The West Wing (1999–2006): Season 2, Episode 7 - The Portland Trip - full transcript

Previously on The West Wing:

Mr. Tribbey.

- I see they found you an office.
- Such as it is.

Good men and women have worked
in whatever room available...

...and without complaint.

Can we clear up a few things
about my level of interest...

...in the revolving door
of local gomers that you see.

I have no problem with
dating the press secretary.

Well, I have a problem, so....

He wants to meet with me
on the way back?

Yes, sir.



- On the way back?
- Yes, sir.

The assistant energy secretary is flying
to Portland in the middle of the night...

...so he can meet with me
on Air Force One on the way back?

Yes, sir.

The day-to-day experience
of my life has changed...

...in many ways since taking this job.

I would imagine, sir.

Before we get on the plane,
let me give you a couple additions...

...to the passenger manifest.

Gerald Wegland, assistant energy
secretary, is now on the flight...

...as well as Mr. Latham, the head of
the White House military office...

...or WHAMO, as we have taken
over my strong objection, to calling it.

Also on this evening's trip are Deputy
Communications Director Sam Seaborn...

- ... and, well, me.
- I thought you weren't going on the trip.



- I am now going.
- Are you being punished?

I am not being punished.
I am going.

If the whole bus goes off the record, will
you tell us why you're going on the trip?

- I made fun of Notre Dame.
- No, no, no.

I usually get away with it.

- They're playing Michigan tomorrow.
- I know that now.

You can't bring that stuff
when they're playing Michigan.

I'll have a lot of time to think about that
on the midnight ride to Portland.

Wheels-up is 9:05, we'll touch down
in Portland before midnight local time.

- Mr. President.
- How you doing?

- I just got off with Bruno and Hess.
- I'm sorry?

- I just got off with Bruno and Hess.
- You didn't say Michigan sucks?

- No, sir.
- I thought you said Michigan sucks.

No, we're standing pretty close to the
engines, so it may have sounded like:

"Notre Dame is gonna get
the ass-kicking they so richly deserve. "

- Bruno and Hess?
- Yeah.

- We stopped a tanker in the Gulf.
- Whose?

It's Cypress-flagged, but they
tracked them coming out of Qais.

- We think they've got oil?
- Yeah.

- We gonna board them?
- Yeah.

- Anything else I should know?
- No, sir.

- I'll see you tomorrow night.
- Have a good flight.

- Thank you. Hey, C.J.
- Good evening, Mr. President.

- How you doing?
- Very well, sir.

It's great you decided
to make the trip.

- I believe I was ordered to, Mr. President.
- Yes. I remember now.

- You made one of your funny jokes.
- Yes, sir.

- Put it on.
- Mr. President.

- Put it on.
- Sir, I'm wearing Max Mara.

- It's gonna break up the...
- Put it on.

Please let nobody see me like this.

- Hey. Photo-op.
- Oh, good God.

Let's hit the sky.

- Did he look tired?
- No, he looked fine.

- You told him about the tanker?
- Yeah.

I wish he'd canceled the event.
It's a long flight.

He likes long flights. He gets to talk
to everybody and think out loud.

- Yeah, but then he lands.
- Yeah, so, well, then he lands.

Anyway, I'm gonna meet
with Matt Skinner.

- Tonight?
- Yeah.

He's gonna say the language
in the bill doesn't prohibit...

Yeah, but it creates
a federal definition.

- Still at the state level...
- Yeah.

Are you sticking around tonight?

The president's gonna have to
make a decision from the plane.

Okay, I have to go.
Donna's about to seize the phone.

All right.

Leo, he likes long plane rides.

Yeah.

- Can I have the electricity back on?
- No.

- Why?
- It's time to go.

Not for me. Skinner's coming
down from the Hill.

- When did this happen?
- Minutes ago.

- Did you have plans?
- Did I?

- Did you?
- Look at me!

- Hey, you look good.
- Yes, I do.

You weren't wearing that
during the day.

Pity the girl who tries
to get it past you.

- Did you steal that dress?
- I bought it.

- But you're returning it.
- Yes. I'm giving it back.

- After wearing it once.
- There's a word for this.

It's stealing.

- I'm on a budget, I'm being thrifty.
- Yes, and felonious.

- What are your plans?
- Look...

- What?
- We're having drinks, dinner...

...dancing, and having dessert.

You can do all those except for
the drinks, dancing and dessert.

And you need to be done
with dinner in an hour.

Do you see what I'm wearing?

And if you wanna have sex,
do it during dinner.

This is the guy, Josh. This is a
great guy. His name is Todd.

- You met him for five minutes at a party.
- I got the good vibe.

Okay.

I have an excellent sense.

Actually, you have no sense
about these things.

You have no vibe.
You have terrible taste in men.

And your desire to be coupled-up
will always and forever...

...drown out any small sense of self
or self-worth that you may have.

You're a downer, you know that?

I'm calling you Deputy Downer
from now on.

Be back by the time
I'm done with Skinner.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,
from the flight deck.

We're just passing
through 22,000 feet...

...en route to our cruising altitude
of 38,000 feet.

Our flight plan this evening will take us
over Pittsburgh and Cleveland...

...passing 190 miles south of
the University of Notre Dame...

...then over Rapid City, South Dakota...

- ... Casper, Wyoming....
- Toby.

- Let me see it.
- Can I talk to you?

- Is it done?
- It's not.

- Sam.
- It's not good. It's not going well.

We've had meetings
for the last three weeks.

- I'm not confused about policy.
- What's the problem?

I'm not writing well. I'm just....

I'd rather not distribute this yet.

Do you know
what you'd like for dinner?

We'll be eating in
the conference room.

I'll have a club sandwich,
Jack Daniel's and ice.

- Mr. Seaborn?
- Nothing for me.

- You have to have something.
- I'm fine.

- Bring him a club sandwich.
- Yes, sir.

- Nice hat.
- Shut up.

Sam and I are gonna work a little.

You'll have draft copies to distribute
in about three hours.

- It was already distributed.
- What do you mean?

- It was already distributed.
- Get it back.

I can't.
They know you're polishing it.

- I'm doing more than that.
- I'll tell them there's a new draft.

- And get the old draft back.
- They're not gonna read it.

They might. It's bad writing
with my fingerprints all over it.

- Sam!
- C.J., try to get it back. Come on.

Do you know
what you'd like for dinner?

- Try to get it back.
- Yeah.

Miss Cregg, do you know
what you'd like for dinner?

- We've got pasta salad?
- It's good.

I'll take it.

- C.J.
- Mr. President.

What does the island of Qais
mean to you?

I know it's known as a rendezvous
point for Iraqi oil smugglers.

About two hours ago, we stopped a
Cypress-flagged ship called the Nicosia.

We believe it to be carrying petroleum
out of Iraq in violation of U. N. sanctions.

- What do we do when that happens?
- We board the ship, test the oil...

...determine its point of origin, and if it's
black market, the company gets fined.

- Don't they also get to sell the oil?
- Yes.

Doesn't the profit from
the sale exceed the fine?

It dramatically exceeds the fine.
So, what do you think we should do?

If you're gonna have sanctions,
there should be genuine disincentive.

I agree.

- Charlie?
- Here you go.

- What's this?
- Lyrics to the Notre Dame fight song.

It would please me if you led the press in
a rendition as we pass over South Bend.

- Yes, sir.
- All five verses, please.

- Go, Irish.
- You bet your ass.

Yes, ma'am?

Could I have a chocolate chip muffin, a
can of Fresca and a bag of ice, please.

We don't have Fresca.

- Really?
- No, ma'am.

- You should really have Fresca.
- Yes, ma'am.

I'll take a ginger ale.

Ainsley?

- Good evening, Leo.
- What's with the fan?

I just went and got it
from my apartment.

- It's 17 degrees outside.
- Then I should move my desk outside...

- ... because it's 103 in my office.
- The heat's not working?

The heat's working great.
I can vouch for that personally.

You should really have Fresca
in the building.

I'll get right on that.

- Hey, Matt.
- You let Donna out?

- Temporarily. She's having dinner.
- With who?

- A guy she has no future with.
- Why no future?

Because I say so. You want
coffee or something?

- You got a beer?
- Yeah.

- It's too bad this is gonna be rushed.
- Sorry?

It's too bad we're talking
about this right now.

- I thought that was by design.
- Really?

- Ten days are up tomorrow.
- We know.

We know you know.

The language doesn't prohibit
same-sex marriage.

- Of course it does.
- For the purposes of federal...

The government will define marriage as
a union between a man and a woman.

While doing nothing to prohibit
gay marriage on a state level.

- Doing nothing to prohibit it?
- If you look at the language.

Yeah?

When this bill was being discussed
on the floor...

...there were some very ugly things
said about homosexuals.

- Yes.
- By members of your own party.

In fact, by one of the guys
who escorted you here tonight...

- ... who's sitting out in the lobby.
- Yes, they were.

- You support this bill?
- Yes, I do.

Congressman...

- ... you're gay.
- Yes, I am.

What's going on, Mark?

The Sudanese captain of the tanker
refused to let naval personnel board.

Oh, man.

A CH-47 Seahawk helicopter was
dispatched from the USS Monterey.

The copter tried to land, but seamen
obstructed the deck with freight.

What else did they do?

- They fired warning shots.
- From what?

- Russian-made Kalishnakovs.
- AK-47s.

Yes, at which point the Seahawk
retreated to its carrier group.

Where are we now?

Central Command's gonna have two
F-18s buzz the ship, fire warning shots.

There's no way this ends good.
In fact, it's already over.

- It's not over yet.
- Trust me. I'll call the president.

- Yeah?
- You have a phone call.

- From whom?
- Can I just say...

...all I meant was that
if I was married and got divorced...

...my divorce papers came
and I was an alcoholic...

- ... I would want to be...
- Who's on the phone?

The president.

- Yes, sir.
- What's our goal?

- I'm sorry, sir?
- What are we trying to do?

We're trying to seize the ship
and escort it to Bahrain.

All right, the F- 18 pilots?

They fire warning shots,
maybe take out the propeller.

Leo, just so they know,
it's a tanker full of crude oil.

- If they miss and hit something else...
- They know. Excuse me.

Would you stop looking at me like that?

- What was that?
- Margaret was giving me a look.

- Why?
- My divorce papers came today.

She thinks I'm gonna drink.

I didn't know that.

Don't worry about it.
I'll keep you posted.

Why don't I have a final draft
of tomorrow morning's...?

Toby and Sam are working on it.

- What's wrong with it?
- Sam doesn't like the writing.

- Sam wrote it.
- He's taking another swing.

All right.

Read it to me.

" I'm calling on all Americans...

...young and old, Democrat, Republican
or none of the above...

...to make education a national priority. "

Okay.

" None of the above. "

It's a pedestrian phrase
and has no place.

Also, was education
not a national priority before?

Right.

- It's an easy fix, all we need to do is...
- No.

- No, what?
- No, it's not an easy fix.

- This should...
- Yeah?

Oratory should raise your heart rate.

Oratory should blow
the doors off the place.

We should not be satisfied
with past solutions.

We should be talking about
a permanent revolution.

Where have I heard that?

- Permanent revolution?
- Yeah.

- I got it from a book.
- What book?

The Little Red Book.

You think we should quote
Mao Tse-tung?

- We need a permanent revolution.
- Stay away from quoting Communists.

You think they never
wrote an elegant phrase?

How do you think they got
everybody to be Communists?

Let's take a walk.

You're the one who's been saying
we need a radical approach...

Yes. Yes, I have. And I got
shouted down in every meeting.

I'd love to write a speech
about a radical new approach...

...but we don't have one!

So unless we can come up with an idea
and implement it before landing...

...I'd prefer not to paint a picture
in the interest of great oratory.

Let's take a walk.

Can't great oratory inspire an idea?

We had six months.
We're not doing it half-assed.

- Let's go.
- Where?

Up and down the plane.
Get the blood flowing.

- Mao knew how to get the blood flowing.
- Let's go.

- Hey, Donna.
- Good evening.

- That's a nice dress.
- Thank you, sir.

You weren't wearing that dress
earlier today.

You guys are sharp as tacks,
you know that?

- Did you have a date?
- Yeah.

- With who?
- Doesn't matter.

- Where'd you eat?
- Phoebe's.

Good. You know what you get there?

You tell the chef that you work for me...

...and that you want the flash-seared
escolar with foie gras butter...

...and a fresh juniper berry gravlax
on a bed of shaved fennel.

You have a nice '87 Petrus with that.

- What'd you have?
- Two whiskey sours and a bowl of soup.

Okay.

- I should tell Josh I'm back.
- He's in the mess.

- Hey, Leo?
- Yeah.

I hope you don't mind.
Margaret mentioned that your divorce...

- Oh, come on.
- That the papers came today and...

She was worried that maybe...

Margaret worries if the sun is gonna rise.
Go check in with Josh.

Okay.

- He's in the mess?
- Yeah.

- It passed.
- I know.

It passed the Senate with 85 votes.
Twenty-nine Democrats voted for it.

It passed the House with 342 votes.
Our numbers are the same as yours.

Sixty percent of Americans oppose
legally sanctioned gay marriage.

The people want the bill,
Congress wants the bill...

...the president needs to sign the bill.

Public opinion can be wrong.

The public opposed interracial marriage
and school integration.

You want me to reach back
into the nostalgia file?

- That's different.
- How?

The government has a responsibility
to protect the rights of minorities...

...but it can't impose the minority's
values on the majority.

Freedom of choice
isn't a minority value...

...just because the majority doesn't agree
with the minority's choice.

- Excuse me.
- Hey.

- I'm back.
- Hey, Donna.

- Hi, congressman.
- How was your date?

It was good.

- Josh, I'll be around.
- Thanks.

Josh, all the Marriage
Recognition Act does...

...is ensure that a radical social agenda
isn't thrust upon an entire country...

...that isn't ready for it yet.

32 states have passed laws
banning same-sex marriage.

The states are doing a fine job protecting
themselves without a federal shield.

I like you guys who wanna reduce
the size of government.

Make it just small enough
so it can fit in our bedrooms.

When do you have to call the president?

I've got time.

Let's have another beer.

- How's everybody doing?
- Good.

- Why'd the flight take off so late?
- We took off on time.

No, I mean why was it scheduled late?
I'm doing a sidebar.

The president had
a budget meeting earlier.

Maybe they were expecting it
to run long.

I'd like you to give back the copies
of the speech, we're gonna replace them.

- Why the change?
- Sam is doing some work.

- Is there a policy shift?
- No.

- A new program?
- Just polishing language.

If there's a shift or a new program,
it'd help to have the old text to compare.

There isn't a policy shift, there isn't
a new program, this is Sam being Sam.

Has political pressure from
the NEA forced changes in the...

Nothing's forced changes in the speech.
No policy shifts and no new initiatives.

Carol? Excuse me.

They're in your press packets.
If you can hand them forward.

He wanted me to tell you
we're approaching South Bend...

...and he likes to hear the song
at a brisk and steady tempo.

Oh, kill me now.

Leo?

- Yeah.
- Colonel Chase.

Tell me we didn't hit anything.

No, F-18s fired over the bow
and the tanker stopped.

- We boarded?
- Yeah.

But the crew threw the log, the registry
and ship's manifest overboard.

How do these people
think this is gonna end?

I go where you point me.
I'm gonna have to brief Fitzwallace now.

Yeah. Thanks, Mark.

- Margaret?
- Yeah.

Can you get me
Secretaries Hutchinson and Berryhill?

And I need Air Force One
the next free minute he's got, okay?

- That's hard to get through Congress.
- Why?

- Subway money.
- It's a northeastern thing?

Once you get south of D. C. or west
of Chicago, there aren't any subways.

And the ones they've got,
nobody's using.

What about Miami
and San Francisco? Come in.

L.A., Miami, San Francisco,
maybe someday...

...but nobody's using them now.

- So pavement's gonna win this battle.
- Yes, sir.

- Okay. Thanks, Steve.
- Thank you, Mr. President.

- Thank you.
- Thank you, Mike.

- Nice hat.
- Thank you.

Ernesto Perez Balladares.
Former president of Panama.

- You know where he went? Notre Dame.
- Yes, sir. Also Joe Garagiola.

- Was that a crack?
- No, sir.

- You'd like to hear the song now?
- Yeah, but we gotta do it later.

I'm gonna gauge the impact
on Pacific Rim banking reforms.

A subject economic scholars could
take years on. I will take 20 minutes.

I was asked about
the late departure tonight.

- We left on time.
- The late scheduled departure.

- You don't like late flights?
- I was just repeating...

A long flight across the night.
You know why late flights are good?

Because we cease to be earthbound
and burdened with practicality.

Ask the impertinent question. Talk about
the idea nobody has thought about yet.

Put it a different way.

- Be poets.
- If you absolutely must.

- Tell Toby.
- Sam...

He doesn't wanna use the phrase
" permanent revolution. "

- In education?
- Yes.

- Mr. President...
- Mao took a lot of long plane flights.

Look out your window. Is there
anything more romantic than that?

And that's why we left at 9:05?

No. We left at 9:05 because they thought
my budget meeting might run over.

But wouldn't it have been great
if that was the reason?

Yes.

You don't like "permanent revolution"?

It's a nifty phrase, but I think
if we call for a permanent revolution...

...people are, you know,
gonna expect one.

Mr. President?

We're flying. Live a little.

- Yeah?
- Mr. McGarry.

Leo, just take the damn boat.

Hello?

Is that C.J.?

It's Donna Moss.

Hi.

What happened?

- I can't turn the heat down.
- Did you try?

No, I just looked at the thermostat
and got discouraged.

- Really?
- Of course I tried!

I could grow papayas in here!

- It's a nice office.
- It's the steam pipe distribution venue.

- It's got character.
- I think I'm losing weight.

You wanna come work upstairs
in the bullpen?

- I need to concentrate.
- Nobody's here.

- No, I'm fine. Thank you.
- Okay.

I just came down to say hi.

And I'd talk, but I just...

- I need to get this done.
- I'll leave you alone.

What are you working on?

I'm making notes for Josh.

- Interesting.
- Yeah.

- The constitutional questions involved.
- Yeah.

- Full Faith and Credit.
- Right.

Do you and I look alike?

- I'm sorry?
- Do we look alike?

- No.
- That's what I thought.

- I didn't think we looked alike.
- Yeah.

Ever thought about dyeing
your hair red? You should.

- Why?
- It'd look good.

- We don't look alike.
- No.

And I tell people that.

I'm gonna go work upstairs.

I'll see you tomorrow.

I think the alabaster skin
and the farm girl looks...

- You're wigging out, Donna.
- Yes.

You sure you don't want
to work upstairs?

No, it may be hot down here,
but at least it's quiet.

Okay.

Boy, I could use a Fresca.

- You're gonna quote the Bible to me?
- I didn't...

- Really?
- My point, parenthetical at best...

...is that the Founders based the country
on a Judeo-Christian morality...

...and that the biblical concept
of marriage...

...maybe can't be separated from the law
quite as easily as you'd like.

The Founding Fathers
made it very clear...

...that they didn't want Judeo-Christian
morality within 10 city blocks of the law.

- Matt!
- What?

What?

Nothing.

You understand, gay partners
will be permanently ineligible...

...for survivor benefits,
Medicare, Medicaid...

Which the government can't afford
to pay out anyway.

So we caught a break there.

It's getting pretty late.

I have more notes.

- Carol.
- Yeah.

- Did you get the old drafts back?
- Of the education speech?

- Yeah.
- Good.

Everybody except Danny.

- Excuse me?
- Danny wanted to keep his.

Excuse me.

- What's the problem?
- How you doing?

What's the problem, Danny?

There's no reason why I should
give you that draft back.

You can't even believe
you're asking for it.

So unless you're here to give me
a hot towel and cookies...

- Everybody else gave it back.
- They can buy my paper.

I am guaranteeing: No substantive
changes. No new policy initiatives.

You don't have to guarantee me.
I've got the old copy right here.

I hope we don't accidentally send your
luggage to Belgium on the way back.

I wouldn't want to be inconvenienced
by the White House.

- It was the budget meeting, by the way.
- What's that?

The reason we took off late.

Although there's something to be said....

Something to be said for what?

Nothing.

" I was raised to appreciate the value
of teachers and teaching.

My grandmother, who began her teaching
career in a one-room schoolhouse... "

- Actually, it was two rooms.
- Okay.

Italian stonecutters paid her to teach
their kids English in a rectory basement.

They put up a wall and made it
two rooms as a thank-you gift.

- We'll vote to change it to two rooms.
- I haven't heard the big idea.

- The speech is in pretty good shape now.
- Yeah.

"I began my campaign... " What
happened to 100,000 new teachers?

- No money?
- No teachers.

There aren't 100,000 new teachers.
We can't make people be teachers.

We can give incentives.

In certain districts
there are tax incentives...

- Well, it's not doing the trick.
- No, no. I know.

- But for right now...
- What's that mean?

- I'm sorry?
- What does that mean?

- I was scribbling.
- You wrote, "send them to college. "

I was scribbling.

What did you mean,
"send them to college"?

It's like circling horses in the paper
but not making a bet.

- Tuition incentives.
- Mr. President...

Talk, Charlie.

If this was an idea,
somebody would've had it already.

I find fault with that formula.

- Well....
- What?

The government will send you to college,
law school or medical school...

...if you spend three years
in the armed forces.

College tuition for anyone
who wants to go to college...

...in exchange for they teach
in a public school.

Why can't that idea be floated?

- Does anybody know how we pay for it?
- That comes next.

Yes, it does come next.
So why don't we...?

Kick this around.

- Mr. President, the time...
- I'll be in my study.

It's an incredible sky tonight.

This is Colonel Beech
from the flight deck.

We're told there's choppy wind ahead
and are cleared to climb to 42,000 feet.

- 57% of the people...
- I know what 57% of the people say.

What 58% of them say is that gay
spouses should receive health benefits...

...and 54% say
social security benefits...

...and we haven't talked
about the 14th Amendment.

A strict interpretation
of the Equal Protection clause...

...would dictate that homophobia
can't be made into a law.

That's for the court to decide,
but they'll uphold it.

- Laurence Tribe disagrees with you.
- He doesn't sit on the Supreme Court.

- Five justices!
- Josh, I came here as a friend...

...and I think you know that.
I came here because I came here.

Look, this is gonna be a law
whether the president vetoes or not.

- They have the votes in the Senate...
- Senate's not in session.

The president can stick this
in his pants pocket.

And it will come back in January, and
you will have to live through this twice...

...and you will lose both times.

Ask me the question.

He compared homosexuality to
kleptomania and sex addiction.

- The leader of your own party.
- He was wrong and I told him so.

- For crying out loud!
- Ask me the question!

How can you be a member of this party?

You've been holding that in
for way too long.

This party that says
who you are is against the law.

You know, I never understood why you
gun control people don't all join the NRA.

They've got 2 million members,
you bring 3 million to the next meeting.

Call a vote. All those in favor
of tossing guns:

Bam, move on.

It's a heck of a strategy, Matt,
I'll bring that up at a meeting.

I agree with 95 percent
of the Republican platform.

I believe in local government.

I'm in favor of individual rights
rather than group rights.

I believe free markets
lead to free people...

...and that the country needs
a strong national defense.

My life doesn't have to be
about being a homosexual.

It doesn't have to be entirely about that.

Thanks for coming by.

Thanks for the beer.

There he is.

- How did it go?
- He'll sign it.

- I can tell McDougal?
- Yeah.

- Good job, congressman.
- Take your hand off my shoulder.

The speech is fine now.

- 100,000 college scholarships?
- You wanted me?

We might float
an education initiative.

- I just told them...
- We're not floating.

We might float, I'm saying,
and you should give them heads-up.

Excuse me,
I need to go look like an idiot.

We're not floating
a policy initiative, Sam.

I don't care if it's a trip
to the moon on gossamer wings.

It's pie-in-the-sky
to say nothing of patronizing...

...to have privileged Ivy Leaguers play
teacher to America's vulnerable children.

The people taking advantage of this
aren't gonna be overprivileged.

How will the Teachers Union feel?

- They'll have 100,000 new members.
- Who will leave after three years.

- The kids will be abandoned.
- They won't.

- Their teachers will leave!
- In the fifth grade...

...what do you care what
your fourth-grade teacher's doing?

- Sam.
- Toby.

They're gonna be role models...

...to kids who don't have contact
with young college graduates...

...many of whom grew up
in neighborhoods like theirs.

- We could...
- Sam!

Where are we getting the money?

Where are we getting the money?

I was really mortified
that I froze up on that speech.

Yeah.

You should've told me a few days ago.

Yeah.

I play the flute.

I'm a flautist.

In high school
I was the best in my row.

And so I ask myself, if I'd pursued
the flute professionally...

...would I be meeting interesting men?

And the answer comes back to me:

Probably not.

I played the trombone.

- Did you meet interesting men?
- Yeah.

Is it a hard instrument to learn?
If I took it up now...

Talk to me about
the Full Faith and Credit clause.

It says that full faith and credit
shall be given by each state...

...to the public acts, records and
judicial proceedings of every other state.

If you're married in Maryland,
it's gotta be recognized by Nebraska.

How is the Marriage Recognition Act
not unconstitutional?

Because it also says
that Congress can prescribe...

...the manner in which
such acts and records are proved.

They can decide
what being married means...

...within the context of Article IV.

Josh? Toby.

- Yeah.
- What's going on?

- I'm gonna tell him to sign it.
- Okay.

- How's his mood?
- He's frustrated. He's feeling...

You know when he goes off on a thing,
Toby, he expects you to bring him in.

He wants you to do it
so he doesn't have to do it himself.

Josh, what do you think
about tuition incentives for...?

Ladies and gentlemen.

We're 82 miles south of the runway
and beginning our initial descent.

If I could ask you all to find seats.
Thank you.

What was that?

- We're landing.
- No, what were you gonna...?

Nothing.

All right, I'll talk to you later.

I'm gonna talk to Leo.

I'll see you guys Monday.

- Good night.
- Take it easy.

Did you know
she played the trombone?

I didn't.

Tonight stunk, Josh.

I'm sorry about that.

I didn't mean having to work, although
that was a treat. I meant the guy.

- Who was he?
- A lobbyist with Travis-West.

He was pretty full of himself
and without cause to be.

An obnoxious insurance lobbyist?
What were the odds?

It isn't funny, Josh.

- I've gotta go see Leo.
- I'll call you in the morning.

You look really great
in that dress tonight, Donna.

You should buy it for yourself.

Yeah.

Yeah.

We hold the ship in Bahrain...

It doesn't do anything
to hold the ship in Bahrain.

We hold the ship in Bahrain and send
a sample to the U.S. Customs lab.

- If the point of origin violates sanctions...
- You know what's gonna happen?

They'll sell off the cargo in a friendly
port. 780,000 metric tons of gas oil...

...against a $2 million fine
for the oil company...

...which their profits
from the sale will cover.

We're not providing much of
a disincentive to evade U.N. sanctions.

What else is there to do?

If we're gonna have sanctions at all,
we should make them stick.

We should confiscate the cargo,
seize the ship...

...sell the oil and use the money
to beef up anti-smuggling operations.

You don't mean tonight,
you mean in the future.

We're landing, Mr. President.

Yeah. In the future.

Okay.

- Josh wants to talk about the...
- Hang on.

- You need me?
- I can wait.

- Yeah.
- The Marriage Recognition Act.

Yeah.

We'll be landing in just a few minutes.
Follow the blue signs to your bus.

Oh, one thing before we land.

When I said there'd be no policy shifts or
new initiatives in the speech tomorrow...

...that was correct except there
might be a policy shift or new initiative.

- There isn't gonna be a change.
- Toby!

- There isn't gonna be a change. Danny.
- He's not gonna give it back.

Danny, Sam choked hard
on the last draft and wants to burn it.

- No problem.
- No problem?

Tell him to relax,
he'll get his swing back.

- Tell him I didn't read it.
- Thanks.

- You were just having a little go at me.
- Yeah, it's a long flight.

- So you decided to kill time by...
- Yeah, you know why?

Tell me you went to Notre Dame.

Maybe next time you won't be so quick
to mock on the eve of a Michigan game.

There must be an escape hatch here
of some kind.

The constitutional argument...

I don't care about the constitutional
argument, Josh, it's gay bashing.

It's legislative gay bashing.
How do I put my name on it?

I wouldn't, sir.

I'd put it away.

A pocket veto's a politician's way out.

They'll send it again
when they're in session.

Meanwhile we focus on the
Employment Nondiscrimination Act.

If I'm gonna sign it in January,
why am I vetoing it now?

A symbolic gesture
to the gay community.

I'm sure the gay community
can't wait to thank me.

- Mr. President?
- This is just wrong.

Yeah.

You can look at the polling numbers,
Article IV and social security benefits.

It doesn't matter, it's just wrong.

We shouldn't be defining love, and we
certainly shouldn't be ill-defining it.

It's wrong. This is the job...

- It's the job of somebody else.
- Well, right now it's ours.

- It's wrong.
- Sir.

I should get out a rubber stamp that
says, "Josiah Bartlet votes no. "

It's exactly what the conservatives
are hoping you'll do.

I should get out a rubber stamp!

- Sir?
- Put it in a drawer.

Yes, sir.

Thank you, Mr. President.

We'll talk at the hotel.

Okay.

All right.

- Have a good night.
- You too.

Hey, Leo, Margaret mentioned...

- Come on, Josh.
- No, she just said...

My divorce papers came today.
She thinks I'm gonna drink.

Sounds like a pretty good reason to.

I'm an alcoholic.
I don't need a good reason to.

You want to have coffee someplace?

I wanna go home.

- Okay.
- I'll see you on Monday.

Margaret, I'm going.

Okay.

You're a good girl.

Okay.

- Sir?
- Yeah.

- You're off the phone?
- Yeah.

There was a question?

For a sidebar on the game tomorrow.

- Why did you go to Notre Dame?
- Why not?

Bearing in mind I'm just repeating
someone else's question...

...you were accepted at Harvard,
Yale and Williams.

Why did you go to Notre Dame?

Because I was thinking
about becoming a priest.

- Really?
- Yeah.

What happened?

I met Abbey.

Why can't you give me answers like that
when we're running for something?

- Because I like to bother you.
- Well, I shall not be defeated.

- Sit down.
- Okay.

- Mr. President.
- Toby.

Here's a final draft.

Toby, you should sit down. We're
landing in a minute and 10 seconds.

How do you know that?

I set my watch to the cockpit computer.

You should sit down.

Thank you.

Do you know why the assistant
energy secretary is on the plane?

- You have a meeting with him.
- That's right.

I think Charlie's idea was a good one.

I think you should ask Leo
to put together a team...

...to study the feasibility
of appropriations...

...for a pilot program with 100 teachers.

They're taking the tanker to Bahrain,
and the company's gonna make a profit.

Yes, sir.

The Marriage Recognition Act
is gonna be law.

Yes, sir.

- A hundred new teachers?
- Yeah.

Instead of 100,000?

Yeah.

Well, it's a start I guess.