The West Wing (1999–2006): Season 2, Episode 1 - In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part I - full transcript

Previously on The West Wing:

My father sees danger,
like, behind curtains.

Zoey, do me a favor.
Walk on the other side of me.

Josh, sometimes I wonder if I listened
to you two years ago...

...would I be president now?
You ever wonder that?

No, sir, I know it for sure.

Gun!

Get down!

-Get in the car!
-Move!

--at this time.
No idea or clear indication....

-ls Zoey secure? Get her again.
-She wasn't hit, sir--



-Get her on the radio.
-Sir, she can't talk right now.

-Why can't she talk?
-She's vomiting in the car.

-lt happens, sir.
-Why is she vomiting?

-She might have gotten elbowed--
-ls Gina with her?

-Gina put her in the car.
-She's not with her.

She's got two other agents in the car.
They're gonna have her...

-...back in the White House--
-Why isn't Gina in the car?

Gina put Zoey in the car, stayed behind
for the lD agent. Mr. President, please.

-ls anybody dead back there?
-We don't know. We don't think so.

-What happened to your hand?
-I got hit.

Oh, God. Coop, turn around.
We gotta go to the hospital.

-We've gotta get you--
-The hospital. Let's go!

I have to put you inside the White House.
This isn't something we discuss.

This is-- My daughter is throwing up
on the floor in the car behind us.



You're losing blood by the liter, not to
mention how many broken bones...

...in your hand, but let's make
sure I'm tucked in bed before we--

Mr. President?

GW, move, move, move!

She's stable. Get me some 4-by-4s.

-I'm really fine.
-Scalp laceration, secondary to fall.

-I hit my head on the ground.
-No LOC.

Somebody put me down.

-Are you C.J. Cregg?
-Yeah.

-Can you tell me what day it is?
-It's still Monday.

C.J., you're more shaken up
than anything else.

Won't need stitches, but you
should find a place to lie down.

-ls the president dead?
-I wouldn't know anything about that.

-Over there, sir. Behind the ambulance.
-You all right, ma'am?

Please. Behind!

-You all right?
-What?

-You all right?
-Where's the president?

On his way back to the White House,
so is Zoey. They just put Leo in a car.

-Are you all right?
-Somebody put me down.

-Gina!
-I can't talk right now. Gina T oscano.

-T ommy Cho.
-You're the lD agent.

Two shooters in that window. Got them
from the roof, but there was a signal.

-There was somebody on the ground?
-White male. 20, 25, maybe 5' 1 0".

-What else?
-Wearing a baseball cap.

What kind of cap?

-Maybe it got knocked off in the crowd.
-What kind of cap?

I don't know.

Fix a perimeter. Close the airport.
Shut them down.

I want the Harbor Patrol
and the Coast Guard.

Stevie! Paul!

Josh? Josh?

-Hey, Charlie.
-Are you okay?

-Yeah. You seen Josh?
-He got in the car with Leo.

No, he didn't. Shannahan got in
with Leo. Josh didn't get in the car.

-Can we get some help?
-Yeah. Stay right there.

Josh, didn't you hear me
shouting for you?

I didn't know where the hell you....

I need a.... I need a doctor! I need help!

Dr. Partridge, you 're wanted....

-Hi.
-Hey. Your best friend's back.

Thank you for that. Cynthia. Hi.
You can follow me.

She's been in twice a week for three
weeks. She can't feel the baby kick.

I should say, "Wait till eight months,
the kid will be doing the Macarena.

In the meantime,
this is an emergency room. "

-Did you really say that?
-No. I'm saying I should have said that.

Emergency room.

-Station one.
-We're coming in.

-I copy that. Is this a drill?
-No!

The thing is, I have a few patients.
A couple of kids with alcohol poisoning...

...and we' re expecting more.
So if this is a drill, I'd just as soon....

T rauma 1! T rauma 1, blue, blue!
Trauma 1, blue.

Go.

-You got priorities?
-No priorities.

Put them in a van.
They're going to Memorial.

Okay, people. I need you to follow this
gentleman to the van that's waiting.

I need the south door clear. There are
two back doors and a loading dock.

Put two units on the scaffolding
and get some light out there.

-Give me ultrasound and a crash cart.
-Eagle's two minutes away.

Mr. Vice President, could you
hold the shirt up?

Now, one of my roommates
at SMU was Drew Harper.

-Anybody know that name?
-' 72?

' 72 Olympics in Munich. I played against
him in a pickup game...

...and I thought I'd stuff him
with an overhead slam.

He sent that ball back at me
like I talked about his sister.

Coach, I wanna congratulate you
and your team and the NCAA...

...on a great season. You got four
starters returning, so l' m confident--

Excuse me. Everyone stay where you are.

Mr. Vice President,
would you come with us, please?

-Mrs. Bartlet.
-ls he conscious?

He's conscious and they' re moving him
to pre-op. Hit in the side, entry and exit.

-What about Zoey?
-Got her in the car.

She's on her way to GW.

Let's go, let's go, let's go!

He's been shot in the abdomen.
Visible entry and exit wound.

BP, 1 34/78. Pulse, 1 08.

-What's his pulse ox?
-98.

Mr. President, I'm Dr. Keller.
I'm the trauma surgeon on duty.

The exit wound is a good indication.
We like your vital signs.

If I don't speak to my daughter
in five minutes...

-...I'm gonna attack someone.
-On her way.

He's got about seven broken bones
in his hand, by the way...

...if somebody wants to give him
an aspirin or something.

Okay, sir. We're just gonna
get you stabilized.

I want you to wait as long as you can
before you give me the anesthesia.

-I need to speak to Leo McGarry.
-He's on his way as well.

I need to ask you some questions, sir.
Do you have any medical conditions?

Well, I've been shot.

-Good evening, Mrs. Landingham.
-Evening, Margaret.

-The president's not back yet?
-I imagine he's schmoozing the rope line.

You know, he says he's coming straight
back, but he can't resist a rope line.

Never has. He'll complain,
but he just can't resist it.

-I remember a time about 1 0 years ago--
-Mrs. Landingham.

-More, maybe 1 2--
-Mrs. Landingham.

Good evening. We are getting reports
that multiple gunshots were fired...

...at President Bartlet as he was leaving
a public event in Rosslyn, Virginia.

The shots were fired approximately seven
minutes ago from an office building....

-Dad?
-I ' m okay.

-Daddy?
-Didn't hit anything.

They' re just gonna look around
and make sure.

-Are you in pain?
-No.

-Are you lying?
-Yeah. I want these guys...

...to tell reporters
that I was brave and joking around.

-You are brave. You were good tonight.
-Honey, I'm fine.

-I'm just so happy to see you.
-Mom's on her way.

-Mom's gonna be pretty pissed.
-Yeah.

-How you doing, kid?
-I'm fine.

She booted all over the back of her car.
You know they'll bill me for that.

-Yeah.
-Honey, do me a favor, will you?

Yeah. I'll step outside.
I'll go wait for Mom.

T ell her not to frighten the doctors.
See you in a couple hours.

-I love you.
-I love you too, hon.

-Anybody killed back there?
-The two shooters.

-Got them through the window.
-Anybody in the crowd?

Some injuries.
They' re coming right now.

-What about our people?
-C.J. hit her head on the ground...

-...but other than that....
-Here's the 1 6.

-Get the Cabinet together.
-Yes, sir.

And the Security Council. T ell Jerome to
suspend trading on the stock exchange.

-Do we know who the shooters were?
-No.

I' m gonna be under anesthesia
for a couple hours.

-lt'll be fine.
-You know what I'm talking about?

-I'll talk to Abbey.
-Sir, it's time.

Hey, come here.

It's okay.

I'll see you in a few hours,
Mr. President.

Okay, Zoey, I'll find out.

-You all right?
-Yeah. And Dad's making jokes.

Good ones? Okay.

-Abbey.
-Hi.

-This is Dr. Keller.
-Yes. We spoke in the car.

-Hello.
-What's his PO-2?

-It's 1 00.
-Gonna do a laparoscopy?

Yeah. We wanna make sure
the peritoneum's intact.

-Who's the anesthesiologist?
-Dr. Lee.

-Right. You'll be okay for a minute?
-Yeah.

-Dr. Lee?
-Dr. Bartlet.

I hope they told you that
it's looking very good.

There are 1 4 people in the world who
know this, including the vice president...

...the chief of staff, and the
chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

You are going to be the 1 5th.

Seven years ago,
my husband was diagnosed...

...with a relapsing,
remitting course of MS.

When all this is over,
tell the press, don't tell the press.

It's entirely up to you.

-You all right?
-Yeah.

-Was there someone on the ground?
-There was a signal.

-I couldn't give a description.
-They close the airports?

And Union Station. We've got
300 field agents working Rosslyn...

...but I can't tell them
what they' re looking for.

-You got the girl in the car, Gina.
-It's right in front of my face.

Look at me. I'll--

Gunshot wound! No exit!

Decreased breath sounds on the left.
Pulse ox, 92 on 1 5 liters.

-It's Josh!
-I've got the HemoCue.

-Trauma panel--
-What happened?

-I don't know. He was behind us.
-Single gunshot wound.

-Entry, left fifth intercostal space.
-Josh, I'm here.

--at this meeting.
I shouldn't be at this meeting.

-Trauma 1 's ready.
-Get a needle. Chest tube tray.

-Senator....
-T ell me what's happening.

-I don't have time.
-Shouldn't be at this meeting.

-Pulse ox, 88.
-I need to get to New Hampshire.

You went to New Hampshire.
We both did. You came and got me.

On my count. One. Two. Three.

Josh, a bullet collapsed your lung.
I'm putting in a tube to expand it.

-Bradying down.
-Okay, tube him now.

-8-0 ET tube.
-Social Security....

-Senator.
-Social Security is the black hole--

-Senator.
-Social--

-Senator.
-Social Security--

-Y es.
-Social Security is the black hole...

-...of national politics.
-Yes.

Josh was cutting me off because
he knew I was gonna say that.

-Because I have said it, what...?
-Few hundred times.

And I would just as soon not
get lost in it 1 3 weeks before...

...the New Hampshire primary. It is the
third rail. You step on it and you die.

Of the 537 federal elected officials,
there are 30 who've put their names...

...on Social Security reform legislation.
You' re one of them. Why not say so?

-He will say so, just not now.
-Mark, at $400 billion...

...Social Security represents
one-fourth of the federal budget...

...and it's gonna be bankrupt
in exactly 1 7 years.

Right around the time
you' re gonna check your mailbox.

Half the elderly population will be living
in poverty. This qualifies as a priority.

Running for president of the United
States, not putting Social Security...

...front and center is like running for
president of Disney by saying...

-...you' re gonna fix the rides at Epcot.
-We' re gonna get to Social Security.

It's a long campaign.
For now, we focus on the tax cuts.

-It's what magicians call misdirection.
-It's what the rest of us call bull--

Knock it off.

I have a vote.

The rest of you should stay here
and work on the ethanol tax credit.

Josh, come with me, would you?

You don't seem to be having
a very good time lately.

I don't think the point of this
is for me to--

You've been pissed off
in every meeting for a month.

Senator, you' re the favorite to be
the Democratic nominee for president.

You have $58 million in a war chest
with no end in sight, and....

I don't know what we' re for.

I don't know what we're for
or what we're against...

...except we seem to be for winning
and against somebody else winning.

-It's a start.
-Senator--

We'll run a good campaign.
You'll be very proud of it.

And when we get to the White House,
you'll play a big role.

In the meantime, cheer up and
get off my ass about Social Security.

I've gotta vote.

-Josh.
-Mr. Secretary.

I hope you don't mind
I didn't make an appointment.

-I'm trying to fly under the radar.
-No, of course not...

...but the senator just went down
for a vote.

The annual vote to override the veto
on shipping nuclear waste to Nevada.

-Yeah.
-lt won't pass.

-No kidding.
-Actually, I came to see you.

-Really?
-Yeah.

-What can I do for you?
-You mind if we take a walk?

-Sure.
-I heard your dad was in...

-...the hospital again.
-Yeah, they think they got it all this time.

-ls he taking it easy?
-No. He does the opposite.

Seven every morning, comes home
at 8 every night.

On the weekends, he cleans the gutters
and yells at the squirrels.

-Why does he yell at the squirrels?
-They eat out of the bird feeder.

-You know, they make a thing now--
-He prefers to admonish them.

Listen, I need to get back
to this meeting.

Josh, I'd like you to come to
Nashua, New Hampshire Thursday...

...and hear Jed Bartlet speak.

-I work for Senator Hoynes.
-Yeah.

-Mr. Secretary--
-I'm not in the Cabinet anymore. Leo.

-Hoynes has the nomination sewn up.
-Yeah.

And if Bartlet's looking to be
treasury secretary...

...or a slot at the convention,
this really isn't--

-Come to Nashua Thursday night.
-Why?

Because that's what sons do for old
friends of their fathers. I'll see you then.

-Mr. Secretary--
-Leo.

Leo, the Democrats aren't gonna
nominate another liberal, academic...

...former governor from New England.

I mean, we're dumb,
but we're not that dumb.

I think we're exactly that dumb.

Yeah. Janet, I need you to set up
some train tickets for me.

I think tomorrow at some point....

All in, showroom floor
to your garage, $1 8 million.

-1 8 million is a cheap price, isn't it?
-Yes, it is.

What you're happy about isn't the price.
It's the structure of the deal.

-Well, how do you figure that?
-Sam's gonna tell you about it. Sam.

-Structure versus cost.
-Yeah.

What Jack means is that if you were
getting the tankers for...

... $1.85 in trading stamps,
it'd still be a bad deal...

-...if we didn't limit your liability.
-And did you?

We did, by creating a separate
corporation for each one of them...

-...mortgage the boats top to bottom.
-Ships.

-I'm sorry?
-Oil tankers aren't boats. They' re ships.

You want me to buy the boats, you're
not asking me to be first mate, right?

No.

You wanna finance the tankers 1 00%
so that if litigation does penetrate...

...the liability shield we've set up,
there are no assets...

...at the end of the line, just debt.
You' re judgment-proof.

Let me run and get the tax figures
while David and Rita talk about...

...IMO regulations.

Sam, there's a guy waiting in your office
who said he's a friend of yours.

-What's his name?
-Josh Lyman.

-Seriously?
-Yeah.

How you doing?

-Hey, you look fit.
-You made partner?

Next month. Listen, I'm hungry. You
wanna go get a hot dog or something?

-It's 9:30 in the morning.
-Yeah, they'll be fresh. Come on.

Okay.

I was gonna call before I came,
but the strangest thing happened.

-What?
-I forgot the name of your firm.

-Gage Whitney?
-Yeah.

-You couldn't remember Gage Whitney.
-I know.

-Second biggest law firm in New York.
-I know.

The Shearson deal, Transcom....

I really do know Gage Whitney. I'm
saying I'm just having a brain problem.

What are you doing in town?

-I'm on my way to Nashua.
-What's in Nashua?

Waste of time.
Listen, you know why I'm here?

You want me to quit my job
and come work for Hoynes?

-He's gonna win.
-Why does he need me?

A better campaign.
Come do some speechwriting.

Lisa and I are getting married
in September.

Yeah.

Okay.

Listen, I gotta go.
I should let you....

-I gotta get back to this thing.
-It's good seeing you again.

It's good seeing you too.
I miss you.

Congratulations on the partnership.

Josh.

Hoynes.

He's not the real thing, is he?

-The thing you gotta know about--
-It's okay.

No, I'm saying....

Josh.

What are you doing?

I don't know.

-What are you doing?
-Protecting oil companies from litigation.

They're our client.

They don't lose legal protection
because they make a lot of money.

I can't believe no one ever wrote
a folk song about that.

If I see the real thing in Nashua,
should I tell you about it?

-You won't have to.
-Why?

-You've got a pretty bad poker face.
-Okay.

-T ake it easy.
-Okay.

-l' m sorry.
-That's okay.

I'm sorry. I was just....

George Washington emergency.
We're not giving any information.

-Dr. Bartlet.
-Yes.

The president's going to be fine.

You can see him in the recovery room
in about two hours.

Thank you. No organ damage?

No, ma'am.
And the blood loss was minimal.

Dr. Keller was able to visualize
the entire abdomen...

...and he's secure with the diagnostic
sensitivity of the laparoscopy.

What about Josh?

The bullet lacerated
his pulmonary artery.

-Can they try a Gore-T ex graft?
-No. They' re gonna have to stay in...

-...and try to repair the artery primarily.
-Thank you.

The president's going to be fine.

The bullet seems to have gone
out of its way not to hit anything.

Now, here's what's happening
with Josh. The situation....

-Thank you.
-What do you know?

He'll be out of surgery in about two
hours. Fitzwallace is on a plane?

He was on his way to Manila.
He'll be back in about four hours.

-We got him by phone?
-Yeah.

-Good evening.
-Good evening, Mr. McGarry.

-Where's the national security advisor?
-On her way.

-So is the vice president.
-Good evening, everybody.

Could you have someone send over
some clothes? I look like an idiot.

-Nancy, you've seen the KH-1 0 pictures?
-Yeah.

-Know what they mean?
-I wouldn't go that far.

-Good evening, Mr. Vice President.
-Good evening, Nancy, Leo.

-Jack.
-T en-hut.

No, as you were. It's okay.

Bobby, can you report
on domestic activity?

Yes, sir. There's not much. Air traffic
control down for 22 minutes at Logan.

Citibank computers were off-line
for a little more than an hour...

...and the lights went out for
seven minutes at the Delta Center.

Somebody tell me. These shooters
didn't have a wallet, driver's license?

They didn't have anything on them.
They knew we were gonna get them.

If this signal guy isn't in custody
in one hour, I'm gonna federalize...

...the Virginia National Guard.

It's worth mentioning that we do not
know the whereabouts of a half-dozen...

...cell leaders, including Bin Laden,
but that's not my concern right now.

-What is your concern?
-Can we look at the KH-1 0s?

I've seen them.
I'm not worried about it.

Leo, these images show
a sudden buildup of frontline...

...Republican Guard units along
the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

It's not sudden.
They do it every few months.

And they're moving south.

Not 1 3 hours ago,
they shot down an F-1 1 7 in the no-fly.

The rescue mission invaded their airspace
with armed M-50 Pave Hawks...

...and my recommendation would be
that the president order Fitzwallace...

...to put the 32nd T actical on
ready alert and take us to DEFCON 4.

The president is under
general anesthesia right now.

If he weren't, l' m sure he'd be
comforted by knowing that RDF...

...can put Marines
on the ground in 36 hours.

-We may not have 36 hours.
-lraqi Republican Guard...

...can't find their car keys
in 36 hours.

Look at the pictures.
I think they found them.

Nancy, we're gonna follow Leo
for the moment.

Jack, what's the best way
to get a message to lraq?

-King of Jordan.
-Okay.

Leo, what do you want
the message to be?

Don't mess with us tonight.

Excuse me. We can't make you
very comfortable here...

...and Josh's procedure is likely
to take 1 2 to 1 4 hours. So--

I' m sorry. They told me I should
come back here. I'm sorry.

-ls there word on the president?
-The president's gonna be fine.

Oh, thank God. Thank God.
That's the best news I've ever heard.

I got here as fast as I could.
I had a hard time getting in.

I had to find an agent who knew me,
I was shaking...

-...it was just-- I didn't know anything.
-Donna.

Josh was hit.

Hit with what?

He was shot. In the chest.

He's in surgery right now.

I don't understand.

I don't understand. Is--?

Is it serious?

Yes, it's critical.

The bullet collapsed his lung
and damaged a major artery.

I was just saying we can't
make you very comfortable here...

...and the procedure's likely
to take 1 2 to 1 4 hours.

We won't know anything until morning.
I' m sure there are things...

...you're supposed to be attending
to right now, so if you like...

...we can stay in touch with you at your
homes and offices throughout the night.

Leo's meeting with the leadership soon.
When he's done, I'll talk to the press.

I'm gonna go back to the residence and
pick up some things for the president.

C.J., when can we talk
to the medical team?

Benjamin Keller, the chief surgeon,
and Admiral Jarvis...

...the president's personal physician,
will be available in a few hours.

-Was the 25th Amendment discussed?
-No.

-What? Why not?
-l' m sorry?

Why hasn't the 25th Amendment
been discussed?

Danny, as I said before, the president's
wounds are relatively superficial.

He'll be out of surgery before morning
and he's expected to make a full...

...and speedy recovery.

-Anything on the shooters' identity?
-l' m sorry?

-Anything on the identity of the shooters?
-Not yet.

AP is reporting that two bodies
were brought out of the building.

-I don't have anything for you on that.
-They' re also reporting...

...a massive manhunt underway for a
possible third accomplice on the ground.

I don't have anything for you
on that either.

C.J.! Can you tell us why the AP
knows more than you do?

I don't believe that,
I just believe they' re willing...

...to tell you more than I am.

-One more question. Arthur.
-ln previous administrations...

...the president entered and exited
public buildings under a tent or canopy...

...the Secret Service wanting to limit
his visibility in open air.

Can you talk about why this precaution
isn't taken for President Bartlet?

-Or at least why it wasn't tonight.
-Arthur, it's policy...

... not to comment
on protection procedures.

If you won't answer
straightforward questions...

...is there anything you can tell us?

-l' m sorry?
-ls there anything you can tell us?

I'll be back for a briefing in an hour and
a half. Hopefully we'll know more then.

-Cabinet's meeting in five minutes.
-What did that mean:

-"You can't seem to give us answers"?
-You scratched your neck.

-What?
-The side of your neck.

I lost my necklace.
It must've come off when....

-When what?
-Somebody pushed me down.

-lt must've come off then.
-C.J.

I'm sorry. I'd like to not be
a reporter for a few minutes...

-...but you gotta answer my question.
-What was it?

The president's under anesthesia...

...he'll be on a morphine drip in post-op.
Without the 25th, who's in charge?

The vice president, secretary of
state, national security advisor...

...secretary of defense,
chairman of the Joint Chiefs--

You just named six people.
Who's in charge?

The Canadians. You understand
I'm talking about the hockey team.

-Look--
-Just give me a little time.

Fitzwallace agrees with me, Nancy.
Any upgrade in our DEFCON posture...

...and the world's gonna
wake up in the middle of the night.

The world's awake, Leo.
Look at the TV. Look out the window.

There was more than one shooter.
We think they had a guy on the ground.

If we think they had one,
they may have had more than one.

Somebody got them
into that office.

This wasn't a lonely guy who lived
with his cats. There was a plan.

And one of the things we have to assume
is that we are under attack right now.

In which case, the vice president
should order the 32nd T actical...

...on ready alert
and take us to DEFCON 4.

-Council's office isn't sure he can.
-Why not?

-He never signed the letter.
-What letter?

If the president's gonna be
under a general anesthetic--

He's gotta sign a letter
giving the vice president power?

The Constitution doesn't give it to him
unless the president's dead.

He's bleeding and has to draft a memo?

-Yeah.
-I'm getting questions...

-...from Danny Concanon on it.
-lt gets more complicated...

...if you'd read Section 202
of the National Security Act of 1 947.

-Let's assume I haven't.
-lt says that the secretary of defense...

...will be principal assistant to the
president on matters of national security.

-What does " principal assistant" mean?
-lt doesn't specify.

It wouldn't, because this is an area of
federal law where you'd want ambiguity.

-Yeah.
-Excuse me.

-I'm gonna go back to the hospital.
-I'll be there in a little bit.

Try and hold Danny off till the
council's office tells us where we are.

-Yeah. Listen--
-Scratched your neck.

-What?
-Your neck.

That's where my necklace....
They're asking me about...

...the canopy the Secret Service used
to use for outdoor entrances and exits.

-Who asked you?
-lt was Arthur Leeds...

...and then a couple
of others stopped me.

Okay.

We don't comment on
protection procedures...

...so I don't think we'll have
to answer that.

-Yeah.
-Okay.

-See you at the hospital.
-Yeah.

I need Section 202 of the National
Securities Act of 1 947.

Hey, Ginger.
I didn't know you were here.

I just got here.

I just....

I turned on the TV....

It's okay.

Come here.

It's all right. It's okay.

I'm sorry.

-You all right?
-Yeah.

-Ready to go to work?
-Yeah.

-You want another one of those?
-What?

I didn't say anything.

-You want another one of those?
-Yeah.

I gotta tell you, I didn't even
know Bartlet was running.

Yeah, we keep that secret pretty good.

He's speaking at the VFW Hall tonight.
You should come.

I'm not very political.

There'll be free chicken.

You've been a....
What'd you call it?

-Professional political operative.
-You've been one your whole life?

Well, there was a while there
I was in elementary school.

You any good at it?

I' m very good at it.

What's your record?

-My record?
-How many elections have you won?

Altogether?

Including city council,
two congressional races, Senate race...

...gubernatorial campaign
and a national campaign?

-None.
-None of them?

You gotta be impressed
with my consistency.

-So let me ask you something.
-Sure.

How come you' re drinking
so much so early in the day?

I'm about to get fired.

It was good meeting you.

That has less to do with overall
consumer spending...

...than it does with
the consumer price index.

The markets tend to be late in responding
to those trends...

...so you get what doctors
call a false positive.

The science of economics is a lot less
of an exact science than we pretend.

We build complex models
with thousands of variables...

...to predict how the economy
will work....

What's he gonna say?

-About what?
-lf he's asked the question.

-What question?
-The New England DFC.

I don't know.

-You talked to him, didn't you?
-Yeah.

-Well, what's he gonna say?
-I don't know.

You talked to him about
the New England DFC--

-Yes.
-You wrote him a memo?

-Yes.
-And I'm asking, what's he gonna say?

I have no new information since
the last time you asked me that question.

Let me put it another way.

You and your husband are paying
$600 more every year than you would...

...if you were unmarried
and filing individually.

Couples who live together
outside the covenant of marriage...

...do so for reasons
that have nothing....

You told him to go ahead and
piss off the dairy farmers, didn't you?

If he's asked about the
New England DFC...

...you told him to piss off
the dairy farmers.

I said that if asked about it tonight,
he should, if only because...

...it's the easiest thing to remember,
tell the truth.

-Do you enjoy losing?
-Not that much, no.

But then again, I really don't have
a lot to compare it to, so....

--the bulk of other previous losses,
which, in effect, is a much larger tax...

-...on overstated, real profits.
-Yes.

-You didn't understand any of that, right?
-A little.

Me too. Yeah.

Governor Bartlet, when you were
a member of Congress...

...you voted against the New England
Dairy Farming Compact.

That vote hurt me, sir.

I' m a businessman, and that vote hurt me
to the tune of maybe 1 0 cents a gallon.

And I voted for you
three times for congressman.

I voted for you twice for governor.

And l' m here, sir, and I'd like
to ask you for an explanation.

Yeah. I screwed you on that one.

-I'm sorry?
-I screwed you. You got hosed.

-Sir, l--
-Not just you. A lot of my constituents.

I put the hammer to farms...

...in Concord, Salem, Laconia,
Pelham, Hampton, Hudson.

You guys got rogered but good.

T oday, for the first time in history,
the largest group of Americans...

...Iiving in poverty are children.

One in five children live in the most
abject, dangerous, hopeless...

...backbreaking, gut-wrenching poverty
any of us could imagine.

One in five, and they're children.

If fidelity to freedom and democracy
is the code of our civic religion...

...then surely the code of our
humanity is faithful service to that...

... unwritten commandment that says,
"We shall give our children...

... better than we ourselves receive. "

Let me put it this way:

I voted against it because I didn't wanna
make it harder for people to buy milk.

I stopped some money from flowing
into your pocket. If that angers you...

...if you resent me, I respect that.

But if you expect anything different
from the president...

...you should vote for someone else.
Thanks very much, everybody.

Hope you enjoyed the chicken.

Jed, please. I want you
to lie still for a few hours.

-Mr. President?
-I wanna see him.

-ls he okay?
-I told him about Josh.

-Please, help me to the door.
-You should stay in bed.

Charlie brought me some clothes.
Please, let me see him.

-Okay. Just for a minute.
-Okay.

-What's next?
-The thing about saying the name.

I understand.

If I could just reframe
the point Cal was making--

I understood the point Cal was making.
I was sitting there when he made it...

... my ears are connected to my brain,
and l' m saying, what's next?

Sir, by repeating the name
of your opponent in public...

...you essentially give him
free advertising.

Cal thinks you should start
referring to him as " my opponent. "

Or "the other guy, " "the other side. "
Maybe there are other suggestions.

You want me to refer to Senator John
Hoynes of T exas, who at the moment...

... has a 48-point lead for the Democratic
nomination as "the other guy"?

You' re not afraid it's gonna make me
look like I can't remember his name?

I am. I think it's gonna make me
look like I can't remember his name.

I think it's gonna make me look addled.
It's gonna make me look dotty.

And even if it didn't make me look like
that, it would remain a stupid idea.

What's next? Nothing? Excellent.

Okay, what's next?

We have to talk about
what happened tonight.

I thought he did well. I'd like
to have seen more seats filled.

-That's not what l' m talking about.
-What?

The governor's answer tonight.

I'm just guessing. I'm pretty drunk.

I am talking about the governor's answer
tonight. But I'm also talking about--

Every day there's-- Look, Toby,
we can talk about this with you here...

-...or, if you're more comfortable--
-I don't have time...

...to make people comfortable. If change
has to be made, it has to be made.

-Jerry, Cal, Mack, Steve, you're fired.
-What?

-What?
-No kidding. It's moving day.

I want T oby.
The rest of you, thanks very much.

Fellas, look at my face. You're done.

Don't screw up.

It's freezing cold in October.
I don't know how you people live here.

-Did you just fire Cal Mathis?
-Yeah.

You fired him?

Yeah. And Jerry and Mack
and Steve and the other guy.

-ls there anyone you kept?
-I kept T oby Ziegler.

You kept T oby Ziegler
and you fired everybody else.

T oby's the only person working for us
I don't know, and he's the one you kept.

-T ake him home, would you?
-Those were the only people I knew.

They were worthless.
It's time we bring in what we need.

-So you made that decision on your own?
-Yeah. You know why?

You're a crappy politician.
You'll find I'll be making...

...a lot of decisions on my own,
so get used to it.

I got elected to Congress by this state.

They sent me three times, and elected
me governor, all without your help.

-Don't start.
-No, seriously, that's a real...

... political accomplishment, considering
your family founded this state.

Were you opposed
in any of those elections?

-You got rid of all the people I know.
-Yeah.

Have a good night.

Why you doing this? You're a player.
You're bigger in the party than I am...

...Hoynes would make you
national chairman. Leo!

-Tell me this isn't one of the 1 2 steps.
-That's what it is.

After admitting we're powerless
over alcohol...

...and a higher power can restore us
to sanity.

-That's where you come in.
-Leo.

Because I'm tired of it, year after year
after year after year...

... having to choose between
the lesser of "Who cares? "

T rying to get excited about a candidate
who can speak in complete sentences.

Of setting the bar so low
I can hardly look at it.

They say a good man
can't get elected president.

I don't believe that. Do you?

-And you think l' m that man?
-Yes.

Doesn't it matter that I'm not as sure?

"Act as if ye hath faith
and faith shall be given to you. "

Put another way,
" Fake it till you make it. "

-You did good tonight.
-Yeah.

This is the time of Jed Bartlet, old friend.

You' re gonna open your mouth
and lift houses off the ground.

Whole houses, clear off the ground.

And it's unknown at this time
whether or not the president...

...before going under anesthesia, signed
a letter that would give temporary....

--the White House
and George Washington Hospital...

-... where several thousand people....
- Thousand people gathered behind...

... the police barricades. An impromptu
vigil with prayers being made....

--understandably are rocked on their
heels at this hour, to put it mildly.

Press Secretary C. J. Cregg has appeared
at her briefings to be distraught.

Officials at George Washington
University Hospital....

And in the fourth hour of a massive
manhunt for a third suspect...

... airports up and down the Atlantic
Coast are closed. National Guard units....

Washington and Baltimore report
massive delays, cancellations...

... and closures at major airports....

--rail stations, bus stations and harbors.

Travelers are strongly advised
to either wait or....

--Navy carrier groups, as well as the
32nd Marine Tactical Division...

... have been put on a state
of heightened alert.

--Agent Ron Butterfield, head
of the president's Secret Service detail.

He was shot in the hand
during the attack on the president.

Look what happened.