Is the first lady trying to overthrow the president? Award-winning writer Kathleen Antrim's fictional response to this shocking premise is at the heart of her chillingly convincing political thriller, CAPITAL OFFENSE.
Author's Note
Due to the controversy Capital Offense incites, I'm often asked what inspired the novel. The simple answer is the immense and unregulated power of first ladies. Throughout history many of our first ladies have brandished incredible power and influence, both covertly and overtly. My six years of research into these ambitious women provided the fodder for this thriller, which I hope you will find thought-provoking.
Hillary Clinton was one of the sparks that ignited this story. Since leaving the White House, she has parlayed her power into a successful senatorial seat. Will she run for president? Will she be our first Madam President? Will Former President Bill Clinton return to the White House as our first ìFirst Spouseî and like the first ladies, be accountable to no one? The plot thickensóindeed!
Senator Clinton was not my only inspiration. It is well-documented that Edith Bolling Wilson literally ran the country when, in 1919, her husband, President Woodrow Wilson, suffered a paralytic stroke, essentially making her our first female president. Ironically, this happened prior to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the right to vote. Mrs. Wilson, who was against the suffragette movement, nonetheless grasped the reins of power and ran the country. Mrs. Wilson's time as acting president was never formalized and, in fact, she conspired to keep her machinations hidden.
Mrs. Wilson's stewardship, as she liked to call it, occurred decades before the 1967 ratification of the Twenty-fifth Amendment, which dictates the succession of power in the event the president is incapacitated. Prior to this Amendment, the Constitution did not address the fate of the leadership of the United States of America if the president were disabled.
Since the beginning of mankind, people have murdered for far less than the most powerful position on Earth. This brings to mind many questions about the power behind the scenes, the backroom deals, and the resilience of our presidency.
When does pillow talk cross the line from innocent conversation to policy making? Should first ladies, or ìfirst spouses,î be held accountable to a governing body? Is it time to consider legislation for the role of first spouse? How far would a first spouse go to seize the most powerful position on Earth? Would she kill or maim? And if forced to choose, would she save herself, her husband's presidency, or the country? I consider this to be excellent grist for a novelist.
