"{\move(10,10,190,230,100,400)\fad(0,1000)\fscx25\fscy25\t(0,6000,\fscx125\fscy125)\cH000000\3cH00FFFF}anoXmous" "Oh!" "Come in." "Mr. Feng, it's time." "Ten thousand." "Let's go." "Here began the last bloody march toward Appomattox, where General Grant met General Lee for the first time, and brave men bled to set the course of history." "I'm so honored to be here celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Overland Campaign." "Thank you to County Administrator Roberts, to all the dedicated re-enactors, and of course to Governor O'Keefe for organizing such a wonderful three-day event." " That's all, sir?" " That's it." "Short and sweet." "Or at least just short." "In Gaffney, people called it the War of Northern Aggression." "I personally take no pride in the Confederacy." "Avoid wars you can't win, and never raise your flag" " for an asinine cause like slavery." " He's on his way." "Fine." " People will move on." " They won't." " The less you say, the more they'll dig." " Let them." " Willa, could you give us two seconds?" " I'll be right outside." "McGinnis happened in college." "The abortion happened five years later." " There aren't any medical records." " None at all?" "We specifically made sure." "A nurse, somebody in the waiting room?" "The doctor was the only one there." " Then where is he now?" " It's a long time ago, Connor." "He passed away." "And if I'm not worried, you shouldn't be." "Even still, sexual assault is part of the conversation now." "Every article and column mentions you." "If we offer nothing, we can't shape your image." "I made it very clear, I don't want exposure." "When we have something new to say, we'll say it." "Willa?" "Any luck with the Joint Chiefs?" "The chairman's office still says he's unavailable." "But they did offer to send the director of the Joint Staff." " Eleven a.m. tomorrow." " Confirm it." "We'll meet in Francis's office at the West Wing." "Anything else?" "No." "I should get going." "Hit the road." "Thank you, Connor." "Get Congresswoman Brooks on the phone." "And see if the First Lady will be available this afternoon." "You want a brief on everyone on the Chinese side of the summit?" "No." "What Durant's doing in Washington is a facade." "This is the real negotiation." "Give me what you have on Feng." "Xander Feng." "Deep family connections to the party." "Grandfather fought side by side with Mao." "Big in the telecom industry." "Estimated net worth is over 50 billion." " More than Raymond's." " By a few billion, but who's counting?" "Do they have any other business partnerships" " other than the rare earth refinery?" " Not that I could find." "All right." "Get a progress update from Durant." "Tell her I'll be in touch as soon as we know what Feng wants." "When a man like Raymond Tusk gets involved in state diplomacy, you can be sure he's not after the Nobel Peace Prize." "He's an opportunist." "But so am I." "Maybe this is my opportunity to loosen his grip on the president." "You must be the manager." "Thank you for having us." "Good morning." "Mr. Vice President, do you have any idea how long..." "Any comments on the talks with the Chinese?" "Can we get a comment on the summit talks?" "The vice president will be working from his room for the remainder of the day." "All day." "Mr. Feng, it's a pleasure." "Likewise, Mr. Vice President." " Coffee?" "Tea?" " I have already been offered." " But thank you." " Thank you, Meechum." "It's a long flight from Beijing." "You must be exhausted." "I keep Western hours." "My midnight is your midnight." "So have you had a chance to look over the proposal?" " I have." " Shall we?" "Page four." " The refinery." " With Mr. Tusk." "With the highest bidder." "We are prepared to offer Clayton West a 40-year lease on the Mei Mei rare earth elements refinery, to which I will lend my name." "I understand that you and Raymond are business associates." "But you're gonna have to open it up to bidding." "Mr. Tusk will outbid any competitors." "Well, even so, you know, for appearances." "Yes." "Appearances." "If you must." " So there are no issues here, then?" " We may proceed." " Page six." " The bridge." "The committee on foreign investment will approve a pilot infrastructure project to build a bridge over the Long Island Sound from Port Jefferson to Milford in exchange for a 25-year toll-taking contract." "Before we consider the bridge, there's one more item I'd like to discuss." "Consider?" "I thought the bridge was definite." " Nothing is definite." " This bridge is a priority-one item." "It's very important to your president." "I understand." "What would you like to discuss?" "The currency manipulation suit which you have filed against us in the World Trade Organization." "Which we are prepared to drop if all other conditions are met." "The point of this meeting is to allow us to say things that cannot be said in formal settings, yes?" " Yes, of course." " We don't want you to drop the lawsuit." "Forgive me, I..." "I don't understand." "Do not back off in the WTO." "But you've been fighting us on currency manipulation for years." "Free-floating currency is inevitable." "Now I have something I can work with." " Why the suddenn change of heart?" " Not sudden." "It has taken those of us who are more forward-thinking many years to convince our counterparts." "But China could just do it." "I mean, you know as well as I," " you don't require WTO ruling." " Appearances, as you say." "It's important that it looks like America forced us out, not that we gave in." "Well, I'll need a little more time so that I can brief the president." "I'm here for as long as necessary." "However you would like to communicate, I leave that to you." " Thank you, Mr. Vice President." " Thank you, Mr. Feng." "In Gaffney, we had our own brand of diplomacy:" "shake with your right hand, but hold a rock in your left." "Well, look who got stuck with the pool." "We volunteered because we hate ourselves." " All's well on the Southern Front?" " No news is no news." "Come on." "I hear there's muskets out there." "When you giving us something real?" "We're here in beautiful Spotsylvania, aren't we?" "This is dress-up for grown men with toy guns." "Sounds like 500 words to me." "Tell Durant that China won't discuss the bridge unless we drop the WTO suit." "I thought you said they want to keep it?" "Feng does, which means Tusk does." "But we don't know if Beijing does." "You think Feng's lying?" "An open currency could free up interest rates, reduce inflation in China." "They both profit." "If they're forcing Beijing's hand, or we are," " that could throw the summit into chaos." " Exactly." "Look, Feng may well have support, but my guess is that the Standing Committee's divided." "Either way, we'll throw them off balance." "Let's leak we're dropping the suit as soon as Cathy presents it." "Just the lawsuit?" "Nothing else in the leak?" "A hint of Feng, but no names." "Let's let this grow on its own." " How was that?" " Much better." "I feel good." "What do you think?" " I think you're ready." " How long on the code?" "Just a couple of bugs to work out." "I told them tomorrow or Wednesday." " Work's not done." " If I postpone again," " don't you think it'll draw attention?" " It'll be done when it's done." "I'll email you when the bugs are fixed." "Somewhere public." "Place and time." "Hey." "Are you sure you want to do this?" " I understand the risks." " Well, you think you do." "This isn't the first time I've been in danger." "Oh, yeah?" "Paper cuts at the Herald?" "Death threats." "When I exposed a drug ring in DC." "No, I read the articles." "That's small-time." "I almost had to go into protection." "This is the FBI." "It's not a few street cops." "You think you're badass because you're on some vigilante anarchy kick?" "At least I have the balls to put my name on the work I do." "You've never faced a hundred years in prison, you self-righteous prick." "Most of my friends are locked up and rotting away 'cause they poked the bear one too many times." "Why?" "They wanted to expose government surveillance, the PRISM program, embezzlement, abuse, fucking torture, lies." "You're a journalist?" "Who gives a shit?" "We're fucking soldiers." "It's personal for me now." "I don't have a choice, but you still do." "I don't have a choice." " Where did you get this?" " You can say a source close to the Chinese delegation." " Give me a name." " All I know is that it's a Chinese businessman with ties to the Standing Committee." " Back-channeling the summit." " In Washington?" " I don't know." " With who?" " I don't know that either." " If I called the USTR's office," " they'll confirm?" " I'm telling you as much as I know." "Why are you telling me this at all?" "They're going public with it tomorrow." "You might as well get the scoop." "Why me specifically?" "You deserve better than a Civil War reenactment." "Please don't pretend you've suddenly become Santa Claus." "I give you something now, maybe you remember." " It's an investment in the future." " I'm not big on favors." "I said "maybe."" "Connect me to the USTR's office." "Skip the press secretary." "Tell them I want to talk about the WTO suit." " Who did you speak to?" " Connor." " He's talking to Ayla Sayyad." " How much did you fill him in?" " The bare minimum." " I'd be a lot more comfortable if it was you going directly, as we discussed." "This puts distance on me, which puts distance on you." "I want you to meet with Feng tonight." "No proxies." " Understood." " Now where are we with Mr. Goodwin?" "Any day now." "Thirty-five to life." "Cyberterrorism." "The penalties are stiff." " This needs to be clean, Doug." " It will be." "One fall of the axe." " Keep me informed." " Yes, sir." "Well, I just think what you did took so much bravery." "To go on air like that in front of the whole country and say what you did?" "That means a lot to me." "And I admire what you both have been doing to advocate for the, well," " for the victims." " Women." "Like you and me." " Not victims." " Men too." "It's not gender-specific." "Well, yes." " Would you consider pitching in?" " How?" "It would send a strong message if we had the First Lady in our corner." " If you think I could help." " Well, we have thehead of the women's caucus." "Both wives from the White House." "That's a meeting they couldn't sweep under the rug." "And the fact that the chairman sent anyone is promising, but we need to make sure our message gets back to him." "I just..." "I haven't been through the same sort of experience." "Well, why should that prevent you?" "I don't know if I have a right" " to speak about it." " You're the First Lady." "You have the right to speak about anything you want." " Mr. White?" " Mrs. Marbury." " I'm Susan." " Well, it's a pleasure to meet you." "I know I'm a little off the beaten path." "Did you have any trouble finding me?" "No, the directions were great." "Easy as pie." "Well, good." "Come in." "I have to admit, I've been looking forward to this all day." "I didn't realize you were announcing so soon." "We've had some great luck with the endowment." "Well, my husband didn't get much recognition while he was alive." "I was so thrilled when Planned Parenthood asked to name a fund after him." "We're thrilled that you're open to it." "When you called, you said you had some questions?" "They're delicate." "That's why I wanted to come in person." " Delicate how?" " There are a lot of people who will protest this sort of financial assistance to minors." "And we want to make sure they have no cause to smear us." "People tried to smear my husband his entire career." "He never let it affect the work he was doing." "Did your husband ever perform any illegal abortions?" "I need you to answer me, Mrs. Marbury." "Did your husband perform any illegal abortions?" "I won't discuss that." " Nothing unreported?" " Young man." "You're not old enough to remember, but there was a time when every..." "What about any prominent figures who the antichoice crowd could vilify?" " No." " Did Dr. Marbury perform an abortion for Claire Underwood?" " No, he did not." " I know for a fact that he did." "That is not true." "And I would like you to leave now." "Forgive me, Mrs. Marbury." "I haven't been entirely honest with you." "My name's Seth Grayson." "I don't work for Planned Parenthood." "Mr. Feng?" "There's speculation back home that the back channel is you." "Two separate articles in Hong Kong... there's your name." "Do you want me to contact the vice president?" "No." "Let him come to me." "Get Mr. Tusk on the phone." "You should be ashamed of yourself." "I'm doing this for your own good, Mrs. Marbury." "Imagine the media frenzy, your husband's legacy destroyed, the press hounding you day and night, and the Planned Parenthood fund... gone." "How do I know you work for her?" "That you're not just some right-wing fanatic who wants to destroy..." "Because I wouldn't have done you the courtesy of paying a visit." "There would've been an army of satellite trucks at your door instead of me." "Well, I won't tell anyone, if that's what you're worried about." "I believe you." "Did your husband keep records of any kind of who he assisted?" "Anything at all?" "Notes?" "Unofficial records?" " He kept a journal." " Do you still have it?" " May I?" " Go ahead." " I need to take this with me." " Can't you just take out that page?" "Someone finds this with pages missing, that could raise eyebrows." "There's 60 years of his life in there." "From when we met until he died." "And do you want six decades reduced to one night in August, 25 years ago?" "Just imagine what it looked like back then." "At the edge of the ridge was a dense thicket which allowed the Northern troops to come in and form on the Mule Shoe." "The Southern regiments were entrenched in this area at the apex of the line." "As you can see, the topography forced the two sides down towards each other." " This is the Bloody Angle?" " That's right." "I was reading about it last night." "Close quarters, hand-to-hand combat." "All told, about 15,000 Union and Confederate soldiers lost their lives here at the Bloody Angle on a battlefield that's only about half a mile wide." "Now, Mr. Vice President, we have a surprise for you today." "I'd like to introduce you to Corporal Augustus Elijah Underwood of the 12th Regiment of McGowan's Brigade, your great-great-great-grandfather." " I died here, in this battle." " I think there's been a mistake." "My grandfather never mentioned any Underwoods in the war." "We did our research." "He definitely fought and died here." "I was 24." "And my son, your great-great-grandfather, was two years old." "I never met him." "It happened here?" "At the Bloody Angle?" "At the edge of those woods." "My skull was bashed in with a rock." "Thank you." "Now, over here, we've got something that's very interesting as well." "Just a moment." " Tell me more." " It was the middle of the night." "We were out of musket balls." "Just bayonets, and only half of us had those." "I had nothing." "Just these hands." "So dark you couldn't see nothin'." "But you could hear 'em, the Yanks, running toward us." "Then you could smell 'em." "First Yank that brushed up against me, I grabbed him by the throat." "Fall down on the ground." "I bit him so hard I could taste the bone." "Then he grabs a rock, brings it down right here." "That was that." "I was buried in a mass grave." "No headstone." "Can we get a picture with you and Augustus?" "Yes." "Thank you." " He takes it rather seriously." " Oh, yeah, they all do." "Now up ahead we have examples of Confederate ramparts that we've reconstructed." "You can see how they've cut the timber and made the trenches." "Those trenches traded hands many times over the course of the battle." " You have keys?" " We own you." "Yes, we have keys." " Let me put some clothes on." " Forget your clothes." "And I quote:" ""You sure you wanna do this?"" "And I quote: "I don't have a choice, but you do."" "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" "He should know what he's getting into." "Are those silk pajamas?" "Looks even fancier in person." "Cashew." "No." "Don't touch her." "Hey, there, little guy." "I've seen you before on camera." "Please put her down." "Don't take the chance." "I bought these shoes at J.C. Penney." "Seventy-two dollars with tax." "Rubber soles." "Can clean 'em off with a hose." "Please, you're hurting her." "I have a pet too." "His name is Gavin Orsay." "Sit!" "I said sit." "Look what a good boy you are, Gavin." " Is that what you need me to do?" " Quiet." "When I say fetch, you fetch." "And now we are going to fetch Lucas, just like we discussed." "If you try to bite my hand," "I will put you to sleep." "Mind if I take a couple?" "Doug Stamper." "I'm the vice president's chief of staff." "I know." "Sit down." "My grandfather fought in the revolution." "China was poor then." "Sugar was hard to come by." "Now, sugar is everywhere in China." " Do you like Old Fashioneds?" " No, thanks." "I've seen the news." "Your government was enthusiastic about us dropping the suit." "They've touted it as a victory back home." "It is a victory." "But not the victory we wanted." "We're finding that difficult to believe." "By "we" you mean the vice president." "I mean the American government." "Which he proclaims to represent." "He does." "And I'm representing him." "Don't inflate your status, Mr. Stamper." "You're nothing but an errand boy." "Do you have a message for the vice president?" "If he represents the American government, then why did he fail to communicate my request?" "We question your legitimacy, Mr. Feng." "Nothing your delegation has done or said has in any way supported your requests." "Mm..." "Smell that." "I use Macallan Rare and Fine, 1926." "Forty thousand dollars a bottle." " You used to be an alcoholic, correct?" " Not used to be." "Still am." " A sober one." " Do you miss it?" " Five thousand dollars you just spilled." " I'll send you a check." "I like you, Mr. Stamper, even if you're just an errand boy." "I'll ask you again." "What is your message for the vice president?" "There will be no Port Jefferson Bridge unless the lawsuit is reintroduced." "When you do, there will be those on the Standing Committee who protest, but I'll manage them." "The majority want reform." "I'll tell the vice president." "Mr. Stamper, one more message." "Please remind the vice president that we are both here at the behest of our mutual friend, Mr. Tusk." "If the vice president fails to cooperate," "I will simply bypass him." " Yes?" " It's Doug." "Fine." "Spoke with Feng." "Here's your onion rings." "Did you know that General Longstreet was shot here?" "Accidentally by his own men in the dark?" "No, I didn't." "All right." "Bring me up to date." "Where are we with Feng?" "He wants us to resume the lawsuit." "So he's sticking to his guns." "If we don't reintroduce it, there's no bridge project." "Well, that will greatly upset the president." "Do you want me to deliver Feng's message?" "Absolutely not." "We want the president angry." "The tricky part is making sure he doesn't direct it toward me." " So, what do you want me to do?" " Get ahold of Cathy's people." "Do not mention the lawsuit at all." "Have them bring up the bridge instead." " Let's see if Feng is bluffing." " Yes, sir." "We must learn from Longstreet." "He rode too high in the saddle." "If a bullet comes my way tomorrow, it will not be an accident, and I must be quick to duck." "Gentlemen, thank you for coming." "Is the vice president attending?" "No, he's not." "He's out of town." "I've just decided to use his office because it's a bit bigger than mine." "Please, sit." "I know this isn't the first conversation you've had about sexual assault." "We've had a very open dialogue with the congresswoman for quite some time." ""Open" is one way to put it." "I think the Joint Chiefs have tolerated my concerns..." "To be fair, we've been quite responsive." "Over the past two years..." "The congresswoman has expressed her frustration to me" " that there's still room for improvement." " Mrs. Underwood, if I may." " Please." " This is an issue we've grappled with seriously." "Increased education and prevention measures, restructuring the reporting process, insulating courts-martial from abuse of power." " It's still not enough." " Civilian jurisdiction is not gonna happen." "We're all aware that's what the congresswoman would prefer, but we won't allow our..." " Am I late?" " It's my fault." "The meeting got pushed up." "I meant to e-mail you." "I'm very sorry." "That's fine." "Please, sit." "We didn't know you'd be attending, Mrs. Walker." "I'm sorry for interrupting." "Continue." "As I was saying putting sexual assault cases entirely in the hands of civilian courts fundamentally erodes the military's ability to self-discipline." "What about civilian oversight instead of civilian courts?" "That's a slippery slope." "There were those who said the same of racial integration." "Integration didn't change the core operational nature..." "But it did prove that the military could shape its own evolution." "Absolutely." "But in this case, civilian oversight is not the answer." "My husband is a civilian who oversees the military." "Are you suggesting that civilians can offer no guidance" " in matters like this?" " Forgive me, Mrs. Walker." "I didn't mean to suggest that at all." "Then maybe you should listen to the civilian" " sitting across from you." " Yes, ma'am." "This is from your own sexual assault prevention literature." "And in it, it says in some cases it may be advisable to submit than to resist." "I think it's quite clear that there's still room for improvement." "Did you know about Xander Feng?" "Not until I saw his name on the wire." "He's been charged with corruption twice." "Both times, the charges were dropped." "Do you know what happens in China if you're convicted?" " I'm guessing it's not good." " You die." " There you go." " We're talking about a man who's only one kangaroo court away from lethal injection, who's filthy rich and clearly corrupt, and this is who the Chinese send?" " You are asking the wrong guy." " Stop dodging." "I passed a note in class." "That's all." "We placed our faith in you, Frank." "We still have the rest of the day" " and all of tomorrow, Mr. President." "  I need this bridge." "Otherwise we have to stall my infrastructure program." "No foreign investment, no deficit reduction." "And the Chinese know this." "They're using it for leverage." " Yeah, but for what?" "  That I'm not sure of." "Then why did we send you to Spotsylvania, Frank?" "You're supposed to have answers to these questions." "Mr. President, I spoke to Mr. Feng an hour ago." " What'd he say?" " Here comes the bullet." "He claims that Frank hasn't been delivering his messages properly." "I have conveyed his requests word for word." "He says you've been doing the opposite." "Who is responsible for the back-channeling here?" " Me or Raymond?" " You are, Frank." "I'm simply here to facilitate, not negotiate." "And yet you continue to have private conversations" " with Beijing's supposed emissary." " Listen, Frank..." "Are you prepared to trust Mr. Feng's word over mine, Raymond?" "No one is doubting your word, Frank." "If Feng is truly representing his government's interests, why is he telling Raymond one thing and telling me another?" "How do you explain the bridge falling through?" "He personally profits from a free-floating currency." "Just as anyone would who's in business with him, such as yourself, Raymond." "The refinery and the bridge are two completely different issues." "Let's keep our focus here." "I want the bridge back on the table." "End of story." "Catherine?" "It'll be the first item I bring up in the morning." "Frank, stay put for now." "But don't contact Feng." "And that goes for you too, Raymond." "I don't want any more back-channeling until the bridge is revived." "And Catherine, you communicate" " directly with me." " Yes, sir." "We're done here." "The first drops of blood have been spilt." "Bullet grazed my cheek, but I haven't fallen." "Doug, find me a way to meet Feng." " We need to discuss something first." " What's wrong?" "I just got off the phone with a guy named Seth Grayson." " I've spoken to my husband." " Doug told me." " Thank you for fitting me in today." " Is that it?" " August '86." " And why should we trust you?" "There was evidence that Connor didn't make disappear." "I could've taken this to Us Weekly and bought a new house." "Instead, I brought it to you." "And why didn't you apply when I was interviewing candidates?" "There was no point." "Willa doesn't like me." "I intimidate her." "That journal is my version of a résumé." "Or extortion." "I'm not extorting you, Mrs. Underwood." "I'm just highlighting the difference between a good choice and the right choice." "And tell me, how would we handle the repercussions of firing our comm director" " three months after we hire him?" " You don't fire him." "You tell him that you're bringing me on board to help with the workload." "He stays on with you, I cover your husband." "Connor will hate working with me." "I'll arrange a job offer elsewhere in a few months." "By the time it comes in, he'll want to move on." "Connor knows." "What's to prevent him from going public?" "I can handle Connor Ellis." "You just have to take me on my word on that." "Here's what I know." "It is far easier for you to destroy me than the other way around." " I have to speak to my husband." " Of course." "I didn't make any copies." "You have the only one." "Johnnie Walker Black." "Neat." " Where is it?" " It's in my pocket." "Come on." " Is something up?" " No." "We're good to go." "You seem nervous." "Just because I've been breaking the law for 20 years doesn't mean I don't still get nervous." " Gavin..." " Do not say my name." "Look at me." "This is gonna be fine." "We've practiced." "I'm confident." "This is gonna work." "I got your drink." "He's more than qualified." "What do your instincts tell you?" "That I just don't want to end up more exposed." "Well, Grayson already knows." "I mean, we don't exhibit some degree..." "Have Doug look into him." "Let's see if there's some leverage." "Yeah, but we don't know what he'll find or when or what he'll do in the meantime." "And that puts us into uncharted territory." "Connor will expose us too if we let him go." "Not if it goes smoothly." "If we turn away Grayson now, we can't predict anything." "And look, he has a lot less to lose than we do." "OK." "I just, I don't think we can trust him, Francis." "We wouldn't be having this conversation if Connor had done his job." "I'd rather manage someone I don't trust than someone who's reckless." "Fine." "What's the next step?" "I'd like to talk to Grayson myself first." "And then I'll have Doug talk to Connor." " How are you doing?" " You been following the news?" " Is it bad for us or good?" " Could go either way." " I'm here if you need me." " I'm back tomorrow." " I love you." " Love you too." " We all set?" " All set, sir." "Let's go." "No, no." "Turn those off." "Turn those off." " Where is he?" " Right this way, sir." " Did Augustus play?" " I like to think I did." "What's your name?" "When I'm here, I'm Augustus Underwood." " What's your real name?" " Doesn't this feel real to you?" "Will you show me where he died?" "The exact spot." "I will, sir." "I'm gonna pay respects to my ancestor." "I would appreciate a little privacy." " We'll wait here." " Little John on the move." " Just beyond those trees." " Thank you." "I'll be good from here." "We're fine." " I hope you haven't waited long." " It's peaceful here." " I didn't mind." " Peaceful now." "Fifteen thousand men died in these woods." "My grandfather's grandfather died where we're standing." " My grandfather was killed in the revolution." " So I've heard." "Do you fear death, Mr. Vice President?" "No more or less than any man." "It motivates me, to experience everything." "Accomplish all I can before it all vanishes." "I think you and I are similar in that regard." "Then why are we working at cross-purposes?" "What you mean is, why am I not submitting to you and Mr. Tusk?" "You are sabotaging the negotiations." "And you're using them for your own personal ends." "Wrong." "It's taken me seven years to convince the Standing Committee that this was the right course of action." "A course of action that will earn you and Tusk billions." "Why did you want this meeting, just to attack me?" "To send a message to Raymond." "The president of the United States and I are not his puppets." "Now, you tell him that." "Fine." "The bridge deal is dead." "There will be no saving it." "Stick a knife through its heart and put an apple in its mouth." "I won't shed a tear." " Your president will ascribe the failure to you." " I'll take the risk." "Think strategically, Mr. Vice President." "You're setting us on a very dangerous course." "Do you know how Grant defeated Lee?" "He had more men." "That's all." "And he was willing to let them die." "It was butchery, not strategy, which won the war." "Mr. Tusk and I have great resources at our disposal." "Add up all your billions together and you get the GDP of Slovakia." "I have the federal government of the United States of America." "Your money doesn't intimidate me." "The most that you can buy is influence." "But I wield constitutional authority." "The strongest army doesn't always win." "Mao started out with only a few thousand men." "They took over half a continent." "Mao is dead." " And so is his China." " But I'm not." "Not yet." "Don't forget, your ancestor fought for the losing side." "There is no sacred ground for the conquered." "We have over 9,000 servers here, utilized by several hundred clients." "Everything from small businesses to major corporations." " What are some of the largest clients?" " The largest here is ATT." "Their servers occupy more than half of the floor space." " Can you show me?" " Yeah." "Right this way." "Did you or did you not meet with Feng last night?" " Where is this coming from, Raymond?" "" " Answer the question." "I have not contacted him since you and I spoke, Mr. President." " Just as you instructed me to do." "" " Not according to Feng." "I believe you were also instructed to avoid him too, Raymond." "He reached out to me." "I just answered the call." "We had clear, pre-arranged terms, Frank." "Months of back-channeling." "I am on the frontlines, Mr. President." "And I can tell you firsthand that we are dealing with a regime that is not being forthright and will seize upon the faintest whiff of trepidation." "This is a test to see how far they can push us before we break." "Do not play their game." "End the talks." "We can't overreact here." "Well, they walked away from the Joint Commission." "We can walk away from the summit." "The economic fallout would be catastrophic." " The market will..." " Or we can just kowtow and submit" " to the new reigning superpower." "" " Don't be hyperbolic." "Well, we are dealing with one quarter of the world's population." "Mr. President, you would be making a disastrous mistake." "Where are your allegiances, Raymond?" "To Xander Feng or to the United..." " Don't you dare question me..." " All right." "Silence." "There were two mistakes." "Both of them mine." "The first was allowing you, Raymond, to enlist one of your business partners for these talks." " I was trying to..." " The second was enlisting you, Frank." "Instead of clarity, we got miscommunication." "That's poor diplomacy." "Mr. President, listen..." "I have listened to both of you." "And all I've heard is accusations." "Now, if neither one of you will take responsibility, I will." "We're pulling out." "And it's not because you suggested it, Frank, it's because you've made such a mess of these negotiations I have no other choice than a show of strength." "You both disappointed me..." "greatly." " Mr. President?" " The president has left the call." "Raymond, are you still there?" "That's the first time he's ever hung up on me..." " ...in 20 years." " Oh, I feel for you." "Goodbye, Frank." "And the butchery begins." "It's all the way down this row and the next seven rows over." " You wanted to see inside one, right?" " Yeah." "That would be great." "Go ahead." "There's not much to it, actually." "Just a lot of hard drives and wires." "So, in terms of backup, if the power goes down, some natural disaster hits like a storm, or an earthquake, what exactly..." " On the ground." " No, no..." "Right now." "I said on the fucking ground." "Why don't you ride back to DC with me?" "We need to discuss something." " What's up?" " We'll talk about it in the car." "Today, we break earth on the Overland Campaign Visitors Center, so that generations to come will fully absorb the importance of this hallowed ground, the wilderness where the campaign commenced." "Augustus, would you do the honor?" "And now, a moment of silence and prayer for the dead." "Thank you." "And God bless the United States of America." "I just heard." "We got Lucas Goodwin."