Original subtitles

Do you get that you have MS?

We're firming up strategy on the future

of this presidency, and we don't know

if this President is interested in the future.

What am I supposed to tell my news director?

That we need 30 minutes Wednesday night.

Order the Attorney General to appoint a special prosecutor.

LEO: Well, how many are they estimating?

They've got two Bradleys with 120-millimeter cannons

and a couple of artillery tubes.

What do we have?

37 Marines with M-14s.

There was an accident at 18th and Potomac.

Mrs. Landingham was driving her car back here.

Is she all right?

No.

She's dead.

Most of us are just hearing the news now.

WADE: From a conference call.

LEO: Yes.

There hasn't been a lot of time to digest this.

but what we do know is it's the House Democrats

who are going to take it in the throat. Yeah.

You might be able to get the voters

to accept MS in some of the suburban districts

but the whole House is up for reelection.

Yeah.

It's not a matter of accepting M...

There was a cover...

The point is

even if you can squeeze out an electoral...

Even if you can squeeze out a win

this is what the campaign's going to be about.

You're going to have Democrats

telling the President

"Don't come to my district; I got troubles enough"

and your campaign never gets out

of the Rose Garden.

Yes, and we're running without a standard-bearer.

At a time when we've got policy cases against the Republicans

on tax cuts, environment, education

and this is what the campaign's going to be about.

Now, Leo, most of us are just hearing the news

and I don't like being the first one

to say it, but I'm going to.

I think the President has got to strongly consider

not running for reelection.

You think you're the first one to say it?

Leo...

You are, at minimum

the 35th in the last two hours.

Well, we're the ones that are talking to you now

and we're the ones that are asking.

Is the President going to run for reelection?

Harry, Bill, there's going to be a press conference tonight.

I'd watch.

[Captioning sponsored by NBC

WARNER BROS. TELEVISION

and "TOYOTA

More choices. Better selection. Experience Toyota today."]

with the First Lady on his right.

LARRY: You don't want him in front of the fireplace?

The fireplace is too much.

He'll sit here, which means

they're going to have to light the room

from outside the window.

Do they know that? We'll let them know.

Last time they didn't know.

The President taped an Easter message

that looked like it was lit by Ed Wood.

Toby... A pitcher of water, but keep it offscreen.

They know. They got to light from outside the window.

Look... I don't care.

Look, Toby, has anyone considered

whether or not he's up for this?

Up for this?

I mean, some stuff has happened since...

C.J. gave it to the network.

We're pretty much locked in, so...

When are we prepping with him?

After the service.

There's going to be time?

We'll have the afternoon.

I think we should consider taking...

There aren't any options left.

We're going on TV at 8:00!

GINGER: Toby?

Yeah.

I'm sorry, but I had to put Greg Summerhays

back on your schedule.

No, I took him off.

Leo's office had me put him back on.

Why?

They want you to keep the appointment.

We've got her funeral today.

We've got these...

I said 4:00.

Yeah, all right.

Carol?

Yeah?

AP, Reuters, Agence France.

Something about seating on Air Force One.

Seating arrangements?

Seating arrangements on Air Force One.

JOSH: C.J.?

Listen, I was thinking

since it's probably going to be a light day

I'd maybe blow off work, go shopping or something.

What do you need?

Uh, can I give you a quick brief?

Sure.

The Justice Department's run out of money in their suit

against the tobacco companies.

Justice Department's overmatched.

Yeah, by hundreds of millions of dollars.

They're asking for $30 million, and we think

they should have it.

Who disagrees with this?

Eight of the 15 members of the subcommittee

that controls the budgets for Justice and Commerce

including Kalmbach, who has significant ties to tobacco

and Warren and Rossitter

who do not.

We lost two Democrats?

They have ideological objections.

Yeah, it's just not a good time

to be losing Democrats.

You haven't been in my office

this morning.

We'll get them back.

Anyway, uh

Leo felt pretty strongly

that we should light a fire under it

so I wrote up a pretty strongly-worded release.

"The White House... For Immediate Release...

"Office of the Press...

"Today, the President calls on Congress...

"...deserve their day in court

"and this administration won't sit on the bench

"while well-fed members of the Appropriations Committee

"choke off funding for a lawsuit

"aimed at perpetrators of hundreds of thousands

"of negligent homicides

while filling their campaign war chests."

This is like the fire we used to throw

in the early primaries.

Let Bartlet be Bartlet.

You got to put it away for awhile.

You think?

I'm going in there now to tell them

a landing ship helicopter assault team

is steaming off Port-au-Prince, and after that

I'm bringing in AP, Reuters and Agence France.

Nobody's going to write about an appropriations bill.

Haiti is going to get bumped

to the Lifestyle Section.

Yeah, I suppose.

Listen...

...have you seen him today?

No. Have you?

No.

All right, listen, I got to...

Yeah. Thanks.

HANSON: Why are we assuming it's Hoynes?

PHILLIPS: Please.

No, why are we assuming it's got to be Hoynes?

You don't think Wedland's going to get into it?

Hutchinson? Seth Gillette?

Please.

Gillette's lucky if he carries his immediate family.

It's Hoynes, it's Hoynes.

Sam, you understand this conversation

isn't ruling out Bartlet as a candidate.

It's a just what-if.

We're party strategists. It's what we're paid for.

Yeah.

Hoynes is the only one

who put together the money this fast.

PHILLIPS: He's the most successful fund-raiser

the party's ever had.

Though obviously, it'd be easier

if Hoynes was running as an incumbent.

Sam... Okay.

Thanks.

No, it was an inappropriate...

No, when I say okay, that's it.

Close your notebooks.

You don't talk like that here.

I don't give a damn whose nephew you are.

Tony, President Bartlet's not a candidate.

He's the President.

LEO: What are the conditions inside the embassy?

They've still got running water

but the power's been cut.

The emergency generator's got about 24 hours.

Any injuries?

There aren't any injuries

but the Deputy Chief's a diabetic

and he's running out of insulin.

The Red Cross can help us out there?

Yes, sir.

What's outside?

NANCY: About 1200 troops now with A-15s

positioned outside the gates.

They've got four 105mm howitzers...

Which are trained at...?

Our front door.

Mr. President

we want to send Fitzwallace down there.

Why?

There's a Haitian general named Francis St. Jacques.

He trained with Fitz at Annapolis and...

( bell chiming )

( murmuring )

MAN: Jed.

Jed!

Jed, Jed, your father's calling you.

Jed!

Didn't you hear me calling you?

No, sir, I didn't.

I was... I didn't.

Mr. Spence found this cigarette butt

on the floor in the aisle of the chapel.

People shouldn't put their cigarettes out

in the chapel, Mr. Spence.

Well, people shouldn't be smoking in the chapel

I think is my point, Jed.

Do you understand what I'm saying? Yes, sir.

Could you tell your friends, please?

Yeah.

Jed, hang on.

I want you to meet someone.

She's going to be taking over in my office

for Mrs. Tillinghouse.

Excuse me.

This is Delores Landingham.

Mrs. Landingham, this is my eldest son

Jed.

LEO: So, what happens?

NANCY: Basically we think

we can get St. Jacques

to fracture Bazan's army.

So if we invade...?

It becomes peacekeeping.

Okay, send Fitzwallace down.

Anything else?

No, sir.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you, sir.

PRESIDENT: They've been in there 48 hours.

Yes, sir.

The guy's been President of his country for two days.

He's spent them both at gunpoint.

Yeah.

What do you know about this storm?

The one...? It's moving from Florida

to South Carolina.

Yeah, it's supposed to be bad.

It's a tropical storm. Yes, sir.

No, I mean, it's been designated a tropical storm.

That means it has a surface wind speed of something.

Yes, sir.

Isn't it strange to have a tropical storm in May?

I'm not certain.

I'm pretty sure there's a season

and this isn't it.

I can have someone find out for you, Mr. President.

I mean, it's not a big deal.

It's just that I'm pretty sure it's strange.

The motorcade will leave for the cathedral in an hour.

You ever been to National Cathedral?

Yes, sir.

You know, you can lay the Washington Monument

down on its side in that church.

I did, actually.

We should try it.

You only have two meetings between now and then.

Is there anything else you need, sir?

I need pallbearers.

Yes, sir.

and a Battalion Landing Team.

They'll cover that at the Pentagon briefing.

Does the fact that the OAS has passed a resolution

allowing you to explore military options

mean you've exhausted

the diplomatic ones? Of course it doesn't

but it should underline the consequences for Bazan

should he decide to enter our embassy

and/or arrest the democratically elected President of Haiti.

That's all I have for now. Thank you.

C.J.! Before you all go, C.J. needs to see

AP, Reuters and Agence France in the office.

She needs to discuss seating arrangements on Air Force One.

C.J. Yeah?

We've got a problem.

That's pretty hard to believe.

We can't have the press conference in the East Room.

What are you talking about?

I just got off the phone with Brian Coburn

and we can't have it in the East Room. Why not?

They've been pulling the wiring and they found asbestos

and they have to seal it off.

There's been asbestos in the East Room this whole time?

Yeah. So I'm going to make a list... Put together, okay...

Yeah. Put together a list of alternatives.

Come on in.

C.J., I don't have any problem with my seat on the plane.

Get inside.

Seriously, I complained that one time

'cause, I don't know, I was in a bad mood.

This isn't about seating arrangements.

Notebooks, no tape recorders

the story's embargoed for an hour

and you'll identify me as a senior White House official.

What about Chicago?

What about Tokyo?

That depends. When's it going to leak?

I'm sorry?

When are we leaking the story?

C.J.'s doing it right now.

Wall Street'll have it in an hour.

In two hours, sellers will outnumber buyers.

( door bangs )

Excuse me, keep going.

In what sectors?

In all sectors of the New York Stock Exchange...

Charlie. Yes, sir?

Do you have any idea

why the door to the portico keeps swinging open?

It's a little annoying.

They're replacing the latch.

It's swinging open from the wind.

But the door opens out.

When the right sequence of doors are open in the building

there's a wind tunnel into the Oval Office.

No kidding.

LEO: What about Europe and Japan?

ADVISOR: Well, Japan's going to be up and trading

by the time we go on TV.

Charlie says there's a wind tunnel created by something.

They're fixing the latch.

Mr. President? Yeah.

Is the motorcade ready? Yes, sir.

Okay. Well, we've got to go.

I don't know what to say.

Leo's pretty rich.

Maybe he can buy some tech stocks

jack up the price.

Keep me posted on the bellwethers, okay?

Yeah. Thank you, Mr. President.

Is the First Lady meeting us in the car?

Yes. It's a nondenominational service.

What'd she say?

She said the First Lady's meeting us

in the car.

( typing )

It wasn't a nondenominational service.

MRS. LANDINGHAM: Of course it was.

It wouldn't have felt nondenominational

if you were Jewish.

It was a nondenominational Christian service.

Attendance at Chapel is required...

It was a nondenominational service.

"Our Father" is not nondenominational.

Everyone says "Our Father." Catholics don't.

Catholics don't say

"For thine is the kingdom and the power

and the glory forever and ever."

You know, I'm just saying.

Why do you work here? I'm sorry?

Why do you work here after classes?

I can't imagine anyone in your family's on work-study.

No, I get free tuition.

So, you know, I guess it's a good idea to give something back.

Why do you call your father "sir"?

Is this going to be a whole afternoon of questions?

Actually, you've been talking for quite some time.

I'm sorry. Am I boring you, Delores?

Mrs. Landingham, please.

My father's the Headmaster.

Yeah, but before he was your Headmaster

he was your father, right?

I don't want to make the other guys

feel uncomfortable.

So you call him "sir."

Yeah. Oh.

( sirens )

You know they released the girl

from the hospital this morning.

The driver? Yeah.

She fractured her wrist, some stitches over her eye

and the other two have some scrapes and bruises.

It looks like they're going to charge her

with vehicular manslaughter.

Frank Mitchel

Joanna, Bill Carney...

they told me they were in meetings the whole morning.

Yeah.

The consensus seems to be that if you step back

and put your support behind Hoynes

there's a decent chance

the Democrats can keep the White House.

The world'll rest easier.

( siren )

We're here.

( organ playing )

( organ continues )

( music stops )

MONOHAN: "I am the Resurrection and I am life," says the Lord.

"Whoever believes in me shall live even though he die."

God of Mercy, you are the hope of sinners, the joy of saints.

We pray for our sister Delores

whose body we honor with Christian burial.

Give her happiness with your saints, and raise up her body

with the saints at the last day to be in your presence forever.

As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives

and that at the last, he will stand upon the Earth.

After my awaking, he will raise me up...

DELORES: Jed.

MONOHAN: ...and in my body I shall see God...

DELORES: Jed!

MONOHAN: ...I myself shall see

and my eyes behold him who is my friend...

Jed.

Jed!

I'm trying to get through

an honest day's work, Mrs. Landingham.

You missed a spot.

I didn't miss it. I just haven't gotten to it yet.

Okay.

You have a habit of doing that, you know.

What's that? Telling me I'm doing something wrong

before I've had a chance to do it at all.

Well, that must be a little annoying.

Yeah.

I got a project for you.

Really.

You can show the courage and the intellect

and the leadership skills everyone talks about.

I'm a little busy hosing down the boats.

You know the women who work at this school

are paid less money than the men?

Sorry? The women are paid less money than the men.

No, I didn't know that.

You think your father does?

MONOHAN: First reading will be from Mr. Charles Young

from the Book of Wisdom, Chapter III.

I'd like an opportunity to make my case.

What are you doing here?

I'm raising an issue.

You've been raising this issue for a week now.

I can tell it's had quite an effect on you.

Don't you have a husband?

What does that have to do with anything?

I'm saying shouldn't you go home

when you're done with work?

Shouldn't you be minding your own business?

I just thought since you're minding everybody else's...

What is that supposed to mean?

In my family, we don't talk about money.

That's because you have money.

Numbers, Mrs. Landingham. Excuse me?

If you want to convince me of something

show me numbers.

"But the souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God.

"No torment shall ever touch them.

"In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die

"but they are at peace.

"For though in the sight of others, they were punished

their hope is full of immortality."

( engine sputtering)

Car won't start.

JED: Yes.

What's wrong with it?

It's possibly the starter motor or the fan belt.

Do you know anything about cars?

No.

Then how do you know...?

'Cause those are the two things I've heard of.

You fix your car and pretend you're not listening.

I'm just going to stand here and talk to you

because I know you are.

What could you possibly want?

I've got numbers.

Something abnormal about you.

Florence Chadwick in the English Department's

been here 13 years.

She makes $5,900 a year.

Mr. Hopkins in the English Department's

been here four years fewer and makes $7,100.

Is this really the best time for this?

You don't seem to be going anywhere.

A female cook makes $3,200

compared to a male electrician who makes $3,900.

ALL: "...channel of your peace

"where there is hatred, let us sow love

"where there is injury, harmony

"and where there is doubt, let there be faith in you.

Amen."

( organ plays ) Mozart's "Requiem" )

( "Requiem" continues )

( "Requiem" continues )

DELORES: The Chaplain makes $4,100

the nurse makes $3,100.

Miss Mueller gets paid an additional $200 a year

to conduct the choir and band

while Mr. Ryan gets paid an additional $400 a year

to coach the rowing team.

Crew.

What? It's not rowing, it's crew

and Florence Chadwick

is a married woman with no dependents

and Mr. Hopkins has a family of four to support.

If we paid people according

to how many children they had to support

then Malcolm Bundy the groundskeeper

would get triple what the Headmaster gets.

Mrs. Landingham... You know I'm right.

You've known it since I brought it up.

Wh-What do you want me to do about it?

I want you to bring it up

with your father.

I'm not a woman and I don't work here.

The women who do, if they bring it up

they're afraid for their jobs.

What is it you're afraid of?

Why do you talk to me like this?

'Cause you never had a big sister

and you need one.

Look at you.

You're a boy king.

You're a foot smarter

than the smartest kids in the class.

You're blessed with inspiration.

You must know this by now.

You must have sensed it.

Look...

if you think we're wrong

if you think Mr. Hopkins

should honestly get paid more than Mrs. Chadwick

then I respect that.

But if you think we're right

and you won't speak up 'cause you can't be bothered

then God, Jed, I don't even want to know you.

Come inside.

I'll call Triple-A.

Miss Mueller gets half as much to teach music

as Mr. Ryan gets to coach crew?

You're going to do it.

Oh, I didn't say that.

Yes, you did. When?

Just then.

You stuck your hands in your pockets

you looked away and smiled.

That means you made up your mind.

That doesn't mean anything.

Oh, yes, it does.

I-I stuck my hands in my pockets.

And looked away and smiled.

We're in.

It was a beautiful service, I thought.

I thought it was a beautiful service.

Yeah.

She was a real dame, old friend

a real broad.

Yeah.

We've got to go back to the office now, sir.

Yeah.

We've got some decisions to make now.

Leo, would you do me a favor?

Yeah.

Would you ask the agents

to seal the cathedral for a minute?

Yeah.

( doors close )

You're a son of a bitch, you know that?

She bought her first new car

and you hit her with a drunk driver.

What?

Was that supposed to be funny?

"You can't conceive, nor can I

the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God"

says Graham Greene.

I don't know whose ass he was kissing there

'cause I think you're just vindictive.

What was Josh Lyman, a warning shot?

That was my son.

What did I ever do to yours but praise his glory

and praise his name?

There's a tropical storm that's gaining speed and power.

They say we haven't had a storm this bad

since you took out that tender ship of mine

in the North Atlantic last year.

68 crew.

You know what a tender ship does?

Fixes the other ships.

Doesn't even carry guns.

It just goes around, fixes the other ships

and delivers the mail.

That's all it can do.

Gratias tibi ago, domine.

Yes, I lied.

It was a sin. I've committed many sins.

Have I displeased you, you feckless thug?

3.8 million new jobs, that wasn't good?

Bailed out Mexico, increased foreign trade

30 million new acres of land for conservation

put Mendoza on the bench

we're not fighting a war, I've raised three children...

That's not enough to buy me out of the doghouse?

Haec credam a deo pio

a deo iusto, a deo scito.

Cruciatus in crucem.

Trus in terra servus, nuntuis fui, officum perfeci.

Cruciatus in crucem, eas in crucem.

You get Hoynes.

C.J.: We'll call them Answer "A" and Answer "B."

Yeah.

"Mr. President, does this mean

you won't be seeking a second term?"

Answer "A" is "You bet."

"I will absolutely be seeking a second term.

"I'm looking forward to the campaign.

There is great work that is yet to be done."

Yes.

Answer "B"... "Are you out of your mind?

"I can't possibly win reelection.

"I lied about a degenerative illness

"I'm the target

"of a Grand Jury investigation

"and Congress is about

"to take me out to lunch.

"I'd sooner have my family take their clothes off

"and dance the tarantella on the Truman Balcony

"than go through a campaign

with this around my neck."

Think that's too on the nose?

I do.

I want to bring it up again. Why?

'Cause I got shouted down the first three times

and I work here just like you do.

Can I help you?

Sorry.

I think we have to explore ways of calling this off.

Sam... I think it might be a mistake

to send him on at a moment

when we're trying to demonstrate... Listen...

We don't know what the hell

they're talking about in there, Toby!

We don't know whether he's running or not.

I think we have... There are no ways.

The story's leaked

it's out there, we're doing this.

Don't worry. It's going to be fine.

They're lighting him

from outside the window.

Toby.

( sighs )

I have a meeting, believe it or not

with Greg Summerhays

for reasons passing understanding.

TOBY: Hello.

Toby.

It's good to see you.

How are you, Greg?

I was sorry about the President's secretary.

Thank you.

Did you know her well?

Yeah.

Let me get to why I'm here.

I want to...

You want to buy Atlantic Intermedia.

Yeah...

Greg, there's a reason the FCC...

I'm not here about the FCC.

Why are you here?

I'm launching a 24-hour cable news channel

and I'm building it to compete.

And I'd like you to be the news director.

Okay.

( exhales )

Thanks for coming in.

Excuse me.

It was a nice service, don't you think?

Yeah.

Yeah, it was.

I'm going to run across the street

to the OEOB for a minute.

The President's still after information on the storm.

I'm not sure why he's got it in his teeth.

Yeah.

Josh, can this really be how it works?

We have no idea if he's going to run again

he's in a room with Leo making a decision?

Two people, in a matter of minutes?

This is how it works?

( phone rings )

It's how it works today.

Josh Lyman.

It's Leo.

BONNIE: Hey, Toby.

Don't anybody talk to me right now.

Josh, Greg Summerhays

was here to offer me a job.

Leo got me a lifeboat.

I'm going to rip his arms off

and beat him with his own...

That was Leo.

He wants us over there.

It's Answer "B."

and First Lady having just concluded

the interview

President Bartlet is expected to be arriving

at the State Department for a press conference.

Typically, a press conference, particularly of this size

would be held in the East Room of the White House

but we're told there are some repairs going on there

and so the change of venue.

Chris Watson, can you tell us what we might expect to hear

from the President in a few minutes?

Wait. All right.

Our apologies.

We'll have Chris in a moment.

Let's go to...

Why don't you sit in here for a few minutes?

Yeah.

I'm going to get C.J.

You two do a last-minute review.

I'm fine.

I'm going to get C.J.

Yeah.

Sit here.

Close your eyes a few minutes.

Charlie will get you when we're ready.

Yeah.

PRESIDENT ( on TV ): Two years ago

I began experiencing blurred vision

and numbness in my legs.

Two years and many tests later

I was diagnosed with a course

of relapsing/remitting multiple sclerosis.

MAN: That startling admission

made just moments ago from President Bartlet.

Toby. Yeah?

Where's C.J.?

She ran back to her office.

They're going to run this clip forever.

No, we're about to give them clips to beat it.

Leo, you got me a lifeboat?

Greg Summerhays.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I got you a lifeboat.

Did you imagine

that there were any circumstances

under which I would use it?

No.

Then why?

To show him that.

C.J.'s in her office.

You think he's going to change his mind, don't you?

Hmm?

You think he's going to run.

C.J.'s in her office.

Yeah.

( thunder rumbling )

( knock at door )

Yeah?

Mr. President, you wanted to see Donna Moss?

Yeah.

Good evening, sir. How are you?

Fine, thank you, sir.

We all thought you did very well.

That was the easy part.

Didn't look that easy.

Talk about the weather.

( clearing throat softly )

A tropical storm is a cyclone

in which the maximum sustained surface speed of the wind

is 34 nautical miles per hour.

And there's a tropical storm season, right?

Yes, sir-- it's June 1 to November 30.

Okay, and how many times, say, in the last 100 years

has a tropical storm

come up the Atlantic seaboard

to Washington in the middle of May?

According to the National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration

it hasn't happened in the last century.

At all? No, sir.

( knock at door )

Yeah?

C.J.: Excuse me, sir.

Yeah, thanks, Donna.

Thank you, Mr. President.

According to the NOAA, the storm is

a nonrecurring phenomenon, which is science's term

for "We don't know what in the world is going on

but we're stocking up on canned goods."

I just wanted to review a few things.

Is this stuff you don't think I can remember from an hour ago?

You'll want to take the first question from Lawrence Altman

the Times Chief Medical Correspondent.

Why? ! Because if you call on anyone else

the first question will be about reelection.

Call on Altman; it'll be a medical question

and he'll have two or three follow-ups.

It will allow you to feel comfortable

a little before you start with the political mess.

Altman will be in the front row, first seat on your right.

Okay.

Mr. President?

Yeah?

Where's Altman going to be?

C.J.

Mr. President, I'm going there right now.

This is the last time I'll see you

before you step up. Please.

Front row, first seat on the right.

Whose right?

My right.

Thank you, sir.

( knock at door )

DR. BARTLET: Come in.

"If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you

and you will never learn."

Is this your quote?

Dad, I wanted to mention something to you

that maybe you weren't aware of

regarding salary equity.

Is this your quote?

"If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you

and you'll never learn."

It's actually Ray Bradbury.

And you quoted Ray Bradbury.

Yes. In an article

you and your friends wrote condemning Professor Loomis.

For banning certain books from the library, yeah.

He's a professor of literature.

He banned Henry Miller.

He banned D.H. Lawrence.

Giovanni's Room 'cause it's too homosexual.

Stop it right now.

You're a guest at this school.

I'm a student.

He banned Fahrenheit 451

which is about banning books.

Was that supposed to be funny?

That wordplay that you just did there--

was that meant to be funny?

That was supposed...

Was there anything else?

It's not a nondenominational service.

Don't start with this.

Catholics don't believe man is saved through faith alone.

Catholics believe that faith has to be joined

with good works.

You're the only one who seems to mind the service.

I'm the only one who's Catholic.

You're Catholic because your mother is

and you're at this school because I'm the headmaster.

How's that for clever with words?

Now, what was it you came in here

to talk to me about?

Nothing.

Please close the door behind you.

( door shuts )

( thunderclap )

Damn it!

Mrs. Landingham!

I really wish you wouldn't shout, Mr. President.

The door keeps blowing open.

Yes, but there's an intercom, and you could use it

to call me at my desk.

I was... You don't know

how to use the intercom.

It's not that I don't know how to use it.

It's just that I

haven't learned yet.

I have MS, and I didn't tell anybody.

Yeah.

So, you're having a little bit of a day.

You're going to make jokes?

God doesn't make cars crash, and you know it.

Stop using me as an excuse.

The party's not going to want me to run.

The party'll come back.

You'll get them back.

I got a secret for you, Mrs. Landingham.

I've never been the most popular guy

in the Democratic Party.

I've got a secret for you, Mr. President.

Your father was a prick

who could never get over the fact

that he wasn't as smart as his brothers.

Are you in a tough spot? Yes.

Do I feel sorry for you?

I do not.

Why? Because there are people way worse off than you.

Give me numbers.

I don't know numbers.

You give them to me.

How about a child born this minute

has a one in five chance

of being born into poverty?

How many Americans don't have health insurance?

44 million.

What's the number one cause of death

for black men under 35?

Homicide.

How many Americans are behind bars?

Three million.

How many Americans are drug addicts?

Five million.

And one of five kids in poverty?

It's 13 million American children.

Three and a half million kids go to schools

that are literally falling apart.

We need $127 billion in school construction

and we need it today.

To say nothing

of 53 people trapped in an embassy.

Yes.

You know

if you don't want to run again

I respect that.

But if you don't run because you think

it's going to be too hard

or you think you're going to lose...

well, God, Jed, I don't even want to know you.

( door shuts )

( thunder crashing )

CHARLIE: Mr. President.

Mr. President, it's time.

( thunder crashing )

* These mist-covered mountains

* Are home now for me

* But my home is the lowlands

* And always will be

* Someday you'll return to

* Your valleys and your farms

* And you'll no longer burn to be brothers in arms... *

C.J.: And he'll be speaking to that

just as soon as he gets here.

( reporters clamoring )

Uh, Frank, then Leslie.

* Through these fields of destruction *

* Baptisms of fire

* I've witnessed your suffering... *

Has there been any discussion of a Special Prosecutor?

C.J.: Tomorrow morning, the President will direct

the Attorney General to appoint a Special Prosecutor, yes.

I can't see. Joan.

* And though they did hurt me so bad *

* In the fear and alarm...

C.J.: A list of three prosecutors

is given to a three-judge panel.

The prosecutors

as well as the judges were all appointed

by Republican presidents.

( all clamoring )

Please, I can only answer 14 or 15 questions at once. Hal.

* There's so many different worlds *

* So many different suns...

( sirens blaring )

C.J.: I can't comment on

a witness list that doesn't exist

but I imagine subpoenas will be issued

to most senior White House staff

including myself.

( sirens blaring )

* Now, the sun's gone to hell

* And the moon's riding high... *

C.J.: Again, I can't comment on what kind of hearings

Congress has in mind.

I'm sure there'll be one

but you'd have to talk to Congress.

Okay? Here, now, the President of the United States.

* But it's written in the starlight *

* And every line in your palm

* We're fools to make war on our brothers in arms. *

( guitar refrain continues )

Yes, Sandy.

Mr. President, can you tell us

right now if you'll be seeking a second term?

I'm sorry, Sandy.

There was a bit of noise.

Could you repeat the question?

Can you tell us right now

if you'll be seeking a second term?

Watch this.

( thunder crashing )

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Captioned by The Caption Center WGBH Educational Foundation]