"How the hell did we let these al-Qaeda pricks slip through?"
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Turning Point: A Compelling Vision of America Today
Had the Supreme Court Recounted the Florida Votes
in the 2000 Presidential Election by Charles A. Santangelo Outskirts Press
book review by Priscilla Estes
Air Force Lieutenant John "Rawhide" Cunningham pivots his F-16 Fighting Falcon at Mach 2, 42,000 feet over southern Iraq, to avoid an enemy missile. His grandmother, Supreme Court Associate Justice Jane Storey Cunningham, wrestles with an issue closer to home: the recount of Florida votes during the "hanging chads" presidential election of 2000. Her tie-breaking decision determines the next US president, as she bravely follows her heart, changing the course of history.
Being true to your moral compass is the theme of this tense, complex, entertaining and educational look at the evils wrought by vote tampering and self-serving politicos. Set in Washington, DC, between September 2000 and February 2008, this believable alternative history steers myriad characters swiftly across a sea of dirty politics, terrorism, greed, and power. Sweet romance between young political opposites provides a charming subplot, as Middle East negotiations reach a crossroads and espionage carves hollows in America's foundations.
Santangelo draws heavily on his senior government positions at NASA, the US Agency for International Development, and the US Department of Homeland Security under the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations. The major players are eerily familiar. Terrorist incidents, vote manipulation, and vile political infighting are plausibly detailed. President Farnesworth's idealistic economic and military platforms clash delightfully with his enemies' abhorrent conspiracies. Conflicts between political parties enlighten and entertain. Action flows smoothly from crisis to crisis. All threads are tied tight in this well-written, concise, and deliciously satisfying novel about the cascading political, economic, and international changes in the world had the US presidential election of 2000 turned out differently.