Security Mom by Juliette Kayyem

Author:Juliette Kayyem
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

HOPE FLOATS

DAVID AND I ADAPTED, OR perhaps fell, into a new routine that worked for us. David had secured tenure, I was advising the governor on issues I loved, and the kids thrived at school. Times were busy and we could have used more date nights, but we were exceptionally happy.

I remember at one deployment ceremony for the National Guard, when our state troops were still being sent to Afghanistan, I sat next to a mother preparing for a yearlong tour of duty. She had three young children. I asked her how she was planning on managing her home life. She looked at me as if she couldn’t believe the question: “I don’t manage, Secretary Kayyem. I deal.” I suspected, in our less extreme way, that David and I had learned to deal.

Then, in late October 2008, while we were sitting in the movie theater with the kids watching High School Musical 3, David and I received near simultaneous phone calls. The buzzing interrupted the graduation mix of “We’re All In This Together.”

In preparation for a possible victory in November 2008, Obama’s advisors asked experts and supporters from across the country to stop what they were doing, move to DC, and assist the Democratic nominee. These volunteers would spend hours at designated agencies or departments, reviewing policies and budget priorities to prepare for a potential change of leadership. An agency review team (ART) of about twelve to sixteen experts was created for each department. Each ART met with George W. Bush’s top leadership, diving into the depths of governmental bureaucracy and emerging to report back to Obama’s campaign. Each ART produced a twenty-five-page document; all together, the report could have been entitled “Damn, This Government Is Big.” It prioritized the major issues that Obama would confront should he make it to day one. Republican contender John McCain had the same setup.

The calls were quite unexpected, especially because we had supported Hillary Clinton early in the primary. David was contacted by the Justice Department team; I heard from the Department of Homeland Security team. The process began with a few conference calls, but should Obama win, we would be expected to volunteer our time (not to mention our frequent-flier miles) and work our butts off in DC. We agreed. And then Obama won. So many years later, it is sometimes hard to imagine the sense of excitement his election ignited, both here and abroad. He is an exceptional president, a person who takes the long view. Regardless of my early support for Clinton, I was on the bandwagon now.

I knew some of Obama’s homeland security policy advisors, such as Rand Beers, Randy Beardsworth, and Clark Kent Ervin. Governor Patrick granted me leave, and David cleared out his teaching schedule. My parents flew in from Los Angeles to help us out, and David’s parents let us stay at their house in DC, in the bedroom where David grew up. We managed the days away with constant e-mails and calls with the kids. We became expert US Airways Shuttle fliers.

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