The West Wing s03e20 Episode Script
We Killed Yamamoto
Previously on The West Wing: They take all the Henrys, do a thing, and call it War of the Roses.
I'm told by those who saw it it's spectacular.
C.
J.
Cregg? I'm Special Agent Simon Donovan, Secret Service.
- This is bad.
- He leaked it to the press.
And I take full responsibility.
Isn't Shareef helping us with intelligence out of Qumar? - He's not.
- Are you telling me the Qumari defense minister ordered an attack on the Golden Gate Bridge? - We're not ready to say.
- Get ready to say.
First the money trail.
Under interrogation from the FBI we've been able to follow up on where Yossi received materials and financing.
An account in Yossi's name received a $ 105,000 wire transfer on the first of last month at Seaside Trust in San Mateo, California.
Sir, the NSA echelon shows the money originating from an account at the Bank of Commercial Finance in Geneva.
The account balance totals a little over 18 million and we've determined that the account was opened with a transfer from Star of the Lavant International.
Star of the Lavant International is a dummy corporation for Bank Al-Hassan.
That's where Colonel Lee takes over.
The controlling partner at Bank Al-Hassan is Abdul-lbn Shareef minister of defense for the sultanate of Qumar.
He's gotta put everything in a blind trust when he's elected.
The defense minister gets to own a bank? Leo, I think you're gonna find that in any number of ways minister of defense is simply Mr.
Shareef's day job.
Massive transfers of funds within one to two weeks of terrorist attacks.
All the recipients being Bahji operatives.
$97,000 to the King's Bank of Tunisia before the embassy.
$65,000 to the Merchants Bank of the Saud one week before the bombings in the Marine barracks.
Shareef had three suspects arrested in that case.
Yes, sir.
He identified them as three top-ranking intelligence officers and had them summarily executed.
So we couldn't question them? The bombs in Tunisia and Port of Alzoud were made by the same source.
We've identified the bomb signatures.
Ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, with a dynamite trigger.
There's the witness of the Chechnyan the Russians have in custody.
There's Abdul Razi, Shareef's son-in-law.
And there's the money trail.
- You haven't got it.
- Sir We wanna ask the Justice Department to indict the Qumari minister of defense.
We're saying he's a terror kingpin.
We're saying he's killed I don't know how many civilians and Marines.
We're saying he's compromised I don't know how many agents.
And we're saying he's done it in the clothing of an ally.
This isn't a cave dweller.
This is Capone.
You haven't got it.
It's confusing.
There's Van Morrison.
She's doing a scene from Flashdance.
All right, don 't be frightened.
- You sure? -Yeah.
Listen, I'm sending you to Bismarck, okay? You gotta go tomorrow and sit in on a DNC platform meeting.
I'm sorry, hang on a second.
Did you just say you were sending me to Bismarck? - Yeah.
-North Dakota? - Just overnight.
- Am I being punished? -Just the opposite, my friend.
- I'm being promoted? I wouldn't go that far.
You're speaking for the White House.
The DNC's having a platform meeting, and North Dakota wants to have a plank eliminating the word "North" from their name.
We take no state for granted.
We wanna show North Dakota we care.
You wanna show North Dakota you care, and so you're sending me? It's really very most grueling to do.
I'll write a statement and you'll read it.
- Okay.
- What are you doing at the office? I forgot to put your stuff together for Congressman Pimento.
- Pintero? - Yes.
I forgot I had that meeting.
- How does a person get to Bismarck? - The Iditarod, Donna.
They have an airport.
It's the capital.
-Are you coming here? - As soon as I get dressed.
Goodbye.
Buttercup.
You getting enough iron in your diet? - You getting too much? - Exactly the right amount.
- Sunday with my man.
- Quite a bit of Sunday with your man.
- What happened? - I have to meet with Rick Pintero.
We set it up yesterday.
It's about reauthorization of the Welfare Reform Bill.
You'll miss the Werner Fassbinder Festival.
And I'm pretty broken up about that, but this is right in your wheelhouse.
Poor women are counting on me.
All women count on you, Josh.
We find you godlike.
I bought your birthday present already.
- Why have I been dancing? - Nobody really knows.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Thanks for doing this on Sunday.
- Yeah.
- How you feeling? - Fine.
- She meant since the thing.
I screwed up.
I've moved on.
We've got something for you to take to Bruno.
- And Leo too, it's legislative.
- What? What's the biggest thing the president can do for environment? - Save the Everglades.
- Largest subtropical wilderness.
- They're obviously in serious trouble.
- What's the plan? An $8-billion, 20-year plan to restore the water flows and the wildlife.
- Eight billion? No sweat.
- We know where the money comes from.
The same place pollution does.
The sugar industry.
We end subsidies, which adds up to 8 billion.
It's great for us, terrible for Ritchie and Florida is in play.
Even if we don't win it, now he's gotta spend time he's gotta spend money campaigning in his own state.
No, I'm not taking it to Bruno, but thanks for coming in.
- Why? - I'm sorry? - Why aren't you taking it to Bruno? - I like my job.
The sugar growers are Ritchie's biggest supporter.
It'll look like we're taxing our enemies.
- Technically, it's not a tax.
- Thanks, guys.
- Congressman.
- Hey.
I had it that we were doing this at your office.
- No, we said here.
- My assistant set me straight.
Come on.
- Good afternoon.
- Good afternoon.
- I'm off to buy prairie gear.
- It's a city.
You've been there.
I'll call later.
- You seem frazzled.
- We've been scheduled for a while to go to a Catholic Charities fundraiser in New York.
- It's the Royal National Company - The War of the Roses.
Cathy and I saw it in London.
It's fantastic.
It's like no Shakespeare you've ever seen.
There's music.
They sing.
And that's great, but I've just been told that Governor Ritchie is coming as well.
- So it becomes a different thing.
- You gotta tell Toby Ziegler.
- Yeah.
But what do you got? - The 25 votes you need to move the Working Toward Independence Act out of committee.
- How? - The president has to compromise.
- We can't cave on childcare.
- You get a billion more in childcare.
- Billion? - For a trade.
- What? - 300 million more for marriage incentives.
And we raise the work requirements to 38 hours a week.
- The marriage incentives - It's the only way.
- Marriage incentives are terrible.
- It's the only way.
Let me talk about it around here.
Okay.
Hey, you're gonna love that show.
Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it.
Thanks.
I will do it again.
Thanks.
I've been seeing a shrink, by the way.
I had trouble sleeping, and Leo brought in a guy.
I feel ridiculous talking out loud like this, but he said .
It doesn't matter.
I just can't believe it's been a year.
Anyway.
- What is it? - It can wait till we get back.
What is it? - This isn't the place.
- Leo.
Shareef had a meeting with two Muslim clerics in Bechar.
We picked up the meeting by aiming an IR laser beam at the windows from 400 feet.
Three different Arabic experts worked on the translation.
"The enemy imagines he's secure.
The bridge did not fall.
He looks down from his high or elevated place or places but our victory is still assured.
There will be other moments.
" Meaning times, places or opportunities.
"I have brought him low, and I will do it again.
" All right.
They can't be in the same room.
It elevates him.
It diminishes us.
Now he's one of two guys tossing a job application.
It gives him access to a massive press.
How do we get out? We'll look impolite and chicken.
- We could ask Ritchie not to go.
- How? - Ask politely.
- Tell him the show isn't good.
- We don't think he's gonna like it.
- That's what we do.
We don't go.
We pull out.
Better to look chicken than to get broasted, my mom says.
What's"broasted"? I've never really known, but it's what they do to chickens.
What do you think? - I don't know.
- You think we don't go, right? - Yeah.
- All right, we don't go.
The president's gonna have to call the archbishop.
I was looking forward to it.
- What? - The show.
It's five hours of King Henrys with musical interludes and a dinner break.
You should come to my house and perform it for me.
We're done.
- Sam? - Yeah.
I talked to Jane and Muriel this morning, and they said they came to you yesterday with something about the Everglades and you shut the door.
- Yeah.
- They seemed pretty excited.
- You sure you don't want it? - Look it over.
- No.
If you say so.
- Okay.
This is ridiculous.
He's coming here.
He's coming here! - Why the hell can't we arrest him? - It's a breach of diplomatic immunity.
It's our own Diplomatic Relations Act 22 U.
S.
C.
254.
"No foreign government" At what point do you forfeit diplomatic status? Reasonable point.
Doesn't it go without saying that I revoked it after he tried to blow up the Golden Gate Bridge? It doesn't go without saying.
Now, immunity can be set aside.
But it means making our case to the sultan.
- You can't do that.
- We have no extradition treaty.
Why the hell do we need? He's coming here on his own.
He's delivering himself in a Learjet.
Still means setting aside immunity.
Which means a conversation with the sultan.
We can't talk to the sultan, David.
Shareef is a member of the royal family.
The sultan's his brother.
We wanna lock him up.
I don't think he's gonna warm to it.
Plus, we're never gonna see Shareef again.
We could explore working with treaties signed with Britain when Qumar was a protectorate.
Now, Qumar has historically rejected That's fine.
It doesn't matter what they've rejected.
Shareef is coming here.
Have an answer for us by tomorrow.
Fellas, this guy is gonna stand trial in a U.
S.
court and if we have to stick heroin on his plane to get him that's what we're gonna do.
- Agent 99.
- Good morning.
I want you to tell me, what are you people doing to catch the guy? We're doing all the things that we do.
I haven't been happy with any of your answers.
You've done a pretty good job concealing your dissatisfaction.
So far, the OPR, after examining your hard drive has determined that he or she attached a virus to the e-mails sent to you.
It's a Trojan horse application, and once installed allows the perpetrator to record all your inputs.
- He read my e-mails.
- That's how he knew where you shop.
- You traded e-mails with Hogan.
- He knew I was shopping? - He was there.
- How do you know? He thought you looked good in the black Vera Wang.
- I don't wanna know this.
- That's why I don't tell you.
- You just did.
- You asked me.
- The one time you answer - Are you going to your gym? - What? - You working out? - You said you wanna have gin tonight.
- No.
I can't go to my gym, it's flooded.
- The White House gym? - Closes at 7.
Use ours.
It's just a couple blocks.
- Is it a good gym? - Yes, it's a - We run alongside moving cars.
- You don't have to get snobby about it.
- Would you like to use our gym? - Yes, thank you.
Good morning.
It should be a showcase.
He should have the best lawyers in the world.
We gotta make sure he lands at Dulles and not BWI.
- Why? - That's the court that'll have jurisdiction.
- The law cracks me up.
- I know.
- What else? - Josh met with Rick Pintero yesterday on the Working Toward Independence Act.
You suppose that could be any more patronizingly named? When we're talking welfare, that ship's pretty much sailed.
- What do they want me to eat? - 300 million for marriage incentives.
The marriage incentives.
What a bunch of horse manure.
Is marriage really something that should be incentivized? Where are all the small-government conservatives when we're talking about Washington getting into the yenta business? - Should we do it? - Swallow the pill.
Our own caucus won't discuss it.
It does more good than harm.
Marriage incentives.
Used to be all you needed was a decent dental practice.
You didn't grow up in the Catskills.
- I'm erudite.
- Yes.
- Let's do it.
- Thank you, Mr.
President.
- Charlie.
- Yes, sir.
I appreciated you coming to the cemetery with me.
- Yes, sir.
- So it's been a year.
Why don't you organize the search for a new executive secretary.
Yes, sir.
Absolutely.
I may not like the first couple of candidates.
It may take a while.
No, I don't imagine we're actually gonna hire somebody, but this is a step.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, Mr.
President.
"Eliminating the term 'North' from North Dakota is an important state issue and the president feels it should be resolved on a state level.
While the president is sympathetic and understands the large economic ramifications of this name change he feels the issue is not yet ripe for national attention.
The president wishes you well and thanks you for your support.
" Miss Moss, are you aware that studies clearly show the word"North" leaves impressions that this state is cold and flat significantly depressing tourism and business startup? Due respect, your average temperature is 7 degrees your average snowfall, 42 inches, and a name change won't take care of that.
We enjoy roughly the same climate as South Dakota.
We took in 73.
7 million in tourism revenue last year.
They took in 1.
2 billion.
They have the word"South.
" Also, Mount Rushmore.
- Is the White House behind this or not? - Please, let me be clear again.
I have very narrow parameters in terms of representing the White House.
I'm an assistant to Josh Lyman, and I was sent here to read a statement.
Hey.
- Something smells great.
- There's going to be stew.
- It's ready? We can eat it? - I'm cooking it for the fourth time.
- The beef is well-done? - Burnt.
- The peas? - Baby peas.
- The carrots? - Soft.
- Potatoes? - Cute.
- Gravy? - Well spiced, much like myself.
Oh, this is gonna be a good night.
My woman, a fine stew and a Mets game on national TV.
- You see how I slipped that last one in? - I saw.
- You listening to Van Morrison again? - It's the radio.
You never said how the meeting with Pintero went.
Well, good.
- They're gonna vote it out of committee? - We're getting a billion for childcare.
What do you have to give the Republicans for $ 1 billion? Three hundred million for marriage incentives.
You mean like subscriptions to Bride and Groom? - No.
The marriage incentives are - I know what marriage incentives are.
- Let's not do this.
- Cash bonuses to moms on welfare who marry the child's father, canceling out child support debts if the You know what? Every single study shows kids do better in two-parent Kids are better off raised by parents who love them.
- Your solution is loveless.
- It's not my solution! Does my government really believe that the law can create a family? Do these old fat-ass men really believe that if they just pay people to act like Leave It to Beaver, everything is fine? Did you think the person in my job was gonna sit? This is about collecting votes from white men.
If we don't get elected, I promise you President Ritchie is gonna have a lot less sympathy for your agenda.
- This bill isn't gonna pass.
- It is.
It's locked up.
- American Children's Alliance is behind it.
- Not for long.
It's me.
Everyone should stay there.
I need Legislative to put together a meeting with Regina King.
- We're back to work.
- I wanna shoot calls to the Congressional Women's Caucus the CRA and all of Matty's people.
The marriage incentives are in the welfare reauthorization and its committee.
Hold on.
Can you call Robinson? Yeah, it's Josh.
The secretary of labor's in Chicago Tell him I'm calling in the IOU on prenatal health care.
Hold on.
I'm sorry, honey, that was an accident.
There's a pay phone on the corner, although it's been out of order a while.
Get Kate Feldon with the Society of Businesswomen.
She's spinning now, so keep trying.
I'm on my way.
Let's get to work.
Put Janeane on the phone.
I'll hold.
Janeane, it's me.
Let's suit up.
Right now, we have a unique opportunity to re-examine our economy and mindset and develop strategies to maximize our state's strengths and resources to generate new business.
The key strategy being to remove the negative image of the state by establishing a more inviting state name: Dakota.
Okay, we'll adjourn for the night and pick this up tomorrow morning at 8 a.
m.
Thank you, everyone.
- You did very well.
- Thank you.
I just read what I was given.
No, you answered the questions with a lot of poise.
- Thank you.
- Speaking of questions how's my friend Sam doing? - Fine.
I'll let him know you asked.
- I meant since the videotape.
- Fine.
I shouldn't be reading into the fact that they sent you and not him? - Oh, God, no.
Mr.
Chairman - Harry.
- I'm sorry if this sounds insulting, but - It's not on Seaborn's radar.
I'm senior assistant, he's a senior counselor.
Difference between me and Sam is the difference between me and the second baseman for the Yankees.
He took one in the teeth, that's all.
All right.
Tell him Harry Conroy says, "Get up off the dirt.
" Yes, sir.
- You guys have a shooting range? - Yeah.
How was the workout? - Good.
- Home? Let me try one of those.
- One of what? - A gun.
- Shooting? - Let me see what all the fuss is about.
- Have you ever shot a gun before? - Yeah.
- What kind? - Well, I haven't shot one as much as I've seen others shoot them in the movies.
- You guys use bull's-eyes? - Yeah.
I thought you'd use those outlines of people.
We have those too.
If someone comes for you, they don't have a bull's-eye.
- They do if I'm guarding you.
- Tough talk.
I like that.
- Give me your gun.
- Let me get you a.
25 caliber.
- What's wrong with yours? - It's a.
357 magnum.
- I've heard of that.
That's a good brand.
- Yes.
Let's go.
I'm feeling twitchy.
That's good news for me.
- Don't come close to pointing it at me.
- This is cool.
- I'm gonna hold your shoulder.
- I don't need training wheels.
Okay.
Be careful.
That.
357 has got a bit of a kick.
- That thing practically broke my arm.
- Yeah.
I've been wrong about guns.
Just hand these out to the criminals.
You wanna go home now? - What do you got? - I'm sorry? Marksmanship-wise.
I can fire a gun without falling down, if that's what you mean.
Show me what you got.
I'll tell you what.
I'll make it interesting.
You get five bullets.
If you can't land in the middle, I get to drive my car.
That makes it interesting for you.
Come on.
One dead center, I never bother you about it again.
- Okay.
- Okay.
- Plus, say something nice to me.
- Something nice? Yeah.
- Okay.
- All right.
Wait.
That was a trick.
You know you can do it.
Put three in the middle.
- Three? - Three out of five.
You wanna back out? No, I'm worried about what I'm gonna do with the other two.
- I'll be working against muscle memory.
- Look, if you wanna back That's what I call dead center.
- What happened to the other two? - What do you mean? There were five bullets, and I don't believe it.
Three dead center.
How do you shoot like that? They give us lessons.
I don't believe it.
Well? Yes.
Yes.
- I like that you're tall.
- You do? Makes me feel more feminine.
I'm gonna go change.
Hot, hot, hot! Come in.
Excuse me.
- Hi.
- You got a minute? - What do you need? - The president's ready to hire a secretary.
- That's good.
- He asked me to start a search.
I thought about Elizabeth Etcheberry, but the German accent.
And Beverly Casey's been secretary to two ambassadors.
Sue Po, who worked for the head of the OPM.
Jerry Walters, but I don't think he's gonna be comfortable with a man.
You'll find somebody.
- How have you been? - Fine.
Okay.
If you think of anybody in the middle of the night Yeah.
We spent millions of dollars developing a pen for the astronauts that would work in zero gravity.
Know what the Russians did? - Used a pencil? - They used a pencil.
- What do you need? - We're here separately.
- This is a coincidence.
- Okay.
We have to move faster on the welfare bill.
- You told me we were fine.
- We are fine.
The women's groups will have their day.
- The women's groups? - One particular women's group.
Josh, is there nothing you can do to tame that woman? - How scared should I be? - Not at all.
- It's gonna be fine? - Yeah.
- That's a body blow, we lose the vote.
- We're not gonna lose the floor vote.
You? President needs to tell the archbishop he can't be at the fundraiser.
- I know.
- He needs a reason.
We'll use the same thing we were gonna use with Chigorin.
That's exactly what we do.
No, this is it.
It takes care We get the leadership to schedule the welfare vote for next week on the day we're supposed to be in New York.
We can't go because of the vote, and the early vote gives Amy no time to mobilize.
- Done.
- This is good.
Toby, an encouraging word from you to Sam wouldn't be out of line.
- Sam doesn't need to be patronized.
- It'd make him feel better.
I don't want him feeling better.
I want him feeling mad.
Is there anyone you'd rather have as a blood enemy less than Sam? - That's how I want him.
- You know, it was a screwup but I gotta say I love the way he did it full-speed.
Bam.
Like there's a Sam Seaborn-shaped hole in the wall.
- They've got something for us.
- Who? Excuse me.
Ten-hut.
- Did we solve immunity? - Sir - Did we solve it? - Yes, sir.
But it doesn't matter.
- Why? - The judge would throw out the case.
The chain of evidence leading us to Shareef originates with the testimony of the Chechnyan prisoner.
- Yeah.
- His testimony was reached after prolonged physical abuse by Russian soldiers.
- He was tortured? - Yes, sir.
Well, I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure that's inadmissible.
Yes, sir.
We'll come up with a less aggressive way.
We'll cancel his trip here, obviously, but we'll come up with something.
That's the ball game.
- This is always when you say something.
- No.
No.
Have you changed shampoo? You have.
I can tell because your hair seems bouncy and more manageable.
I like to look good for you.
Well, I appreciate it.
Can you tell when it's peacetime and wartime anymore? No.
I don't know who the expert on warfare is but any list of the top has got to include me and I can't tell when it's peacetime and wartime anymore.
Look, international laws always recognize certain protected persons who you couldn't attack.
- It's been this way since the Romans.
- In peacetime.
Yes.
The Battle of Agincourt.
This was the French fighting against the British archers.
This was like a polo match.
The battles were observed by heralds, and they picked the winners.
And if a soldier laid down his arms he was treated humanely.
- Yeah.
- And the international laws that you're talking about, this is where a lot of them were written.
At a time and a place where a person could tell between peacetime and wartime.
The idea of targeting one person was ridiculous.
It wouldn't have occurred to the French to try to kill William Pitt.
- That changed after Pearl Harbor.
- I don't like where this is going.
- Leo - In the Situation Room, Fitz.
- We killed Yamamoto.
We shot his plane.
- We declared war.
- Had Bonhoeffer been successful - The plot to kill Hitler There would've been statues built of an assassin.
We'd have had to explain that to our kids.
I'm gonna get back to the office.
We measure the success of a mission by two things.
Was it successful, and how few civilians did we hurt? They measure success by how many.
Pregnant women are delivering bombs.
You're talking to me about international laws? The laws of nature don't even apply here.
I've been a soldier for 38 years, and I found an enemy I can kill.
He can't cancel Shareef's trip, Leo.
You've got to tell him he can't cancel it.
Excuse me, I'm looking for Josh Lyman.
They're getting telegrams, I just met with two congressmen.
- Amy got it going in 24 hours.
- Two-to-one against.
Yeah, I'm not talking about just a couple either.
- It'll be all right.
- Excuse me, Sam.
Hey, you just got back from someplace, right? Bismarck.
DNC platform hearings on dropping"North.
" - Just from the state? - Not the compass.
The chairman was a guy named Harry Conroy.
Yes.
He said,"Tell Sam Harry Conroy says get up off the dirt.
" - I am up off the dirt.
- Okay.
- I am.
- How you doing? - You got a second? - Actually, I'm crashing a deadline.
- I'll pick your spirits up.
- My spirits are up.
- I can do magic.
- Really? - Excuse me.
- Hey.
- Can I get the room a minute? - Come see me about that magic? Will do.
The first election I ever worked was Bronx borough president.
There were questions about my guy's tax returns, so we called a press conference.
It was 104 degrees that day on Bronx Boulevard.
I thought with a tax thing, the shorter the better so I turned off the air conditioning.
- Did the press end it fast? - Not so much as the candidate fainting.
Well, you changed the story.
I don't even think I ended up voting for him.
Now, your screwup was worse and on a much bigger stage.
- I'm fine.
- Yeah? This is no time for the starters to be on the bench.
All right.
I read the Everglades pitch from Muriel and Jane.
- Right, it's a pass.
- No, that's the memo I'm writing.
I don't think so.
I think anything tactical makes us look bad.
Well, we should get used to it.
We go on TV.
We do a better job selling it than the other guy.
We win the argument, which is Ritchie is with Florida's special interests.
And we do it right, we forced him into defending polluters.
Jane and Muriel are right.
Also, it's the right thing to do.
- Ginger? -Yeah.
- I'm printing this now.
You'll get it out? - Yeah.
- All right.
- Thanks, though.
- Sam.
- Yeah? You're still mad, right? Well, she needs the skills, And discretion, obviously.
A willingness to put this first, no matter what.
- But there's an X-factor, right? - Yes.
- What is it? - It's unknown.
- That's why it's called an X-factor.
- Yes.
- An intangible - I've got the lady.
I've got the lady.
I know who the lady's gonna be.
I've got the lady.
Josh, what the hell did you do to this welfare vote? - We scheduled it for Wednesday night.
- Why? Two reasons.
First was to get you out of the Catholic Charities event.
I'm going to that.
- Ritchie has accepted an invitation.
- I know.
- None of us thought it was a good idea.
- The fundraiser was my idea.
I've known the archbishop for 20 years.
I won't play politics.
Did anyone wanna ask me about this? You've got me running a vote from the floor of a Broadway theater.
- Where are we on the vote? - To be honest, we're slipping a little bit.
- We are? Why? - The women's groups are raising True or false, my life would be better if you and your girlfriend swapped jobs? Why is it for every good thing you do, we gotta endure three screwups? - Well, I'm sorry about this.
- Sorry doesn't get me 218.
It doesn't get back the ad that slipped through your office any more than it gets tobacco, which you gave away for lunch money.
And why don't you know what Ritchie's commitments are before you get anywhere near my schedule? I've got the presidential box at a cattle call.
Win the damn vote.
- Yes, sir.
- We've got a G-8 briefing.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
That was fun.
You should've come in.
- Should've let me use the car.
- It's 2 blocks.
- That's not the point.
- You're no fun.
Me? I'm nothing but fun.
What are you doing wrong right now? - Walking on the wrong side of you.
- Yes.
- We couldn't be people walking home? - We are.
You told me that you were at Rosslyn, and I never said anything.
- I should've said something.
- No.
What was your job right then? - To take the shooters down.
- I guess I figured.
I had a good angle on the left, which was Ray Beckwith.
- Which one was Beckwith? Was he? - The 15-year-old.
- Did you hit him? - A lot of people shooting at him.
Yeah, I hit him.
I know I did.
I killed him.
See? And you said I can't be fun.
I just like your smile, is all.
I wouldn't mind seeing it more.
- I can't.
No, I can't.
- No.
Yeah.
I was just You're right.
Shouldn't you be walking in front of me? - In a crowded place.
- We take chances? - I'll walk in front.
- Forget it, I'm home.
- Can we drop it? - Sure.
I'd just I say,"Can we drop it?" You say, "Sure," and then we don't drop it.
This is Thayer.
Four past midnight.
I've got Flamingo from Donovan.
- All right.
Take it easy, Pam.
- Good night, boss.
This has gotta be costing you an awful lot of PAC money.
You didn't wanna come up? It's after midnight.
They wouldn't let me up.
- We were working late.
- Yes, you are.
For every vote on the left you grab, I gotta get one on the right.
- You know what that does to the bill? - Yeah.
So we've been phone-banking the Bible belt telling them how weak the abstinence provisions are.
I've seen you level hotel ballrooms screaming about how ridiculous abstinence is.
I don't wanna sleep with them.
I want their vote.
When this is over and we win you know whose job it is to pay a visit to the people who weren't with us? What happened? - Nothing.
- You just threatened me.
What happened? Just because you have Sherry Lansing's platinum card doesn't mean you go toe-to-toe with people writing the federal budget when they need you.
- You're gonna put us out of business? - There's an election in November and you are a player in a political party.
If you win by selling out the party, who cares who wins? "Jed Bartlet, not quite as mean-spirited as the other guy.
" Doesn't really send me running to my polling place.
All right.
- Are you coming over? - I have to go back to the office.
We ought to be able to talk about this.
Yeah.
Mr.
President.
What are you doing here? It's 1:00 in the morning.
I called over to the residence.
They said you were in the office.
- You were home? - Yeah.
Hey, by the way, I signed off on canceling the trip.
I signed off on setting the vote.
You came over here to stand in front of Josh? No.
It's almost 8 a.
m.
in Qumar.
You shouldn't cancel the trip.
Tell me to call the State Department.
Why? - What are the alternatives? - What are you saying? - Are we going to attack Qumar? - Maybe.
Now? We can kill all the armed teenagers we want, we still won't have Shareef.
Let's get some more intelligence, some more counsel.
More counsel is gonna help me violate international law.
It's pretty easy to say this is a war scenario.
It's easy to say anything is a war scenario.
War on poverty.
It's a slippery slope.
- Stop it! - What? Just stop it already.
This is the most horrifying part of your liberalism.
- You think there are moral absolutes.
- There are moral absolutes.
Apparently not.
He's killed innocent people.
He'll kill more, so we have to end him.
The village idiot comes to that conclusion before the Nobel Laureate.
El Principe has justified every act of oppression.
- This is justified.
This is required.
- Says who? Says me, Mr.
President.
You wanna ask more people, they'll say so too.
- Well, a mob mentality is just - Not a mob.
Just you.
Right now.
This decision.
Which, by the way, is one of self-defense.
Let Shareef come here and we have options.
Cancel the trip and we have none.
That's all we're talking about right now.
There are moral absolutes.
Make the call.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
I'm told by those who saw it it's spectacular.
C.
J.
Cregg? I'm Special Agent Simon Donovan, Secret Service.
- This is bad.
- He leaked it to the press.
And I take full responsibility.
Isn't Shareef helping us with intelligence out of Qumar? - He's not.
- Are you telling me the Qumari defense minister ordered an attack on the Golden Gate Bridge? - We're not ready to say.
- Get ready to say.
First the money trail.
Under interrogation from the FBI we've been able to follow up on where Yossi received materials and financing.
An account in Yossi's name received a $ 105,000 wire transfer on the first of last month at Seaside Trust in San Mateo, California.
Sir, the NSA echelon shows the money originating from an account at the Bank of Commercial Finance in Geneva.
The account balance totals a little over 18 million and we've determined that the account was opened with a transfer from Star of the Lavant International.
Star of the Lavant International is a dummy corporation for Bank Al-Hassan.
That's where Colonel Lee takes over.
The controlling partner at Bank Al-Hassan is Abdul-lbn Shareef minister of defense for the sultanate of Qumar.
He's gotta put everything in a blind trust when he's elected.
The defense minister gets to own a bank? Leo, I think you're gonna find that in any number of ways minister of defense is simply Mr.
Shareef's day job.
Massive transfers of funds within one to two weeks of terrorist attacks.
All the recipients being Bahji operatives.
$97,000 to the King's Bank of Tunisia before the embassy.
$65,000 to the Merchants Bank of the Saud one week before the bombings in the Marine barracks.
Shareef had three suspects arrested in that case.
Yes, sir.
He identified them as three top-ranking intelligence officers and had them summarily executed.
So we couldn't question them? The bombs in Tunisia and Port of Alzoud were made by the same source.
We've identified the bomb signatures.
Ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, with a dynamite trigger.
There's the witness of the Chechnyan the Russians have in custody.
There's Abdul Razi, Shareef's son-in-law.
And there's the money trail.
- You haven't got it.
- Sir We wanna ask the Justice Department to indict the Qumari minister of defense.
We're saying he's a terror kingpin.
We're saying he's killed I don't know how many civilians and Marines.
We're saying he's compromised I don't know how many agents.
And we're saying he's done it in the clothing of an ally.
This isn't a cave dweller.
This is Capone.
You haven't got it.
It's confusing.
There's Van Morrison.
She's doing a scene from Flashdance.
All right, don 't be frightened.
- You sure? -Yeah.
Listen, I'm sending you to Bismarck, okay? You gotta go tomorrow and sit in on a DNC platform meeting.
I'm sorry, hang on a second.
Did you just say you were sending me to Bismarck? - Yeah.
-North Dakota? - Just overnight.
- Am I being punished? -Just the opposite, my friend.
- I'm being promoted? I wouldn't go that far.
You're speaking for the White House.
The DNC's having a platform meeting, and North Dakota wants to have a plank eliminating the word "North" from their name.
We take no state for granted.
We wanna show North Dakota we care.
You wanna show North Dakota you care, and so you're sending me? It's really very most grueling to do.
I'll write a statement and you'll read it.
- Okay.
- What are you doing at the office? I forgot to put your stuff together for Congressman Pimento.
- Pintero? - Yes.
I forgot I had that meeting.
- How does a person get to Bismarck? - The Iditarod, Donna.
They have an airport.
It's the capital.
-Are you coming here? - As soon as I get dressed.
Goodbye.
Buttercup.
You getting enough iron in your diet? - You getting too much? - Exactly the right amount.
- Sunday with my man.
- Quite a bit of Sunday with your man.
- What happened? - I have to meet with Rick Pintero.
We set it up yesterday.
It's about reauthorization of the Welfare Reform Bill.
You'll miss the Werner Fassbinder Festival.
And I'm pretty broken up about that, but this is right in your wheelhouse.
Poor women are counting on me.
All women count on you, Josh.
We find you godlike.
I bought your birthday present already.
- Why have I been dancing? - Nobody really knows.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Thanks for doing this on Sunday.
- Yeah.
- How you feeling? - Fine.
- She meant since the thing.
I screwed up.
I've moved on.
We've got something for you to take to Bruno.
- And Leo too, it's legislative.
- What? What's the biggest thing the president can do for environment? - Save the Everglades.
- Largest subtropical wilderness.
- They're obviously in serious trouble.
- What's the plan? An $8-billion, 20-year plan to restore the water flows and the wildlife.
- Eight billion? No sweat.
- We know where the money comes from.
The same place pollution does.
The sugar industry.
We end subsidies, which adds up to 8 billion.
It's great for us, terrible for Ritchie and Florida is in play.
Even if we don't win it, now he's gotta spend time he's gotta spend money campaigning in his own state.
No, I'm not taking it to Bruno, but thanks for coming in.
- Why? - I'm sorry? - Why aren't you taking it to Bruno? - I like my job.
The sugar growers are Ritchie's biggest supporter.
It'll look like we're taxing our enemies.
- Technically, it's not a tax.
- Thanks, guys.
- Congressman.
- Hey.
I had it that we were doing this at your office.
- No, we said here.
- My assistant set me straight.
Come on.
- Good afternoon.
- Good afternoon.
- I'm off to buy prairie gear.
- It's a city.
You've been there.
I'll call later.
- You seem frazzled.
- We've been scheduled for a while to go to a Catholic Charities fundraiser in New York.
- It's the Royal National Company - The War of the Roses.
Cathy and I saw it in London.
It's fantastic.
It's like no Shakespeare you've ever seen.
There's music.
They sing.
And that's great, but I've just been told that Governor Ritchie is coming as well.
- So it becomes a different thing.
- You gotta tell Toby Ziegler.
- Yeah.
But what do you got? - The 25 votes you need to move the Working Toward Independence Act out of committee.
- How? - The president has to compromise.
- We can't cave on childcare.
- You get a billion more in childcare.
- Billion? - For a trade.
- What? - 300 million more for marriage incentives.
And we raise the work requirements to 38 hours a week.
- The marriage incentives - It's the only way.
- Marriage incentives are terrible.
- It's the only way.
Let me talk about it around here.
Okay.
Hey, you're gonna love that show.
Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it.
Thanks.
I will do it again.
Thanks.
I've been seeing a shrink, by the way.
I had trouble sleeping, and Leo brought in a guy.
I feel ridiculous talking out loud like this, but he said .
It doesn't matter.
I just can't believe it's been a year.
Anyway.
- What is it? - It can wait till we get back.
What is it? - This isn't the place.
- Leo.
Shareef had a meeting with two Muslim clerics in Bechar.
We picked up the meeting by aiming an IR laser beam at the windows from 400 feet.
Three different Arabic experts worked on the translation.
"The enemy imagines he's secure.
The bridge did not fall.
He looks down from his high or elevated place or places but our victory is still assured.
There will be other moments.
" Meaning times, places or opportunities.
"I have brought him low, and I will do it again.
" All right.
They can't be in the same room.
It elevates him.
It diminishes us.
Now he's one of two guys tossing a job application.
It gives him access to a massive press.
How do we get out? We'll look impolite and chicken.
- We could ask Ritchie not to go.
- How? - Ask politely.
- Tell him the show isn't good.
- We don't think he's gonna like it.
- That's what we do.
We don't go.
We pull out.
Better to look chicken than to get broasted, my mom says.
What's"broasted"? I've never really known, but it's what they do to chickens.
What do you think? - I don't know.
- You think we don't go, right? - Yeah.
- All right, we don't go.
The president's gonna have to call the archbishop.
I was looking forward to it.
- What? - The show.
It's five hours of King Henrys with musical interludes and a dinner break.
You should come to my house and perform it for me.
We're done.
- Sam? - Yeah.
I talked to Jane and Muriel this morning, and they said they came to you yesterday with something about the Everglades and you shut the door.
- Yeah.
- They seemed pretty excited.
- You sure you don't want it? - Look it over.
- No.
If you say so.
- Okay.
This is ridiculous.
He's coming here.
He's coming here! - Why the hell can't we arrest him? - It's a breach of diplomatic immunity.
It's our own Diplomatic Relations Act 22 U.
S.
C.
254.
"No foreign government" At what point do you forfeit diplomatic status? Reasonable point.
Doesn't it go without saying that I revoked it after he tried to blow up the Golden Gate Bridge? It doesn't go without saying.
Now, immunity can be set aside.
But it means making our case to the sultan.
- You can't do that.
- We have no extradition treaty.
Why the hell do we need? He's coming here on his own.
He's delivering himself in a Learjet.
Still means setting aside immunity.
Which means a conversation with the sultan.
We can't talk to the sultan, David.
Shareef is a member of the royal family.
The sultan's his brother.
We wanna lock him up.
I don't think he's gonna warm to it.
Plus, we're never gonna see Shareef again.
We could explore working with treaties signed with Britain when Qumar was a protectorate.
Now, Qumar has historically rejected That's fine.
It doesn't matter what they've rejected.
Shareef is coming here.
Have an answer for us by tomorrow.
Fellas, this guy is gonna stand trial in a U.
S.
court and if we have to stick heroin on his plane to get him that's what we're gonna do.
- Agent 99.
- Good morning.
I want you to tell me, what are you people doing to catch the guy? We're doing all the things that we do.
I haven't been happy with any of your answers.
You've done a pretty good job concealing your dissatisfaction.
So far, the OPR, after examining your hard drive has determined that he or she attached a virus to the e-mails sent to you.
It's a Trojan horse application, and once installed allows the perpetrator to record all your inputs.
- He read my e-mails.
- That's how he knew where you shop.
- You traded e-mails with Hogan.
- He knew I was shopping? - He was there.
- How do you know? He thought you looked good in the black Vera Wang.
- I don't wanna know this.
- That's why I don't tell you.
- You just did.
- You asked me.
- The one time you answer - Are you going to your gym? - What? - You working out? - You said you wanna have gin tonight.
- No.
I can't go to my gym, it's flooded.
- The White House gym? - Closes at 7.
Use ours.
It's just a couple blocks.
- Is it a good gym? - Yes, it's a - We run alongside moving cars.
- You don't have to get snobby about it.
- Would you like to use our gym? - Yes, thank you.
Good morning.
It should be a showcase.
He should have the best lawyers in the world.
We gotta make sure he lands at Dulles and not BWI.
- Why? - That's the court that'll have jurisdiction.
- The law cracks me up.
- I know.
- What else? - Josh met with Rick Pintero yesterday on the Working Toward Independence Act.
You suppose that could be any more patronizingly named? When we're talking welfare, that ship's pretty much sailed.
- What do they want me to eat? - 300 million for marriage incentives.
The marriage incentives.
What a bunch of horse manure.
Is marriage really something that should be incentivized? Where are all the small-government conservatives when we're talking about Washington getting into the yenta business? - Should we do it? - Swallow the pill.
Our own caucus won't discuss it.
It does more good than harm.
Marriage incentives.
Used to be all you needed was a decent dental practice.
You didn't grow up in the Catskills.
- I'm erudite.
- Yes.
- Let's do it.
- Thank you, Mr.
President.
- Charlie.
- Yes, sir.
I appreciated you coming to the cemetery with me.
- Yes, sir.
- So it's been a year.
Why don't you organize the search for a new executive secretary.
Yes, sir.
Absolutely.
I may not like the first couple of candidates.
It may take a while.
No, I don't imagine we're actually gonna hire somebody, but this is a step.
- Thank you.
- Thank you, Mr.
President.
"Eliminating the term 'North' from North Dakota is an important state issue and the president feels it should be resolved on a state level.
While the president is sympathetic and understands the large economic ramifications of this name change he feels the issue is not yet ripe for national attention.
The president wishes you well and thanks you for your support.
" Miss Moss, are you aware that studies clearly show the word"North" leaves impressions that this state is cold and flat significantly depressing tourism and business startup? Due respect, your average temperature is 7 degrees your average snowfall, 42 inches, and a name change won't take care of that.
We enjoy roughly the same climate as South Dakota.
We took in 73.
7 million in tourism revenue last year.
They took in 1.
2 billion.
They have the word"South.
" Also, Mount Rushmore.
- Is the White House behind this or not? - Please, let me be clear again.
I have very narrow parameters in terms of representing the White House.
I'm an assistant to Josh Lyman, and I was sent here to read a statement.
Hey.
- Something smells great.
- There's going to be stew.
- It's ready? We can eat it? - I'm cooking it for the fourth time.
- The beef is well-done? - Burnt.
- The peas? - Baby peas.
- The carrots? - Soft.
- Potatoes? - Cute.
- Gravy? - Well spiced, much like myself.
Oh, this is gonna be a good night.
My woman, a fine stew and a Mets game on national TV.
- You see how I slipped that last one in? - I saw.
- You listening to Van Morrison again? - It's the radio.
You never said how the meeting with Pintero went.
Well, good.
- They're gonna vote it out of committee? - We're getting a billion for childcare.
What do you have to give the Republicans for $ 1 billion? Three hundred million for marriage incentives.
You mean like subscriptions to Bride and Groom? - No.
The marriage incentives are - I know what marriage incentives are.
- Let's not do this.
- Cash bonuses to moms on welfare who marry the child's father, canceling out child support debts if the You know what? Every single study shows kids do better in two-parent Kids are better off raised by parents who love them.
- Your solution is loveless.
- It's not my solution! Does my government really believe that the law can create a family? Do these old fat-ass men really believe that if they just pay people to act like Leave It to Beaver, everything is fine? Did you think the person in my job was gonna sit? This is about collecting votes from white men.
If we don't get elected, I promise you President Ritchie is gonna have a lot less sympathy for your agenda.
- This bill isn't gonna pass.
- It is.
It's locked up.
- American Children's Alliance is behind it.
- Not for long.
It's me.
Everyone should stay there.
I need Legislative to put together a meeting with Regina King.
- We're back to work.
- I wanna shoot calls to the Congressional Women's Caucus the CRA and all of Matty's people.
The marriage incentives are in the welfare reauthorization and its committee.
Hold on.
Can you call Robinson? Yeah, it's Josh.
The secretary of labor's in Chicago Tell him I'm calling in the IOU on prenatal health care.
Hold on.
I'm sorry, honey, that was an accident.
There's a pay phone on the corner, although it's been out of order a while.
Get Kate Feldon with the Society of Businesswomen.
She's spinning now, so keep trying.
I'm on my way.
Let's get to work.
Put Janeane on the phone.
I'll hold.
Janeane, it's me.
Let's suit up.
Right now, we have a unique opportunity to re-examine our economy and mindset and develop strategies to maximize our state's strengths and resources to generate new business.
The key strategy being to remove the negative image of the state by establishing a more inviting state name: Dakota.
Okay, we'll adjourn for the night and pick this up tomorrow morning at 8 a.
m.
Thank you, everyone.
- You did very well.
- Thank you.
I just read what I was given.
No, you answered the questions with a lot of poise.
- Thank you.
- Speaking of questions how's my friend Sam doing? - Fine.
I'll let him know you asked.
- I meant since the videotape.
- Fine.
I shouldn't be reading into the fact that they sent you and not him? - Oh, God, no.
Mr.
Chairman - Harry.
- I'm sorry if this sounds insulting, but - It's not on Seaborn's radar.
I'm senior assistant, he's a senior counselor.
Difference between me and Sam is the difference between me and the second baseman for the Yankees.
He took one in the teeth, that's all.
All right.
Tell him Harry Conroy says, "Get up off the dirt.
" Yes, sir.
- You guys have a shooting range? - Yeah.
How was the workout? - Good.
- Home? Let me try one of those.
- One of what? - A gun.
- Shooting? - Let me see what all the fuss is about.
- Have you ever shot a gun before? - Yeah.
- What kind? - Well, I haven't shot one as much as I've seen others shoot them in the movies.
- You guys use bull's-eyes? - Yeah.
I thought you'd use those outlines of people.
We have those too.
If someone comes for you, they don't have a bull's-eye.
- They do if I'm guarding you.
- Tough talk.
I like that.
- Give me your gun.
- Let me get you a.
25 caliber.
- What's wrong with yours? - It's a.
357 magnum.
- I've heard of that.
That's a good brand.
- Yes.
Let's go.
I'm feeling twitchy.
That's good news for me.
- Don't come close to pointing it at me.
- This is cool.
- I'm gonna hold your shoulder.
- I don't need training wheels.
Okay.
Be careful.
That.
357 has got a bit of a kick.
- That thing practically broke my arm.
- Yeah.
I've been wrong about guns.
Just hand these out to the criminals.
You wanna go home now? - What do you got? - I'm sorry? Marksmanship-wise.
I can fire a gun without falling down, if that's what you mean.
Show me what you got.
I'll tell you what.
I'll make it interesting.
You get five bullets.
If you can't land in the middle, I get to drive my car.
That makes it interesting for you.
Come on.
One dead center, I never bother you about it again.
- Okay.
- Okay.
- Plus, say something nice to me.
- Something nice? Yeah.
- Okay.
- All right.
Wait.
That was a trick.
You know you can do it.
Put three in the middle.
- Three? - Three out of five.
You wanna back out? No, I'm worried about what I'm gonna do with the other two.
- I'll be working against muscle memory.
- Look, if you wanna back That's what I call dead center.
- What happened to the other two? - What do you mean? There were five bullets, and I don't believe it.
Three dead center.
How do you shoot like that? They give us lessons.
I don't believe it.
Well? Yes.
Yes.
- I like that you're tall.
- You do? Makes me feel more feminine.
I'm gonna go change.
Hot, hot, hot! Come in.
Excuse me.
- Hi.
- You got a minute? - What do you need? - The president's ready to hire a secretary.
- That's good.
- He asked me to start a search.
I thought about Elizabeth Etcheberry, but the German accent.
And Beverly Casey's been secretary to two ambassadors.
Sue Po, who worked for the head of the OPM.
Jerry Walters, but I don't think he's gonna be comfortable with a man.
You'll find somebody.
- How have you been? - Fine.
Okay.
If you think of anybody in the middle of the night Yeah.
We spent millions of dollars developing a pen for the astronauts that would work in zero gravity.
Know what the Russians did? - Used a pencil? - They used a pencil.
- What do you need? - We're here separately.
- This is a coincidence.
- Okay.
We have to move faster on the welfare bill.
- You told me we were fine.
- We are fine.
The women's groups will have their day.
- The women's groups? - One particular women's group.
Josh, is there nothing you can do to tame that woman? - How scared should I be? - Not at all.
- It's gonna be fine? - Yeah.
- That's a body blow, we lose the vote.
- We're not gonna lose the floor vote.
You? President needs to tell the archbishop he can't be at the fundraiser.
- I know.
- He needs a reason.
We'll use the same thing we were gonna use with Chigorin.
That's exactly what we do.
No, this is it.
It takes care We get the leadership to schedule the welfare vote for next week on the day we're supposed to be in New York.
We can't go because of the vote, and the early vote gives Amy no time to mobilize.
- Done.
- This is good.
Toby, an encouraging word from you to Sam wouldn't be out of line.
- Sam doesn't need to be patronized.
- It'd make him feel better.
I don't want him feeling better.
I want him feeling mad.
Is there anyone you'd rather have as a blood enemy less than Sam? - That's how I want him.
- You know, it was a screwup but I gotta say I love the way he did it full-speed.
Bam.
Like there's a Sam Seaborn-shaped hole in the wall.
- They've got something for us.
- Who? Excuse me.
Ten-hut.
- Did we solve immunity? - Sir - Did we solve it? - Yes, sir.
But it doesn't matter.
- Why? - The judge would throw out the case.
The chain of evidence leading us to Shareef originates with the testimony of the Chechnyan prisoner.
- Yeah.
- His testimony was reached after prolonged physical abuse by Russian soldiers.
- He was tortured? - Yes, sir.
Well, I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure that's inadmissible.
Yes, sir.
We'll come up with a less aggressive way.
We'll cancel his trip here, obviously, but we'll come up with something.
That's the ball game.
- This is always when you say something.
- No.
No.
Have you changed shampoo? You have.
I can tell because your hair seems bouncy and more manageable.
I like to look good for you.
Well, I appreciate it.
Can you tell when it's peacetime and wartime anymore? No.
I don't know who the expert on warfare is but any list of the top has got to include me and I can't tell when it's peacetime and wartime anymore.
Look, international laws always recognize certain protected persons who you couldn't attack.
- It's been this way since the Romans.
- In peacetime.
Yes.
The Battle of Agincourt.
This was the French fighting against the British archers.
This was like a polo match.
The battles were observed by heralds, and they picked the winners.
And if a soldier laid down his arms he was treated humanely.
- Yeah.
- And the international laws that you're talking about, this is where a lot of them were written.
At a time and a place where a person could tell between peacetime and wartime.
The idea of targeting one person was ridiculous.
It wouldn't have occurred to the French to try to kill William Pitt.
- That changed after Pearl Harbor.
- I don't like where this is going.
- Leo - In the Situation Room, Fitz.
- We killed Yamamoto.
We shot his plane.
- We declared war.
- Had Bonhoeffer been successful - The plot to kill Hitler There would've been statues built of an assassin.
We'd have had to explain that to our kids.
I'm gonna get back to the office.
We measure the success of a mission by two things.
Was it successful, and how few civilians did we hurt? They measure success by how many.
Pregnant women are delivering bombs.
You're talking to me about international laws? The laws of nature don't even apply here.
I've been a soldier for 38 years, and I found an enemy I can kill.
He can't cancel Shareef's trip, Leo.
You've got to tell him he can't cancel it.
Excuse me, I'm looking for Josh Lyman.
They're getting telegrams, I just met with two congressmen.
- Amy got it going in 24 hours.
- Two-to-one against.
Yeah, I'm not talking about just a couple either.
- It'll be all right.
- Excuse me, Sam.
Hey, you just got back from someplace, right? Bismarck.
DNC platform hearings on dropping"North.
" - Just from the state? - Not the compass.
The chairman was a guy named Harry Conroy.
Yes.
He said,"Tell Sam Harry Conroy says get up off the dirt.
" - I am up off the dirt.
- Okay.
- I am.
- How you doing? - You got a second? - Actually, I'm crashing a deadline.
- I'll pick your spirits up.
- My spirits are up.
- I can do magic.
- Really? - Excuse me.
- Hey.
- Can I get the room a minute? - Come see me about that magic? Will do.
The first election I ever worked was Bronx borough president.
There were questions about my guy's tax returns, so we called a press conference.
It was 104 degrees that day on Bronx Boulevard.
I thought with a tax thing, the shorter the better so I turned off the air conditioning.
- Did the press end it fast? - Not so much as the candidate fainting.
Well, you changed the story.
I don't even think I ended up voting for him.
Now, your screwup was worse and on a much bigger stage.
- I'm fine.
- Yeah? This is no time for the starters to be on the bench.
All right.
I read the Everglades pitch from Muriel and Jane.
- Right, it's a pass.
- No, that's the memo I'm writing.
I don't think so.
I think anything tactical makes us look bad.
Well, we should get used to it.
We go on TV.
We do a better job selling it than the other guy.
We win the argument, which is Ritchie is with Florida's special interests.
And we do it right, we forced him into defending polluters.
Jane and Muriel are right.
Also, it's the right thing to do.
- Ginger? -Yeah.
- I'm printing this now.
You'll get it out? - Yeah.
- All right.
- Thanks, though.
- Sam.
- Yeah? You're still mad, right? Well, she needs the skills, And discretion, obviously.
A willingness to put this first, no matter what.
- But there's an X-factor, right? - Yes.
- What is it? - It's unknown.
- That's why it's called an X-factor.
- Yes.
- An intangible - I've got the lady.
I've got the lady.
I know who the lady's gonna be.
I've got the lady.
Josh, what the hell did you do to this welfare vote? - We scheduled it for Wednesday night.
- Why? Two reasons.
First was to get you out of the Catholic Charities event.
I'm going to that.
- Ritchie has accepted an invitation.
- I know.
- None of us thought it was a good idea.
- The fundraiser was my idea.
I've known the archbishop for 20 years.
I won't play politics.
Did anyone wanna ask me about this? You've got me running a vote from the floor of a Broadway theater.
- Where are we on the vote? - To be honest, we're slipping a little bit.
- We are? Why? - The women's groups are raising True or false, my life would be better if you and your girlfriend swapped jobs? Why is it for every good thing you do, we gotta endure three screwups? - Well, I'm sorry about this.
- Sorry doesn't get me 218.
It doesn't get back the ad that slipped through your office any more than it gets tobacco, which you gave away for lunch money.
And why don't you know what Ritchie's commitments are before you get anywhere near my schedule? I've got the presidential box at a cattle call.
Win the damn vote.
- Yes, sir.
- We've got a G-8 briefing.
Thank you, Mr.
President.
That was fun.
You should've come in.
- Should've let me use the car.
- It's 2 blocks.
- That's not the point.
- You're no fun.
Me? I'm nothing but fun.
What are you doing wrong right now? - Walking on the wrong side of you.
- Yes.
- We couldn't be people walking home? - We are.
You told me that you were at Rosslyn, and I never said anything.
- I should've said something.
- No.
What was your job right then? - To take the shooters down.
- I guess I figured.
I had a good angle on the left, which was Ray Beckwith.
- Which one was Beckwith? Was he? - The 15-year-old.
- Did you hit him? - A lot of people shooting at him.
Yeah, I hit him.
I know I did.
I killed him.
See? And you said I can't be fun.
I just like your smile, is all.
I wouldn't mind seeing it more.
- I can't.
No, I can't.
- No.
Yeah.
I was just You're right.
Shouldn't you be walking in front of me? - In a crowded place.
- We take chances? - I'll walk in front.
- Forget it, I'm home.
- Can we drop it? - Sure.
I'd just I say,"Can we drop it?" You say, "Sure," and then we don't drop it.
This is Thayer.
Four past midnight.
I've got Flamingo from Donovan.
- All right.
Take it easy, Pam.
- Good night, boss.
This has gotta be costing you an awful lot of PAC money.
You didn't wanna come up? It's after midnight.
They wouldn't let me up.
- We were working late.
- Yes, you are.
For every vote on the left you grab, I gotta get one on the right.
- You know what that does to the bill? - Yeah.
So we've been phone-banking the Bible belt telling them how weak the abstinence provisions are.
I've seen you level hotel ballrooms screaming about how ridiculous abstinence is.
I don't wanna sleep with them.
I want their vote.
When this is over and we win you know whose job it is to pay a visit to the people who weren't with us? What happened? - Nothing.
- You just threatened me.
What happened? Just because you have Sherry Lansing's platinum card doesn't mean you go toe-to-toe with people writing the federal budget when they need you.
- You're gonna put us out of business? - There's an election in November and you are a player in a political party.
If you win by selling out the party, who cares who wins? "Jed Bartlet, not quite as mean-spirited as the other guy.
" Doesn't really send me running to my polling place.
All right.
- Are you coming over? - I have to go back to the office.
We ought to be able to talk about this.
Yeah.
Mr.
President.
What are you doing here? It's 1:00 in the morning.
I called over to the residence.
They said you were in the office.
- You were home? - Yeah.
Hey, by the way, I signed off on canceling the trip.
I signed off on setting the vote.
You came over here to stand in front of Josh? No.
It's almost 8 a.
m.
in Qumar.
You shouldn't cancel the trip.
Tell me to call the State Department.
Why? - What are the alternatives? - What are you saying? - Are we going to attack Qumar? - Maybe.
Now? We can kill all the armed teenagers we want, we still won't have Shareef.
Let's get some more intelligence, some more counsel.
More counsel is gonna help me violate international law.
It's pretty easy to say this is a war scenario.
It's easy to say anything is a war scenario.
War on poverty.
It's a slippery slope.
- Stop it! - What? Just stop it already.
This is the most horrifying part of your liberalism.
- You think there are moral absolutes.
- There are moral absolutes.
Apparently not.
He's killed innocent people.
He'll kill more, so we have to end him.
The village idiot comes to that conclusion before the Nobel Laureate.
El Principe has justified every act of oppression.
- This is justified.
This is required.
- Says who? Says me, Mr.
President.
You wanna ask more people, they'll say so too.
- Well, a mob mentality is just - Not a mob.
Just you.
Right now.
This decision.
Which, by the way, is one of self-defense.
Let Shareef come here and we have options.
Cancel the trip and we have none.
That's all we're talking about right now.
There are moral absolutes.
Make the call.
Thank you, Mr.
President.