"This problem at O'Hare, the mayor's announcement about the waste, should we be concerned?" "I was approached by a member of Mayor Kane's staff and told that any reference to trichloroethylene was to be redacted." "Alongside Mayor Kane, I did wrong." "Just tell me what you want." "Remove Tom Kane from the toxic waste equation." "Make a simple statement you acted on your own." "It's this guy from "The Chicago Sentinel"..." "Miller." "His questions are getting more pertinent." "Somebody gave him that document." "Do you know who?" "No sir." "My guy said it's some pretty powerful shit." "Who's it for?" "I didn't like seeing him at the clinic and I didn't like him seeing me." "It's not a joke..." "What I do, who he is." "He's fine." "I have it under control." "You were saying about this lawsuit?" "Nothing, sir." "Just get me a deal." "I will settle this one." "They should've proposed one already anyway." "There's a shift going on within the city administration." "I'm sorry to say that Alderman Mata has found himself on the wrong side of that shift." "Ross... find out, dig." "I need to know where he's vulnerable." "I'm fucking done with him..." "Impeachment hearings." "Did you find her yet, the nurse?" "Not yet." "We will though." "A year from now the mayor runs for reelection." "Drop out of the governor's race and take him on." "Tom needs to watch his back." "Running against him won't be easy." "I can help you win." "He's not gonna go down without a fight." "He will take this entire city down with him." "* Satan, your kingdom must come down *" "* Satan, your kingdom must come down *" "* I heard the voice of Jesus Christ *" "* Satan, your kingdom must come down. *" "Monday." "We're still here." "Impeachment's off the table for now." "Dr. Reyes... neutralized as a potential witness in any hearings." "But public perception is still a problem and the council is riding the wave..." "No legislation, no debate, none of them have even come in this morning." "City business is at a standstill." "Everybody, everything is waiting on hold until they see how you fare." "Nothing's getting done until your way out of this becomes clear." "The feeling on the street is that a full-blown shutdown would be inexcusable, with the blame laying squarely on your shoulders." "Contracts on ice." "Nobody's sure whose word means what." " Despite the crowd outside with nothing better to do... " "Than to picket city hall on a Monday morning, what concerns me is this:" "forget for or against us, the question now is us." "If people think you're dying, Tom, you're as good as dead." "Just go!" "Shame on you!" "Just go!" "Shame on you!" " A shutdown?" " Without the council and a perceived vacuum in this office, we're not far from one." " How far?" " End of the week." "If we don't change things by then, we're facing a full shutdown." "Every agency is already figuring its numbers on who gets paid, who goes home, whose blackberries go dark." " What's still running?" " I've been talking with emergency services, police and fire units." "They'll continue in good faith." "They get their money yearly, so they'll be okay." "But their biggest fear is a continued freeze." " Anything else?" " Anything primarily run by the federal government, unless this thing drags on for months." "But that scenario is unlikely, one way or another." "You mean with me or without me?" "Yeah." "You need to turn the public tide, Tom." "Kids with cancer..." "It's your face behind all theirs in the press." " Any bad news?" " Yeah, Zajac's campaign..." "It's stalled." "His team is wondering if you'll be there to back him." "With two days until the primary, your ties to him have turned this election into something of an opinion poll on you." "And more than the public, it's the ward bosses that matter." "They see you as weak and, by extension, so is he." "Too easily beatable in the generals against Walsh." "Cold feet against him, in turn, says the same about you." "The way things stand now, you're practically on Zajac's ticket." " Cullen?" " Polls to be released later today show a slight spike." " I know I don't need to say this but..." " Then don't." " Say it." " If we don't find something to distract the public long enough to pull off the election, you and Zajac both are sitting ducks before we know it." "A puppet show I designed to slot him in as governor turns now into a fucking referendum about me." "There's more." "Today's your deposition on the class action suit brought by the Bensenville plaintiffs." "Kitty's out roaming the building, prepping agencies in case of a shutdown." "Do you want me to handle the deposition?" "We need a diversion, something to remind the people of who you were before this bad run began." " Were?" " Are." "If you have anything, any wild card whatsoever, now's the time to play it." "I'll ride it out." " Tom." " I'll ride it out." "Two days is 48 hours is enough time to deliberate properly." "Ross..." "What do you have?" "Something." "I'll get it to you this afternoon." " Why was he talking to Mata?" " Still working that." " Where is Mata?" " Still MIA, so's the old man's nurse." "Stoney, there's no room here." "I've gotta get this one right." "I know." "So will you be there for the deposition?" "You tell me." "Will I?" "Clinic, please hold." "Clinic, please hold." " Hey." " Emma?" "Can you give her a minute?" "She's with a patient." " Okay." " Okay." "Hi." "Thanks for holding." "How can I help you?" "Uh-huh." "Uh-huh." ""Almighty God, look on this your servant, lying in great weakness,"" "and comfort him with the promise of life everlasting, given in the resurrection of your son Jesus Christ our lord." ""Amen."" "Hey." "What happened?" "Oh, the man at the tattoo parlor went easy on me." "Oh." "How's your friend, EZ?" "He'll be fine." "What's that around your neck?" "It's a stole," " a vestment." " Okay." "It's something I wear when administering the sacraments." "Oh, okay." "Does it make you uncomfortable to see me do my job?" " No no no." " Okay." "Maybe I'll see you later when things aren't so busy." "Wait, hold up." "I wanted to show you later when it healed, but..." "Yeah?" "Right there." "Yeah." "I never told you it was the name of a song I wrote just before we met." "No, you didn't." "Some would say a tattoo is a sign of faith." "Or maybe I just thought it'd look cool." "I'd like to hear it." " What?" " The song." "Oh, okay." "Bye." "As acting head of the department of sanitation at the time," "Mayor Kane had sole authority to approve or deny such dumping of toxic waste, did he not?" "I can't speak for the checks and balances in place at the time." "I'll have to ask the mayor when he's available and get back to you." "Well, perhaps his signature can speak for itself." "Mr. Stone, please examine the document." "That is his signature, is it not?" "If he signed it, I assume that it is." "Did the mayor know that the waste he approved to be buried at the O'Hare adjunct site contained dangerously high levels of trichloroethylene?" " You mean Mayor Rutledge?" " No, I mean Mayor Kane." "I thought you meant the mayor at the time, which was not Tom Kane." "Answer the question, Mr. Stone." "Was Tom Kane, who issued the order for the waste to be dumped at the site, aware that it contained dangerously high levels of trichloroethylene?" "I'll have to ask the mayor when he's available and get back to you." "At a press conference two weeks ago, when he announced the recent discovery of the dump," "Mayor Kane mentioned that the waste was disposed, quote," ""well underground at appropriate depths,"" "end quote." "To the contrary, the area in question was never properly permitted for the disposal of toxic waste." "Is or was Mayor Kane aware of this fact?" "I cannot speak to that." "I'll have to ask him and get back to you." "Yeah, when he's available, right." "Would now be a good time?" "Let me ask you something, Mr. Stone..." "Was it you who advised the mayor to play hardball like this or was it his own ill-advised thinking?" " I'm not sure what you mean." " Knowing his predilection to cut a deal," "I'd have thought he'd choose to settle this out of court rather than go down the biggest sinkhole of his career." "What deal?" "They offered a 12-hour window to settle the suit out of court." " To whom?" " Kitty." " When?" " Saturday." "The McGantry kid is every bit the pompous blowhard his old man is, but I think he's telling the truth." "What do you want to do?" " Keep it to yourself." " Mmm." "And..." "Send in Kitty." "Essential versus nonessential functions are being worked on by all agencies, factoring in the contingency of furloughing." "Paid leaves are being suspended, unemployment benefits reapportioned." "City tax and revenue services are suspending activities..." "No money in, no money out." "Parks and monuments, all closed." "Housing and small business administration both are saying they'll be forced to suspend approvals on new loan guarantees." " Let's jump to tomorrow night." " Yes sir." "What's this I'm hearing about a press conference by Zajac on election eve?" "I assume a standard pep talk to boost the troops given the freeze and Cullen's rise in the polls." " You assume?" " I'll find out, sir." "I don't know." "Maybe they're right." "Sir?" "The people out there." "Not in their appraisal of me but..." "Yes sir?" "But the timing." "There comes a time you have to ask "why?" "Is it worth it?"" "Yeah, maybe that's how you finally calculate that it's time to do something else," "step down." "We've worked together for eight years, you and I." "Yes sir, eight years." "So you know better than anybody what's left to do in this office that I haven't already done, except..." "Put up with more and more days like this." " Sir, if I may..." " You don't have to say anything." "It's just a thought for now." "But things move quickly from idea to reality in this game." "You know that." "Yes sir." "Just last week you had phone monkey out there putting up false real estate signs in Bensenville." "I can't help but wonder whether to admire or regret what our run has turned you into." "Admire, sir." "I've made a lot of sacrifices, Kitty, for the sake of all this." "I know you have too." "I appreciate it." "Well, whatever you decide, either way," "I'm here for you." "Thank you." "Can I call you back?" "No, are you somewhere private?" " Yeah." " Kane's talking about stepping down." " Down?" " From office." " What?" "Why?" " I don't know." "He just told me." "It could be everything that's going on." "I've never heard him like this." " Are you sure?" " I'm telling you I don't know." "Only time will tell." "But if he really means this..." "I don't need Ross or anyone else at my back to run for mayor." "Exactly." "And at the right time, you could even use Kane himself to ease you into his spot." "This is huge." " Kitty?" " Yeah, sorry." "Was there something else?" "Listen, I'm gonna call you back, okay?" "Okay." "With all due respect, Tom, you've gotta make a move." "There are two days left, hardly, and we've made our concerns clear to Ezra." " Yes, you have." " Everyone's hide is on the line this week" " if yours is." " Is it?" "Tom, you want the kid in Springfield, we'll pull the trigger for him." "But you gotta make it easier for us." "He's nothing without you." "And right now with all that's going on, it's very hard for us to convince folks that..." " That I'll be around." " Yes." "We're in a bad place, Tom, and the usual goodwill gestures aren't gonna cut it." " No tax rebates..." " Clemency grant..." "Planting a fucking tree at the waste dump." "In all seriousness, we've worked together for many years, so I hope you understand when I tell you you have to trust us on this." "The standard tricks won't suffice, not with two days and this much heat." " Please, Tom." " Thank you, gentlemen." "You've said enough." "I appreciate your concern, but I never found panic to be a good policy." "Word is "The Sentinel" is gonna endorse Cullen." "They can endorse the tooth fairy for all I care." "It's been a thrashing by that one reporter, Tom." "Look, I've taken care of "The Sentinel" problem, so just allow me to take care of a few others as I see fit." "We'll all be a lot better for it." "Thank you." "Thanks, Tom." " Mayor." " Thank you always." "Thank you, gentlemen." "Thanks for coming." "Take care, Gil." "Bump this section up to the top." "It'll make for a stronger opening." "You're gonna cut this, lose this." "And who's the source for these two quotes you don't credit?" "Wikipedia." " You're fucking kidding me." " Hm-Mmm." "Dot com, forward slash, unacceptable." "Fix it." "Well well, a visit from the king." "What brings his eminence to this lowly province?" "Uh-oh." "I wonder what the hell this is about." "Can I have your laptop?" "Sam, Peter Baine." "The infamous Sam Miller." "Good to meet you, son." "We met briefly last year at the National Press Foundation dinner." "And I was likely quite drunk just to get through it." "Well, then that makes two of us." "Is there somewhere private that we can talk?" " Sure, we can use my office." " I was hoping Mr. Miller and I might have a word alone." "We, uh... your office?" " Of course." " Fine." "Have a seat over here." "I know the asset that you've been to this enterprise, particularly recently, but we have a problem..." "No, "problem" is too strong a word..." "An issue." " An issue." " This ongoing story on Kane." "Let me spare you the niceties, sir." "If I have to shut up or ship out," "I'll just ship out." "Rather than drop anchor in this very office?" " Excuse me?" " You in, Bentley out." "The time has come, anyway, for some fresh blood at the helm." " Are you serious?" " Look at the situation, son." "Look at where we're sitting." "Look at him out there." "What makes you think I'm not serious?" "As long as I kill the story on Kane." "Not kill, exactly." "Just induce a certain coma" " for the time being." " The time being?" " A few days." " Meaning until after the election." "Meaning a few days." "You can analyze that however you want." "What makes you think I want to be editor?" "Aside from the fact that you're still wet behind the ears enough to ask such a brash, rhetorical question?" "Well, I'd hate to be beholden to city hall any more than I already am." "Now don't confuse Bentley with the position." "You do with it what you want, make it your own." "Think about it, son." "Would you rather take aim with a slingshot from out there or a cannon from in here?" "Better tools make for a better fight." "You sound like him." "Who?" " Bentley." " Think about it." "And, um, after the election?" "Like I said, you do what you want as long as you sell papers." "Let me know." "Hey, Jack." "Good seeing you." "Always a pleasure." "Fire in the hole!" "Hey." "Thank you." "At ease, everybody." " Hey, do I have an office here?" " Right this way." "Thank you so much." "Appreciate it." " Hello." " It's me." "Kane's quitting." " Has he said anything to you about it yet?" " Slow down." "Take a breath." " How do you know?" " Someone on the inside." "That's all I can say." "Why wouldn't he tell you?" "I don't know." "I would tread very carefully with this." " Who else knows?" " No one." "So which is it?" "Is he playing a game or is he telling the truth?" "He might not even know himself." "What do we do?" "We act... fast." " We stack the deck toward him quitting." " I'll tell you what..." "If Kane is not in the race for mayor this time next year, why do I need a Ross, a Cullen or any other backseat driver calling the shots?" "I don't want to be their stooge as mayor any more than I want to be Kane's as governor." "Fuck 'em for trying to own me." "If I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do it the right way..." " From scratch." " Then you do it by sticking to the three basic linchpins of American politics," "Money, muscle and the neutralization of one's enemies." " So much for message." " Nice alliteration, but not a winning strategy." "Now the money is spoken for." "We can assume that much." " How?" " The same way Tom could when I raised what it took to get him elected." "Oh right." "Tsk." "Don't worry." "I won't be owning you either." "I'll only insist that I continue in a certain few of my unofficial capacities." "Of course." " Muscle?" " Organization on the ground." "Leave that to me for now." "You, on the other hand, need to focus on your enemies, present and future." "And you don't have much time." "First on your list..." "Ross." "If he finds himself pushed out of the picture before you've built enough momentum of your own, he could render this whole thing stillborn." "So you don't give him any reason to suspect anything." "Step down?" "That man will crawl inside the walls of city hall and die with the other rats before he walks out willingly." "Maybe, or maybe he'll do the smart thing and spare his legacy any further damage." " How do you know this?" " I can't say, but it's reliable and credible." "Why are you telling me?" "Because I want you to hear it from me in person that if Kane does step down, I don't want the earth tremors it will cause to give you any doubts about my intentions." "As far as I'm concerned, this doesn't affect our plan one way or another, right?" " Why would it?" " I don't care about the others." "I want you to tell me now that you care just as much about putting me in office as you do about dumping Kane out of it." "You have my word." "Some fucking place to meet." "Yeah, it had to be someplace no one goes." "Would you hang out here at night?" "Take a message." "Who?" "Put him through." "What can I do for you?" "Where?" "Wasn't sure you'd even take my call." " How can I help you?" " That's my question." "It's pretty empty down here." "Kane doesn't manage to thaw this one out, he won't be the only one looking for a job next week." "If you have a point, I'm listening." "Should the plates shift in city hall," "I want you to know you'd still have a home here." "Thank you for the call." "I heard he's stepping down." " You always believe what you hear?" " If you do." "Do you?" "We're done here." "Your man's toxic." "He himself is giving us everything we need to keep things in a deep freeze, but we can bring all this back, resume business, if he takes the honorable step." "Shake the tree, bad apples do fall." " Who did Ross hear it from?" " We didn't get that far, but tell me where the dots begin and I'm sure we can connect them." "I'll take care of that." "Did he say anything else?" "Yeah, he offered me a job." "Tom, we need to talk about the election." " Time's running out." " Not now." "Ezra." "Thank you." " Sir, you asked to see me?" " Come in." "Close the door, please." "I need your help with something." " Yes sir." " Something I'm having a little trouble understanding." "This morning we were approached by Alderman Ross." "He offered his help in bringing the council back to work." "That's good news, sir." "He did so because he's under the impression that I'm stepping down from office." "I only told you." " Sir..." " Sit down." "I've asked you before, do you know who the fuck I am?" "Right now, in this moment," "I am the angel of fucking death for you." "And the next few minutes are gonna feel like perdition itself if you don't tell me what I need to know." "Nod." "You wanna play." "Let's fucking play." "How small." "How pedestrian." "How fucking cheap." "Do you understand how little your petty act of defiance even registers?" "And to what end?" "Make your mundane, inconsequential life mean something?" "You want to feel, is that it?" "Feel needed?" "Worth it?" "You want to fucking matter?" "You don't." "You don't fucking matter." "Whatever station you occupy, others have given you..." "Those of us who make things, who matter." "And you know this..." "That's your burden..." "That forever, no matter how hard you work, how many futile sacrifices you make, how deeply you commit, you know it will always be another's hand that feeds you." "Because that's what you are, that's what you'll always be..." "Dependent." "And now you have designs on shifting your dependency." "How numbingly predictable." "Go ahead." "But before you walk out of this room," "I want names." "Look at me." "Who did you tell?" "Who?" "!" "Zajac." " Speak." " He's planning on stepping down from the race for governor to run next year" "for mayor." "Mayor?" "Of Chicago?" "Zajac?" "It wasn't his idea." "Names." "Who else?" "Ross, sir." "He's backing him." " Tonight's press conference." " Zajac is planning on announcing that he's dropping out of the primary for personal reasons." "Who else?" "Cullen." "Kohler." "Solomou." "Mata." "Who else?" "Who?" "I hate the clandestine thing." "Let's keep this cut and dry." "We don't have time for anything ponderous." "Okay." "Zajac came to me with a rumor that Tom is stepping down." "I assume you told Ben." "Relax, change is in the air." "We have to realign ourselves." "You can practically smell it..." "The city on standby until those who have what it takes step up to the plate." "Do you have what it takes?" "For what?" "To step up." "He needs organization on the ground." "You know the people, the lay of the land." "How am I supposed to take this conversation?" "Oh, don't humor me." "You know what my marriage is and what it isn't." "I'm the one who grew up in the mayor's office when Tom was playing stickball with stolen bats in Bridgeport." "And don't make this a choice between him and me." "You have a lot more to look out for than your devotion to a fallen horse." "Where will you be a year from now if Kane's not around?" "Keep all your eggs in one basket and they're likely to rot sooner than you think." "Do handmaidens get a second chance?" "For you to decide." "How long do I have?" "We need to hit the ground running the moment Zajac announces he's dropping out of the primary." "Whichever way you choose, know this..." "We never had this conversation." "Otherwise you and you alone will pay for what you started." "Meredith." "Leave." "Come in." "Tom, you okay?" "No." " Should I ask?" " Not now." "I'm sorry, but this is something that can't wait any longer." "Public opinion, Tom." "The time to ride things out is past." "We have less than a day." "Whatever you have, if you have anything, it's now or never." "Otherwise tomorrow will be a bloodbath." "Everything really will be over." "Just give me five minutes." " Free clinic." " Emma." "Dad, what's the matter?" "Nothing." "I just wanted to call." " Where are you?" " You know, just..." "At work." " You don't need a refill already, do you?" " No." "I just wanted to hear your voice." "Dad, are you okay?" "Yeah, I..." "How's work?" "Good." "How are you weathering things?" "You know, I'm not really up on my Bible, but isn't there something in there about how it's..." "There's a time to eat shit and wish that you'd done everything different the first time?" "Well, close enough." " Emma." " Yeah?" "I love you." " But you don't have to..." " I love you too, dad." "I know." "I know." "I know." "I'll..." "I'll talk to you soon." "Okay." " Okay." " Bye-bye." "Bye, dad." "I don't need to sell you, babe." "You, Peter and Eugene sold me on Ben at lunch only a short time ago." "And in the interest of..." "How did you phrase it?" ""Change on the outside, continuity on the inside"?" "Something like that, perhaps." "I think we can all agree that while it would be a good thing to have him in the governor's office in Springfield, it might be an even better thing to have him in the mayor's office right here in Chicago." "And Tom?" "Tom has intimated he may be stepping down." "We're just trying to make sure that transitions happen smoothly and without upheaval." "That's one thing I love about you, Meredith..." "Always as much concerned about the powers that will be." "It takes a spine of iron to get the job done and done right in this town." "Well, when you grow up with a father who spent his life working in the mills, you tend to get a spine at an early age." "What are we talking in terms of financial support?" " We haven't discussed figures yet." " That's fine." "I'm asking the candidate for his educated guess." " 250." " A quarter million." "We're looking at two humps..." "First, whatever happens with the initial announcement." "It's early, so there could be upfront costs." "Then as we get closer to the run next year, we should fall back into a more traditional pattern." "Ground operations?" "The opposition?" "We've taken measures on both fronts already." "So Tom's thinking of stepping down?" "You know, it doesn't matter." "Nothing like the bond of betrayal to keep you two in bed together." "I'd offer you a drink, but let's just assume we had one." "Mayor Zajac and whatever it takes to make it so." "Babe." "Today I stand before you." "My heart broken and in pieces." "Today I approved a multifaceted operation aimed at dealing a strong blow to the drug trade that still affects the meaner streets of our city, a relentless scourge that as mayor I have attempted to vanquish on behalf of not only our children," "but also on behalf of their parents..." "Parents like me." "For today I join the multitude of parents, broken-hearted parents, who have suffered the same tragedy in their own lives." "It is with heaviness that I..." "Put your hands on the desk right now!" "Hands on the desk!" "My own daughter was found on the wrong side of the law in a neighborhood to which she attempted to bring light both as a pastor and as the administrator of a free health clinic." "She got mixed up in its darker elements." "But the law is the law." "And to spare my own daughter the consequences of breaking it would send the wrong message to all our children." "I only hope you see my actions as they are..." "Candid, plain, truthful." "I hope I'm able to put away this pain..." "The pain in which I know I'm not alone, the pain for which there's no description." "My soul is in tatters." "I know there is solace in knowing that cleaner streets will spare other parents this same grief." "As a father, in this moment, there's only pain in my heart." "I'm afraid that's all I can manage for now." "Thank you." "Mr. Mayor." "Mr. Mayor." " Hello." " We need to talk." "I just heard it on the radio." "He's not stepping down, Ben." "For Kane so loved the city of Chicago, he gave up his only begotten daughter." "Shut up and listen to me." "He's not going anywhere." "It was a trap, his mention of stepping down, just to see who would bite." "We bit." " He knows everything." " What does he know?" "You, me, Meredith..." "Everyone." "All right." "Everything's gonna be okay." " You don't know him, Ben." " And I don't want to." "Listen to me." "He can play all the games that he wants, he's finished." "Let him run against us next year." "He won't have a pot to piss in when his money base decamps and the ward muscle along with it." "We're gonna have his machine working for us." "I mean, that's assuming you still want to be a part of it." "I know that you do." "We can do this." "We can do it together." "I need to tell you something." "Tell me." "Anything." "Let me call you back, mom." "You might want to sit down." "This is gonna hurt." "Your anger is aimed at me, though you are responsible for what you have done." "Think of this as an inoculation against false hope." "Send a set of each to Mrs. Zajac and Alderman Ross..." " Yes sir." " ..." "lmmediately." "Do I have to stand here to make sure you don't let this one slide too?" "No sir." "Please tell me what you were thinking." "I don't know." "No, you don't, do you?" "Because thinking doesn't suit you." "You know what suits you?" "Being a prop for people who actually know what they're doing," "people in a league you don't even understand." "Do you know what this is?" "Mailroom." "Hi, this is Kitty on five." "I need a courier as soon as possible." "I'll send one up." "Thank you." "Since when have I ever cared who you're fucking?" "What I do care about is who sent this." "Do you understand?" "Who is sending this message, Ben, that you are fucked..." "And they are gonna fuck you?" " Kane." " Well done." "I'm not asking for an answer." "I'm asking you to think..." "Hard as that is..." "Where your reckless fucking has gotten you..." "Us." "Because maybe you're having trouble seeing it." "And because over my dead body are you gonna sabotage the kind of future for which I have worked all these years." " Maggie..." " Shut up!" "You have relinquished your right to speak." "This is what you're gonna do." "First, you are going to cancel the press conference you have scheduled for tonight and give up your absurd pipe dream of taking on Kane." "Second, you are going to crawl back to him with your tail between your legs like the dog that you are and you are going to beg him for his forgiveness." "If you're lucky, he may just let you still run for governor." "What about Ross?" "That note said he got a set too." "I guess that's third." "You pray you don't end up in a ditch where you belong." "Honey, you coming to bed?" "Honey?" "Yup." "Is everything okay?" "Yes." "I don't know what to say." "Three weeks ago you threw me the bone of a lifetime and I messed up in ways I can't even explain." "I'm here to say I'm sorry." "No matter how hollow that may sound now," "I'm really really sorry." "I learned my lesson." "It may be too late, but I'm thinking of my family now..." "My wife, my two boys." "I may not get a second chance with them, but I thought maybe..." "What?" "If I did whatever it is you wanted of me..." "My mercy comes easier than theirs?" " No sir." " Do you realize how easy it would be to have you wiped completely off the map?" "Your name, your face... gone, never to be seen or heard of again." "You are a state treasurer who ran a three-week campaign for governor in a primary." "Who do you think remembers that if you don't win?" " Sir, please..." " I would've thought you'd come to me on your knees." "Please." "Stay where you are." "What about tomorrow?" "What about it?" "Am I still in the race?" "Jack." "Oh, Sam, I didn't see you there behind the facade." " Fair enough." " Yeah?" "Shove it up your ass." "You would've done the same thing." "I wouldn't have been such a hypocrite along the way..." "You and your bullshit crusade for a code of transparency." "That's funny." "It wasn't even two weeks ago you were telling me to use the system to beat the system." "Better tools for a bigger, better fight, right?" "Fuck you, you ungrateful punk." "You'd still be covering the weekend arts bulletin if I hadn't given you your break." " I can't argue that." " Good." "Do me a favor..." "Stay out of my face till I'm gone." "See if you can live up to it as much as you wish everyone else did." "Here, I'll go, you stay." "Make yourself at home." " Good night, Frank." " Good night." "Good night."