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On the morning of Thursday February 22 1917, Edith Galt Wilson wakes up, noticing that her husband is still in bed. Tapping him on the shoulder and saying "Morning Woodrow" she receives no reply. President Wilson has suffered a massive stroke during the night.

The First Lady acts much as she would do OTL, 30 months later. Together with Dr Grayson and Joe Tumulty, she keeps the President in seclusion, receiving few visitors under carefully "stage managed" conditions. Even so, rumours soon spread about Wilson's condition, causing widespread alarm in view of the concerns about submarine warfare and calls for the arming of American merchant ships. And there is an even more urgent point. The current (64th) Congress has just over a week to run, and unless Wilson (or an "Acting President" Tom Marshall) calls it ahead of time, the new one will not meet until December. An Act is rushed through providing for the 65th Congress to meet in April, and is duly sent to the White House - never to be heard of again. Since this is within the ten day "pocket veto" period, it does not become law. Barring early recall, Congress is out of the game for the next eight months.

Attention now shifts to the upcoming Presidential inauguration. Will Wilson be able to take the oath of office, and what is the position if he doesn't - but the Vice president does? However, such speculations are premature. On March 5 (March 4 was a Sunday) Wilson briefly emerges in a wheelchair, and manages to croak out an intelligible "I do" after Chief Justice White has read the oath to him. He does not, however, make the usual inauguration speech, which instead is read for him by Tumulty.

What happens now? Can Vice President Marshall be talked into claiming the Presidency, and, given the absence of firm proof of Wilson's incapacity, could he make it stick even if he did? And if he doesn't wish to act, can anyone make him? What happens on the World stage? Presumably Wilson can't ask for war in his present condition. He couldn't possibly handle the stresses of being a wartime POTUS. Will Edith be persuaded that she must get him to resign - or will she play for time as OTL? In short, where do we go from here?

Thoughts?
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