CSI: American Carnage (Wednesday, November 6, 2019)
SENECA, SC – Lindsey, my beautiful Lindsey, what has happened? Where did you fall into darkness? The Ghost of John McCain stands in Lindsey’s living room. He sheds leaves and clods of soil on the beige wall-to-wall, and his desiccated flesh peals away, falling in clumps, like deformed apples. Plop! Lindsey, the ghost says, Lindsey! Why have you forsaken me? Lindsey is passed out on the sofa. He wakes with a start. John! he says. And then falls back to sleep. The Ghost stands silently, shaking his head. Lindsey, he shouts, Lindsey! Lindsey awakes and sits up. He says, What are you doing here? The Ghost says, Come Lindsey, come with me. I need to show you something. He holds out his hand, crawling with worms. Lindsey shrinks. Come Lindsey, the Ghost says again. We have a journey to make into the past. Lindsey says, The long past? No, the Ghost says, your past. They walk out the front door and onto the floor of Congress. Lindsey says, Oh my! There’s Bill! Lindsey calls out, Bill! Bill Delahunt! But Bill doesn’t hear him. The Ghost says, He can’t hear you. But you can hear him. Listen. Bill is speaking to a reporter from the Post. He tells the reporter: Lindsey is a fair-minded person and he’s a principled member of the committee. Lindsey beams. You see John, you see how they all love me! Bill continues with the reporter: In terms of where we are on the political spectrum, there’s a great disparity between us. But I have great respect for Lindsey. He’s very forthcoming and he tells it like it is. Lindsey beams. You see how they respect me? Fair. Sock it to them. I didn’t accept all the nonsense from Newt. I’m a fair-minded fellow. Look, there I am talking to another Post guy about how we should handle Clinton. Lindsey says to the reporter, Nobody can tell me yet whether this is part of a criminal enterprise or a bunch of lies which build upon themselves based on not wanting to embarrass your family. If that’s what it is, about an extramarital affair with an intern, and that’s it, I will not vote to impeach this president no matter if 82 percent of the people back home want me to, because we will destroy this country. Now I know fun, let me tell you. I swang through Paris and Rome when I was in the Air Force. But don’t believe anything anybody tells you about my Air Force exploits. I was very heterosexual, that’s all you need to know. Lindsey and his companion stroll through the past landscape of Central, through his daddy’s bar and pool hall, the Sanitary Café. There is Lindsey’s young sister, studying, with Lindsey watching over her. Lindsey says, Oh, she worked so hard and perhaps I was too strict. The Ghost says, You had values, Lindsey, strong values. You worked. You defended your country and your gender and your sister. What has happened, Lindsey? What has happened to my beautiful Lindsey, my little amigo? Where did you go? What have you become? Lindsey stands watching his sister study. He says, I didn’t go anywhere. What is this, 20 questions? – Wednesday, November 6, 2019