And so it came to pass that the administration yanked out Lotus Notes from thousands of computers and had to install Outlook. The servers had to change. Everything had to be redone. The staff had to be retrained.

Email, of course, was the lifeblood of internal communications at the White House and, in the middle of this very busy year, a disrupted email system wasn't necessarily helpful. But like all the other challenges of working in these most important of jobs, the staff at the White House took it all in stride.

Unfortunately, a few email messages fell through the cracks. Who cares? If the message is about something important enough, it'll be sent again, right?

Right?

Scenario 3: the ultimate nightmare scenario
Seven months go by. This morning, the President's going to give a fund-raising speech in Palo Alto and then fly from SFO back to Washington. Unknown, however, to everyone but a select few, the President's not going to be driven from Palo Alto directly back to SFO. He's going to detour to the very small town of Sunol in the East Bay, population 1332.

There, the President's going to have a most private conversation with a Senator in the opposing political party. Ever since the last election, when the opposing party won majorities in both the House and Senate, the President's agenda has been hog-tied. But, due to a minor disagreement with a leader in his own party, this particular Senator is thinking of switching sides. If he does, the entire teeter-tottering balance of power in Washington would shift in the President's favor.

All it would take for the Senator to switch is a few promises of political influence -- and a face-to-face meeting between the President and the Senator. But know one can know about the meeting until the Senator makes his final decision and announces he's jumped to the President's ship. If word got out before everything was set, the Senator would deny the whole thing and the President's political coup would never happen.

And that's why the President will be taking a very secret detour to Sunol this very morning. Sunol is an out of the way town, and no one will notice one black limo traveling through Niles Canyon for a half-hour conversation over coffee.

Leaving Palo Alto, the bulk of the President's motorcade continues up 101 to the airport. Two unmarked cars, populated with agents of the Executive Protection Service, the President in his armored limo, and a helicopter out of Moffet Field, bearing commercial markings, turn east, travel over the Dumbarton Bridge, turn right on Mission Boulevard, and head into the narrow Niles Canyon.

Just before the President's limo rounds the curve leading to the Niles Canyon Quarry and the railroad museum, four Reaktivnyy/Ruchnoy Protivotankovyy Granatomyot rocket propelled grenades smash into the President's structurally-reinforced car. Another two smash into the escort car leading the small caravan and two more destroy the following car. Smoke obscures the area. The overflying helicopter can't see a thing.