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Presidential Interview

I once again have the distinct honor and privilge to interview the newly elected President of the United States, Israel Stevens. Mr. Stevens was elected yesterday by over 250 votes. He is also the first eUS President elected from the American Military Party (AMP), which in itself is a historic accomplishment. I thank Mr. Stevens for taking the time to do an interview this early into the term, as I'm sure many people have been speaking to him about everything under the blue moon these last few hours.

Interview With President Stevens

1. Being the AMP's first POTUS, how does it feel to have been the one to earn that historic accomplishment?

Oh man, I'm so excited. This is one of the things we've been working towards for the past year. We thought we were going to have it a couple times now. With Leroy and then with Haliman's almost campaign. And then with my first attempt. It's just really gratifying to have all the hard work of the entire party finally pay off.

2. What message does this accomplishment by the AMP send to the other parties, in particular, the USWP, who at times has been said to have had a lock on the office of the Presidency?

As for the other parties, the USWP didn't put forth a candidate this month so I can't exactly say that I went out and beat them. They sent their support my way, and I am thankful for it. I think that they remain a strong party, with regards to their elections. but internally I think that all of the other Top 5s are much much stronger. I'd point to the AMP having over 100 votes in our most recent Party President Primary. That kind of internal strength is hard to come by. But all that internal strength ultimately needs to be put into electing Congressmen and Presidents, because Game Mechanics > everything.

3. Do you think that had you not gotten the USWP endorsement in this last election, would you still have won?

It depends. If they had supported Cromstar or Glove, then no. I wouldn't be here. But if they had put forth their own candidate? Who knows. That would of split the votes even more. Might of seen a President with only like 25% of the popular vote.

4. Now that the AMP has successfully elected a POTUS, where do you see the party going in the future in terms of electing its own members to the Presidency?

One of the ways that I measure strength is by how many people a party has that are considered "Secretary Ready'. Meaning that they could run a department, whether it's State, Defense, Media, etc. And for a long time, people of that caliber were very few and far between. We've made great strides in that regard. John Killah was just an outstanding Secretary of Media. David Wilson is considered Secretary Ready by many. potato134 is working his way up the Defense Department. emdoublegee is entrenched in the Interior. And then there's Kria, Haliman and Leroy. So, what was a weak point a few months ago. Is quickly becoming a strength for the party. I think that as we continue to have members get involved in the Government, you're going to see more Presidents come out of the AMP.

5. What are some of things you'd like to get done during your term in office?

This gets said a lot by Presidents and Presidential Candidates, but training the next group of leaders is a must. Having my Secretaries have deputies, that are capable of actually running the department is very important. If the Department Head isn't there for a day, or a weekend, or whatever...The department shouldn't grind to a halt. So, I will be riding my Cabinet to make sure they are training, as well as leading. Also, kick ONE's ass, but that's a given.

6. How do you feel your predecessor, Artela, did during her two terms of office?

Oh man, she did great. No term is perfect, and there were a few slip ups, but overall, one of the better terms we've seen, even though we've only seen two Presidents in the last six months. I mean, she wiped Hungary. How many American Presidents can say they drove the final nail into Hungary's coffin?

7. Was there anything you would have done differently had you been in command?

I would have taken more responsibility for the Poland fiasco. I'm not saying that she didn't, but if it had been me, I would have tipped my cap to Poland and said that we'll be back another day. Sometimes you just get beaten, and we were flat out smoked by Poland. It happens, acknowledge it, learn from it, and move on from it.

8. How significant is the threat from ONE at the moment in your opinion?

ONE is always a significant threat. They deal more damage than us, and we can't ignore that. But, through communication in TERRA and EDEN, we can mitigate that and use our time zone advantage to get the upper hand. It's not easy beating ONE, as you can see from Poland beating us in France. But, it can be done. We wiped Hungary. We had our way with the UK. China and Portugal tag-teamed Spain, and now China has been moving through Serbia. So, while they always present a threat we are still succeeding against them.

9. The last President elected that didn't serve consecutive terms was GoalieBCSC, who served from November 5th, 2011 to December 5th, 2011. Do you see yourself as continuing the multi-term theme as seen recently, or do you see yourself as a one-term President?

It's only day 1, so that's a tough question to answer. The job is already not easy, and it's alot of work. Can I handle it for more than one month? Yes. Do I want to? I don't know. Right now, I'm acting like I'm not running again. I'm going balls to the wall for 30 days. I don't want to be conservative in the hopes of being re-elected. I'll re-evaluate that position after the Congressional Elections, and make a final decision on the matter.

10. In RL, there is sort of a Presidents' Club that all US Presidents are in. They learn from each other, lean on one another at times, and study each other. Do you think such a system exists here in the eUS, and do you speak to any former eUS Presidents on a regular, friendly basis?

I speak to Artela, and Haliman the most. Goalie is up there too. So is Oblige when he wants something. Cerb drops by every now and then. And Alexander Auctoritas is always around. I know that even if I'm not communicating directly every day, that they are there. And are all willing to offer their advice and some tips of the trade, and that is greatly reassuring. I've also read through most of the PDB's (Presidential Daily Briefings) that have been released, and have learned from those. Some things to do, some things not to do. There are a variety of resources available to Presidents, and I am pleased to have them.

11. Which eUS President is your favorite of all-time, and why?

My answer to this has always been Emerick, for his command of the media. It was brilliant. Elegant at times, brutal at others. He was the President I was born under, so it left a mark on me. But, after I read some of the PDB's, I must admit that I like the way Cerb took charge of things. Even from day one he was working on things, and I'd like to try and emulate that as much as possible. So, Emerick and Cerb.

12. Is there anything else you'd like to say to the American people, to the readers of Meet the Press, or me?

When can I expect my paycheck? I feel like a staff writer for Meet the Press.

Conclusion

Over an hour of time was devoted to doing this interview, and it was conducted in a private conversation over IRC chat. I am thankful that I have friends in high places like Israel Stevens, because it makes my job as trying to interview these people alot easier. I also plan to interview other figures, including Presidential candidates Cromstar and Glove within the next week.

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Portcolumbus,
Editor-In-Chief of Meet the Press