Jacob's letter

In my novel about the 2012 presidential election, President Obama is sitting at his desk late one night, reading letters, just as Michelle described in her convention speech. This letter is from Jacob.

"I am a single parent of two teenaged daughters, and I have a question.

"Ten years ago, my wife Annie died of breast cancer. In our battle at that time (yes, a woman's breast cancer battle is her husband's battle, too), I learned that 185,000 American women annually are diagnosed with breast cancer, and every year 44,000 American women die of the disease.

"I remember thinking: those are combat figures. If breast cancer were a foreign nation, invading and killing 44,000 American women a year, and causing 185,000 casualties, Congress would have declared war a long time ago.

"But Congress hadn't, and it hasn't. That's when I realized breast cancer was politicized. If breast cancer were a foreign nation, AND A MAN'S DISEASE, invading and killing 44,000 American MEN a year, and causing 185,000 casualties, Congress would have declared war a long time ago.

"The children are now 14 and 17. A year ago, I lost my job in a downsizing. I was making $60,000 a year. Annie's life insurance helped make ends meet, but now I have dedicated what's left of it to our mortgage payments. The mortgage is upside-down. I would sell the house in a heartbeat if it wasn't going to cost me $75,000. We have nowhere to go, nothing we can do. I NEED A JOB.

"Mr. President, I invite you to come to my house and sit at our kitchen table and look at the fear in my eyes, and in the eyes of my children. When we lose the house, we become refugees. Can you tell me how this is any different from being a disaster refugee, or a war refugee?

"So I have a question. It is the same question I had during Annie's battle. If unemployment were a foreign invader and came into ordinary American homes and took the livelihood of 10 million Americans, and also, many times, the home itself, wouldn't Congress have declared war a long time ago?

"Mr. President, is it legal to declare a state of war on the unemployment enemy, and unite Congress against this enemy? I read enough to know the unemployment issue has become politicized and is in fact a major issue in the election. It may be politics up there, but down here, it's war, and all your political posturing, you and Mr. Romney, makes us sick. You are OUR GOVERNMENT. How can you people stand by and let this disaster happen?"

The president lets Jacob's letter fall back to the desk. He closes his eyes, folds his hands in his lap and leans back into his chair, and as he does, a light comes on in his head.