Madam Secretary (2014–…): Season 4, Episode 15 - The Unnamed - full transcript

Dalton! Dalton! Dalton! _

Dalton! Dalton! Dalton!

Thank you.

You know, uh, I once had a
basketball coach who said,

"You want to win,
get the ball in the hoop."

I'd, uh...

like to say the season I spent
as the starting forward

for the Hamilton High
Tigers was a winning one,

but, uh, I'm afraid we-we didn't
get enough balls in hoops.

But that season, I found something

I didn't know I'd been looking for.



That feeling of coming together
with a group of people

- who had your back.
- Hmm.

All of us trying to bring
out the best in each other.

I, uh, can see now that my
journey to public service

began with that failed season
on the Hamilton Tigers.

Now, uh, though my season in
politics may be ending...

my journey in public
service never will.

Nor should it for any of you.

So let's all keep
fighting for a strong,

prosperous and secure California
for generations to come.

It's been an honor, truly.

God bless the great
state of California.

And God bless all of you.

Thank you.



Dalton! Dalton!

Dalton! Dalton! Dalton!

Dalton! Dalton! Dalton!

- You have my vote, sir.
- Thank you. Thanks for being here.

Keep fighting. Appreciate it.

Ben. Sorry to break
your winning streak.

Yeah, should've had this one, Conrad.

Well, you ran a crack team.

Already off to the next rodeo?

Delaware house seat special election.

He's not half the candidate you are,

but if he manages to not skip
the debate at the last minute,

we might have a shot.

Go get 'em.

You, too.

All righty, Mr. President.

Hope you're not too nervous
for the big final exam.

My colleagues are
starting to fight over

who deserves credit for
your amazing recovery.

I'm sure you'll pass
with flying colors.

And here comes Russell,
to make sure I don't cheat.

I can come back later.

Stay.

He's good with an audience.
Something about

being the leader of the free world.

Soon to be.

If all goes well.

No pressure.

I'm gonna say five
words, and I want you

to repeat them back to me.

"Baby, monkey, glass, sunset, iron."

"Baby, monkey, glass, sunset, iron."

Good. Now, backwards?

"Iron, sunset, glass, monkey, baby."

Well done, sir.

Not sure I could remember all that.

I'm firing on all ganglia,
so I'm told.

Once we, uh, get the official results,

we'll just need you to
sign a letter to Congress,

ending your temporary medical leave,

and we're good to go.

I'll be happy to get back
to security briefings.

Why does anyone watch cable news?

First order of business
will be a ceremony

to present the Presidential
Medal of Freedom

to the newly elected
president of Myanmar.

U Khaing.

Ten years in prison, and now

he's their first
democratically-elected president

in over 50 years.

Yeah.

Very popular on cable news.

Well, the ceremony will
generate a lot of coverage.

It'll be a fitting welcome...
and welcome back...

to two valued leaders of democracy.

Well, let's see how
the tests come out.

- Morning.
- Hey.

Do you have time for a muffin?

Oh, what life would I be living

if I didn't have time for a muffin?

Not your best one.

Hey, you were up late last night.

Yeah, I have an antiquities final.

I'm seeing togas in my sleep.

I'll pick you up at the
train station, Maureen.

It's not a big deal.

Aunt Maureen is coming?

Why don't you say that louder?
I don't think she heard you.

- Sorry, I just didn't know.
- Oh, okay. Bye.

Yeah, it was kind of
a last-minute idea.

There's an art exhibit in
town she wants to see.

Aunt Maureen wants to
see an art exhibit?

Hey.

- What's that supposed to mean?
- I'm just surprised.

- What is it?
- Renoir.

- Well, that makes sense.
- Okay.

You know what?

- That is total elitism.
- You know, one year of art school,

- and you're all, like...
- It is.

I'm not being an elitist.

It's just all of those rosy
cheeks and flowery fields

- and little fluffy dogs.
- Oh, now I just want to go with you.

But I can't, because the
second most important visitor

is landing in D.C. in
less than an hour.

Oh, the new Burmese president.

Yeah. U Khaing.

That guy is so cool.

He's like the Nelson
Mandela of Myanmar.

Only, dreamy.

Okay, the Dalai Lama
passed through town,

and you didn't even look
up from your phone.

And now we know why. Okay, bye.

Oh, hey, dinner.

You know how Maureen is about takeout.

Yes, yes, I will definitely
be here for dinner.

- Oh... Yeah.
- Don't say "definitely."

Don't say... you're gonna curse it.

"Endeavor," then. I will
endeavor... g-good-bye.

Okay, that's better.

- Okay? Good luck.
- Okay, bye.

Welcome, President Khaing.

It is a tremendous honor,

Madam President.

President Dalton sends his regards.

I'm keeping the seat warm.

We love you!

Mr. President.

I didn't realize you
were the fifth Beatle.

Don't tell Yoko.

Come, please.

- Okay.
- Just look at that.

This guy's been in
prison for ten years,

and now he's president.

Well, house arrest.
It's not exactly prison.

Mm.

- It's different.
- It's not like he had Netflix.

He was free to leave
Myanmar at any time.

He said as long as his
people were imprisoned

under military dictatorship,
he'd stay in prison with them.

Hmm.

That's hot.

- Right?
- Mm-hmm.

Guess I'm gonna die alone.

During the years of my imprisonment,

three things gave me comfort:

my cat Sanda...

the note sometimes left for me

at great risk in my garden wall

by my Burmese brothers and sisters,

and my old copy of
Democracy in America

by Alexis de Tocqueville.

Being French, I'm afraid he
found your great experiment

full of weaknesses and failures.

But he always came back to hope.

America, you have been
the beacon of hope

to a small Asian nation

struggling in the darkness of tyranny

for most of its independence.

I come to you, a pilgrim,
offering one small light to add

to your great torch of freedom.

He doesn't have a speechwriter.

That's all him.

Okay, don't rub it in.

Ooh...

Russell.

I just got the message.

Everything okay?

He's fine.

He just needs to take a beat.

Well, how long is a beat?

The attorney general is waiting,

right now, with a letter
to sign for Congress.

He wants to make sure he's ready.

What are we talking here?

Another day?

Some time to think?

I don't want to be the
last to know, Russell.

If I had my run, I want to admit it.

Sir, a team of the best
neurologists in the country

unanimously agrees: you're fully
capable of resuming your duty.

They also said the effects
could be ongoing.

Which we will monitor,
address, if necessary.

I know you, sir.

Once you get your legs
under you, you'll be fine.

We've been here before.

I need some time.

We can, uh, we can push it a day.

He'll take the time he needs, Russell.

Okay.

- Welcome back, ma'am.
- Morning.

- Ma'am.
- Oh, I can guess what this is about.

Press is all over me
about Dalton refusing

to return to office.

The president is spending
a few days at Camp David

with the first lady.

Who said he's refusing?

I-Is it a health concern?

This is just me asking.

Also, the whole country.

The president has a perfectly
clean bill of health,

but he has also just had
major brain surgery,

so he wants to make sure
that he's fully recovered

before he takes over the
toughest job on the planet.

Where's Jay?

There's a childcare issue.

He said "ten minutes, tops,"
but i-it's a half hour.

I moved the morning meeting.

Ma'am, I have some news that
probably shouldn't wait.

We're getting reports from
UNICEF that a massive number

of Rohingya... Myanmar's
Muslim population...

are flooding across the
border into Bangladesh.

- When did that start?
- Well,

from what UNICEF's hearing,
the Rohingya are fleeing

some kind of violence that
started two days ago.

How many refugees?
Do we have an estimate?

Well, enough for Bangladesh to
call for emergency assistance.

They're already overpopulated
with not a lot of resources,

but the estimates are

in the hundreds of
thousands and growing.

Let's reach out to the U.N....

has President Khaing said
anything about this?

Not that I've seen.

- Blake.
- I'll set up a meeting.

- As soon as possible.
- Yes, ma'am.

There's a history of ethnic
tension in the region.

Maybe the military can
get it under control.

Unless it's the military
perpetrating the, uh, violence.

There was an attack a few weeks
ago by a Muslim separatist group

on some Burmese police.

This could be retaliation.

A state crackdown leading

to a mass exodus would
be extremely troubling.

Particularly

when we're about to
present their first

democratically-elected
leader the Medal of Freedom.

I mean, somebody has to
think about the optics.

- Yeah.
- Hey. Party in here.

Muslims fleeing Myanmar,

humanitarian crisis,
possible ethnic cleansing.

Hold on. We don't know enough
to call it "ethnic cleansing."

Oh, except the Rohingya
have kind of been living

in apartheid-like
conditions for generations.

They were rounded up and put in camps

as recently as... what was it... 2012?

It's a country

at a crossroads;
they're part democracy,

part military dictatorship.

They're still trying to come to
terms with their colonial past,

building a new economy...

We... we have to help them
go the right way here.

I just want to know when it's
Myanmar and when it's Burma.

Well, officially, it's Myanmar,

but the country still keeps
the old colonial name.

And the old colonial borders,
which is why the Buddhists feel

that the Muslim Rohingya should
have ended up in Bangladesh.

President Khaing is leading a prayer

at the Great River Buddhist temple,

then I'm told he's booked
for the rest of the day.

Well, then, I guess we're
about to go pray. Shall we?

President Khaing?

I'm so sorry.

So good to see you again,
Madam Secretary.

We're just about to begin.

We're not actually gonna stay.

This is my policy advisor,
Kat Sandoval.

- Mr. President.
- _

If we could just have a moment

- of your time.
- Of course.

We've had numerous reports
of your Rohingya people

fleeing some kind of
violence in your country.

And we just wanted to offer
whatever support we can

to help you address this crisis.

What kind of reports?

- Well...
- Refugee camps in Bangladesh

are being overwhelmed
by the Rohingya people.

Adults, as well as children,

are saying that they're
being driven out.

Great trouble with the Bengali.

It is both new

and goes back to the very
beginning of our country.

But the United States has its
own immigration troubles.

I'm sure you can understand.

Well, I'm not sure it's
an immigration issue,

when these people have lived
in the Rikhine State for...

generations.

But, right now, we're just trying

to understand what
exactly is happening.

As always with these matters,

it's very complicated.

There was recently a violent attack

by an Islamic insurgency against
out Burmese police forces.

Perhaps the fear of retaliation
prompted the sudden migrat...

What we're hearing, Mr. President,

are confirmed reports
of ongoing violence.

Specifically targeting
the Rohingya people.

We prefer to call these
people the Muslims

of the Rikhine State.

I'll confer with my advisors

on this matter and we'll
talk again when I know more.

- Thank you for your concern.
- Of course.

Why won't he call them Rohingya?

And since when is a refugee crisis

a spontaneous self-deportation?

I hate to say it, but I cannot believe

this is the guy we're honoring.

We need to figure out
what's really going on.

Hi.

Oh, there she is.

- Hey, Aunt Maureen.
- Come here, you.

Oh...

The best therapy in
the world right here.

- So great to see you.
- Oh, look at you, so beautiful.

- Where's Jace?
- He's at Piper's.

He promised he'll be back for dinner.

Who's this Piper I keep hearing about?

She's, like, the female Jace,
only actually cool.

You want a cup of tea, Mo?

Uh, sure, I'll have,
uh, something herbal.

Oh, uh, I got you a little something.

You didn't have to do that.

I told the guy at the art store

that my niece was a
professional designer.

Hopefully someday.

These are great.

You sure?

The guy wasn't taking me for a ride?

No, they're perfect.
Thank you so much.

Oh. Oh, I wish your
grandfather could see you

making your own clothes,
so professional.

Oh, he would've crushed that
dream right out of you.

Stop it. He would not.

Why don't I show you some of
the stuff I'm working on?

- That'd be great.
- Here you go.

Oh, thanks.

- Oh, I got something for you, too.
- What is it, Christmas?

I just found it in a drawer.

Oh. Dad's old knife.

- He had it all the time, remember?
- Mm-hmm.

There's a little release right here.

Yeah, I know how to...

Almost forgot about this.

I know he would have
wanted you to have it.

- Don't tell Shane.
- Oh, listen,

I just got a text from Elizabeth.

She's really sorry, but she is not
gonna make it home for dinner tonight.

- Called it.
- Oh, what a shame.

And I was even making
her favorite chicken

with mushroom sauce.

She really wanted to welcome you.

Well, let's do it tomorrow night,

when we can all be together.

I mean, I don't need a red carpet.

Why don't we order in?

- Really?
- Mm.

What are we in the mood for?

We like Thai.

Thai sounds great.

- I'll get a menu.
- Great.

Uh, all right, well, listen,

- I'll get your bag upstairs.
- Oh, no, no, no, no, no.

- I'll take, take care of it, no problem.
- You sure?

- Oh, yep, yep, yep.
- Okay. Second door on the left.

All right, well, it's
good to see you, brother.

Mmm.

You, too.

Sure.

Donna! Donna, hey.

I saw your e-mail.

I am late for a department meeting.
Can we talk after?

Okay, okay, well, did you
actually read my e-mail?

'Cause I'm pretty sure a massacre

takes precedence over
a department meeting.

Unless I'm missing something.

We're looking at a humanitarian
crisis in Myanmar.

President Khaing still
hasn't released a statement.

Of course, he won't say the name
of the people being slaughtered.

Rohingya is a contested term.
The Buddhist majority...

Yes.

See the Muslim minority
as illegal immigrants

from Bangladesh, so
they prefer "Bengali."

Our newly elected
humanitarian icon seems to be

turning a blind eye
to ethnic cleansing.

President Khaing is avoiding
taking sides because he can't.

That's a little hard to swallow
when we're about to present him

with the Presidential
Medal of Freedom.

But you know what? We will table that.

Right now I need a full report
on military and police activity

in the Rikhine State of Myanmar over

the last year and a detailed
record of the last week.

- I'll pull together what we have...
- Great.

But there isn't much.

Donna, can I ask why I
have NGOs on the ground

giving me more information
than our own East Asia desk?

Because operating on an
official level with Myanmar

right now is complex.

Well, it's al... it's always complex.

What? It's diplomacy.

What are we talking about here?

I'm going to say something
that may sound impertinent,

but for President Khaing's sake,

I respectfully request
that we not look further

into the actions of the
Burmese military right now.

Agreed on the impertinent part.

Now I get to ask: why?

The election of President
Khaing is nothing short

of a political miracle
in Southeast Asia.

But it only happened
because General Bo Htun

agreed to let his country's
most famous dissident

have a small measure of
power as long as Bo Htun

kept most control for himself.

If State starts throwing its
weight around too soon,

we risk undermining Khaing
at a crucial moment

in his presidency.

To put it more bluntly,
this is his fight, not ours.

I'll let you get to your meeting.

We have a situation.

We now have an estimate
of more than 100,000

Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar.

And the newly elected
president is denying

that any violence took place;

my own people are telling
us to leave it alone,

and the whole thing
is going to blow up

into an international story.

Just as Conrad is about to
present their president

with our highest honor.

Well, my greater concern is
another situation like Bosnia

or Rwanda, when the world stood by

while a massacre went unchecked.

- Where's the U.N. on this?
- Well,

we're all trying to
confirm whether this was

a state-ordered crackdown

of some kind or violence
between vigilante groups.

Once we know what's happening,
then we can talk interventions.

I can reach out

to the supreme commander
of the Burmese Army,

but if the president
isn't willing to talk...

I'm proposing military
drone surveillance.

- Violating their airspace?
- If they're not willing

to tell us what's going on,
then we have to find out

- for ourselves.
- Well, it's a provocative move

so soon into Khaing's first term.

China won't be happy.

Conrad is back in office in two days.

I say it's his call.

Might be best not to wait.

Meaning what?

The situation's evolving.

Precisely why I think

Dalton should be the one to decide

about committing our military assets.

Not that situation.

Is he all right?

There's no health issue.

That's all I can say right now.

You should make the call on Myanmar.

Order the surveillance.

So, are we still gonna
be here next week?

Eh. I can't say yet.

I think once you get back
in the swing of things...

The presidency doesn't "swing."

It comes at you, every minute.

Dr. Hubbard says you're ready.

Dr. Hubbard isn't in my head.

She also couldn't rule out
the chance of a recurrence.

A very small chance.

Not much bigger than
anyone else's chance.

Look, you'll do what you always do.

Consider the facts,

then trust your instincts.

Yeah.

Good evening from McClendon
University in Sacramento. _

- _
- Tonight in the race for governor,

we present the only debate
between our two candidates,

former Director of the
Central Intelligence Agency,

Conrad Dalton and incumbent Jack Dunn.

Good evening, California.

I'm Daffy Duck.

And you're despicable.

Quack, quack, quack.

So, I guess I'm Bugs Bunny.

Are we good?

Yep, we're good out here.

Can you bring Mr.
Dalton's key light down

about two percent, please?

Hey, we're just, uh,
finishing sound check.

You almost here?

I want the flags...

He gave them my name?

Are you sure?

When was this?

Tell them I'll be there
as soon as I can.

Yeah. Love you. Bye.

- Hey, Ben.
- One sec, we're almost done.

Ben.

I, uh, I need to get to Los Angeles.

Uh, absolutely, we'll,
we'll get you a ride tonight.

I need to go now.

The debate starts in two hours.

It's an emergency situation.

What's going on?

I can't really get into it.

I'm sorry to ask,
but is someone dying?

- No, no, nothing like that.
- Good.

'Cause unless someone
is dying right now,

you can't miss this debate. You can't.

I'm afraid I have to go.

So you're forfeiting
the entire campaign

and you can't even
give me a reason why?

I don't have a choice.

Yeah. Oh, yeah, you do.

Then this is what I'm choosing.

I'm sorry, Ben.

I'm sorry, everybody.

I'll call you from the road.

Great.

We'll, uh, we'll figure it out.

Nothing to figure out.

Your brother was brought
in around 4:10 today

with multiple fractures to
his left forearm and wrist

and severe facial contusions.

The social worker said there
was a violent altercation

at the men's shelter.

He also seemed to be
experiencing delusions,

possibly due to alcohol withdrawal.

He's schizoaffective.

Depressive type.

Must be going through an episode.

Okay.

So, you've not been in
touch with your brother?

He disappeared from a
psychiatric hospital

in Connecticut three years ago.

Hutton Presbyterian.

The family's been looking
for him every day.

We'll reach out to
Hutton for his records.

Right now we have him
on a benzodiazepine

to calm the delusions.

You're gonna want to
get him on an SSRI.

- That worked for a time.
- Okay.

Thank you, Dr. Guskin.

It's good he reached out to you.

Yeah.

Maybe I'll look into a hotel room.

It's wait and see at this point.

Lydia, I'll call you back.

Yeah. Love you.

John. Hey.

It's me.

What are you doing here?

Well, they said you gave them my name.

I must've been out of my mind.

It's good to see you.

You look like hell.

Want a drink of water?

Where the hell you been, you dumbass?

Gone.

Well, you're back now.

I got you.

Oh, wasn't that beautiful?

I felt like I just spent
the morning in Paris.

Please. It was like one long
celebration of the bourgeoisie

and now we have an endless array

of tchotchkes to prove it.

You think Erin would like this scarf?

I don't know.

She's probably not bourgeois enough.

There's nothing more unbearable
than a college freshman.

I wouldn't know much
about that, would I?

I'm starving.

Could we go get something to eat?

Just come here a minute.

You know, you know,

Maureen's been looking
forward to this.

She doesn't get a lot
of fun in her life.

Who's stopping her from having fun?

I was just stating my opinion.

Look, I know that it
seems sophisticated

to cut everything down,
but the actual sign

of a fine mind is the
ability to engage

in a broad spectrum of
culture without judging it.

And by the way,

Renoir is not just a celebration
of the bourgeoisie.

Sorry for being unsophisticated.

Should I go apologize?

Just...

take a little time and
get to know your aunt.

She's a sharp lady.
Ask her a question.

You might learn something.

Ma'am, I am so sorry to interrupt,

but we just got the report back

from the military
surveillance over Myanmar.

It is not good.

These villages look carpet-bombed.

Defense confirms it's military action.

General Bo Htun sent in troops
to burn everything to the ground

and drive out the Rohingya population.

There's evidence of mass graves.

So we are looking at ethnic cleansing.

Yep. Textbook case.

Well, now the question
is did this begin

the day that President
Khaing left the country

because the military didn't want him

to know about it or because

they were providing him with a cover?

One way he's completely powerless

and the other way, he is complicit.

Either way, our honored guest
is a potential war criminal.

What do we do next?

Find out what he knows.

Either leverage the heck out
of him or offer him our help.

You know, I might have something

that could help with the leveraging.

My supreme commander assures
me there've been no actions

against innocent civilians.

These are whole villages
burned to the ground.

This can't simply be people retreating

in fear of retaliation.

This is ethnic cleansing.

I must reject this
inflammatory terminology.

These clearance operations
targeted Bengali terrorists

who killed our security officers
and stole their weapons.

Acts of lawlessness must be answered.

Of course, but there are
ways to enforce laws

without violating the human rights

of your own citizens.

My people suffered 50 years
under a military dictatorship.

This type of autocracy thrives
on hatred and suspicion

to keep its people divided.

To bring Myanmar
together will take time,

economic growth,

the painstaking work
of cultural inclusion,

but I cannot unite my people

when they are threatened by extremists

who seek to annihilate
the very culture

that has hosted them for generations.

I understand.

There's...

one other thing that I
wanted to share with you.

These are drawings that were done

a couple of days ago
by Rohingya children

in a UNICEF camp in Bangladesh.

These are people fleeing
a burning village

under what appears to be
a military helicopter.

These are...

soldiers killing this boy's family.

That's his younger brother

being burned and shot.

Those are his parents.

These are extremely distressing,

if they are authentic.

I don't offer these as proof.

But we do offer these

as evidence that whatever

is being perpetrated in
the name of security

is marking a generation.

If you want to combat violent
extremism in Myanmar,

the actions of your military right now

are doing exactly the opposite.

Thank you for coming, Madam Secretary.

I've heard your message.

I'm gonna leave these here for you.

Good luck, Mr. President.

I didn't realize you could put
cheese on so many things.

Stevie would starve here.

Sorry if it's too American for you.

So, when did you get into
Renoir, Aunt Maureen?

Art class in high school, I guess.

Mrs. Abrams. Did you have her?

No. I had that guy.

Oh, yeah. I can't remember his name.

- That guy.
- Oh, yeah.

Mrs. Abrams was my lifeboat.

Cool. So, you were good at art?

Oh, not like you.

Mostly I loved when she
turned off the lights,

and showed the slides of the paintings

and talked about the
history, you know,

the life of the artist.

Did you ever want to do anything
with it? Study somewhere?

Oh, that wasn't possible.

You got good grades, Mo.

You could've gone somewhere.

Maybe in another life.

Maybe with another dad.

Oh, by all means,
don't miss an opportunity

to drag Dad through the mud.
Where's that waiter?

I'm just saying that
it wasn't your fault.

Oh, no, I was perfectly capable
of crushing my own dreams.

- - Birth control,
they talk to you about that?

Okay, yes, of course we did.

Come on, what about Shane?

He can barely get anything going.

You think that has nothing to
do with how we were brought up?

You know, where do I fall on
this list of family failures?

You see, I had to work, Alison.
That's something where

you get up and you do something
you don't want to do

- and they pay you for it.
- I don't judge any of us.

It's a miracle that we
can drive and vote.

Well, it's not like you
got anything we didn't.

- Ready to order?
- What are you talking about?

We're gonna need another minute.

I worked at Quick Pick.
You went to UVA.

That was the end of college for me.

How did I keep you
from going to college?

You were the boy. You got the money.

I made my peace with that.
Life isn't fair, kiddo.

- Something they don't tell you.
- Whoa, whoa.

You think Dad paid one
dime of my tuition?

I was ROTC, remember?

And then I paid all
my loans back myself.

- Well, that is not what I was told.
- Then you were lied to.

- Well, why would he say that?
- Because he didn't want you to go.

- What? That is incre...
- I know you don't want me to criticize Dad,

but this right here, the fact
you've been carrying this around

for all these years...
and he-he wanted that, too.

Keep us in line.

That is a terrible thing to say.

Well, it was a terrible thing to do.

And the worst part of it is I
think he did it because...

you were his favorite.

- What?
- I-I know

you want me to think well of him,

but... I can't.

And this is why.

We can send F18s off a
carrier in the Bay of Bengal

to immediately deter any
further destruction

of the Rohingya villages
in the Rakhine State.

However, with a significant
number of refugees

still fleeing to the border

through here, here and here,

and the open terrain,

there's a very high risk
of civilian casualties.

Where are we with U.N. ground troops?

I-I reached out to the
secretary general,

but we'd have to wait for a vote.

I think more immediate action

is called for.

We could always send in

our own ground troops,
but that's a direct affront

to the Myanmar military.

I can't imagine, Russell,
you would recommend

that course of action.

Well, there'd be some political
fallout in the region

and at home if any troops were lost.

Have we exhausted all
diplomatic options?

President Khaing is an elected leader

in a country that gives half
of its parliamentary seats

to the military.

There's only so much that he can do.

And so much for the
Presidential Medal of Freedom.

That's part of the problem.

The world thinks that
they elected a saint

and what we are getting

is a politician.

Well, I'll say it.

There's always staying out
of a fight that isn't ours.

It's true. We don't have
a great deal of interest

at stake in the region.

Except the first democracy
in half a century.

Lack of action does carry the risk

of playing out badly in the long term.

Intervening to prevent
another Rwanda...

shouldn't be too hard to sell.

And now is the moment to intervene.

Let's get some sorties in the air.

A show of force they can't ignore.

See if that opens things
up diplomatically.

Yes, ma'am.

Well...

for an acting president, she...

- is suddenly reluctant to act.
- Yeah, it happens

when they're new to office.

The reality sinks in.

So now we've got a couple
of hundred thousand people

stuck between two leaders,

both of them afraid to lead?

Yeah, I can think of a third.

Okay, what's going on with Conrad?

And don't give me the talking points.

There's not a lot to say.

His health is good.

Doctors say he's ready.

Something changed.

I'm not sure he wants it anymore.

Teresa isn't wrong to hesitate.

It's never easy putting
our troops on the line,

even when the cause is just.

I know you understand her reticence.

I understand it because I
nearly blundered us into a war

over some deranged folly.

- It's not an easy thing to live with.
- You were suffering

the effects of a brain tumor.

The country understands that.

We need you, Conrad.

When my brother was in his
senior year in high school,

he started to hear a voice.

He didn't tell anybody at the time.

It was only later he told me he
thought he was talking to God.

And then when the voice
told him to hurt himself...

he knew it was the Devil.

Knew it.

Took a full breakdown,

the first of many, before
he finally accepted

that his reality wasn't...

everyone else's.

He was totally sure.

You passed all the tests.

And I...

was completely sure about
calling that strike on Russia.

How can I ever be
sure of myself again?

That fact that you are
being this careful

proves that you are back to
the man that this country

chose to be its leader.

If I can't trust myself,
I can't lead, Bess.

You should take...

some more time.

Think it through.

But while you're thinking it through,

could I ask you to
consider one request?

Julie, where are we putting
the... Never mind, found it. _

Excuse me, Director Dalton?

How can I help you?

Russell Jackson.
I, uh, work with Ted Barnes

at party HQ.

Huh.

I don't think we met before.

I generally avoid daylight.

I watched your campaign.

You shouldn't be the one packing up.

Yeah. I think it's time to admit

I am not cut out for politics.

Oh, no, no, no, no.
I-I saw your kickoff speech

at the Steel Industries.

You said a lot of things
they didn't want to hear,

and they loved you anyway.

- That's pretty much the whole gig.
- Well,

hmm, that and winning.

I think we both know why
you didn't win this one.

Yep. Can't miss the debate.

Trust me, the point's been made.

Well, the mistake

wasn't missing a debate,
the mistake was...

hiding the reason why.

I'm very well connected.

Apparently.

You're a wonk and a spook.

You're not supposed to connect
at the podium, but...

you do.

'Cause you're real.

You can't fake that.

I've worked for plenty who tried.

So whoever talked you
into that BS statement

about cancelling due to
a scheduling matter,

that's the guy who blew it, not you.

The statement was mine.

Not throwing your team under the bus.

That's another reason
politics needs you.

We all have...

family issues that
keep us up at night.

Stop trying to be your
idea of a politician.

Be you.

'Cause that guy...

that guy has a future.

What?

Eh, it's a little hard getting
schooled in authenticity

by a guy with a comb-over.

How's that for real?

Mr. President.

They didn't tell me it was you.

It's good to meet you, Mr. President.

This is a tremendous honor. Please.

I didn't expect to see you until
the presentation ceremony.

Well, things being what they are,

this might not be the right
time for the Medal of Freedom.

But Acting President Hurst
thought I could offer

some counsel on your
refugee situation.

I see. Can I offer you
something to drink?

I'm good, thanks. I'm, uh...

I'm going to get right to the point.

You're a new leader.

It seems any way you move, you
bring the whole thing down.

- It's a bit more complicated.
- I'm sure.

Which puts you in the fog.

It's where you'll spend
too much of your time

if you're a good leader, so...

let me clear it up for you.

You need to bring your
Rohingya people home.

It is not possible at this time

to repatriate the Muslims
of the Rakhine State.

Is that how they refer to themselves?

Mr. President...

I am deeply grateful for the support

the United States and many
other nations have shown me.

But I was elected to lead
the people of Myanmar,

- not to please the Western world.
- That's right.

So you must lead all your people.

You're asking me

to put 97% of my country at great risk

in order to defend three percent.

No country willing to massacre
nearly a million of its citizens

can ever call itself a democracy.

I know your military uses

fear and suspicion to
hold onto its power.

But you have words.

The same words that won an election.

I've spoken of peace
and reconciliation

for over 20 years...

Say their name.

Start there.

Then give them a seat at the table

so they can speak their own words.

That's how you change things.

You say this as if it's easily done.

Finding your voice as a
leader is never easy, but...

it's pretty much the whole gig.

"The obstacle is the path."

Isn't that a Buddhist saying?

With the greatest respect, sir...

leave the Buddhism to me.

You have de Tocqueville.

"Nothing is more wonderful
than freedom...

but nothing is harder
to learn to use."

I hope to present you with that medal

the next time we see each other.

It was a scene

of devastation in Galveston,
Texas, as a freak storm...

- Here you go, Aunt Maureen.
- Mm, thanks, kiddo.

And I got you this. What is this?

I got it for you at the
gift shop yesterday.

Oh, isn't that pretty.

I know it's

a little bourgeois, but Dad is saying

that I need to be more open-minded.

He also said that you're
a total fiend at cards.

Oh, that's because I beat him
out of his birthday money.

Truth is, he's an easy mark.

I heard that.

Want to show me some skills?

Well, maybe later.

Watch out, Ali, this is how it starts.

She pretends that

she's not interested, and
then she wraps herself

around you like a snake.

I am trying to watch here.

Come on, one hand.

What's your game? Ah, five-card draw.

Shall we make it interesting, huh?

Ooh. Glutton for punishment, I see.

Why don't we play for cookies?

All right. I'm in for a snickerdoodle.

I will raise you an oatmeal raisin.

Anytime with that deal there.

Complaining about the
deal... an amateur move.

How much was

- that birthday money again?
- 50 bucks.

Do you even remember
what you did with it?

Saved it for college.

In responding to
the perceived threat

of ethnic unrest between
the Buddhist majority

and the Muslim, or Rohingya, people.

Did I miss it?

You're good. Slow down.

There was traffic, and...
and then that lady at security,

she had a lot of questions.

I didn't make everybody wait?

Take a breath, John.

- They'll wait as long as I tell them to.
- Yeah.

I guess so. You're the big chief.

Well, I'm not the big chief
again until I sign this thing.

Sir? When you're ready.

It's good to see you again, John.

I'm glad I made it.

Me, too.

by LiviuBoss
* Rambo Media Ltd *