few. He grew up outside Jersey City and lived a typical upper-middle-class life. His father owned a successful local construction business that suddenly became Douglas’s - only two years after graduating with top honors from NYU - when his father died tragically from an accident at a job site.
Leaving his cushy broker job on Wall Street behind, young Douglas took over the construction business. Leaving the actual building stuff to the architects and workers, instead, Douglas did what he did best: he started building the Wolfe brand and never looked back. His instincts for publicity and media attention were unlike anyone had ever seen. He was smart, ballsy, and determined to make a name for himself.
Within three years, he was marketing the now famous forty-eight-unit developments called “Wolfevilles.” Laid out in a “W” pattern that sprung up all over Long Island and New Jersey before spreading across the country, it was the beginning of his trademark “W” on every building, sign, PR event, marketing campaign - everything that Wolfe Construction, later Wolfe Worldwide - ever built or owned.
Next, his luxury “Wolfevillas” took off along the Florida coast and at beach resorts all along the East Coast. By the early 90’s, he made the leap to commercial construction, and his hotels became all the rage, but it was personal life - from his extravagant spending to tabloid scandals - that kept him on “Page Six” of The Post. Some say that after he lost his first wife - his college sweetheart - to pancreatic cancer, he joined the Billionaire Boys Club to forget. It wasn’t long before he became the poster boy for the decadent NYC playboy scene and was currently on his fourth marriage.
Reading the tea leaves, Wolfe bet on digital media and tech startups after 2000 and except for several luxury hotels he started divesting many of his real estate projects and began pouring money into media and tech companies across the globe and his fortune soared as did his high profile. He dabbled in politics for years, but after the 2008 stock market crash, he became serious and started attacking both parties for letting the American people down.
He was a throwback to a different time. He was a man’s man who apologized for nothing and never backed away from a fight, either personally or publicly. He was disgusted with the whole political correctness thing and hated seeing the country get humiliated and kicked around all over the world. He loathed the lapdog politicians from both parties who only bothered him when they needed money. As far as Wolfe was concerned, the political system was broken, no one stood for anything anymore, no one had balls anymore, and he bet that a huge chunk of America was sick and tired of it.
He shocked the political world by tossing his hat in the ring for president in 2015. He defeated a dozen or so hapless, clueless career politicians and went on to win a stunning upset against the former first lady in the nastiest political brawl in a generation. Douglas J. Wolfe said what he wanted to say, said it in the way he wanted to say it, and his supporters would follow him to hell and back no matter what. American politics would never be the same again.
A beaming President Wolfe muted the TV and said with a wide grin, “Did you all hear that? The world community owes me, Douglas J. Wolfe, their respect and gratitude. Who would have thought those clowns from CNN would ever have said that six months ago?”
One of the fraternal twins from his short-lived second marriage to a stunning Italian actress, Duncan, replied, “Hey Dad, I hope it hurt a little when she said it.”
Not to be outdone, his sandy-haired twin Declan lightheartedly added, “Don’t start going soft on us Dad and think for a moment that CNN or the other libs are going to start falling in love with you now.”
Then, speaking loud enough for everyone around to hear, Wolfe proclaimed, “Let’s face it folks, who else could have pulled this off? Not Obama, that’s for sure. Not even Clinton could do it, and Bill came closest.”
Wolfe’s longtime business partner, best friend, and now Chief of Staff, Jacob “Dutch” Schultz, couldn’t help but add, “Douglas, it must be burning both of their asses watching this happen.”
Pulling Dutch closer to him, he lowered his voice, “And people say that I’m always the guy picking a fight. Dutch relax…have some ice cream.”
Wolfe motioned for one of the servers to come back with the ice cream and took another heaping spoonful of ice cream and plopped a big scoop on his friend’s plate and reached in for another scoop for himself. The strikingly beautiful Latvian former actress and model, Marija Wolfe, spotted her husband with his second bowl of strawberry ice cream and briskly hurried towards him. She vigorously wagged her finger at him and said with her heavy accent, “Douglas is that your second helping? What did that White House doctor say just last week? You’re getting too fat and need to start watching what you eat.”
Playfully, Wolfe pulled the bowl of ice cream out of his wife’s reach and said, “Marija baby, I’m going to be around for another fifty years. Believe me, they’ll be burying you before it’s my time to go. Stop worrying and let me enjoy this.”
Wolfe ignored his wife’s peeved look, raised his voice and said, “Hey folks let’s keep it down, the ceremony is going to start any minute.”
FOX News, Jerusalem
“If you are just joining us, I’m Chris Walker along with Brett Reams, and you are with us live as the opening ceremony to mark what’s being called “the Jerusalem Accords” is set to begin. If our camera team can pull up a wide-lens shot of the event, our viewers can see the gathering of world political and religious leaders now assembled in the open courtyard on one of the most revered religious sites in all the world.
In the foreground, you can see the majestic Muslim shrine, The Dome of the Rock, with its golden dome glistening in the afternoon sun. Just to the bottom edge of the screen, we can see the third holiest site in the entire Muslim world, the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Towards the left of the screen, we have the Western Wailing Wall, a remnant of the ancient Jewish Temple razed to the ground by the Romans. While on the right side of the screen is the Temple Mount, a place sacred to Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike.”
Brett Reams quickly added, “I must say, Chris, that the political significance of these accords may potentially be eclipsed by the religious aspects. Not only are political dignitaries from around the world gathered here today, but the courtyard and dais have leading religious leaders from three of the world’s great religions who have agreed to attend - and more importantly, support - this historic event.”
Suddenly the sounds of powerful jet engines buffeted those below as a pair of Israeli IDF fighter jets crisscrossed the skies above. Chris Walker looked up and adopted a more serious tone, “Obviously, we would be remiss not to mention the unprecedented security measures taken by a joint commission of the Israeli Government, the Palestinian Authority, and other participating nations including the United States. Obviously, the Israeli Government has taken the lead in these matters, and there are literally thousands of uniformed police officers and soldiers manning checkpoints throughout the city and within the courtyard itself.”
Reams added, “What’s more interesting are those security measures that we can’t see. In our last segment, FOX News security experts already discussed the massive multi-layered array of security that is unseen but nonetheless very active. We have been told that the partially mobilized Israeli Defense Forces have deployed a full range of defensive measures, including launching a series of pre-emptive strikes against extremists in Gaza and the West Bank, but also more significantly within Israel’s own borders.
We should note that this conference and peace plan have numerous detractors and the number of serious threats is too numerous to count. Significantly, some of these threats are not from ISIS or Al Qaeda, but instead homegrown Jewish and Muslim extremist groups.”
Walker added, “It was less than thirty-six hours ago, that a massive cache of explosives and small arms was discovered in the Jewish Quarter not more than a half mile from this site and dozens of suspected Jewish terrorists connected with the settlement mo
vement have been arrested.”
It was now Reams’s turn to cut off Walker, “Chris, it looks as if the ceremony is about to begin. In fact, I can see the American Secretary of State, Randall Gittleson, entering the courtyard along with the president’s daughter, Liliana, dressed in a beautiful flowing white dress and her husband, Jason Rudman. Let’s take this opportunity to check in with our own Dana Fitzpatrick on the ground. Dana . . .”
Wolfe Villa Hotel
As the image of his daughter filled the screen, a beaming Wolfe, loudly said, “Doesn’t my girl look gorgeous. Seriously look at her. She’s perfect, simply perfect.”
Declan, the older twin who took after his mother and stood barely five feet eight inches, couldn’t help but answer back with some light-hearted sarcasm, “Yeah Dad, we know…Liliana’s perfect. Hey Dunc, I’m pretty sure Dad mentioned how perfect Lily is once or twice over the years.”
Duncan, the dark-haired twin who towered over his brother by a whole inch and never let him forget it, playfully added, “Rings a bell Declan. Wait a second. I do kinda remember him making us throw out rose petals every time she entered the room.”
Feeling like a proud dad, Wolfe grinned back and said, “Just because I couldn’t trust building a sand castle to you two knuckleheads let alone peace in the Middle East, no reason to joke about your sister. Besides, like I said, doesn’t she look amazing? Hey, someone get my phone, I want to tweet something.”
Chapter Two
IDF Command Post, Tel Aviv
More than three dozen young men and women in olive green uniforms, with their blue berets neatly tucked on their shoulder straps, intently studied their computer displays looking for any hint of danger. Three massive, high-definition screens covered the main wall and displayed live images of a real-time compilation from multiple sources of data - tracking radar, drone feeds, electronic sensors, and live video cameras along Israel’s borders - to provide a complete visual threat board to defend the citizens of Israel.