"What's going on?" "What are they doing here?" "I don't know." "We weren't given any warning of their arrival." "Okay." "We felt it best that we come here and tell you personally." "This came on us like a sneak attack." "Safe to join?" "Just give us another second, Rod." "He's my chief of staff, Jim." "The president has a bleeding aneurysm in his brain." " How bad?" " Bad." "Caused a massive stroke." " When should we get word?" " Two hours, maybe three." " Surgery seems to be going well." " It was nonetheless major surgery." "He'll be incapacitated for we don't know how long." "It'll be months of rehabilitation." "The doc explained these things come out of nowhere." "Usually there's, there's no symptoms until the thing ruptures." "Then you get headaches, blurry vision, neck pain, episodes of confusion." "He's not gonna be in condition to stay in office." "The 25th amendment would kick in." "The vice president assumes the presidency." "Okay, um..." "Melanie, um... what happens now?" "Do I take the oath, or..." "What?" "We need you to resign, Mac." "You see, if you resign, Nathan Templeton could move into office." "Oh, I know it would move Nathan Templeton into office." "The question is, why on earth would I want to move this speaker of the house into office?" "Mac, you are an independent." "We need a Republican head of the administration." "Hold on now." "Bridges picked Mac to succeed him if something went wrong..." "Just..." " This is coming from the president?" " This is the president's intent." "Jim, I have no idea what that means." "Did the president tell you this directly?" "Obviously, there was no major discussion." "He was being wheeled into brain surgery." "We've got hell on earth afoot." "We got Korea, Syria, Iran." "Things are too unstable." "We don't need the world..." "The world to see a soft, indecisive woman commanding the troops as opposed to Nathan "Bloody hell" Templeton." "Madame vice president," "I really must insist that you strongly consider..." "Jim, you're not in position to insist how I take my coffee." "That said, how would this work?" "I, I resign citing..." "No, no, you don't have to do this." "Be straight." "Tell them that you could not in good conscience follow the socioeconomic ideals of this president." "And then what?" "I make a deal with Random House to write a book?" "Air force two can be wheels up in an hour." "Okay, when we're in the air," "I wanna speak to the chairman." "Chairman?" "Of the joint chiefs?" "Yes, Jim, of the joint chiefs." "MacKenzie, call's ready." "Good." "What have you heard?" "Well, the president is still in surgery, but they are confident." "There's been nothing on the news." "No, no, no, media's still in the dark." "It's a damn good lid." "Look, I had OMB send some bill summaries." "You know, we have to reschedule with the French." "I've got, I've got no commitment from them..." "MacKenzie, look, I know how important this is to you, but you saw, right?" "The French are not gonna help us in Nigeria, and if you assume the presidency, this can't be the first thing that you jump into." "If I have to assume office, the Nigerians are gonna move up to the execution of Oria Madula." "They have buried this woman in sand up to her neck and stoned her to death." "That can't be the first result of my presidency." "Uh, the twins, secret service is getting them home?" "Yeah, yeah." "There he is." "Got him right here." "Horace!" " What's up, Ted?" " We gotta go." " I have a few sprints left." " No, no, we don't have time." " We gotta get you home." " What's going on?" "We have instructions to get you back to the residence." "Becca?" " Oh, Joan." " I got her." " Uh, we were just, uh..." " Yeah, yeah, yeah." "I'll call you." "Let's go." "B ye." "I'm coming out." "Madame vice president." "We've got the JCS on line three." "Thank you." "Would you bring up the carriers, please?" "General Pollak, this is the vice president." "Yes, ma'am." "General, uh, you're aware of the president's condition?" "Yes, ma'am." "How's he doing?" "We're, uh, we're hoping for the best." "But should things become more serious, or should news of the president's condition get out, we would move to a higher DEFCON." "That's SOP." "Okay." "Um, I'd like to elevate our readiness posture now." "Let's not wait." " Yes, ma'am." " May I ask what you're doing?" "Uh, also, let's get our carriers to our hot spots." "I see that the Truman is in the Med?" "Annual NATO friendship maneuvers." "Well, give our regrets to NATO." "And move her over to Gaza." "Uh, I want the Kitty Hawk sitting on Pyongyang," "And, um, the Tarawa, does the Tarawa have extraction teams?" "United states marine corps." "Very good." "That's all for now, general." "I'll leave you to your work." "Yes, ma'am." "What do you suggest I tell the president when he asks why you put our navy on high alert?" "He won't ask." "He'll know." "So madame vice president, we need to discuss the remarks Kelly wrote for DAR on embassy when we get back." "Vince Taylor Chief Aide to the Vice President" "Give it to me." "I'll take a look." " Okay." " Gentlemen. " " Ma'am." "And don't forget about the EPA speech we need to talk about." " Okay." "Thanks." " Rod." " This is not gonna stand." " What are you talking about?" "I don't know if this is some kind of "last hurrah" crap or what, but what is she thinking, taking over the military like that?" "It's like, it's like a coup d'etat!" "Jim, I know what you're going through, but you need to choose your tone very carefully, you understand?" "That woman is out of her element." "She needs to resign now." "My jobs to protect the vital interests of the vice president and the United states, and in this case, they are the same." "Clear out of your office, Jim." "You're next in line." "That's the rule." "One Observatory Circle Vice Presidential Residence" "That's the constitution." "Well, it's a little more complicated than that." "Are you gonna get a chance to speak to the president directly?" "When he gets out of recovery." "I, uh... think I know your opinion." "Don't worry, mom." "Look, I'll be dutiful." "I don't want you to be dutiful, Becca." "I just don't want you to be a hypocrite." "Well, I just think that people voted for what president Bridges believes in." "You mean what you believe in." "I just... you know, if you can't deliver, then, then maybe you should step aside." "What about you?" "What do you think?" "Will they put your face on money?" "You know what?" "They already have faces on all the money, but maybe if I do a really good job, they'll make, like, a $15 bill just for me." "Staff's assembled, ma'am." "Thank you." "Now remember, this is a really big secret so..." "Okay." "See you guys." "Good afternoon." "Hey, Tim. / Ma'am." "Thank you for coming." "Madame vice president." "Let's go talk it out." "We should probably get an NSC brief first thing." "Should Templeton be in on that, just in case?" "No, no, no." "Right now we take Templeton out of the mix." "We really need to talk about Nigeria." "If you become president, you're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't." "If you continue to try to get Oria Madula out, you focus the foreign policy on just one person." "Of course if she doesn't..." "Ma'am, if you don't help, she will be executed." "Hey." " Yeah." " Someone wants to say good night." " Good night, baby girl." " Good night." "Hey." "Good night, daddy." " Good night, honey." " I love you." "Okay." "I love you." "Guys, I'm gonna take that NSC meeting by myself." "Mac... uh, the president's awake." "He wants to see you." "National Naval Medical Center Bethesda, Maryland" "How is he?" "He seems okay." "Surprisingly lucid, considering." "I love this man." "I know." "Hey, boss." "How are you feeling?" "Like crap." "Teddy Roodevelt Bridges President of the U.S.A." "Anything I can do?" "Teddy Roodevelt Bridges President of the U.S.A." "Well... the doctors say I'll be a year in rehab just to talk straight." "Well... it finally took God to nail me." "I hear you reorganized the sixth fleet while I was napping." "I was bored." "I'd already read all the magazines on the plane." "You're gonna pluck her out, huh?" "If I have the opportunity." "It's a mistake." "You gave Jim Gardner a coronary." "I..." "I want you to hear this from me." "I want you..." "I need you to resign." "Sir, would you really rather have Nathan Templeton..." "You and I, Mac, we just see a different America." "Templeton's an SOB and a liar, and he cheats at poker, but he shares my vision, supports my will." "Can you tell me... in your heart that you'd do the same?" "I will not resign... until you do." "Two And A Half Years Earler" "Well, chancellor," "I come here hat in hand." "You know, it's university policy not to endorse any candidate." "I don't place my stock on endorsements." "Yeah, well, you're probably right about that." "But you've done a hell of a job here at the university of Richmond." "I mean, your leadership is unquestioned." "Your research that's coming out of here, how many Nobel prizes do you have now?" "And your expertise in Middle eastern politics is impeccable." "Thank you." "Well, hell, MacKenzie, I'm just gonna come straight out and ask you." "I want you to be my running mate." "Surprised?" "Did you just ask me to be your vice president?" "Then, yes, I'm surprised." "Well... here I am, champ... asking you to join my team to become the first woman vice president." "And the first independent." "I mean, you walked away from congress because you didn't wanna play the "yes" game." "I respect that." "Look, I had four years in congress." "Four years?" "The press is gonna devour me over my lack of experience." "We've had experience in the White house." "What's it gotten us?" "Watergate?" "Vietnam?" "Irangate?" "WMD gate?" "I want somebody who hasn't learned the game of, of... of survival by deception." "I want intellect." "I want, I want..." "You want someone who can help you with a 40% approval rating with women." "Hell, MacKenzie, if my raw need for power is what opens the door for a woman, so what?" "And as for the media, kiddo, you're gonna be a star." "Hey." "Hey, Kelly." "Sorry to rouse you, Kelly." "Sure." "What's going on?" "Kelly Ludlow Communications Drector to the Vice President" "The president has had a stroke from a bleeding aneurysm." "He's not gonna be able to remain in office." "I need you to write a resignation speech." "Um, wouldn't the president want Kevin to write it?" "It's not for him." "It's for me." "The oval office should now be filled by someone who shares the vision of president Bridges" "As in Nathan Templeton?" "Come on." "This guy makes Genghis Khan look like Mahatma Gandhi." "You can't be serious. / It's not like I haven't thought about this, okay?" "Ma'am..." "Just take out your pen and write." ""The desire to see a woman in presidential office cannot be as important as..."" "The return of book burning, creationism in the classroom, invading every third world country..." "Would you shut up, Vince?" "We have to get this done." "No, we don't have to get this done." "We should be in there talking some sense into her." "Templeton cannot be our president, not on my watch." "Your watch?" "Kelly..." "A female president." "Can't you smell the history?" "It's not my job to smell history." "Why do you think we're here?" "For moments like this." "We're here because though she may be great, she isn't perfect," "She is making a horrible decision." "But she's made it." "You sure about this?" "Of course not." "He asked me to resign." "If you could've just heard him..." "Well, I wasn't there." "And that's the point." "so I can look at this thing objectively." "Look, this is what we do." "We do the right thing." "You have a country full of people who believe in you." "Well, I have a president who doesn't, a cabinet who doesn't." "I have a daughter who would rather see Pat Buchanan in office than her old lady." " He's flatlining." " Charges. " " Clear!" "No response!" " Charging." " Clear." " Okay, 1 amp of epi." " No rhythm." "Charge." "Clear." " Still no response." " Bag him." "400." "Stay with us, sir!" "Clear!" "Jim, I'm so sorry." "There was massive bleeding into his brain." "The doctor said there was a good chance this might happen." " Mr. Chief justice." " Madame vice president." "Mr. Chief justice, we'll be meeting in the study." " Mr. Templeton." " Mac." "Nathan Templeton Speaker of the House" "I'm devastated." "Unless, of course, you should choose to resign." "Is that why you're here, Nathan?" "Ready to take the oath as soon as I do the right thing and step aside?" "Would you all give me a few minutes with miss Allen?" "It's going fast, isn't it?" "That's what I resent." "I resent that I don't have time to mourn my friend." "Ship of state just sails on regardless." "They told me that he asked you to step down," " And I think you should." " I'm sure that you do." "Well, I'm not telling you to do it out of respect for his wishes and certainly not because of anything I might want for myself." "The world's in turmoil, Mac." "It could go any which way." "This is not the time for social advances made for the sake of social advances." "Meaning a woman in the oval office." "No, meaning a woman as the leader of the free world." "How many Islamic states do you think would follow the edicts of a woman?" "Very few, I fear." "Well, not only that, Nathan, but we have that whole once-a-month-will- she-or-won't-she-press-the-button thing." "Well... couple of years, you're not gonna have to worry about that anymore." "You know that your vice presidency was never, ever intended to be a presidency." "It was done as a stunt." "Well, you can see that." "You're a female." "You're an independent." "You're a teacher." "University chancellor." "Hey, a philosopher queen." "Look, the point is, it was all done as pure theater, and you got great reviews." "But now you should get off the stage while the audiencestill loves you and before they figure out that your vice presidency was a whole lot of nothing." "Because when they get a look at that "go-away" mission he sent you on to Nigeria for what's her name?" "The adulteress?" "Oria Madula." "Yeah." "Well, it was supposed to be another piece of theater." "But then you up and went to France and asked them for assistance." "France?" "You ask guys who can't get elected without the muslim vote to intercede on the verdict of Nigeria's sharia court?" "Come on, Mac." "Look, we're gonna end up looking silly and ineffectual because you're never gonna be able to save her, and we're gonna lose face, and for whom?" "A lady who couldn't keep her legs together." "Nate..." "I'm gonna go out there, and I'm gonna take the oath of office." "I'm gonna run this government, and if some Islamic nations can't tolerate a female president, then I promise you it will be more their problem than mine." "Why?" "Why do you want to be president?" "For the same reason Teddy Bridges did." "Because I believe the people of America deserve to have a president..." "No, no." "In this room, where it's just you and me, just the two of us, the answer that you should be giving me is, that you want to be president because you want the power." "You want the power to control the universe." "That's not me." "Well, that's the problem!" "That's what I'm telling you." "People who don't want power have no idea what to do with it." "They have no idea how to use it when they have it." "Mr. Speaker, I would very much like an invitation to address a joint session of congress tomorrow night." "Before the funeral?" "Before the markets open." "We wanna convince the world there's no crisis of leadership, right?" "Do you have a Bible handy?" "Becca, what about that one in your room?" "Here." "Use mine." "I, MacKenzie Spencer Allen..." "I, MacKenzie S. Allen... do solemnly swear... do solemnly swear... that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United states." "that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United states." "This is an electrifying and historic moment." "MacKenzie Allen... / ...wearing a navy suit when she took the oath..." "The late president's condition was kept from the nation up until two hours ago." "And Allen was sworn in in a private ceremony just a few hours ago..." "The first female in the oval office, but indeed the first independent president to take the office." " Morning." " Madame president, both staffs have assembled." "Kelly, we have the Roosevelt ready for you to write in." "Great." "The DOD and protocol are making funeral arrangements." "I reviewed the NSRE report this morning." "Not much to worry about." "Sir, Kelly, we have everything ready for you in here." "I'll come find you when I'm done." "Thank you." " Good morning." " Good morning, madame president." "Sir?" " Just make sure everybody on the staff..." "The D.O.D. is on this?" "I, um," "I haven't had time to type up my letter of resignation yet, but it is forthcoming." "Meanwhile, anything I can..." "Listen, you've done a damn good job here." "And we're gonna need you during the transition phase, and I was hoping that you could help us set up meetings with some of the dignitaries that are coming in." " Certainly." " You should sit in on them, Jim." "Whatever you need, ma'am." "I've assembled the cabinet for you." "Okay." "Give me ten minutes." "I'll see you in ten minutes." "How do you feel?" "Sad." "Yeah, I know." "The truth is," "I know I can do this." "Yes, you can." "That doesn't mean I'm prepared." "I was never on the inside." "I wasn't Gore." "I wasn't Cheney." "Okay." "That's right." "You were not one of those guys." "You're MacKenzie Allen, you're the president of the United states." "You represent this nation's strength, okay?" "And that's how we have to go into that cabinet meeting and talk about... about solidity, about president Bridges, about how he would have wanted to have kept the administration, you know, together." "Come on in." "And just keep it on track." "Madame president?" "I can clear the desk off for you when you're not here." "Thank you, Ruth." "Sir, you are to meet with Nora Woodruff in the vermeil in ten." " Who's Nora Woodruff?" " First lady's chief of staff, sir." "Oh, well, that can wait, Ruth, because I've gotta see the president through her day..." "No, I'm okay, Rod." "You're sure?" "Sir, you can use that door to get..." "Thank you, Ruth." "Ruth, I would like to talk to you later about staying, integrating my staff with just a little..." "I would certainly understand if you wanted to bring Ms. Rogers over." "She should stay in the vice president's office." "I'd like you here, if you don't mind." "Well, ma'am..." "Yes, I do." "I don't mean to apply any more pressure to you." "It must..." "My god, I can't imagine what it must be like for you." "But I have been with him for more than a decade, and I know that he did not want you behind that desk, and so..." "Why don't you give it a few days, Ruth?" "See, you know, how it goes." "I wish you success, ma'am." "I really do, because I wish this country success but, staying here, it would just make me feel..." "Say it, whatever it is." "It would make me feel cheap." "I assume you're gonna put the time into training Ms. Rogers?" " Of course." " Great." "Would you set some time aside for some calls to congressional leaders for me?" " Of course, ma'am." " Thank you." " Soon enough." " What?" "Your painting will be up there soon enough." "I'm Nora Woodruff." "I run the first lady's staff and also the office of protocol." "It's just awful about the president, isn't it?" "But the first lady came to me, um, I'm sorry." "Mrs. Bridges came to me, and she outright told me that the nation needs to move on, and I should get with you right away." "Good." "May I show you to your office?" "This way." "Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United states." "Good morning, everyone." " Please, take your seats." " Ma'am, you need to look at this." "I'm sorry." "Uh, I'd like this meeting to be closed to everyone but cabinet members." "General, if you would please stay." "Yes, ma'am." "It seems that our secretary of labor has resigned, effective immediately." "Is there anyone else?" "Anyone?" "I'm here." "I can accept resignations so live and in person." "We all have something in common." "That's president Teddy Bridges." "He picked all of us to be a team, all of us." "Now we can remain a team, but it's up to you, because I do not intend to make any changes." "So I ask again, and, please, follow the courage of your convictions." "If you want out, you tell me now." "Okay." "Oh." "That's, uh... very, uh, pink." "Yes." "Well, Mrs. Clinton had her office in the west wing." "That didn't go over very well." "I think staying here like a traditional first lady is a splendid idea." "Well, this'll be fine, I suppose." "Good." "After the funeral, we'll discuss what kind of staff you'll be needing." "Do you think it'll be more than 20?" "Mrs. Clinton had 20." "That didn't go over very well." "Folks on the hill thought it was, you know, a waste of tax dollars." "Well, I'll tell you, I think that we should maybe wait until the president has delivered her speech." "Oh." "Is she giving a speech?" "Yes, uh... to the congress." "We're working on it so..." "Really?" "Are you going to be involving yourself in matters like that?" "I need to see the Nigerian ambassador with the JCS." "When?" "Today?" "Today." "As soon as possible." "The Nigerians need to know that I continue to take the release of Oria Madula seriously, that this was not some "go-away" mission for the vice president." "I asked the army chief of staff a few weeks ago to work on an extraction plan for Madula." "I'd like to see that." " Okay?" " Done." "Are you okay?" "Yeah." "What I said in there, that applies to you as well." "I don't follow." "I want you to be my chief of staff." "I know." "It's the last thing you expected to hear, but you've run this place for over two years." "You know what you're doing." "These are emotional times for all of us." "I need your wisdom." "Jim, I know we don't agree on a lot but," "I promise you, I will listen to you." "This is rather unexpected." "What isn't these days, huh?" "Have you talked to your husband about this?" "What does Rod..." "I'll find the appropriate time to tell him." "Do you want me to, you know, talk to him?" "Oh, god, no." "You can't imagine what..." "Um, no." "He'll be disappointed, but, uh, he knows that as the first female president, from an image point of view," "I can't have it seem like my husband is running the country." "Besides, he's gonna have his hands full with his new duties." "Attention, everyone." "Can you stop the work for a little bit?" "Hi. / Just wanna make some introductions." "This is Mark." "He's our primary." " Oh." "Hi, Mark." " It's a pleasure, sir." "Mark, I'm sure you have a lot of questions for FLOTUS, so I'll let you." "First gentleman." "So sad about the president." "Yes, very." "I assume we will be meeting daily to discuss the menu?" "Uh, well, that's not really my style, Mark. / Actually, the first lady does have quite a bit of involvement in the meal preparation." "There was Mrs. Clinton, of course." "She shunned that, made the kitchen staff guess." "Didn't go over well." "Tonight, before the speech, something light, perhaps?" " A salad, I suppose." " That'd be fine." "And what salad dressing does the president prefer?" "Hello, Mac." "Grace." "I'm so sorry." "He was gorging on the great generals of world war II." "It happened just... like that." "He was going to ask you to resign." "He did." "And yet here you stand, ready to address the nation in 90 minutes as its president?" "Well, I hope it's the best damn speech those little bastards ever heard." "You honor him, Mac." "Honor him well." "You bet I will." "So what happens now?" "I guess I move out, right?" "You know, we've never actually owned a home." "We moved into the governor's mansion when he was 30." "We were there for 16 years, in the observatory for four, and now here." "Well, you take all the time you need." "Obviously, you and Tommy." "Mac, you're the first female president." "If Moses had been a woman leading the Jews in the desert, she'd have stopped and asked for directions." "They'd have been in Israel in a week." "Manute." "Madame president." " Jim." " Manute." "On behalf of my nation, please allow me to express our sincere condolences..." "Thank you." "I don't have much time." "Unfortunately, we must continue to insist that the United states does not..." "All, pay in 12!" "interfere..." "Sorry." "What was that?" "Gentlemen." " General Pollak?" " Yes, ma'am." "Will you explain to the ambassador the means by which we will be extricating Oria Madula?" "Yes, ma'am." "Last night on president Allen's orders, we moved the USS Tarawa." "She's the flagship of the amphibious readiness group." "In half an hour, we'll be able to send an advance team of six cobras to soften your defenses, which will be followed by a Huey command helicopter." "After that, we will send in two CH-46 helicopters with an extraction team." "We'll remove Oria Madula and fly her to free soil." "By the way, we're pretty good at this sort of thing." "There should be limited loss of life." "I don't believe the USA" " Manute." " would take such unilateral action." "You're a good guy." "You really are." "But I can't take a chance that my becoming president will speed Oria Madula's execution." "And if you think that I am gonna stand by and watch a young woman be executed, tortured for having sex, you are sorely mistaken." "I will call the prime minster." "I resent, okay?" "Okay." "I, uh, I resent that... you knew this all along," " and that you let me..." " No, but I..." "No, no." "Let me finish." "That you were gonna do this all along and you let me behave like an ass in front of Jim." "I mean, thanking him for his service to this country." "I'm so humiliated." "Rod, come on." "You know..." "Come on?" " You, you know..." " Honey, listen, listen, the only way this has ever worked is when we've walked side by side." "I, I, I, I wanna be there..." " You will be." " as, as chief of staff." "You are the most important man in my life." "I swear to you." "It's okay." " I...." " It's okay." "We gotta go." "We do." "Hey." "What are you doing?" "We're leaving in, like, ten minutes." "Yeah, I know." "Uh, I'm not going." " You're joking, right?" " No." "I'm not feeling well." "What are you doing?" "I just told you, okay?" "I'm not feeling well." "Hey." "Look, I know girls and their moms are supposed to have their troubles, but you don't go to mom's speech, you guys won't recover from it." " You know what?" " What?" "I just don't wanna go, okay?" "You know, mom says not to be a hypocrite." " All right, fine." "I won't be." " Becca..." "Hey, look, you get to be John-John, and I'll be Patti Davis." "If you don't come, that's all that's gonna be on her mind." "Right now, at this time, do you wanna be responsible for that?" "Have a sense of history." "You know, I'm thinking that the word "legacy"" "would work better than "foundation."" "I don't see why not." " Yeah?" " Mommy, when you were young, did you ever get a time-out?" "Only about a hundred million times." "Okay, yeah." "That's real good." "Yeah." "We've got Karkov scheduled." "Okay." "Good." "What'd you get a time-out for?" "Okay, honey, honey, mommy's gotta concentrate now." "She's got a very important speech to give tonight." "Interrupting my parents." " Amy, damn it!" " Sorry." "Here." "Here." "Here." "I'm sorry." "You have gotta be much, much more careful, honey." " I didn't mean it." " It's all right, baby." "Unbelievable." "Did you get wet, too?" "It's all right." "No, it's not all right." "You're not gonna be able to wear that." "Ma'am." "Wear this." "Yes." "Thank you." "KiriKiri Prison Lagos, Nigeria" "We are moments away from president's Allen's first..." "Ready, ma'am." "Go to Kelly, baby." "Hi, Kelly." " Hi, sweetie." " MacKenzie." "So do you hate me?" "No." "I love you." "Go win the country." "Mr. Speaker, the president of the United states." "Ladies and gentlemen of this congress, honorable justices of the supreme court, members of my cabinet, distinguished guests." "To the American people and to our friends around the world who are watching now, let me offer the clarity of my conviction." "The White house..." "The White house was were president Bridges lived, but it was not his home." "Nor is it my home now." "It is the home of the presidency, the home of American democracy." "And though president Bridges' agenda must be respected, my task is not to fulfill the legacy of a man." "I have been entrusted with continuing the legacy of a nation and what is best in it." "A nation whose magnificent and righteous history will govern its future." "U.S.S. Tarawa Off the Nigerian Coast" "A cloud hangs over us." "It's a cloud of mourning, of uncertainty." "And though that cloud may cover the sun temporarily, it cannot extinguish it." "That sun, like our freedom and democracy, will not go away." "Resilience is what defines our character." "And the character of any nation is judged not by its leaders, but by its people." "The people, like that sun, are what is constant." "And so I say to the people of this nation," "I am humbled by your greatness." "I am humbled by the history being made here today, humbled by the notion that I am the first woman to hold this office." "I'm humbled by the responsibilities that rest with me." "I promise to vigorously defend our constitution." "I will recognize, as Harry Truman said, that the responsibility of a great state is to serve the world, not to dominate it." "For while human rights is not just an American issue, we must consider it an American responsibility." "Freedom is our gift to the world." "God knows you and I have shed tears these past days and, more tears are to come." "But soon we must return to the future, and I will do my best to take you there." "I am with you." "I ask this congress," "I ask the court," "I ask my cabinet," "I ask the people of the United states to stand with me now, unwavering." "For in this house united, we will demonstrate our sovereignty of greatness." "God bless Theodore Roosevelt Bridges." "May his soul rest... with the greatest of men." "And God bless the United states of America." "Thank you." "I'll always be right behind you."