The Confirmation Read Online Free Page A

help us,” Stanley muttered.
    ANDY STANTON ROSE TO give the prayer as everyone on the platform held their collective breath. As the most prominent evangelical leader in the nation, Stanton had led a flock of millions out of the Grand Old Party, helping deliver the presidency to Bob Long. His Norman Vincent Peale demeanor and aw-shucks Southern charm masked a Christian orthodoxy blended with rare political instincts. Even standing behind the podium, Stanton’s six-foot-four-inch frame, which carried 224 pounds of the muscle and sinew of an aging Golden Gloves boxer, dominated the stage. At age fifty-six, his salt and pepper hair now showed more salt than pepper.
    â€œLet us pray,” Andy said as he bowed his head. “Father, we come before You today in a spirit of humility, gratitude, and repentance. Humility because we have too often followed our own ways and forsaken Your paths. Repentance because our sins are legion, both as individuals and as a nation. Gratitude because of the blessings You have mercifully bestowed on us, an undeserving people.” The wind blew the sheet of paper on which Andy had written his prayer, causing it to rustle in the microphone. “Forgive us. Heal our land, and grant us leaders of uncommon integrity and honor, who will walk humbly before You, seeking to do Your will and govern according to Your precepts.”
    Seated directly behind him, President-elect Long reached across his chair and grabbed the gloved hand of Claire, squeezing it firmly.
    â€œWe pray for our new President, Robert W. Long. We pray also for the members of the Cabinet, members of Congress, both House and Senate, the Supreme Court, and all those in authority,” Andy continued in his booming baritone, which echoed down the Mall. “May they serve You and their conscience, not partisanship or political expediency.” It was a veiled reference to Long’s status as the only independent candidate ever elected to the presidency, beholden to neither party. “Turn the hearts of parents back to their children, the hearts of husbands back to their wives, the hearts of our leaders back to the common good, and the hearts of all of us back to You.” Andy’s breath fogged as he spoke. “Today, as we reaffirm the American experiment in self-government and celebrate the freedoms we enjoy, of which You are the Author and Protector, we ask for Your grace over our nation. Give us what we need, not what we deserve. We ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the strong Son of God, Savior of all mankind, and Lord of the nations.”
    Andy had punched the words “strong” and “all” for emphasis, so as to leave no ambiguity in his use of evangelical vernacular for the secular ear. As he turned, Long rose to greet him. Their eyes locked. Long shook his hand and whispered words of thanks.
    After the Chief Justice administered the oath of office to Vice President Johnny Whitehead, it was Long’s turn. He took his place to the right of the Chief Justice as Claire stood between them, holding the family Bible, which had once belonged to Long’s grandmother.
    â€œI, Robert Whitney Long, do solemnly swear,” the Chief Justice began.
    â€œI Robert Whitney Long, do solemnly swear,” repeated Long, trying hard to concentrate on the words rather than on his rapidly beating heart, which pounded like a jackhammer in his chest. His mind raced, backward in time to his first race for the state legislature and forward to the challenges of the offices he was about to assume. He heard himself say, “And to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God.”
    â€œCongratulations,” said the Chief Justice firmly.
    Long reached over and kissed Claire. She beamed. Army cannons boomed a twenty-one-gun salute, the percussions echoing off the Capitol with a ceremonial thud. A loud cheer rose from the throng that stretched out before