"Previously on the West Wing..." "I can't do the job, Abbey." "Do you understand?" "I can't do it." "He's going to need a nap midday." "A nap?" "He's going to love that." "It's you and I, we're going to have to run this thing." "Are we going to stand for something or just hang around, change the sheets for the President's hospital bed?" "When you coming back?" "Been here an hour and already I need another 30 days of Sierra Tucson." "Come with me, I think this guy may be the real deal." "I already found my guy." "Well, the speech was one of the President's best." "And thank you for not making it too long." "We were aiming for pith." "And you succeeded." "We've been speaking with Toby Ziegler, author of President Bartlet's final state of the Union address." " Thank you." "Pleasure." " Clear." "That was great." "That section on prescription drugs, I was wondering if the coverage..." "I'm sorry, I've gotta..." "C.J.'s waiting for you." "Thanks." " And here." " It's okay." "Sorry." "Congratulations." "Don't." "Dials soared." "Please don't." "Don't get me started on the cross tabs." "Trying not to, in fact." "Is he here yet?" "Any minute." "We sure he's ready for this?" "He says he is." "Still, 7:00 A.M." "It's the only time we could fit it into everyone's schedule." "Says he has some thoughts he wants to share." "Some thoughts?" "Fantastic speech, Toby." "Oh, thank you." "You really can't take a compliment." "Oh, no." "Daily read even said it was the President's finest state of the Union." "Yeah, 'cause it's his last." "Here we are, sir." "Yeah." "Good to have you back, Mr. Mcgarry." "Thanks, Brian." "Good to have you back, Mr. Mcgarry." "Welcome back, boss." "Thought we were keeping this low-key, just a couple of us kicking a few ideas around?" "This is low-key." "Annabeth wanted to bring in the Marine marching band." "Ah..." "Word got out and everybody wanted to come, and hear what you had to say." "Good to see you, Leo." " Welcome back, Leo." " Welcome back." "Thanks." "Thanks." "Ah..." "Man of the hour." "Come now, no false modesty." "It's actually self-loathing." "It was a great speech." "Charlie, Toby." "Have you met?" "Press response has been terrific." "Stop being such a pill." "Well..." "I really wasn't expecting to have to address a convention but... before we get started, we all got you a little something." "Completely unnecessary." "Truly." "Just for the record, I voted for the watch." "My very own defibrillator." "Well, like I was saying, um..." "I wasn't really expecting to discuss this with such a large group, but I've been thinking and this might be an excellent time to..." "Commander." " Sorry." " No problem." "I rather unexpectedly found myself with a bit of spare time on my hands these last few months." "We've been here seven trips around the sun." "Done some things we're proud of, things we're less pleased about..." "The Vice President." "I should probably..." "Sure." "Just be a minute." "I think it may be time for us to take our own temperature." "An internal inventory." "Can I borrow C.J. For a moment?" " Sorry." " Sure." "What's done, what's undone..." "What's done that we'd like to undo..." "Or do over..." "Do away with..." "Demonstration in Bolivia, outside our embassy." "Big one." "Over the ambassador's statement." "It's being seen as interfering in their election." " The guy is a socialist." " Yeah." "Who says, if elected, he'll immediately halt their Coca eradication program." "Yep." "We should get into this." "I'll call DOD, Intel, the undersecretary for low grade conflicts." "We have an undersecretary for low grade conflicts?" "Be glad he's who I'm calling." "Fight the seduction of tumult for tumult's sake." "I need Charlie." "Of course." "There's a situation in Bolivia." "Serious?" "Low grade evidently." "Get with Margaret, see what meetings you can cover, what needs to be moved." "O kay." "What's Leo talking about in there?" "I'm really not sure." "Sir, one week doesn't seem..." "Can we discuss it?" "Didn't we just kind of do this "taking inventory"?" "Little thing called the state of the Union." "The state of the Union was fine..." "Excuse me, Leo." "Labor Secretary's panicked about his press conference." "I'll be right back." "Man's an infant." "It's about time he got a good spanking." "I'd better, uh..." " Referee?" " Sorry." "Welcome back." "Actually, just came to get these guys." " Situation." "Juggling some things." " Go on." "Are we done, Mr. Mcgarry?" "No." "Not yet." "Balance's back." "Any numbness, pain?" "Physical or existential?" "Any chance of getting the odd straight answer?" "Good luck with that." "Nada." "Spiritual or otherwise." "You don't have to go." "They'll think we're Northeast yankee elitists." "And be correct." "We could make the occasional effort." "500 laps around an Oval." "An entire sport predicated on the expectation of the Grand Guinol." "Guignol." "Guignol." "If you're going to brag about your intellectual hauteur, at least get your fancy references right." "Grand Guignol connoting the sanguinary." "Buckets of blood." "Like hockey." "Leave my bruins out of this." "Martinsville Speedway." "You're in for a treat." "See?" "There are people with most of their teeth that are actual NASCAR fans." "Are you really a doctor?" "I didn't get a close look at your credentials." "First in my class." "University of Daytona." "Oh, now who's with the not-so-straight answers." "He prefers to be the amusing one." "Fun for the rest of us." "So, is he well enough to join me?" "Pressure, vitals are fine." "But I'd rather he didn't push himself after last night." "Dang." "He put you up to this." "Enjoy the Grand Guignol." "Horror and sensationalism, not blood." "Look it up." "The President will see you now." "Sir, Zalaya's now polling a close second in Bolivia." "Wasn't he fourth?" "Maybe our ambassador can say something new and inflammatory, help him bridge that final gap." "There's concern about rioting outside our embassy." "We need you to make a statement affirming our impartiality." "You mean, pretend to a disinterest no one's gonna believe because some diplomat happened to have too much..." "What do they drink down there?" "As what I recall, the ambassador's not a stickler, Sir." "I'm not declaring to an indifference that'll provoke international guffaws." "Sir, if Zalaya wins he's pledged to re-nationalize their industries, stop payment on their six billion dollar debt, and remove all U.S. "Imperialist forces" from Bolivia." "The imperialist forces their government expressly invited in." "Upon now they've been one of our most cooperative allies in the war on drugs." "Since no one ever wins and it never ends, maybe we should stop calling it a war." "Fine." "But we have 2,000 troops and seven battle ships in latin America." "And our pilots engage daily in hostile gunfire as they spray Coca fields." "But we don't have to call it a war." "How about a low-grade conflict?" "State feels we can tamp things down if you could just walk the ambassador's statement back." ""the United states remains neutral in all free elections and discourages any manner of external interference."" "I can probably keep a straight face through that." "Is it enough?" "You may want to specify with regard to Bolivia." ""And this means you, la Paz."" "So it's reported in the latin press." "The latin press'll just have to figure it out." "What's next?" "You wouldn't be more comfortable waiting in your office?" "This is fine." "I'm sure you could go in and join them." "I'll wait." "They should be done any minute." "Can I get you some water or anything?" "I'm good, Deb." "I'm sure you got things to worry about other than me." "You never called me Deb before." "No?" "President does, sometimes." "Mm." "I actually kind of hate it." "I'm sorry." "It's okay, you didn't know." "Ever tell the President?" "Hard to work it in." ""Sir, the North Koreans just threatened to rain nuclear fire on Japan again," ""the NASDAQ is tanking," ""there's a category four Hurricane making landfall in the Keys and, oh, don't call me Deb."" "You should tell him." "Leo." "Sorry about this morning." "It happens." "I got this Bolivia thing." "I understand." "Love to get your perspective on it." "Maybe after I've seen the President." " Maybe later." " Whenever." "Uh, this afternoon?" "Sure, if that's good." "Yeah, yeah... 3:30?" "See you then." "Looking forward to it." "Was that Thomas Paine always there?" "I thought that was Nathan Hale." ""I regret I only have but one life," Et cetera, et cetera." "Paine." ""These are the times that try men's souls."" "Get over yourself, tom." "Ways and Means has some procedural issues with the earned income tax credit." "But I think there's movement." "Ten billion's the goal, but it's an election year." "I'm realistic." "Overwhelming response to last night." "36 interruptions for applause." "I don't know what's more embarrassing-- that we count them or that I care." "Very impressive." "I blame him." "Wasn't me." "He's doing his annual sackcloth and ashes bit." "I used to think it was a way of harvesting even more compliments." "Now I understand it's just self-abnegation and clinical despair." "Man understands me." "Mr. President, Leo Mcgarry is outside." "He's been waiting all this time?" "Yes, and you're late for your NSA briefing on Chechnya." "Okay." "Thanks, guys." " Thank you, Mr. President." " Do the thing with the knocking again in five minutes." " Yes, Sir." " Thanks, Deb." "Leo, have I said how great it is having you back?" "A few times." "Oh." "Sorry." "Everyone has." "Not quite sure what you want me doing." "What you always did; make me smarter." "By comparison, absolutely." "Congratulations on last night." "I planned a morning resting on my laurels, but there's this I-don't-know-what in Bolivia." "Courtland and his big yap." "Wonder why he said it." "He's an idiot." "He was always an idiot." "Why you think we made him ambassador to Bolivia?" "What?" "Why do you think he said it?" "Have you given some thought to how I might make myself useful?" "I don't want to undermine C.J." "Sorry to interrupt, Mr. President, but President Trenier is holding for you." "That's something you can do." "Talk to the French." "Non, merci." "Sorry." "I've gotta take this." "Of course." "The day's getting away from me." "How about dinner tonight?" "Be great." "I don't care how many times I've said it;" "it's a great thing you're back." "See you tonight, Mr. President." "Bonjour, Mr. President." "Yes, I'm really looking forward to the G-8 in Paris." "I know what it is, it just has a dull name." "Earned income tax credit." "It's the one government program that actually sounds like what it is." "Exactly" " D-U-L-L." "Oh." "This goes to DNC and this one's a blast Fax." "It was a highlight of the President's address last night." "By highlight you mean a chance for viewers to wonder whether they're going to have sex that night or plan what they were gonna wear in the morning." " Thank you." "And you have..." " I know." "It's important." "36 million Americans live below the poverty line, which is a million more than last year." "Let's shout that from the rooftops, why don't we?" "We blame the Republicans." "Oh, there's a fresh angle." "Charlie, you see the HUD samaritan Bill markup?" "Secretary spoke to the budget director his morning." "No government program will do more to lift children out of poverty than the EITC." "Oh, god." "I thought the name was dull." "The acronym's worse." "You've been working on this for two months and you can't find a catchier handle?" ""Marriage penalty"." ""Death tax."" "Now, that you remember." "Leo." "Margaret." "Who did this to you?" "I got rid of everything." "I should've gone with the mahogany." "I had a feeling..." "I don't want any clutter." "It's a look." " Are those the, um...?" " I'm still looking for the second inaugural." "Floor's good." " Really?" " Mm-hmm." "Tower or pile?" "Surprise me." " Hey." " Hey." "I just found out 8 U.S. Contractors are being held at gunpoint in Bolivia." "Intel's sketchy, but it looks like it might be by Zalaya supporters." "Hmm." "Thanks for the Tapes." "People are gathering down in the Sit room if you wanna..." "Oh, I'm sure you can all handle this." "Let me know if you find that second inaugural." "Sure." "I should..." "Yeah." "C.J.'s probably looking for you." "Right." "This truly is an age of possibility, of great trials, but also tremendous opportunities." "We need to set our nation on a new course, create a new history..." "Ten-hut!" "At ease." "What's the story?" "U.S. contractors were ambushed and captured in the Chapare jungle." "How many?" "Eight." "Alive?" "As far as we know." "Captured by who?" "They describe themselves as Zalaya supporters." "I have some enthusiastic supporters." "They don't go around holding people at gunpoint..." "Much as I'd sometimes wish they would." "These are paramilitaries, Sir." "Run for President down there, you get your own private army?" "It's South America." "If Bolivia wasn't landlocked, he'd have his own navy, too." "They're claiming the contractors are CIA, sent down to hijack the election." "Are they?" "No, Sir." "What are they doing there?" "They're private citizens." "Who happen to take camouflage gear with them on vacation?" "They're part of the Coca eradication effort, Sir." "They work for the government." "The Bolivian government?" "U.S. Government." "Sorry." "State has a $700 million contract with Tarmacorp, which employs them." "And they're armed?" "Of course they're armed." "They're spraying Coca fields run by drug cartels." "I think what C.J.'s driving at is the difference between what they call them and what we call them is more like dolphins and porpoises rather than lions and bats." "What are the captors' demands?" "That's just it." "They haven't made any." "We think this may be an election stunt." "Zalaya got such a bounce from our ambassador's statement, could be he figures a trumped-up U.S. tampering charge puts him over the top." "Our guys were there spraying Coca fields, we're certain of that?" "Not necessarily themselves directly..." "I know they may not attach the hose to the nozzle, but they were doing eradication work?" "Yes, Sir." "They're weren't freelancing?" "Maybe doing some electoral strong-arming in their free time?" "There's no evidence of that." "Make damn sure, would you, please?" "Our history down there is such that people are gonna find it a lot easier to believe Zalaya's charges than our denials." "It may not make a hell of a lot of difference, but when we call him a liar, I'd prefer we be right." "Okay, next crisis:" "Korea." "A three-foot hole has appeared in the DMZ fence." "Intergovernmental affairs needs to announce the indian healthcare reauthorization." "It's gonna get trumped by this Bolivia thing." "Where are we on that?" "Making certain our guys weren't doing what Zalaya says they were." "Then?" "Liar, liar, pants on fire." "It won't rhyme in Spanish." "I don't want you to be disappointed." "The President took another turn at whack-a-dci." "Guy's gotta quit, doesn't he?" "God, I hope not, it's too much fun." "Besides, it's the only person the President ever picks on." "The CIA director goes, it could be you or me, bucko." "It's already been me." "Are we at all concerned about our checkered history down there:" "Allende, the CIA and Che Guevara?" "Yeah." "We don't have much credibility." "You'll talk to inter-governmental affairs?" "In my spare time." "Thank the V.P. for pitching in on State of the Union follow through." "About that." "W ill..." "He's out there, he's shilling." "Shilling?" "You mean showing loyalty to the administration he happens to be serving in?" "It's the President's Agenda." "I don't recall burning much midnight oil discussing what'd help us in the primaries." "He'll do his bit this week because the President can't, but after that, the campaign comes first." "Yeah, on second thought, maybe don't thank him so much." "Governor, everyone, sorry to keep you waiting." "The first lady's going to be attending a stock car race." "Hell, yeah!" "Excuse me?" "Colorful regional colloquialism betokening enthusiasm of a visceral-if-not-rowdy variety." "You're making this too complicated." "I want you to prep her." "It's a bunch of cars going real fast around an Oval." "There, I'm done." "It's a food pyramid, not the human genome." "There are fish-out-of-water concerns." "This is your dream come true." "Eliza Doolittle gets to tutor Henry Higgins." "I'll see if I can't find my redneck-to-snob dictionary." "Here's the message: eat less bread." "What, you're offended?" "You're implying I'm some kind of hayseed-hillbilly-hick?" "I'm sorry." "I didn't mean to imply it." "It was more of an emphatic assertion." "Watch it." "We rubes know how to throw down." "Just teach her some terms;" "a vocabulary." "For starters, no one "attends" a stock car race." "You're just goin'." "Like as not, goin' drunk." "Good, but I don't think Dr. Bartlet'll will be getting liquored up." "Too bad." "Otherwise, it gets kinda boring." "Teach her when to cheer." "Stuff like that." "Just make sure we avoid a flyover values disaster." "Sorry?" "The people in the middle of the country who you fly over when you're trying to get to..." "Real cities?" "Can't imagine why you're worried about offending them." "The Labor Secretary." "Yeah." "Thanks." "Interdiction without intervention, eradication without education leaves root causes to linger and fester, damning our most vigorous efforts..." "What are you watching?" "State of the Union." "I don't remember hearing that last night." "Second year." "Oh." "You need something?" "Just felt bad about running out on you this morning." "Wanted to see if there was a time you could catch me up." "Whatever's good." "This afternoon?" "Mm-hmm." "Who should I coordinate the time with?" "That'd be me." "Okay." "How's 6:00?" "That works." "I'll be here." "I don't mind going over." "Could stand the exercise." "I'll come to you." "That's fine." "See you then." "...In both the Cost to our National treasury as well as our citizenry, trapped in a disease as insidious as it is neglected." "You're bailing." "We're not bailing." "The earned income tax credit is a democratic issue!" "We can probably push it out of committee at $500 million." "Great." "The President called for $10 billion." "That would be more." "He got an applause break from both sides of the aisle." "That was last night." "In the sober light of dawn, the Republicans are going to insist on added enforcements." "Why is their sobriety giving me a hangover?" "Fraud prevention, accounting measures..." "These are families at the bottom rung of the educational ladder." "Adding paperwork's just going to confuse them." "Tell them I'll be there in a few minutes." "It's all right." "We're done." "No, we're not done and you're not bailing." "It's a Republican Congress." "We have to be flexible." "Why does no one ever come in here and say," ""this is a Democratic White House." "Maybe we should start reflecting it"?" "We don't have the votes." "Day after the state of the Union, presidents customarily go barnstorming to sell it." "Don't lecture us on how to wield this White House's clout." "She really said that?" "If she wasn't a woman, we might've had to throw down." "Regional colloquialism." "So, what's the next step?" "I'm not sure there is one." "The EITC's just dead?" "No, no, Timmy." "It's at a nice farm in the country where it can play with other dogs." "How did last night turn into this morning?" "A Bolivian blowup, bad employment numbers, a hole in a fence..." "And new furniture." "The majority leader's been in the treaty room since, well, he says since Tuesday-- the NOA administrator called about the flood area in Hawaii." "He's setting up a conference call with FEMA and the governor." "And you have a meeting with Leo." "If things are too wild, I can always find you later." "Carol's looking for you." "Something about the Labor Secretary threatening to quit." "You saw the new furniture?" " Leo, I'm sorry." "I'm afraid I'm going..." " Sure, we'll get to it." "Majority leader, natural disaster." "Busy day." "Yeah." "One week." "Can we not do this?" "One week in support of the man who plucked him out of obscurity." "He was a widely known congressman." "As a joke." "You and I made fun of him together." "You guys picked him." "I wasn't in that room." "You think I was?" "Then be mad at the President, or Leo, or whoever else was there." "and pick a position." "You can't think he's a complete joke and embarrassment and then be upset" " he's not out there helping you more." " Yes, I can." "Look, he's supportive." "He'll continue to be." "If it's in his interest." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Have the rules of politics been suspended this year?" "The rules of politics should be suspended any chance we get." "It's disloyalty!" "The Vice President has been nothing but steadfast." "I wasn't talking about him." "Hey, Leo." "Hey." "Whatcha watching?" "Old state of the unions." "What for?" "Just curious." "How you doing?" "A little whiplashed." "Last night was such a high." "There is a staffer sitting at the adult table." "Watched it at home." "My sister threw me a party 'cause I got a line in the speech." "Which one?" ""We must help those working hardest to help themselves."" "I see your fingerprints all over it." "Only, EITC's already in trouble." " The whiplash." " Yeah." "House Dems?" "They're defeatist, and Annabeth doesn't like its name." "She's not wrong." "I don't get excited when I hear EITC, do you?" "Maybe if it had a more memorable name, it'd be easier to fight for?" "I think if we could define it more clearly as a tax cut so a vote against it is seen as raising taxes on the working poor." "I don't see how you easily oppose it." "I had just dropped off my kids at school." "Thank god, because I don't know what to tell them." "Who is..." "Contractor's wife..." "They said call my congressman." "I called him, he said call the State department." "No one is taking responsibility." "Toby." "Yeah?" "My husband is an engineer, not a soldier." "Hi." "I need a few minutes with the President." "Not in there." "Oh." "I don't have anything." "He's in the residence." "Oh, okay." "Napping." "Not to be disturbed unless there's an emergency." "It wasn't on my schedule." "Or mine." "Will you let me know when he comes back down?" "My first call." "Oh..." "Are you the one who's going to teach me proper Speedway decorum?" "How to win friends and influence yokels, yes, ma'am." "Ah, now, If I'd made a crack like that you'd think me a terrible snob." "What did you turn down to make room for Martinsville?" "NIH symposium on molecular structures and bio-imaging." "Not a lot of NASCAR crossover." "Let's start with the dress code." "Jeans." "T-shirt." "Oh, and can you borrow the President's leather flight jacket?" "You don't find that a Tad inappropriate?" "Well, there'll be women there in bikinis on lounge chairs in the RV park." "Inappropriate's still a ways off." "I've given this a lot of thought and I know something that we can bond over so far as stock cars are concerned." "That would be?" "We're both women." "Okay..." "Women make up 55% of the audience for NASCAR events." "More than any other major league sport." "Well, I wonder why." "Well, everyone has their theories but I'm gonna tell you plain." "It's the drivers." " They're a bunch of studs." " Mm-hmm." "Well-built hotties running around in tight-fitting fire suits." "Hotties." "Hotsy-Tot, hottentot hotties, ma'am." "Well, that's all very well and good, but I don't..." "Oh, my." "He'll be there." "And him..." "Oh, and this one..." "The one with the eyes?" "One of the favorites." "I would imagine." "You see the contractor's wife?" "Yeah." "You're going to have to brief." "These guys..." "Absolutely, positively not CIA?" "Definitely, definitively not." "Don't lean on that, Toby." " Why?" " They're U.S. paid mercenaries." "Former military, most of them." "Special ops, Seals, Marines." "We're in distinction without a difference land." "Little bit." "I don't see it that way." "It's not your job to." "They weren't doing what they've been accused of." "That's our statement." "And I'm late." "Anyone talk to Leo?" "He's in his office watching State of the Unions." "Unions?" "Old ones." "Yeah?" "We said 3:30?" "We did." "So..." "What's your day been like?" "It's quiet." "Yours?" "Not quiet." "Bolivia." "Yeah." "Korea." "Things down in Burundi." "What?" "Oh, just..." "These contractors operate under such vague guidelines just because that's the way everyone wants it." "There's no congressional oversight, no controls, and a whole lot of money changing hands." "You know these guys?" "Not these, but..." "Yeah," "I know these guys." "And it's not just that it's futile, you know." "I mean, as long as Americans are willing to pay $60 a gram for cocaine, some peasant farmer earning $60 a year is going to grow it." "But it's just so geopolitically counterproductive." "We turn their villages into war zones, we destroy their land, we poison their families with herbicides and then we're all surprised when they go vote for the socialist." "Sorry." "It's a, um..." "Crappy day." "It's my annivorcery." "Anni-what?" "Annivorce." "It's the anniversary of my divorce." "Didn't know you'd been married." "Couple Times." "Hopeless romantic." "Hopeless, anyway." "You?" "Yeah." "What did you want to talk about?" "Sorry." "Ms. Harper, they need you in the situation room." "Maybe later." "Debbie!" "That wasn't very long." "I couldn't sleep." "Couldn't or wouldn't?" "I have three daughters and a wife, two of whom are also doctors." "If you presume I don't get enough of that sort of comment, you're not really using your imagination." "Naps are restorative." "Churchill took them." "Churchill also maintained a 24-hour buzz." "These days, people who drink that much during the day are encouraged to attend meetings." "An individual perhaps more for veneration than emulation." "And I don't know where all this restorative nonsense comes from." "Every nap I've ever taken in my life has left me feeling groggy and on edge." "I hadn't noticed." "The NSA called, Secretary of State, NSA again, saying talk to her before you talk to the Secretary of State." "You're right." "About so much." "To which specific or category of things are you presently referring?" "The earned income tax credit needs a better name." "To brand it." "Not just something zippier or catchier." "Something to help you fight for it." "To make it harder to fight against it." "Deputy Secretary Morrison again." "Workfare's taken." "Work aid?" "Sounds like a handout." "Employment incentive." "Oh, no." "That's terrible." "Work tax." "It's all a work tax." "Poverty tax." "Mm, that's closer." "Poor tax." "It's simple, direct..." "Poor tax." "It's good." "Do you want me to say you'll call her back?" "No, I'll be right there." "Hard to argue on the floor of Congress to institute a poor tax." "Yeah." "Thanks." "This is Annabeth." "Hey." "Hey." "Sorry about this morning." "Oh, it happens." "Heard you were watching old state of the unions." "And inaugurals." "Something wrong with this year's speech?" "What do you think?" "I wrote it." "You seemed remarkably uncomfortable accepting praise, even for you." "What are you doing here, Leo?" "Watching old speeches and reading about the founding fathers?" "We don't have time for you to sit around Le a Garden buddha, parsing out fortune cookie wisdom." "We're getting buried alive here." "Get up and grab a shovel." ""While the assault weapons ban may have ended, the debate has not, and I will fight this Congress as long as the senseless, needless violence continues."" "Second inaugural." ""The promise of stem cell research has again been delayed by congressional ban." "Imagine a child paralyzed by a spinal cord injury watching, waiting, knowing that politics is the obstacle to a cure."" "Third state of the Union." "I know what we said." "We all know what we said." "Last night's state of the Union, you pulled your punches." "It was well received." "It's easy to applaud for something that no one's gonna make you stand up and pass." ""By any measure, "we're losing the war on drugs." ""Demand is exactly the same..." ""Supply is the same, but prices..." ""...have gone down." ""It's time for a comprehensive new approach to this nation's dependence on drugs."" "That was in your rough draft of last night's speech." "I cut it." "Who told you to?" "Nobody." "Nobody had to." "You've had a heart attack and he can't stand up." "Day after every other state of the Union, the President launches a month-long road show to stump for what was in it." "This year I get bingo Bob and a week." "Ten-hut." "Let's see it." "My name is Jonathan Creasy." "I am a private American citizen working for Tarmacorp, under a contract with the U.S. Government." "I'm being held with seven Americans." "We will be released subject to completion of a fair and free election of the Bolivian presidential contest." ""Fair and free" Translating to a Zalaya victory." ""A private citizen under contract with the U.S. Government."" "Cognitive dissonance, anyone?" "Where are we on this?" "A P-3 off the Misawa." "PACCOM is coordinating the search." "Anything?" "No." "It's a jungle out there." "And the Bolivian government?" "Rock and a hard place." "They want to help their good friend the U.S., but are terrified of looking like they were helping in case Zalaya wins." "They don't want to be up here in two weeks time seeking political asylum." "We find them, who mounts a rescue if not the Bolivians, Tarmacorp, us?" "Not us." "Tarmacorp's flying Vietnam era hueys." "They go down, we end up with more contractors to find and rescue." "They're not U.S. Troops." "Why?" "Because we pay them through a middleman?" "Nobody forced them to go down there." "Maybe you'll get to explain that to their widows." "When's the election?" "Ten days." "Do we believe that Zalaya will release them?" "If he wins." "If he doesn't?" "Will we find them?" "A jungle, they know the best hiding places." "We'll need a tip." "These are tough guys." "They gonna hold out till the election?" "You saw the video." "When you're being held, ten days is a long time." "Have you ever been held?" "I've held other people." "24 hours is a long time." "Yeah?" "Oh, is it 6:00 already?" "I can come back." "No, no." "Come in." "Come in." "How you doing?" "Oh, you know." "Have to head back to New Hampshire tomorrow afternoon." "We're up ten points in the polls." "Getting tired of people treating me like I've sold my soul to the devil." "You think you have?" "Well, I don't think the V.P.'s the devil." "And I don't think I've sold my soul." "I may have rented it out for a bit." "Why do you say that?" "Well, I was mostly joking." "I don't think he's the devil." "I don't know what I think of him, really." "Catalogue his qualities." "The negative ones everyone knows, and never ceases delighting in reminding me about." "His other qualities?" "He's... plain-spoken." "He's clear and direct." "Doesn't have a multitrack mind like the President, but that's not always a bad thing." "The truth is, and I'm not sure I ever even realized this before now," "I've spent the last year and a half looking for what you saw in him, you and the President, when you gave him this job." "You picked Russell, him, to serve as V.P. to a President with a serious health condition." "You were aware you were picking a potential successor." "On some level, I've just trusted that and assumed I'd eventually discover what you knew then." "Have you?" "Tell me what it was, we'll compare notes." "I know, doesn't work like that." "He's my guy, I have to figure him out on my own." "Sorry to interrupt, but you've got to see the first lady." "Let's see it." "Such a good sport." "To take one like that for the fly-over states." "Did you brief her about the kiss?" "They loved it." "The first lady, for both of you." "Who gets pissed about kissing a NASCAR driver?" "Another hour of my life gone." "Of course we want to avert disaster in South Dakota, but I can't take this to the President just yet." "No." "Thank you, governor." "Trouble in South Dakota?" "In about a thousand years." "Mt." "Rushmore's on the move." "How far has it gone so far?" "About an inch." "I hope you don't mind." "Looks great." "Nobody ever thought to put fresh cut flowers on my desk, despite 18 acres of gardens outside." "Majority leader." "Oh, you should take that." "I'll call him back." "I could've used you in the Sit room today." "I heard you had it under control." "Didn't feel like it." "Never does." "You're doing great." "The President's in the residence." "Does he want me to..." "No, I'm sorry, that's for me." "Let him know I'm coming right up." "We're having dinner." "Probably should have run that by the chief of staff." "Oh, chief of staff has enough on her plate." "I'm sorry we didn't get to talk today, we'll find time tomorrow." "Sure." "It was easier for me." "You as my Press Secretary, Sam, Josh, Toby..." "Toby?" "Toby's always been Toby." "Still took me a year to figure out what the hell I was doing, and those were the easy years." "We had easy years?" "Easier than this." "Margaret." "What's next?" "How's yours?" "This heart healthy stuff, I have to keep reminding myself it's good for me." "At least it resembles actual food." "Abbey's got me on this macrobiotic diet." "That does look a little grim." "What I wouldn't give for a burger and fries." "A cream sauce." "I'd like to have the occasional light cream sauce without everyone reacting like it's a suicide attempt." "So, tonight, Abbey's out of town." "We can turn the residence into a fort and sword fight with empty paper towel rolls." "So you feel pretty good about last night's State of the Union?" "According to at least six op eds, I set an ambitious National Agenda." "Is that what you think?" "You have a chance to figure out what you'd like to do around here?" "Have you?" "Don't do this, Leo." "Not the day after the state of the Union." "Everyone's walking around here like we're finished." "We got 365 more days." "It's year eight, it's a Republican Congress and I'm hemorrhaging staff." "Four years ago we announced a blue ribbon commission on entitlements." "Why wasn't it mentioned?" "Two years ago, you announced a commitment to stem cell research." "The legislation died in Congress." "Leo, you held the wake." "What happened to the drug treatment policy last night?" "We had to narrow our focus." "Now's the time to widen, not narrow focus." "What are you saving your political capital for?" "I have a responsibility to the party." "You have a responsibility to the country, Sir." "The American people sent you here for two terms." "Eight years." "So the last one's gonna be harder." "I've never known you to shy away from a fight." "And I've never had to make a speech based on the maximum amount of time I could stand up." "Those excuses I kept hearing all day?" "Nobody mentioned MS." "272 Words." "That's all Lincoln said at the Gettysburg address." "It took four minutes, and set the tone for the next century." "You wanted to talk about what I could do here." "It's this." "Said the man with the double bypass." "The both of us, Sir, this is our last game." "Let's leave it all out on the field." "You know why we got called in?" "No idea." "Well, I almost got to eat dinner." "You want to hear something depressing?" "This disrupts my evening not one bit." "Ten O'clock?" "I had a date." "You had a date tonight?" "I always have a date." "Welcome back." "Sorry about the hour." "What's going on?" "The President should be down in a minute." "Everybody here?" "Yes, Sir." "Follow me." "What's this all about?" "Stock market crash in Guyana, perhaps." "And me with all my money in sapodilla futures." " Hey." " Hey." "Welcome." "Thank you all for coming back in on a school night." "I had dinner with an old friend tonight." "I thought everyone should hear what he had to say." "I want to read you something." ""The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph." ""What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly;" "'tis dearness only that gives everything its value."" "You?" "Thomas Paine." "He said "'tis."" "Might have been a clue?" "Busy day around here today." "What'd you spend it on?" "Uh, Bolivia." "Well, no, you spent it on a situation in bolivia, a crisis." "I understand that gravitational pull." "North Korea pokes a hole in the fence, it gets your attention." "As do whiny cabinet members, floods, and new employment figures." "Pretty soon it's the whole day." "Problem is, we're running out of them." "That's how much time we have left." "We have the ability to affect more change in a day at the White House than we'll have in a lifetime once we walk out these doors." "What do you want to do with them?" "We should finally get serious about health care, whether it calls attention to the President's MS or not." "A new approach to latin America." "A real commitment to drug treatment." "What else?" "The Vice President and I think it's time to talk about race in this country." "He's right." "I've got some ideas on how to increase opportunity for the working poor." "We both do." "Talking about repackaging the EITC." "Poor tax."