[ WP ] After you are elected President , you discover a big red button hidden in your desk in the Oval Office . When you ask your predecessor about it , he said that it had been there for decades , but the secret of what it did died with Kennedy . After a few years , you finally give in and push the button .

I made many pledges to both the country and myself when I was elected to this office. The pundits said I was crazy and that I would n't be able to accomplish them by the end of a second term....let alone the end of a first term. I managed to show them that I meant business. Campaign finance, universal healthcare, a reduction in our nuclear stockpile, peace in the middle east, and a multinational expedition to Mars! Everything I wanted to do in four years was done. 
 
 Almost everything. There had been one thing that had bugged me since that cold January day when I first entered this office and its mystery has continuously eluded me to this day. 
 
 The Red Button. No one knew what it did and it has become one of the biggest state secrets since 1963. Transparency has always been a key principle in this administration and that principle has been constantly violated as long as the button remained unpressed. 
 
 `` Can you get me the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, please? I'd liked to go over a few thing before the inauguration and State of the Union.'' I said to my secretary. I was n't really going to talk about second term policy with them, I just wanted them there in case an international incident happened. 
 
 I flipped open the case with the button and stared at it. Its beauty was in its simplicity - a red circle with no words. I'm reminded of the paranoia of the Cold War - the fear that we'd need a quick response to the Kremlin and a sign that if they did anything to us then we'd do something to them. Maybe this button was a balance to the Red Phone? The phone was there to prevent war and maybe the button was there to create it? I'm sure that if I pressed it then I could easily counter the order before anything got serious. I'm the president... they have to listen to me! 
 
 `` Damn'' I say to myself as I slump back into the chair. I'm irritated because I could potentially cause the exchange of nuclear weapons because of a damned button but I have to know what it does because the nation has a right to know! 
 
 `` This ends now!'' I shouted as I pressed the button. The only sound that I hear is a click from the button. There are no alarms, no sounds of rushing by Generals asking for orders, no phone calls, nothing. It's eerie. 
 
 `` What now?'' I said as thoughts begin to run through my head. This is based on old technology so maybe there is a delay from here to the command centers or the pentagon. Maybe they have no idea what the mysterious red light is that sudden lit up. It could be anything at this point now. 
 
 My personal aide walks in as these thoughts run through my head. In his hand is a cup of coffee. He knows exactly how I like my coffee and I've come to appreciate what he does for me in the four years we've been here. Occasionally, I invite him to join me in the Oval and discuss matters of public policy. He's a good kid and will go far with a letter of recommendation from me. 
 
 `` Thank you,'' I smiled `` Do you know if the Secretaries of State and Defense are almost here?'' He nodded and invited them in. After the usual pleasantries, I'm ready to bring up the topic at hand. 
 
 `` Gentlemen, I did it'' I started `` I pressed the button.'' There was a sudden look of shock on their faces. 
 
 `` However, nothing happened. See?'' 
 
 I pressed the button again and we sat there in silence for a few minutes. 
 
 `` Mr. President, this cavalier attitude towards the button could be....'' the Secretary of State started to lecture but was interrupted by a knock on the door. Suddenly my aide walked in with a cup of coffee. 
 
 `` I did n't order any coffee'' I said with a hint of irritation in my voice. 
 
 `` Yes you did, sir'' My aide responded as he pointed at the big red button. 
 

