Yesterday’s News

He was finding it very difficult to deal with the fact that he no longer had any power. He had come to understand and agree with whoever had first said the power is the real aphrodisiac, especially now that it had been taken away from him. In his case, the age-old African custom of respecting one’s elders and deferring to them seemed to not apply to him any longer. Almost as if the loss of complete power had emasculated him to the point where it had been replaced with an amused type of mockery. A mockery that enjoyed his discomfort, derided his new impotence and snickered at his inability to deal with the loss. Most of his critics saw the loss as a consequence of his own weakness and greed. Oh yes, they knew about the greed allright. His little collaboration with Kabila and Robber McCabe in the DRC. Their deal to share in the mineral spoils in exchange for rendering military aid to that dictator’s cause. They saw it as the main reason for his refusal to condemn his old friend Robber, coupled with the personal help he had been given when avoiding the actual battlefield all those years ago. If only that pesky judge had confined himself to the actual case instead of veering off into the realm of personal opinion. The same opinion that had given his enemies the ammunition with which to dump him…. Well he would soon show them. He was bound to win that one on appeal and stage some sort of credible comeback that would repair his legacy…he suddenly felt better and walked over to his trusty liquor cabinet, pouring himself four fingers of Johnny Walker Green Label neat. He threw it back and warmed himself on the fiery liquid and the thought that the exchequer was still footing the booze bill when he heard the letter drop through the letter slot onto the floor.
Walking across he retrieved the envelope and tore it open. It was from his attorneys. It said:- “ Dear Mr President, We regret to inform you that a full bench of eight Supreme Court Judges of the Appellate Division, have just turned down your appeal against Judge Nicholson’s judgement on the grounds that it had no prospect of success…..” He felt the fine single malt  and his legacy turn to ash in his stomach.