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"Do you know why I stopped you?" he asked.
I replied, "I think I do, sir, but I think you may be looking backward a little bit." Officer Rigveda (that was his name) looked behind him and then looked confused.
I tried to explain: "What I mean is, this is a time for reflection, not retribution. I know you don't want to hurt the morale of speeders and put the nation in danger."
"Step out of the car please."
I stepped out of the car, but I said roughly this: "I was just joking. Obama wants to prosecute prison guards for torture, but when it comes to the paper pushers who told them to do the torturing, he says 'this is a time to look forward, not backward.'" I used my best Barack Obama imitation, which is not saying much. I looked the man in the eye and tried to judge him, but all he said was:
"Place your hands on the roof of the car."
I didn't like how this was going, but I put my hands on the roof of the rented Chevrolet and said: "In my left front pocket you will find a memo drafted by my attorney which finds the speed I was traveling not to constitute a violation of the law. The memo is sealed but is potentially subject to release through a freedom of information act request, although -- again -- I don't really think you want to put our nation in danger. Do you?"
As Officer Rigveda searched me and administered a breathalyzer, I tried to explain the situation more clearly, since he just didn't say enough to reveal whether I was getting through to him. Mostly he gave one-sentence orders or asked questions.
"Where were you coming from and going to?" he grunted.
I said "Are you asking me that to be friendly or to investigate a crime, because if it's to investigate a crime then I don't recall."
He gave me a long look and finally said "I'm asking you to be friendly."
So, I said, "Well I'm late to get from the airport to a bookstore where I'm supposed to be signing copies of a book I wrote."
He asked what the book was called and I told him "Daybreak," and he seemed to think about it, somehow pleased by it, as if he'd caught me in something.
"Can you show me a copy of the book?"
I got one out of the car and showed it to him. He looked it over and quickly gave it back to me with a snort.
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