Man of Destiny
by By Gross, Martin L.
Category: Fiction , General

With no prior experience in politics, Charlie Palmer arrives in Washington as a newly elected Congressman from a small town in Ohio, only to find his worst fears realized. On his first day, he rises to national prominence by cutting his own office budget by $400,000. Discovering enormous waste and corruption all around him, he becomes an agent provocateur against special interests and business-as-usual politics - which gains him the enmity of the leaders of both his own party and that of the opposition.To many of the powerbrokers, he is simply a loose cannon with no money, no influence, no power. Some see him as an opportunistic troublemaker. But those who underestimate Charlie Palmer learn that they are making a serious mistake.He gives them reason to fear as he contests the party's nominee for Vice President at the national convention. Realizing that Palmer is a Washington rarity - a man without pretension or guile who will not "go along" with the status quo - the powers-that-be close ranks against him.But, as a hero of the disenchanted, Charlie Palmer becomes the most popular politician of the age. A groundswell erupts, supporting him for an independent run for the White House. To the Washington Establishment, this makes him a very dangerous man.Across party lines and behind closed doors, the crooked politicians, the hired consultants, the lavish-spending lobbyists and representatives of foreign corporations join forces to stop Palmer. Using every resource at their disposal - uncovering painful secrets in his past, blackmail, even murder - they try to discredit him in the eyes of the public, hoping to block him from taking the White House in the most exciting and unprecedented election in the nation's history.