n't you ever heard of democracy?" Ross said sourly. "Who do you
think elects our officials?"

"Shut up, I told you. I'm talking now. Sure, every four years the lousy
politicians come around and they stick coonskin caps on their heads or
Indian bonnets and start saying ain't when they make their speeches.
Showing they're just folks, see? They go out into the country, and stick
a straw in their mouth and talk about crops to the farmers, all that
sort of thing. But they aren't _really_ common folks. Most of them are
lawyers or bankers or something. They run those political parties and
make all the decisions themselves. The Common Man never really has
anything to say about it."

Braun said reasonably, "You have your choice. If you think one candidate
is opposed to your interests you can elect the other."

Crowley grunted his contempt. "But they're both the same. No, there
hasn't been no common man in Washington since Lincoln, and maybe he
wasn't. Well, I'll tell you something. The kind of talk I hear down in
the corner saloon from just plain people makes a lot more sense to me
than all this stuff the politicians pull."

Dr. Braun cleared his throat and stared at the seemingly empty chair
from whence came the other's belligerent voice. "Are you thinking of
entering politics, Don?"

"Maybe I am."

"Good heavens," Patricia ejaculated.

"Oh, I'm not smart enough, eh? Well, listen baby, the eggheads don't
seem to be so great in there. Maybe it's time the Common Man took over."

Dr. Braun said reasonably, "But see here, Crowley, the ability to
achieve invisibility doesn't give you any advantages in swinging
elections or...." He broke off in mid-sentence and did a mental double
take.

Crowley laughed in contempt. "The biggest thing you need to win
elections, Doc, is plenty of dough. And I'll have that. But I'll also
have the way to do more muck-raking than anybody in history. _I'll_ sit
in on every important private get-together those crook politicians have.
I'll get the details of every scheme they cook up. I'll get into any
safe or safe deposit box. I'll have the common people, you sneer so much
about, screaming for their blood."

Ross rumbled, "What do you expect to accomplish in office, Crowley?"

The voice became expansive. "Lots of things. Take this Cold War. If you
drop into any neighborhood bar, you'll hear what the common man thinks
about it."

The three of them stared at the seemingly empty chair.

"Drop