Another poor bit of fiction

After the inauguration the two men sat in the tight confines of the heavily armored Cadillac, affectionately known as The Beast.

"Wow, this is a lot smaller on the inside than my limo in New York!"

"No kidding, Mr. President, and a lot more secure.  You are now the most heavily protected man on the face of the earth, barring a few drug kingpins.  Those fools are paranoid, whereas we are merely practical.  And you have one thing that they don't have, dozens of patriotic men and women who are sworn to protect you and are willing to put themselves in harm's way at the risk of their own lives.  Don't take them lightly.  The Secret Service personnel are very good in what they do and they take the responsibility very seriously.  You don't want to waste their time.

"But here's the thing, Mr. President.  You may think you are the most powerful person, the leader of the most powerful nation on the planet.  And that is almost true.

"Did you ever see those photos of presidents on their inauguration day and their photos on the day they left office, and notice how badly they've aged?  Every single one of them; they look like shit.  But then you see photos taken a few months later and you've never seen a happier bunch of guys.  Big smiles most of the time, and not just because their burdens have been lifted.  They are no longer a potential target.

"Although you've been well briefed and prepared for the office, there is one thing I couldn't tell you until you were sworn in and we were able to speak in absolute secrecy.

"During the campaign you often claimed that certain things were rigged, and you were closer to the truth than you realized.  There are certain laws and procedures that must remain secret, known only to key officials in Congress and the Supreme Court.  The FBI doesn't know of them, nor do the CIA or NSA, but these procedures have been in place since Nixon was drunkenly ranting in the White House.  Every president since then, on their last day of office, has extended those procedures through a secret Executive Order, which I signed yesterday.

"Those same Secret Service people, willing to take a bullet for your protection, have one higher responsibility, and that is to protect the nation.  There may come a time when it is decided that the nation is at such risk due to your decisions that a choice will be made, and your life will be forfeit.  Although they are heavily armed it won't be that messy; something in your food, probably, to mimic a stroke or heart attack.  At your age and weight it would be quite believable, and this should give you a better understanding of collateral damage."

"I...How...What..,?" replied the new president, sweating profusely despite the cool interior of The Beast.  This is not what he wanted to hear, and certainly not according to his plans.  His heart was racing and breathing became difficult.

"Oh, there's one final thing, Mr. President, and I'll tell it to you the same way that my predecessor told me:

"GOTCHA!

"But you can never really be sure, can you?"