Interview with Manifest Destiny Author Rick Robinson
Published By: All Right Magazine on June 6, 2010
Editor’s Note: In this exclusive interview, author Rick Robinson discusses his latest political thriller, American symbolism, the retirement of Senator Jim Bunning, and more.
ALL RIGHT MAGAZINE: Your new book Manifest Destiny is a political thriller that revolves around an obscure but important symbol called the Mace. What is it, and how did this idea occur to you?
RICK ROBINSON: The Mace is one of the great symbols of our Republic. Physically its thirteen ebony rods bound together with silver ribbon. At the top of the rods is a globe with an eagle perched atop it, its wings spread full. Symbolically, it represents the fact that power in Congress does not rest with any single person. The Mace represents the
presence of the Republic itself. No session of the House can start until it is placed on the rostrum and no session ends until it is removed. When a Member of Congress gets out of hand, the Sergeant at Arms is instructed to “present” the Mace in an effort to get the Member under control. That happened a lot during the debate leading up to the Civil War.
I was watching the C-Span special on Congress a year or so ago and they had a whole segment on the Mace being removed to be cleaned and restored by the Smithsonian. As I was watching that segment, I found out that the original Mace was stolen by the British during the War of 1812. Right then I decided that in my next book someone would steal the Mace.
ALL RIGHT MAGAZINE: Much of the plot is centered in Romania of all places, but it reminds the reader of the intrigue that took place in Georgia (the nation) a couple of years ago. Did that have an influence on Manifest Destiny?
RICK ROBINSON: Not really. Because the book involved the Mace, I needed a place where the people were very superstitious. I met with a few of my friends who work on foreign campaigns. To a person, each said that Romania was the most superstitious place on earth. People are still scared to death of “the evil eye.” So that’s where I ended up.
ALL RIGHT MAGAZINE: Speaking of Eastern Europe, do you think we’ve actually heard the last of the old Soviet Union?
RICK ROBINSON: As the Soviet Union…yes. However, there are a lot of old hard-liners still around. I try to make the point in Manifest Destiny that all the new Republics have done is change the names of the parties. The old leaders are all still around.
ALL RIGHT MAGAZINE: Something very timely in the plot is a focus on energy, which is actually key to the action in the book. With the oil spill in the Gulf, do you think that reality might be more inclined to imitate the art of Manifest Destiny?
RICK ROBINSON: Yeah. When I finished Manifest back in the winter I never saw what was happening in the Gulf. I do a lot of my writing in the Florida Keys and I am very concerned about what will happen when the oil hits the reefs.
ALL RIGHT MAGAZINE: The most fascinating aspect of your new thriller is the role of the CIA, which plays both the protagonist and the antagonist simultaneously. Do you see the CIA as a “necessary evil?”
RICK ROBINSON: ‘m not sure that necessary evil is the right term. There are a lot of elements in the world that believe that America should be eliminated. We need people on the ground, whether its CIA or special forces, to keep the bad guys at bay. Reduction of those forces was one of the reasons 9/11 happened. We didn’t have people on the
ground giving us good information. Evil, no. I agree with the necessary part.
I am glad that you picked up on the fact that the CIA agent in the story is both a protagonist and an antagonist at the same time. Most see her as either one or the other, but not both.
ALL RIGHT MAGAZINE: Similarly your main character Congressman Richard Thompson, who is a by-the-book idealist, faces a crisis of morality as the plot thickens. What does this say about our actions in the War on Terror?
RICK ROBINSON: I don’t want to give too much away about the plot, but those who read my series know that I like to have my characters face some moral or ideological dilemma as the story progresses. That which faces Thompson in Manifest in unthinkable to most.
As to how it relates to the War on Terror, it does probably pose a bit of a mirror to us as a nation. As with a mirror, many see a differing reflection.
ALL RIGHT MAGAZINE: To this reader the most memorable line of the book says something to the effect that we need a cowboy when the going gets tough. Do you think there’s been some buyers’ regret when it comes to Obama’s foreign policy as compared to the foreign policy of the Bush administration?
RICK ROBINSON: Here’s the funny thing…I think that one thing we have going for us right now in foreign policy is Hillary Clinton. Yeah, that’s right, I said Hillary Clinton. I think she has more pull in foreign affairs than President Obama. There are some serious situations out there right now which I believe that the President could not deal
with on his own. She has the ability to cool down a hot leader. I never thought that I’d find myself saying ‘thank God for Hillary,’ but on this topic we may all be saying it someday soon.
ALL RIGHT MAGAZINE: Fancy Farm, which hosts Kentucky’s most prominent political event, gets a mention in the book. What is your own favorite Fancy Farm moment?
RICK ROBINSON: I love fancy Farm. The first time I went there was the year of the John Y. Brown – Louie Nunn election. There wasn’t a stage cover back then and it was hot as hell. My fondest memory involved a lot of bourbon the night before and a blues band in Paducah…but that’s all I’m going to say about that. Next question!
ALL RIGHT MAGAZINE: Also on a personal note, you had the pleasure of working for retiring Senator Jim Bunning. What should people remember about his service to the country?
RICK ROBINSON: The thing with Jim was that you always know where he stands. You may not always agree with him, but he let you know where he stands. When he got into an issue he studied as much about it as he could. When he was on the Social Security Subcommittee in the House, he became so well versed on the topic that the Democrat from Indiana who was Chairman actually endorsed Jim’s re-election one year.
ALL RIGHT MAGAZINE: Finally, how can people buy a copy of Manifest Destiny?
RICK ROBINSON: Grab one on Amazon or go to your local store. The hardbacks are going pretty fast and it’s already in its second printing. I am working on three others, which should be out in the next year or so.
