[ WP ] A literal smart bomb is detonated in a major city .

`` Mr. President! There's been a massive terrorist attack!'' 
 
 `` Dear God.'' The President uttered solemnly, while he slowly removing his reading glasses, a move he practiced hundreds of times in preparation for this moment. He'd always dreamed of carrying the nation through such a horrible tragedy. The fact that the news had been broken in front of a crowd of reporters was just icing on the cake. That this even sowed up his re-election did n't hurt either. This was his legacy, and he would handle it with dignity. `` Where?'' 
 
 `` It's, it's Texas sir. Houston. The blast radius covered the entire city.'' 
 
 He nodded, keeping his face calm. Texas was his strongest political base. That would hurt, but the uptick in support from the rest of the country would more than make up for it. `` I'm declaring a state of emergency. America will weather this storm, just as it has all others. Do we have casualty estimates yet?'' 
 
 `` Uh,'' The Chief of Staff glanced around, seeming to notice the cameras for the first time. He seemed to be hesitating, caught between the urge for privacy and the fact that the President had just asked him a direct question. `` We do sir.'' 
 
 `` Well? Spit it out. This is n't a time for political niceties. We're at war!'' It was all the President could do not to smile. He could feel it, he'd just uttered the soundbite that would define the rest of his presidency and impact on history. 
 
 `` None, Mr. President. There were no casualties.'' 
 
 `` What?'' The President asked, perplexed. 
 
 `` It was n't nuclear, sir. It was a smart bomb.'' 
 
 The President paused, not wanting to appear ignorant or uninformed during his seminal moment. 
 
 `` It makes people smarter, Mr. President. IQ points have jumped at least eighty points across the board.'' 
 
 The President held still, fighting to understand. Why had Harry charged in here like it was the end of the world? He'd been expecting a real crisis. What did it matter if people got a bit smarter? 
 
 `` The electorate has been informed, sir.'' 
 
 At those words, it finally sunk in. The President went pale and broke out in a near instantaneous flop sweat. 
 
 `` They're demanding real answers to all the questions you dodged during the last debate and an honest political dialogue. Twitter is exploding with criticisms about your new economic policy and handling of the situation in Nicaragua. They also want to know why you've implemented such a massively biased and secretive healthcare system, when an open system of competition and comparison would drop prices across the board. Those are just the top items trending right now. Demand for change and honesty is skyrocketing. Half the city is in the streets, and the other half are already organizing other cities into new political parties. Mr. President, what do we do?'' 
 
 `` Oh sweet Jesus no... NO!'' He dropped his face into his hands, as cameras shuttered, capturing in high definition the honest reaction of the world's most powerful politician to a population too smart to be lied to.
