The West Wing (1999–2006): Season 1, Episode 7 - The State Dinner - full transcript
While preparing for (and enduring) a state dinner for the newly-elected president of Indonesia, staff deal with a multitude of other problems: Josh and Mandy argue over the best way to handle an FBI standoff with militants in Idaho; Leo (and eventually Bartlet) intervenes in a negotiations between the Teamsters Union and national reps for the trucking industry; Toby tries to convince an Indonesian cabinet member to release a friend of his, an activist or incites anti-government protests, from prison; Sam witnesses Laurie at work as a call girl, serving as the state dinner date for a big fund raiser; and a pre-season hurricane initially threatens the Atlantic Coast, and then moves out to sea, where it puts an entire naval fleet in peril.
Previously:
You want to work for the leader
of the free world?
It took you long enough.
I'll give you a head start on this.
- Why?
- Being good.
This thing with your mom
and me will blow over.
It won't.
No bar will admit you
with a solicitation bust.
I won't get busted.
The first lady will wear a Badgley
Mischka silk gown, beaded bodice.
- Shoes?
- She'll be wearing shoes.
Black suede Manolo Blahnik slides
with a mother-of-pearl buckle.
- Accessories?
- Gabriel Sanchez pearl necklace.
She'll carry a Cristina Bomba
silk pleated organdy evening bag.
Mrs. Siguto?
She'll wear a silk
kebaya in dark purple...
...and a black lace overlay.
Matching evening slippers.
Her jewelry is by an artist
from her birthplace, Jakarta.
It is fashioned in rubies and gold.
Anything else?
Nothing on the Nuclear
Test-Ban Treaty?
No. Okay. Thank you.
I love when Instyle magazine
gets press credentials.
Mirabella had to know
what wine will be served.
- Good thing I had 22 years of school.
- Wine?
It's wine.
What do you need?
Sara's gained speed and power
and is now a class four system.
Mention preparations
and contingencies.
- What is Sara?
- A hurricane.
- Where's it going?
- Georgia. It'll hit tonight.
- Is it serious?
- Ever been in one?
Me neither, but they look serious.
- They voted to strike.
- Teamsters?
- Leo's got them in a room.
- How long will it last?
Midnight. Taft-Hartley expires.
Truckers walk.
- The state dinner's tonight.
- Make more food.
Know about the storm?
Everyone but me.
Start preparing.
There's a situation in McClane.
- Virginia?
- Idaho.
This place has been
surrounded four days.
A farmhouse with
18 to 40 survivalists.
- Armed? Are there kids?
- Yes.
FBI's deemed it a hostage situation,
so we got a new ball game.
Let me see if I have this.
A hurricane's heading for Georgia.
Management and labor are working out
a settlement to avoid a strike.
The government's planning a siege
on 18 to 40 citizens.
- During dinner for Indonesia's leader.
- You got it.
You know what
I'll get asked most often?
- Sondra?
- Sorry, C.J.
Black suede Manolo Blahnik slides
with a mother-of-pearl buckle.
- Thanks.
- No problem.
Low-pressure system.
Another system.
I'm talking to the Red Cross.
I'll call in an hour.
Donnatella Moss, a senior
Indonesian deputy is coming tonight.
Toby and I wanna talk to him alone.
Find out if he speaks English.
If not, we need an interpreter.
- What's his name?
- Rahmadi Sumahidjo Bambang.
- Can you spell that?
- Not correctly.
- I've gotta tell you something.
- What?
I'm not wild about this
Indonesian thing.
- I've been reading.
- I wish you wouldn't.
You cull some bizarre fact
from a disreputable source...
- ...and exaggerate it.
- I do not!
In certain parts of Indonesia...
...they execute people
they suspect of being sorcerers.
- What?
- I read it.
They execute people
suspected of being sorcerers?
- They behead them.
- Sorcerers?
Gangs of people beheading
suspected sorcerers with...
- What does Death carry?
- A scythe.
- With a scythe.
- Thanks for the heads-up.
That's who's coming to dinner.
- It got upgraded?
- It's a class 4.
FEMA's in Georgia
with the Red Cross.
President should prepare for
disaster relief.
- How about the truckers?
- I meet them in an hour.
C.J. needs to know
what they're wearing.
- The issue?
- Two-tiered hiring.
The company divides
itself into two bodies:
Full-time employees who enjoy
top market wages and benefits...
...and part-time or newer full-time...
...who are paid lower wages
and get no benefits.
But they're part-time.
A lot of designated part-time workers
are de facto full-time employees...
...working similar hours
with a different title...
...at lower wages
with no benefits.
- I'm with management.
- Imagine my surprise.
A young work force
looks for job flexibility...
...and won't commit to one company.
- What do you expect?
- Fair hiring.
McClane, Idaho... I need someone
to keep the president and me updated.
- I can.
- Work with Toby on the toast.
- Don't need him.
- You do.
- Takes two to write it?
- The State Department's particular.
- I'll assign someone.
- I'll do it.
- You can't.
- Why not?
You're a political consultant
and this is an actual thing.
I can play a role in issues. It won't
be the end to this administration.
Not this administration...
...but the end of this republic.
Establish a contact at the
Justice Department and the FBI...
...and keep Josh informed.
What else?
The Redskins suck.
Thank you.
- Did Josh talk to you about...?
- Rahmadi Sumahidjo Bambang?
- Yes.
- I'm on it.
You know that in parts of Indonesia
they execute suspected sorcerers?
Yes.
- You see?
- You're all crazy.
- Here, sir.
- Mr. President...
- No questions now.
- It's short.
She's not worried about
the length of your question...
...but the length of my answer.
- We're having salmon tonight.
- Yes.
- They told you that?
- Yes.
Yo-Yo Ma is going to play.
Some Bach concertos, I believe.
- Do you like salmon?
- No.
Well, our mistake.
Yes.
What have you got?
We start by welcoming
our friends and guests.
Praise Siguto for leading his country
through change as Indonesia moves...
...from dictatorship to democracy.
The beginnings of democracy.
Don't get carried away.
"We've been friends
for 50 years... "
- Don't say "friends. "
- It's a state dinner.
Don't remind people we were
friends of those...
...who oppressed people
while stealing their money.
- How else would you steal it?
- Write that in the toast.
You got something going on
tonight with Josh?
- Gotta see a guy about a thing.
- Need help?
No. Toughen this up.
Thirty days with a mediator,
you couldn't fix this?
- There's fundamental differences.
- Name them.
The two-tiered hiring.
Our industry
competes with FedEx, UPS...
...railroads, airlines,
freight operations.
To accept wage costs greater than
competitors' would cripple us.
- You're full of crap.
- This is the White House.
- Watch your mouth.
- Forgive me.
For all the danger your industry
faces from competition...
...trucks are still the main way of
moving things around, including food.
I'm talking about produce
rotting in warehouses.
I'm talking about fights in markets
over who gets the last bar of soap.
You have until midnight.
- You think I can't do this.
- Why aren't you in your office?
- I don't have an office here.
- There's a reason.
McClane police got a
search warrant for the house.
They believed there was a gun...
...made illegal by a barrel
shorter than its design.
The people, who are exactly who you
think, refused entry to the police.
Did they do it politely?
They produced weapons,
if that's what you mean.
It bugs you that
the president listens to me.
I'm bugged when he listens
to anyone besides me.
You know why the FBI believed
there was an illegal weapon?
We sold it to them.
- You know that for sure?
- Yeah.
There are children in there...
...and the deputy attorney general...
...the FBI and the ATF
don't know who's in charge.
Aside from everything else, this is
a PR disaster waiting to happen...
...and it's gonna happen today.
- This is why you hired me.
- I was wondering why that was.
- It bugs you.
- Yes.
Yes.
President Siguto,
how are you enjoying America?
- Fine, thank you.
- Would you mind expanding on that?
She'd like you to say
more on the subject.
I have nothing more
to say on the subject.
One more question?
- Mr. President?
- Which one?
President Bartlet. Did you see
the protestors this morning?
I try not to look out my window much.
Which ones?
- Vermeil.
- Vermeil?
I'll cover vermeil at the briefing.
I gotta bring in the next group.
Thank you.
- You don't know about it?
- It's about vermeil.
- What's vermeil?
- I know what vermeil is.
My 1:00 briefing will be
about vermeil protestors.
I asked a question, he didn't answer.
There should be some follow-up.
- Thanks.
- Carol?
She's gonna need you.
What's vermeil and
why are people protesting it?
- E-I-L?
- Maybe.
Good morning.
Good morning, Mr. President.
Would you excuse me?
Sir, if I could...?
Absolutely.
Pardon me one moment, please?
Excuse me, folks.
I can't decide if that
man's boring or rude.
I'm trying to figure out how
he campaigned and won...
...then I remember,
we rig the election.
Must he sit with me tonight?
He's the guest of honor.
- And you?
- Your table.
- Toby?
- With C.J. and Josh and Sam.
The fun table.
What do you need?
We're gonna clear a carrier
group from the Norfolk naval yard.
- The hurricane.
- It's standard. Get the ships out.
This is in case someone
asks why a carrier group...
...is in the North Atlantic.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
- Did I mention we're having salmon?
- Yes.
Read this.
"Indonesia's constitution
highlights democracy... "
- Read.
- I know what you're gearing up for.
Read!
"The ideology of Pancasila, which
your constitution is founded on...
...includes belief in a supreme being
and calls for tolerance. "
You underlined that.
"Freedom of the press... "
Is it good to invite people to dinner,
then tell them how they're wrong?
Absolutely.
Or it's just wasting food.
We're not saying how
to run their lives.
"It's time to meet
the promise enshrined...
...in the hearts of your people
as well as your laws"?
Friendly reminder.
- Can we soften this?
- No.
Something like,
"As has often been said:
A friend tells a friend
the truth. Sometimes...
...we speak candidly,
or we couldn't...
...hold the great honor of being known
the world over as Indonesia's friend. "
Wow.
That was just about
the worst writing I've ever heard.
I know.
Vermeil is silver, gilded in gold.
The White House has one
of the largest collections.
Why the protestors?
These are 18th and 19th-century
objects, many designed...
...by the noted silversmith
Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot.
The collection's in the Gold Room
with the glass chandelier...
...made in England in 1785.
What does it have to do
with protestors?
Nothing. It's interesting information
I thought I'd share with you.
Workers were blinded by
the mercury while making them.
Louis XV melted them
to pay for wars against his people.
Some see them as symbolic of
government oppression of the people.
We use them as
centerpieces with flowers.
Does the president worry
about sending a bad message?
I'll be honest.
I haven't run it by him yet.
I'll have that, and more scores
and highlights, at the next briefing.
Thank you.
I won't need a transcript of that.
You're a rabble-rouser.
You rouse rabbles.
I saw your vermeil demonstration.
Six people in Lafayette Park.
I didn't say it was Selma, Alabama.
Six people protesting on a Friday
and you just lent them a megaphone.
- What do you call it?
- A good job.
- You're proud of yourself.
- What are you wearing tonight?
Your paper wants to know?
- I do.
- You wanna know what I'm wearing?
Yeah.
I'm wearing an evening
gown of gray silk.
Good. I'll be looking forward to it.
I've got to go deal
with the vermeil crazies.
- See you.
- Okay.
I thought since this toast
is at the end of the talks...
...that we should lighten it up.
- I've got con law.
- Sit quietly?
- I need to study.
- Okay.
- Thanks.
- I'll have my sandwich.
Should I have the ham
or chicken salad?
The chicken salad's mine.
In this environment,
it's community food, right?
- Are you afraid of being seen with me?
- Because of your clothes?
- What's wrong with this?
- Nothing.
Because of my night job. You're not
afraid of being seen with me?
- No.
- Okay.
- Your night job's crummy.
- Yes.
- You got a thing tonight? Date?
- A client? Yeah.
- Who? I was just...
- I thought we had a deal.
- Where you going?
- I don't know.
I don't know.
He calls and says what to wear.
- It's a surprise.
- Is this someone who's...?
I have class and haven't finished...
It's Gideon v. Wainwright,
372 U.S. 335.
Cite the precedent,
cite Black's opinion for the majority.
Thank you for the geek bravado...
...but I'd like to learn this
so I can graduate...
...practice law
and end my night job.
Learn from my experience.
School bears little relationship
to practice.
It bears a relationship to graduating,
right? Shut up.
Your night job stinks,
and I'm taking your sandwich.
We're all agreed that
militias pose an inherent threat.
They're well-armed cadres of lunatics
who undermine government.
Would it be inappropriate
for me to speak?
No, of course not.
Kooks, nuts, extremists,
the lunatic fringe element:
This is the inevitable
byproduct of a democracy...
...such as pornography is a
byproduct of free speech.
They aren't thumbing through Hustler.
They're armed and holding hostages.
We think they're holding hostages.
We sold them the gun to begin with.
- It's called a sting.
- Another word for it is entrapment.
- A judge won't...
- I'm not talking about the courts.
- I'm talking public opinion.
- This is two different conversations.
- You want to raid?
- Not with guns blazing.
We'll fire tear gas
through windows.
The front page will be
a woman with a baby...
...and FBI jackets in the foreground.
We could starve them out.
They've a five-year supply of rations,
to say nothing of ammunition.
There's no way this'll end good.
So end it fast.
- I agree.
- What about a negotiator?
- Negotiate what?
- A peaceful settlement.
This is a standoff.
A settlement is "Put your guns down. "
It would be wise if we tried
every peaceful solution...
...before we got all Rambo-ed up.
Mandy, thank you. Josh, will
you two give us a minute, please?
It's not macho for the White House to
be aggressive in preserving democracy.
It's not the nuts that are
the threat to democracy.
As history has shown us,
the greatest threat to democracy...
...is the state's power
over its citizens...
...which is always unleashed in the
name of preservation.
This isn't abstract.
This isn't theoretical.
The FBI says "Come out,"
you do it.
Then you avail yourself
of the justice system.
You believe that, or are you
pissed because I got in the game?
The president's with you.
Chafey's sending a negotiator.
Good.
You're in the game now.
If you can't say why you're there,
you're a sorcerer.
If you try to run, you're a sorcerer.
The prudent thing is to stand
still and explain your business.
Once the scythe comes out,
I'm probably gonna haul ass.
- Excuse me.
- What?
- I need a favor.
- What is it?
- My grandparents live near Georgia.
- Are they evacuating?
- I don't know.
- Phones are down in Georgia.
- I'm sorry to ask you this, but...
- Donna, call FEMA. Use my name.
When that doesn't work,
use Leo's name.
- They don't get around well.
- We'll find them.
Hi.
I look good, don't you think?
You do too,
but I look even better.
The FBI guy's been
in there a few hours.
- Think that's good?
- I really don't know.
I'm asking you what you think.
I don't have any thoughts on it.
- And the Teamsters?
- I don't know.
- Any news on the hurricane?
- I don't know.
- What is it you do here exactly?
- It's never been made clear to me.
He's not here.
- We look good!
- Don't we?
Do you guys want to be alone?
I'm finishing up this speech.
Can you think of some connection...
...between Siguto
and the U.S., from his past?
He was almost pushed from an
airplane by a CIA operative.
- I'll leave that out.
- I would.
Excuse me, Josh.
Can I speak with you?
- Is he in? Let's go.
- There's a problem.
This is Mr. Minaldi, the interpreter
for the State Department.
- Do you speak Indonesian?
- There's no such language.
Indonesians speak 583
different languages.
I speak Javanese.
Mr. Bambang speaks Batak.
- It's under control.
- It's 7:30. Anyone at State?
- No. Mr. Minaldi speaks Portuguese.
- And?
A guy in the kitchen
can translate Mr. Bombang's...
Bambang's Batak into Portuguese,
then Mr. Minaldi will translate.
Why can't the kitchen guy
translate Batak into English?
- He can't speak English.
- You're kidding.
He speaks Batak and Portuguese,
though.
- Is the bar open?
- Yeah.
Make this work.
I'm sorry.
Have you seen the first...?
- Good evening.
- Nice threads, girl.
Showing a little decolletage
wouldn't have killed you.
Harry and Nancy O'Malley,
Douglas and Barbara Colson...
- ...and Steven Colson, a cardiologist.
- Pleasure.
Pleasure to meet you.
This is C.J., the press secretary.
She's not married, Steven,
and no boyfriend.
- Thank you, Mrs. Bartlet.
- Would you excuse us?
He's heir to Colson Technologies.
- I appreciate the thought.
- What's up?
I spoke to Peggy about the vermeil.
I'm not embarrassed by it.
We didn't spend new money.
- But it's history.
- Better or worse, it's our history.
We won't lock it in the basement
or brush it with paint.
Okay. Good answer.
- The truth does it almost every time.
- Yes, ma'am.
- Cardiologist.
- Yes, ma'am.
I'm sorry, is that Leo McGarry
or is that Fred Astaire?
- Fred Astaire.
- Where's my husband?
On a call.
He'll meet you there.
- Teamsters?
- It's been 10 hours.
- What do you think?
- We'll be okay.
Mingle.
- Anything?
- This is the Red Cross.
- What about Idaho?
- Nobody's calling back.
What is going on?
Schmooze someone for me.
He's Carl Everett, and he's raised
a ton of money for us in the Midwest.
Carl, I'd like you to meet...
Toby Ziegler, Sam Seaborn,
and Joshua Lyman.
- Our reputations precede us.
- They ought to. You do fine work.
- Excuse me.
- How long you in town, Mr. Everett?
Just for the night.
Let me introduce my date. Brittany?
This is Brittany.
This is...
- Toby Ziegler.
- Josh Lyman.
- Sam Seaborn.
- Nice to meet you.
We're gonna head over.
- Maybe I'll talk with you all later.
- Great.
- Have a good time.
- Thank you.
Charlie! Your grandparents
are in a shelter in Granville.
Thank God.
How long do they have to stay?
People are being sent
back right now.
The hurricane shifted direction.
It's moving to the Atlantic.
- What's happening?
- A new situation.
It's moving east.
What kind of situation?
There's a fleet of ships out there.
- Oh, God.
- Do you know about this?
They evacuated a carrier
group this morning...
...as a safety precaution.
They're in the path of the hurricane.
- Can they get out?
- It's 600 miles wide.
They're locked in.
How bad can this get?
- Catastrophic.
- What do you want to do?
- Let's do this and then get ready.
- I should start now.
I don't want to tip the press.
Let's go to a party.
Appreciate your call.
Thank you.
I'm not hearing anything from
the FBI or from Justice.
I can't get information out of Idaho.
- It's over.
- What do you mean?
That was Chafey. They took the house,
34 occupants, all in custody.
What happened?
They shot the FBI negotiator.
He's in critical condition.
Ladies and gentlemen,
President and Mrs. Bartlet...
...accompanied by
President and Mrs. Rahm Siguto.
I should call... Get on the phone.
I'm gonna throw up.
- Without warning?
- Yeah.
It shifted direction with no warning?
- It's not an anomaly, but it's unusual.
- I would think.
How big is this carrier group?
How many men, how many ships?
It has the carrier
John F. Kennedy...
...which carries 5000 men,
two guided missile cruisers...
...two destroyers and two
battleships. Over 12,000 men.
- How soon before the worst starts?
- About 20 minutes.
Can I speak with the fleet commander?
We can set a hookup right here.
- Do it.
- Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you.
- Any word on the FBI guy's condition?
- They're prepping him for surgery.
What do I do now?
Go back to the party.
Mr. Gomez.
You speak Batak, is that correct?
And, as you just did,
you also speak Portuguese.
But not English.
Those are tough languages.
You may want to try English one
day, seeing how you live here.
Don't translate that.
Mr. Bambang, thank you for agreeing
to meet with me today.
"You're welcome. "
Sorry I'm late.
I'm Josh Lyman.
This is gonna take a while.
- "Pleased to meet you. "
- Enjoying the evening?
This isn't the best
kind of thing for chitchat.
- Mandy's upset.
- You talk to her?
- I didn't do a great job.
- "I didn't like the salmon. "
He's answering a question
from half an hour ago.
- Mr. Bambang...
- Why don't we just speak in English?
I was told... You should keep
in mind all the things I do right.
- Should I go?
- Yes.
Mr. Gomez, Mr. Minaldi,
thank you for your trouble.
What can I do for you, gentlemen?
A friend of mine's in one of your
jails. I want you to let him out.
- But your friend isn't an American.
- He's French.
Why not let the French
take care of it?
He's my friend and
the French don't care.
- The extradition process is...
- We don't mean that.
You unlock the cell, put him in a car,
and drive him to the border.
He led demonstrations.
- He teaches students how to protest.
- So you're asking as a favor.
Senior aide to senior aide.
- Yes.
- I think you have a lot of nerve.
That was a humiliating toast
your president made...
...and I know you were
the one who wrote it.
Understand that with so many
people watching, so much coverage...
...we had to be clear that the U.S...
...with its commitment
to human rights, is obligated...
Don't you find it
hypocritical that a people...
...who wiped out a century's
worth of Native Americans...
...should lecture the world
so earnestly on human rights?
Yes, I do.
You humiliated my president tonight,
for no other reason than to show off.
Now you want me to do you a favor?
Go to hell.
- We'll talk to the French.
- Yeah.
We'll talk to the French.
That's a nice dress.
You're not supposed to be here.
KDHN reports an FBI agent went
down in a raid in McClane.
- Statement in 15 minutes.
- What happened?
Did you hear me say 15 minutes?
What did I do?
Do you flirt with me to get stories?
I'm doing it to flirt with you.
- I don't believe you.
- That's your problem.
What's Sara gonna hit?
You say I'm too friendly with press,
and I'm a weak press secretary.
I never said you're weak.
- You thought it.
- You did well with the vermeil.
- You're doing it.
- I know.
- I have work to do.
- No problem.
You really like the dress?
Yes.
All right, whatever.
- I hope the FBI guy pulls through.
- Fifteen minutes.
To accept these policies...
...would weaken our
ability to represent...
...or retain younger workers,
and we won't let it happen.
- I disagree.
- No kidding.
- How we doing?
- We're at an impasse.
Hungry? Tired? Talk to me five minutes
apiece and we'll settle this.
Stay standing.
- Have you got just a minute?
- Sure.
- Can I cut to the last page?
- Sure.
You're someone
I could have a relationship with.
- A relationship with me?
- What do you say?
I cost $500 an hour.
In the private sector,
I cost $500 an hour.
- I don't understand.
- Want some food?
There's Todd. Excuse me.
- I didn't know.
- What?
- I didn't know where he was taking me.
- He just tells you what to wear.
- That's great.
- This isn't exactly your business.
I'm not here for you.
I'd be here whether you were or not.
You're just some guy
who happens to know me.
- Thanks.
- You know what I mean.
Talk about being here and not being
here till blood pours out my ears.
- Good evening.
- Are you enjoying yourself?
Yes.
Won't you introduce me?
- Okay.
- Mrs. Bartlet, I'm Brittany Rollins.
- Abigail Bartlet.
- It's an honor.
You're sweet. Sorry to interrupt.
I'm looking for the president.
He's in the West Wing.
I'm not sure why, but I can...
- To pistol-whip the trucking industry.
- Why would he...?
Because he can't save a gunshot victim
or stop a hurricane.
- You are thoroughly charming.
- Thank you.
- Excuse me.
- Yes, ma'am.
That was incredible.
I'm just gonna eat, if that's okay.
I'll give you $10,000
not to go home with him tonight.
An inflationary surge would wreak
havoc on economic policies...
- ...that allow the U.S. to enjoy...
- Time's up.
I didn't get my full five minutes.
I got tired of listening.
Now you listen.
I have a Nobel Prize in economics.
None of you have a clue.
At 12:01 a.m., I'm using my executive
power to nationalize trucking.
- You can't.
- Fourteen of my lawyers disagree.
- Truman did it.
- The Supreme Court struck it down.
New bench. I'll take my chances.
As for labor, I'm calling Congress
into session...
...to give me power to draft truckers.
You're gonna love our food.
Nice talking to you folks.
If this isn't settled in 47 minutes,
we know where to find you.
I shouldn't have stayed away so long.
- I'm all right.
- I shouldn't have extended the trip.
I approved a plan
for an FBI negotiator.
- I know.
- He's in surgery now.
One of the things that happens
when I stay away...
...is that you forget you don't have
the power to fix everything.
You have a big brain
and a good heart...
...and an ego the size of Montana.
You do, Jed.
You don't have the power
to fix everything.
But I do like watching you try.
What the hell...?
If this isn't a metaphor for
powerlessness, I don't know what is.
We better get back to work.
- Sir?
- We got the commander?
Radios are down on the JFK...
...along with the
Normandy and South Carolina.
We've got the Hickory...
...a maintenance and supply boat
that sails with the fleet.
So I'll talk to the
captain of the Hickory?
The intercom's out.
They're looking for him on foot, sir.
- Is someone there?
- Kid in the radio shack.
- You're kidding.
- No, sir.
Talk to the boy.
- Hello, anyone there?
-This is the USS Hickory.
This is the White House.
Who is this?
This is signalman third class
Harold Lewis.
Son, this is President Bartlet.
Hello?
-Yes, sir.
- Is your C.O. around?
Sir, they're getting him
right now, sir.
Can I talk to you in the meantime?
-Yes, sir.
- Are you all right, Harold?
I hit my head on... I hit my head.
- Are you bleeding?
-Yes, sir.
- Can you put something on it?
-I need to get to the other....
I can't reach it.
You go over and get it.
I'll stay right here.
Harold, are you back?
Yes, sir. The skipper
should be here any minute.
- Can you tell us what's going on?
-Well....
We're here.
Can you tell us what's going on?
We're looking at 80-foot seas
with winds up to 120 knots...
... we have solid green water
over the bow...
... and we've got a fire
in the engine room.
We lost our running lights
and may get run over...
... by an aircraft carrier
that can't see in the dark.
I don't know, man.
Sounds pretty bad.
I think I'd ask for my money back.
Yes, sir.
I'm gonna stay right here
while the radio works, okay?
Yes, sir.
Hang on.
You want to work for the leader
of the free world?
It took you long enough.
I'll give you a head start on this.
- Why?
- Being good.
This thing with your mom
and me will blow over.
It won't.
No bar will admit you
with a solicitation bust.
I won't get busted.
The first lady will wear a Badgley
Mischka silk gown, beaded bodice.
- Shoes?
- She'll be wearing shoes.
Black suede Manolo Blahnik slides
with a mother-of-pearl buckle.
- Accessories?
- Gabriel Sanchez pearl necklace.
She'll carry a Cristina Bomba
silk pleated organdy evening bag.
Mrs. Siguto?
She'll wear a silk
kebaya in dark purple...
...and a black lace overlay.
Matching evening slippers.
Her jewelry is by an artist
from her birthplace, Jakarta.
It is fashioned in rubies and gold.
Anything else?
Nothing on the Nuclear
Test-Ban Treaty?
No. Okay. Thank you.
I love when Instyle magazine
gets press credentials.
Mirabella had to know
what wine will be served.
- Good thing I had 22 years of school.
- Wine?
It's wine.
What do you need?
Sara's gained speed and power
and is now a class four system.
Mention preparations
and contingencies.
- What is Sara?
- A hurricane.
- Where's it going?
- Georgia. It'll hit tonight.
- Is it serious?
- Ever been in one?
Me neither, but they look serious.
- They voted to strike.
- Teamsters?
- Leo's got them in a room.
- How long will it last?
Midnight. Taft-Hartley expires.
Truckers walk.
- The state dinner's tonight.
- Make more food.
Know about the storm?
Everyone but me.
Start preparing.
There's a situation in McClane.
- Virginia?
- Idaho.
This place has been
surrounded four days.
A farmhouse with
18 to 40 survivalists.
- Armed? Are there kids?
- Yes.
FBI's deemed it a hostage situation,
so we got a new ball game.
Let me see if I have this.
A hurricane's heading for Georgia.
Management and labor are working out
a settlement to avoid a strike.
The government's planning a siege
on 18 to 40 citizens.
- During dinner for Indonesia's leader.
- You got it.
You know what
I'll get asked most often?
- Sondra?
- Sorry, C.J.
Black suede Manolo Blahnik slides
with a mother-of-pearl buckle.
- Thanks.
- No problem.
Low-pressure system.
Another system.
I'm talking to the Red Cross.
I'll call in an hour.
Donnatella Moss, a senior
Indonesian deputy is coming tonight.
Toby and I wanna talk to him alone.
Find out if he speaks English.
If not, we need an interpreter.
- What's his name?
- Rahmadi Sumahidjo Bambang.
- Can you spell that?
- Not correctly.
- I've gotta tell you something.
- What?
I'm not wild about this
Indonesian thing.
- I've been reading.
- I wish you wouldn't.
You cull some bizarre fact
from a disreputable source...
- ...and exaggerate it.
- I do not!
In certain parts of Indonesia...
...they execute people
they suspect of being sorcerers.
- What?
- I read it.
They execute people
suspected of being sorcerers?
- They behead them.
- Sorcerers?
Gangs of people beheading
suspected sorcerers with...
- What does Death carry?
- A scythe.
- With a scythe.
- Thanks for the heads-up.
That's who's coming to dinner.
- It got upgraded?
- It's a class 4.
FEMA's in Georgia
with the Red Cross.
President should prepare for
disaster relief.
- How about the truckers?
- I meet them in an hour.
C.J. needs to know
what they're wearing.
- The issue?
- Two-tiered hiring.
The company divides
itself into two bodies:
Full-time employees who enjoy
top market wages and benefits...
...and part-time or newer full-time...
...who are paid lower wages
and get no benefits.
But they're part-time.
A lot of designated part-time workers
are de facto full-time employees...
...working similar hours
with a different title...
...at lower wages
with no benefits.
- I'm with management.
- Imagine my surprise.
A young work force
looks for job flexibility...
...and won't commit to one company.
- What do you expect?
- Fair hiring.
McClane, Idaho... I need someone
to keep the president and me updated.
- I can.
- Work with Toby on the toast.
- Don't need him.
- You do.
- Takes two to write it?
- The State Department's particular.
- I'll assign someone.
- I'll do it.
- You can't.
- Why not?
You're a political consultant
and this is an actual thing.
I can play a role in issues. It won't
be the end to this administration.
Not this administration...
...but the end of this republic.
Establish a contact at the
Justice Department and the FBI...
...and keep Josh informed.
What else?
The Redskins suck.
Thank you.
- Did Josh talk to you about...?
- Rahmadi Sumahidjo Bambang?
- Yes.
- I'm on it.
You know that in parts of Indonesia
they execute suspected sorcerers?
Yes.
- You see?
- You're all crazy.
- Here, sir.
- Mr. President...
- No questions now.
- It's short.
She's not worried about
the length of your question...
...but the length of my answer.
- We're having salmon tonight.
- Yes.
- They told you that?
- Yes.
Yo-Yo Ma is going to play.
Some Bach concertos, I believe.
- Do you like salmon?
- No.
Well, our mistake.
Yes.
What have you got?
We start by welcoming
our friends and guests.
Praise Siguto for leading his country
through change as Indonesia moves...
...from dictatorship to democracy.
The beginnings of democracy.
Don't get carried away.
"We've been friends
for 50 years... "
- Don't say "friends. "
- It's a state dinner.
Don't remind people we were
friends of those...
...who oppressed people
while stealing their money.
- How else would you steal it?
- Write that in the toast.
You got something going on
tonight with Josh?
- Gotta see a guy about a thing.
- Need help?
No. Toughen this up.
Thirty days with a mediator,
you couldn't fix this?
- There's fundamental differences.
- Name them.
The two-tiered hiring.
Our industry
competes with FedEx, UPS...
...railroads, airlines,
freight operations.
To accept wage costs greater than
competitors' would cripple us.
- You're full of crap.
- This is the White House.
- Watch your mouth.
- Forgive me.
For all the danger your industry
faces from competition...
...trucks are still the main way of
moving things around, including food.
I'm talking about produce
rotting in warehouses.
I'm talking about fights in markets
over who gets the last bar of soap.
You have until midnight.
- You think I can't do this.
- Why aren't you in your office?
- I don't have an office here.
- There's a reason.
McClane police got a
search warrant for the house.
They believed there was a gun...
...made illegal by a barrel
shorter than its design.
The people, who are exactly who you
think, refused entry to the police.
Did they do it politely?
They produced weapons,
if that's what you mean.
It bugs you that
the president listens to me.
I'm bugged when he listens
to anyone besides me.
You know why the FBI believed
there was an illegal weapon?
We sold it to them.
- You know that for sure?
- Yeah.
There are children in there...
...and the deputy attorney general...
...the FBI and the ATF
don't know who's in charge.
Aside from everything else, this is
a PR disaster waiting to happen...
...and it's gonna happen today.
- This is why you hired me.
- I was wondering why that was.
- It bugs you.
- Yes.
Yes.
President Siguto,
how are you enjoying America?
- Fine, thank you.
- Would you mind expanding on that?
She'd like you to say
more on the subject.
I have nothing more
to say on the subject.
One more question?
- Mr. President?
- Which one?
President Bartlet. Did you see
the protestors this morning?
I try not to look out my window much.
Which ones?
- Vermeil.
- Vermeil?
I'll cover vermeil at the briefing.
I gotta bring in the next group.
Thank you.
- You don't know about it?
- It's about vermeil.
- What's vermeil?
- I know what vermeil is.
My 1:00 briefing will be
about vermeil protestors.
I asked a question, he didn't answer.
There should be some follow-up.
- Thanks.
- Carol?
She's gonna need you.
What's vermeil and
why are people protesting it?
- E-I-L?
- Maybe.
Good morning.
Good morning, Mr. President.
Would you excuse me?
Sir, if I could...?
Absolutely.
Pardon me one moment, please?
Excuse me, folks.
I can't decide if that
man's boring or rude.
I'm trying to figure out how
he campaigned and won...
...then I remember,
we rig the election.
Must he sit with me tonight?
He's the guest of honor.
- And you?
- Your table.
- Toby?
- With C.J. and Josh and Sam.
The fun table.
What do you need?
We're gonna clear a carrier
group from the Norfolk naval yard.
- The hurricane.
- It's standard. Get the ships out.
This is in case someone
asks why a carrier group...
...is in the North Atlantic.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
- Did I mention we're having salmon?
- Yes.
Read this.
"Indonesia's constitution
highlights democracy... "
- Read.
- I know what you're gearing up for.
Read!
"The ideology of Pancasila, which
your constitution is founded on...
...includes belief in a supreme being
and calls for tolerance. "
You underlined that.
"Freedom of the press... "
Is it good to invite people to dinner,
then tell them how they're wrong?
Absolutely.
Or it's just wasting food.
We're not saying how
to run their lives.
"It's time to meet
the promise enshrined...
...in the hearts of your people
as well as your laws"?
Friendly reminder.
- Can we soften this?
- No.
Something like,
"As has often been said:
A friend tells a friend
the truth. Sometimes...
...we speak candidly,
or we couldn't...
...hold the great honor of being known
the world over as Indonesia's friend. "
Wow.
That was just about
the worst writing I've ever heard.
I know.
Vermeil is silver, gilded in gold.
The White House has one
of the largest collections.
Why the protestors?
These are 18th and 19th-century
objects, many designed...
...by the noted silversmith
Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot.
The collection's in the Gold Room
with the glass chandelier...
...made in England in 1785.
What does it have to do
with protestors?
Nothing. It's interesting information
I thought I'd share with you.
Workers were blinded by
the mercury while making them.
Louis XV melted them
to pay for wars against his people.
Some see them as symbolic of
government oppression of the people.
We use them as
centerpieces with flowers.
Does the president worry
about sending a bad message?
I'll be honest.
I haven't run it by him yet.
I'll have that, and more scores
and highlights, at the next briefing.
Thank you.
I won't need a transcript of that.
You're a rabble-rouser.
You rouse rabbles.
I saw your vermeil demonstration.
Six people in Lafayette Park.
I didn't say it was Selma, Alabama.
Six people protesting on a Friday
and you just lent them a megaphone.
- What do you call it?
- A good job.
- You're proud of yourself.
- What are you wearing tonight?
Your paper wants to know?
- I do.
- You wanna know what I'm wearing?
Yeah.
I'm wearing an evening
gown of gray silk.
Good. I'll be looking forward to it.
I've got to go deal
with the vermeil crazies.
- See you.
- Okay.
I thought since this toast
is at the end of the talks...
...that we should lighten it up.
- I've got con law.
- Sit quietly?
- I need to study.
- Okay.
- Thanks.
- I'll have my sandwich.
Should I have the ham
or chicken salad?
The chicken salad's mine.
In this environment,
it's community food, right?
- Are you afraid of being seen with me?
- Because of your clothes?
- What's wrong with this?
- Nothing.
Because of my night job. You're not
afraid of being seen with me?
- No.
- Okay.
- Your night job's crummy.
- Yes.
- You got a thing tonight? Date?
- A client? Yeah.
- Who? I was just...
- I thought we had a deal.
- Where you going?
- I don't know.
I don't know.
He calls and says what to wear.
- It's a surprise.
- Is this someone who's...?
I have class and haven't finished...
It's Gideon v. Wainwright,
372 U.S. 335.
Cite the precedent,
cite Black's opinion for the majority.
Thank you for the geek bravado...
...but I'd like to learn this
so I can graduate...
...practice law
and end my night job.
Learn from my experience.
School bears little relationship
to practice.
It bears a relationship to graduating,
right? Shut up.
Your night job stinks,
and I'm taking your sandwich.
We're all agreed that
militias pose an inherent threat.
They're well-armed cadres of lunatics
who undermine government.
Would it be inappropriate
for me to speak?
No, of course not.
Kooks, nuts, extremists,
the lunatic fringe element:
This is the inevitable
byproduct of a democracy...
...such as pornography is a
byproduct of free speech.
They aren't thumbing through Hustler.
They're armed and holding hostages.
We think they're holding hostages.
We sold them the gun to begin with.
- It's called a sting.
- Another word for it is entrapment.
- A judge won't...
- I'm not talking about the courts.
- I'm talking public opinion.
- This is two different conversations.
- You want to raid?
- Not with guns blazing.
We'll fire tear gas
through windows.
The front page will be
a woman with a baby...
...and FBI jackets in the foreground.
We could starve them out.
They've a five-year supply of rations,
to say nothing of ammunition.
There's no way this'll end good.
So end it fast.
- I agree.
- What about a negotiator?
- Negotiate what?
- A peaceful settlement.
This is a standoff.
A settlement is "Put your guns down. "
It would be wise if we tried
every peaceful solution...
...before we got all Rambo-ed up.
Mandy, thank you. Josh, will
you two give us a minute, please?
It's not macho for the White House to
be aggressive in preserving democracy.
It's not the nuts that are
the threat to democracy.
As history has shown us,
the greatest threat to democracy...
...is the state's power
over its citizens...
...which is always unleashed in the
name of preservation.
This isn't abstract.
This isn't theoretical.
The FBI says "Come out,"
you do it.
Then you avail yourself
of the justice system.
You believe that, or are you
pissed because I got in the game?
The president's with you.
Chafey's sending a negotiator.
Good.
You're in the game now.
If you can't say why you're there,
you're a sorcerer.
If you try to run, you're a sorcerer.
The prudent thing is to stand
still and explain your business.
Once the scythe comes out,
I'm probably gonna haul ass.
- Excuse me.
- What?
- I need a favor.
- What is it?
- My grandparents live near Georgia.
- Are they evacuating?
- I don't know.
- Phones are down in Georgia.
- I'm sorry to ask you this, but...
- Donna, call FEMA. Use my name.
When that doesn't work,
use Leo's name.
- They don't get around well.
- We'll find them.
Hi.
I look good, don't you think?
You do too,
but I look even better.
The FBI guy's been
in there a few hours.
- Think that's good?
- I really don't know.
I'm asking you what you think.
I don't have any thoughts on it.
- And the Teamsters?
- I don't know.
- Any news on the hurricane?
- I don't know.
- What is it you do here exactly?
- It's never been made clear to me.
He's not here.
- We look good!
- Don't we?
Do you guys want to be alone?
I'm finishing up this speech.
Can you think of some connection...
...between Siguto
and the U.S., from his past?
He was almost pushed from an
airplane by a CIA operative.
- I'll leave that out.
- I would.
Excuse me, Josh.
Can I speak with you?
- Is he in? Let's go.
- There's a problem.
This is Mr. Minaldi, the interpreter
for the State Department.
- Do you speak Indonesian?
- There's no such language.
Indonesians speak 583
different languages.
I speak Javanese.
Mr. Bambang speaks Batak.
- It's under control.
- It's 7:30. Anyone at State?
- No. Mr. Minaldi speaks Portuguese.
- And?
A guy in the kitchen
can translate Mr. Bombang's...
Bambang's Batak into Portuguese,
then Mr. Minaldi will translate.
Why can't the kitchen guy
translate Batak into English?
- He can't speak English.
- You're kidding.
He speaks Batak and Portuguese,
though.
- Is the bar open?
- Yeah.
Make this work.
I'm sorry.
Have you seen the first...?
- Good evening.
- Nice threads, girl.
Showing a little decolletage
wouldn't have killed you.
Harry and Nancy O'Malley,
Douglas and Barbara Colson...
- ...and Steven Colson, a cardiologist.
- Pleasure.
Pleasure to meet you.
This is C.J., the press secretary.
She's not married, Steven,
and no boyfriend.
- Thank you, Mrs. Bartlet.
- Would you excuse us?
He's heir to Colson Technologies.
- I appreciate the thought.
- What's up?
I spoke to Peggy about the vermeil.
I'm not embarrassed by it.
We didn't spend new money.
- But it's history.
- Better or worse, it's our history.
We won't lock it in the basement
or brush it with paint.
Okay. Good answer.
- The truth does it almost every time.
- Yes, ma'am.
- Cardiologist.
- Yes, ma'am.
I'm sorry, is that Leo McGarry
or is that Fred Astaire?
- Fred Astaire.
- Where's my husband?
On a call.
He'll meet you there.
- Teamsters?
- It's been 10 hours.
- What do you think?
- We'll be okay.
Mingle.
- Anything?
- This is the Red Cross.
- What about Idaho?
- Nobody's calling back.
What is going on?
Schmooze someone for me.
He's Carl Everett, and he's raised
a ton of money for us in the Midwest.
Carl, I'd like you to meet...
Toby Ziegler, Sam Seaborn,
and Joshua Lyman.
- Our reputations precede us.
- They ought to. You do fine work.
- Excuse me.
- How long you in town, Mr. Everett?
Just for the night.
Let me introduce my date. Brittany?
This is Brittany.
This is...
- Toby Ziegler.
- Josh Lyman.
- Sam Seaborn.
- Nice to meet you.
We're gonna head over.
- Maybe I'll talk with you all later.
- Great.
- Have a good time.
- Thank you.
Charlie! Your grandparents
are in a shelter in Granville.
Thank God.
How long do they have to stay?
People are being sent
back right now.
The hurricane shifted direction.
It's moving to the Atlantic.
- What's happening?
- A new situation.
It's moving east.
What kind of situation?
There's a fleet of ships out there.
- Oh, God.
- Do you know about this?
They evacuated a carrier
group this morning...
...as a safety precaution.
They're in the path of the hurricane.
- Can they get out?
- It's 600 miles wide.
They're locked in.
How bad can this get?
- Catastrophic.
- What do you want to do?
- Let's do this and then get ready.
- I should start now.
I don't want to tip the press.
Let's go to a party.
Appreciate your call.
Thank you.
I'm not hearing anything from
the FBI or from Justice.
I can't get information out of Idaho.
- It's over.
- What do you mean?
That was Chafey. They took the house,
34 occupants, all in custody.
What happened?
They shot the FBI negotiator.
He's in critical condition.
Ladies and gentlemen,
President and Mrs. Bartlet...
...accompanied by
President and Mrs. Rahm Siguto.
I should call... Get on the phone.
I'm gonna throw up.
- Without warning?
- Yeah.
It shifted direction with no warning?
- It's not an anomaly, but it's unusual.
- I would think.
How big is this carrier group?
How many men, how many ships?
It has the carrier
John F. Kennedy...
...which carries 5000 men,
two guided missile cruisers...
...two destroyers and two
battleships. Over 12,000 men.
- How soon before the worst starts?
- About 20 minutes.
Can I speak with the fleet commander?
We can set a hookup right here.
- Do it.
- Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you.
- Any word on the FBI guy's condition?
- They're prepping him for surgery.
What do I do now?
Go back to the party.
Mr. Gomez.
You speak Batak, is that correct?
And, as you just did,
you also speak Portuguese.
But not English.
Those are tough languages.
You may want to try English one
day, seeing how you live here.
Don't translate that.
Mr. Bambang, thank you for agreeing
to meet with me today.
"You're welcome. "
Sorry I'm late.
I'm Josh Lyman.
This is gonna take a while.
- "Pleased to meet you. "
- Enjoying the evening?
This isn't the best
kind of thing for chitchat.
- Mandy's upset.
- You talk to her?
- I didn't do a great job.
- "I didn't like the salmon. "
He's answering a question
from half an hour ago.
- Mr. Bambang...
- Why don't we just speak in English?
I was told... You should keep
in mind all the things I do right.
- Should I go?
- Yes.
Mr. Gomez, Mr. Minaldi,
thank you for your trouble.
What can I do for you, gentlemen?
A friend of mine's in one of your
jails. I want you to let him out.
- But your friend isn't an American.
- He's French.
Why not let the French
take care of it?
He's my friend and
the French don't care.
- The extradition process is...
- We don't mean that.
You unlock the cell, put him in a car,
and drive him to the border.
He led demonstrations.
- He teaches students how to protest.
- So you're asking as a favor.
Senior aide to senior aide.
- Yes.
- I think you have a lot of nerve.
That was a humiliating toast
your president made...
...and I know you were
the one who wrote it.
Understand that with so many
people watching, so much coverage...
...we had to be clear that the U.S...
...with its commitment
to human rights, is obligated...
Don't you find it
hypocritical that a people...
...who wiped out a century's
worth of Native Americans...
...should lecture the world
so earnestly on human rights?
Yes, I do.
You humiliated my president tonight,
for no other reason than to show off.
Now you want me to do you a favor?
Go to hell.
- We'll talk to the French.
- Yeah.
We'll talk to the French.
That's a nice dress.
You're not supposed to be here.
KDHN reports an FBI agent went
down in a raid in McClane.
- Statement in 15 minutes.
- What happened?
Did you hear me say 15 minutes?
What did I do?
Do you flirt with me to get stories?
I'm doing it to flirt with you.
- I don't believe you.
- That's your problem.
What's Sara gonna hit?
You say I'm too friendly with press,
and I'm a weak press secretary.
I never said you're weak.
- You thought it.
- You did well with the vermeil.
- You're doing it.
- I know.
- I have work to do.
- No problem.
You really like the dress?
Yes.
All right, whatever.
- I hope the FBI guy pulls through.
- Fifteen minutes.
To accept these policies...
...would weaken our
ability to represent...
...or retain younger workers,
and we won't let it happen.
- I disagree.
- No kidding.
- How we doing?
- We're at an impasse.
Hungry? Tired? Talk to me five minutes
apiece and we'll settle this.
Stay standing.
- Have you got just a minute?
- Sure.
- Can I cut to the last page?
- Sure.
You're someone
I could have a relationship with.
- A relationship with me?
- What do you say?
I cost $500 an hour.
In the private sector,
I cost $500 an hour.
- I don't understand.
- Want some food?
There's Todd. Excuse me.
- I didn't know.
- What?
- I didn't know where he was taking me.
- He just tells you what to wear.
- That's great.
- This isn't exactly your business.
I'm not here for you.
I'd be here whether you were or not.
You're just some guy
who happens to know me.
- Thanks.
- You know what I mean.
Talk about being here and not being
here till blood pours out my ears.
- Good evening.
- Are you enjoying yourself?
Yes.
Won't you introduce me?
- Okay.
- Mrs. Bartlet, I'm Brittany Rollins.
- Abigail Bartlet.
- It's an honor.
You're sweet. Sorry to interrupt.
I'm looking for the president.
He's in the West Wing.
I'm not sure why, but I can...
- To pistol-whip the trucking industry.
- Why would he...?
Because he can't save a gunshot victim
or stop a hurricane.
- You are thoroughly charming.
- Thank you.
- Excuse me.
- Yes, ma'am.
That was incredible.
I'm just gonna eat, if that's okay.
I'll give you $10,000
not to go home with him tonight.
An inflationary surge would wreak
havoc on economic policies...
- ...that allow the U.S. to enjoy...
- Time's up.
I didn't get my full five minutes.
I got tired of listening.
Now you listen.
I have a Nobel Prize in economics.
None of you have a clue.
At 12:01 a.m., I'm using my executive
power to nationalize trucking.
- You can't.
- Fourteen of my lawyers disagree.
- Truman did it.
- The Supreme Court struck it down.
New bench. I'll take my chances.
As for labor, I'm calling Congress
into session...
...to give me power to draft truckers.
You're gonna love our food.
Nice talking to you folks.
If this isn't settled in 47 minutes,
we know where to find you.
I shouldn't have stayed away so long.
- I'm all right.
- I shouldn't have extended the trip.
I approved a plan
for an FBI negotiator.
- I know.
- He's in surgery now.
One of the things that happens
when I stay away...
...is that you forget you don't have
the power to fix everything.
You have a big brain
and a good heart...
...and an ego the size of Montana.
You do, Jed.
You don't have the power
to fix everything.
But I do like watching you try.
What the hell...?
If this isn't a metaphor for
powerlessness, I don't know what is.
We better get back to work.
- Sir?
- We got the commander?
Radios are down on the JFK...
...along with the
Normandy and South Carolina.
We've got the Hickory...
...a maintenance and supply boat
that sails with the fleet.
So I'll talk to the
captain of the Hickory?
The intercom's out.
They're looking for him on foot, sir.
- Is someone there?
- Kid in the radio shack.
- You're kidding.
- No, sir.
Talk to the boy.
- Hello, anyone there?
-This is the USS Hickory.
This is the White House.
Who is this?
This is signalman third class
Harold Lewis.
Son, this is President Bartlet.
Hello?
-Yes, sir.
- Is your C.O. around?
Sir, they're getting him
right now, sir.
Can I talk to you in the meantime?
-Yes, sir.
- Are you all right, Harold?
I hit my head on... I hit my head.
- Are you bleeding?
-Yes, sir.
- Can you put something on it?
-I need to get to the other....
I can't reach it.
You go over and get it.
I'll stay right here.
Harold, are you back?
Yes, sir. The skipper
should be here any minute.
- Can you tell us what's going on?
-Well....
We're here.
Can you tell us what's going on?
We're looking at 80-foot seas
with winds up to 120 knots...
... we have solid green water
over the bow...
... and we've got a fire
in the engine room.
We lost our running lights
and may get run over...
... by an aircraft carrier
that can't see in the dark.
I don't know, man.
Sounds pretty bad.
I think I'd ask for my money back.
Yes, sir.
I'm gonna stay right here
while the radio works, okay?
Yes, sir.
Hang on.