Finalist Stands Down

Breaking news! Doctor Crusher has just announced that she is pulling out of the leadership race and will no longer be standing for the position of Earth President. In a statement to the Federation News Service this morning, Crusher stated that at this time of such planet-wide crises, the Earth needs a commander with tried and tested experience. She pointed out that she believes Captain Janeway is the right woman for the job, and has offered her her full support.

Though this new turn of events may seem magnanimous, unofficial sources say that the timing of the announcement has prevented publication of an expose claiming that Crusher has been in an elicit relationship with her Commanding Officer, Captain Picard. Such a story would have destroyed her reputation and her chances of winning. Withdrawing from the race is seen as a tactical move to save face. One critic of Crusher’s has said that her leadership campaign has been “hoisted by her own Picard.”