Joe Orsaluk, America's 87th President, is about 5'7" tall and is mildly stocky in build. He has a dark complexion, dark, short-cut hair starting to grey, and a very dark browneyes. He looks like someone who would be as comfortable as a shop foreman as he would being the American President. His face belies a quiet wisdom and patience befitting someone who is a good listener. President Orsaluk is a veteran administrator.
NPC Motivation Results: Heart Jack: the President is a very deliberate man, one who listens to all sides before reaching a decision. He is known as a very good listener. While not at all indecisive, he takes his time making decisions, and is usually correct in his judgment. Spade 6: Orsaluk is keenly motivated by his belief that America should resume its rightful place as a world leader and has sought a leadership role to make this happen. He keeps his private life out of the public eye, with his wife, Lynn, and thier children being the least bit conspicuous First Family in decades.
Joseph K. Orsaluk, 57, the first President elected from the American Party ( AP), was born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the American Marines and served with distinction in the Cantonese-Indonesian War, attaining the rank of Sergeant when he left the service in 2269. He then attended the University of Pennsylvania, getting a degree in psychology, and started working for Congressman Jeremy Bankston, one of the founders of the American Party, in 2274.
When Bankston died in 2281, his trusted aide, Orsaluk, ran for his open seat and won. Orsaluk served in the American Congress until 2290, when he was elected Governor of Pennsylvania, and was re-elected in 2294. In 2296, Joseph Orsaluk was elected America's 87th President.
Orsaluk's first term was dominated by the Kafer War. In 2298, he pushed for and got a Declaration of War against the Kafers, over the objections of Popular Conservatives ( PC's) in congress. He also initiated a large build up of the American Space Forces, including the construction of the Columbia-class Battleship. Additionally, he actively pushed for exploration and colonization of the American Arm, and got American away from its traditional isolation in foreign affairs, much to France's chagrin.
Orsaluk's policies were not without costs, and resulted in unbalanced budgets ( constitutionally allowed only by the declaration of war), and inflation. There were serious cost over-runs on the Columbia. All of these issues seriously hampered Orsaluk when he ran for re-election in 2300. He narrowly won, but the AP took serious losses in Congress, losing control of it to the PC's. In January, 2301, the PC's forced an agreement with the President that unless there was hostile action taken by the Kafers at the end of June, the declaration would be cancelled.
Orsaluk was vindicated by the savage Kafer assault on Hochbaden. He and the AP's were further vindicated at the Battle of Beowolf in July, 2302, when the Columbia provided the margin of victory for the Human forces. This has strengthened Orsaluk's hand as a diplomat, and has made him almost unbeatable at home. Orsaluk announced that he will seek a third term as President. Rarely has an incumbent President enjoyed such popularity and he seems to be a shoe-in.
- R. Townsend Reese
The first reconstructed American government met in Memphis in the Spring of 2021. Eleven years later, the national capital was moved to Reston, Virginia, within sight of the original capital of Washington, D.C. The official capital remains in Washington, but that historic city has been restored to what it was in the late 20th century, and is used for state occasions only, such as innaugerations, opening sessions of Congress, state visits by foreign dignitaries, and the like. The real business of government is still done in Reston, and Annapolis, Maryland, which serves as the headquarters of the American Space Forces, and the American Intelligence Service.