Original subtitles

Previously on The West Wing:

Your father used to hit you, didn't he, Mr. President?

He didn't like you, sir.

Why are we talking about this?

Maybe if you get enough votes

win one more election

maybe your father...

You have stepped way over the line

and any other president would have your ass

on the sidewalk right now.

I'm not trying to get my father to like me.

Good, 'cause it's never...

never going to happen.

Look...

We're done for the night.

I hate to put it this way

but we're done when I say we're done.

I think you could use some assistance right now.

( jet engine powering down )

REPORTERS: Welcome home, Mr. President.

Mr. President? Mr. President?

Give me two minutes.

Any further follow-up after New Delhi?

I'm sorry?

Was there any follow-up after New Delhi?

We spoke several times about Kashmir

and she assured me

they're working towards a peaceful resolution.

We also had a spirited conversation about chess.

Prime Minister plays chess?

Chess was invented in India

somewhere around 600 A.D.

A gigantic chess board was constructed

at Fatehpur Sikri, which was the capital a long time ago...

( phone rings )

...and human figures were used as chess pieces

and moved at the Emperor's will.

It's what I like to call the good old days.

C.J.

C.J.?

Hey, Leo.

What's he doing?

The History of Chess by Dr. Josiah Bartlet.

Get him in the car.

What's going on?

And get the press pool back here, too.

What's going on?

China.

Okay.

...ebony wood and sandalwood.

And a lacquered classic Staunton in boxwood.

Thank you, everybody.

Hey, don't forget: Hartsfield votes

in three hours and 21 minutes.

We're going to find out who the next president is.

REPORTERS: Thank you, Mr. President.

I'm going to give some of the chess sets out as gifts.

Did you see them?

Leo needs you in the car.

Did he say?

China.

Yeah.

LEO ( on phone ): Good evening, Mr. President.

What's going on?

Intel says Taiwan's getting ready

to test fire three Patriots.

Where?

A base on an island in the Pingdong region.

What's China's reaction?

An acceleration of integrated military exercises.

Big?

Yeah.

How big?

Unprecedented.

Should we tell Taiwan not to test the missiles?

Sir?

No. I mean, we could try

but they're not going to go for it.

They might.

What are they asking for?

They want us to put some hardware

in the Taiwan Strait.

Tonight?

Yes, sir.

I'm assuming Nancy and Fitzwallace and the Chiefs...

Everyone concurs, Mr. President.

You?

Yes, sir.

We have a pretty good sense of the worst-case scenario?

We end up sending the largest U.S. Naval armada

to Southeast Asia since the end of Vietnam.

That sounds right.

Sir?

All right, we know the play.

We're going to assemble in the Sit Room.

She gave me these beautiful chess sets.

The Prime Minister?

Yeah. I'm on my way.

Let Fitzwallace know I'm going to order the 7th Fleet

into the Taiwan Strait.

Yes, sir.

Let's go.

MAN: Ten-hut!

PRESIDENT: Good evening.

Mr. President.

Good evening. Evening, Mr. President.

Mr. President.

Listen, they start voting

in Hartsfield's Landing in about two and half hours

so this may end up being somebody else's problem.

( all chuckling )

The scale of the war games

is unprecedented?

NANCY: It's a simulation of an invasion of the Penghu islands

and it includes battles

against intervention by foreign aircraft carriers.

What's the Taiwanese reaction so for?

All Armed Forces are on heightened alert.

The War Minister asked for an emergency cabinet meeting.

What about equipment movement?

Keyhole shows ten AH-1W helicopters...

Supercobras.

Yeah, on the tarmac

at Ching Chuang Kang.

The Nimitz? About two hours away.

The Independence? Also two hours away.

What other assets can be moved in?

There's a battle carrier group, the Carl Vinson

that's on its way to relieve the Constellation

in the Arabian Gulf.

Let me backtrack a second.

What's C.J. facing in the press room right now?

Well, Xinhua's reporting the live-fire exercises.

Is the Carl Vinson close enough

to make a detour into the South China Sea?

We think that's our next move.

Sir?

That's our next move.

After that?

After our next move

comes their next move.

REPORTERS: C.J.?

Katie.

Is the President going to ask the Taiwanese

to hold off testing the Patriots?

No, and it's important to remember

that the Patriot Missiles are defensive equipment

which can only be used in the event of an attack.

But it's the testing of the Patriots

that's provoking the Chinese war games.

I'm not in a position to say

what's provoking the war games. Chris?

The Chinese attack Taiwan

and we're obligated to defend them

under the '79 Act, correct?

Actually, under the '79 Act we agreed to provide Taiwan

with sufficient capability to defend itself

but we're getting way ahead of ourselves.

There's going to be a Pentagon briefing at 10:00 a.m.

Will the President be monitoring

the situation throughout the night?

The President will be monitoring

the situation in the China Sea, as well as Hartsfield's Landing.

Any of the new people not know about Hartsfield's Landing?

Hartsfield's Landing is a town in New Hampshire.

Population: 63.

While the rest of New Hampshire

goes to the polls at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow

all of the 42 registered voters of Hartsfield

vote at one minute past midnight

or a little over two hours from now.

Hartsfield has accurately predicted the winner

in every presidential election since William Howard Taft

who, by the way

was the founder of the Seventh Inning Stretch

wherein we sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."

Music and lyrics by Jack Norworth and Albert von Tilzer.

It's all part of the service here

at Claudia's House of Useless Knowledge.

That's a full lid.

Thank you very much.

REPORTERS: Thank you, C.J.

Albert von Tilzer?

Ironically, neither of them

had ever been to a major league baseball game

when they wrote that song.

The other song they were famous for was...?

I didn't even know they were famous for that one.

"Shine on Harvest Moon."

Charlie... what are those?

I'm distributing chess sets as gifts.

I need a copy of the President's private schedule.

Didn't you get one?

I need another.

You got to sign it out.

I'm sorry?

You got to sign it out and then sign it back in.

It can't be photocopied

and it can't leave the building.

What the hell is this?

For the third time in two months

a copy of the private schedule wound up in the press room.

I've got to crack down.

I've got sign it out?

And sign it back in.

I'm the Press Secretary.

You do a nice job.

Give me the damn schedule.

Sign it out and sign it back in.

The anal retentive side of you

is not going to help you get girls.

I do okay.

Donna!

Donna!

Yeah?

You know...

I was coming.

You were taking your time.

I don't have warp speed.

Do you remember

Jennifer Flender

the daughter of the mom and pop

who had the tackle shop?

Mackey and Roberta Flender. The Flenders. Yes.

The daughter just emailed me and told me

her parents are voting for Ritchie tonight.

Why is she emailing you?

She emails me.

Why?

She's got a little crush on me.

You didn't sleep

with the Flender girl, did you?

She's 20 years old.

Mackey's got guns

Josh, and doesn't like Northerners.

He lives in New Hampshire.

Still... It doesn't matter.

Mom and Pop are voting for Ritchie

and they vote in Hartsfield's Landing.

You got to talk to them.

What are you talking about?

I'm not kidding. Two votes could be the margin.

It's Hartsfield's Landing.

Yeah. I thought we were just kidding

around with this.

We're not.

It's 42 votes.

That are cast at 12:01

and counted at 12:07.

The rest of New Hampshire doesn't come in until 9:00 p.m.

That's 21 hours of the news

having nothing to report

but the winner in Hartsfield's Landing.

You have to get on the phone and talk to the Benders.

The Flenders. Why me?

They liked you.

They took you in.

They fed you.

You make me sound pathetic.

You were pretty pathetic and the Fenders fed you.

Flenders. See? You remember their name.

There's obviously a connection. Josh...

Politics in New Hampshire is what?

Retail.

Thank you. Get on the phone

find out what their problem with the President is and solve it.

All right, except I can't get on this phone.

Why? It's a government phone.

I can't use it to intimidate voters.

Sad but true. You know what I'm thinking?

Yes. A cell phone

LaFayette Park and a warm coat.

I'm taking your coat.

It's a good coat.

I'm taking it.

No problem.

( sighs )

Excuse me.

Mr. President, welcome back.

Thank you. How are you?

I'm fine, sir.

I was just-- someone gave me this chess set.

Yeah, it's from me.

You're kidding.

No. The Prime Minister gave me a few different sets

and I wanted to give them as gifts.

I'm really overwhelmed by this, Mr. President.

The State of the Union was really something else.

Thank you, again, sir.

This one's a Minaret set

in hand-carved camel bone.

She told me it came to her from a direct descendant of Tansen.

You know who that was?

No.

Greatest musician of his time.

What time was that?

16th Century.

He'd go to the human chess matches

in the Mogul court of Emperor Akbar

and that began the family obsession with the game.

You want to play?

You?

Yeah.

I'll get killed.

Why? You're a Grand Wizard

or a Grand Master, or something.

No, I'm none of those things.

I'm just grand.

You're white, but don't ever touch me.

I'm sorry, sir.

I was kidding.

Ah...

the Fibrinatchi Opening. Very interesting.

You're just going to mess with me this whole time, right?

Yeah.

So, India went well.

Yeah.

Standing ovation on the floor

of the stock exchange.

The billion dollars

from the Export-Import Bank didn't hurt.

I suppose.

$3 billion in direct foreign investment

to the $44 billion China gets.

You're an American. Where would you rather put your money?

India.

Why?

They're democratic

English-speaking

there's the rule of law

better sense of humor.

That's right.

You mind if I ask

how bad it's getting out there tonight?

It's bad.

If Kashmir is the most dangerous place on Earth

the second most dangerous is the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan's got 400,000 troops on high alert.

The size of China's war games are unprecedented...

Have you thought about asking Taiwan

to call off the Patriot tests?

You think I should?

No, sir. Why not?

'Cause China's got 300 missiles pointed at Taiwan.

Why shouldn't they be able to defend themselves?

That's right. Plus, guess what?

What?

The Patriot tests

aren't why China is showing its teeth.

They're not? No.

Why are they?

You ready to come inside?

Yes, sir.

By the end of the week

Taiwan's going to announce

that they're holding their first free elections.

You're kidding.

Defend your queen.

Mr. Ambassador, please...

Excuse me, please.

Sir, there is a purpose to this meeting.

Yes, you have discovered

that calling us reckless is not working.

Taiwan is a geostrategic center for commerce.

It sits on an oil lane for Asia

to the Middle East... Please excuse me.

And unnecessarily militarizing...

Madam.

Unnecessarily militarizing

on such a large scale is, in fact, reckless.

Taiwan is a part of China

and is not a protectorate of the United States

and it is your actions that are

an encroachment on Chinese sovereignty

and interference in internal affairs.

Our battle carrier groups are in international waters.

Are you claiming jurisdiction?

No.

Then let's settle down.

The Shanghai communiqué...

Sir...

The Shanghai communiqué...

Says that there is but

one China and that Taiwan is a part of China

and the United States Government

does not challenge that position.

The U.S. is only interested in

a peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question

by the Chinese themselves.

A settlement that is not best facilitated

by the U.S. selling arms to Taiwan.

That's not on the table in this meeting.

This year's arms sale package was the biggest in a decade.

Four Kidd-class destroyers, 12 anti-submarine P-3 Orions.

You approved the AMRAAMs.

That's not on the table.

I've said what was to be said.

Taiwan's reunification with the mainland

is the will of all Chinese people

and just so we understand each other

the moment that we see them testing

their U.S.-built Patriots

is the moment that you will see us

testing our CSS-6 missiles.

How'd it go?

They're not voting for us.

Why?

'Cause the Old Perrin Pulp Mill

is still idle after five years.

If it's been five years then why is it our fault?

Because instead of protecting American jobs

we're letting Canadian pulp importers

take over their market share.

It's called free trade.

It's also called why the Flenders aren't voting for us.

Didn't you talk up our accomplishments?

I couldn't think of them. Donna...

They don't care about our accomplishments.

They care about the market

for away-from-home paper towels and tissue products.

Can I give them a commitment?

A commitment?

Yes. No, you...

We're not making

a trade commitment to the Flenders.

We're not for protectionism

and neither are the Republicans.

Tell them the President's

been good for the economy overall.

They say he's been bad for the economy.

We're for affordable health care.

What's affordable if you've lost your job at the pulp mill?

The Flenders don't work at the pulp mill.

Nobody works at the pulp mill.

All right, if Canada's making cheaper pulp

then New Hampshire has to diversify.

That's why the President's allocated

$500 million for trade adjustment assistance.

That's why-- write this down.

That's why he has tripled small business start-up loans.

That's why he's balancing the budget. Go.

It's so warm in here.

Go.

Donna. Yeah?

You haven't by any chance seen

my copy of the President's private schedule, have you?

I don't think so. It's stamped D-12.

I haven't seen it.

Thanks.

Hey, Charlie.

Listen, you haven't seen

my copy of the President's private schedule, have you?

No.

I'm trying to retrace where I've been the last hour.

I was here. I was in the mess.

I went back to my desk.

Excuse me.

Hello.

Chas.

You wouldn't happen to know where my copy

of the private schedule is, would you?

Did you lose it?

I don't believe I did, no.

Yet you don't have it.

Odd.

He'd like you for a moment.

Thank you.

Where is it?

How would I know?

Where is it?

I just hope you didn't leave the building with it.

Give it up, tiny.

( chuckles )

I think you're going to want

to talk nicer to me than that

'cause when a reporter finds it

they're going to come to me

and you signed it out D-12 and rules are rules.

Funny. What?

I never told you it was D-12.

How about that.

Look, C.J....

You'll find it in your filing cabinet

under "A," for "Anal."

I don't really want to know

what he's going to find in his filing cabinet, do you?

No.

Okay.

Thank you, Mr. President.

C.J. Yeah?

I want you to leak it to two or three sources

the USS Carl Vinson's going to do

what's called a passing exercise with the Independence.

We want South China media to pick it up right away.

Sure.

Mr. President.

Yeah? Can you see Toby a moment?

Yeah.

Give us a minute, would you?

I'll let you know when there's something new.

Thanks.

Good evening, Mr. President.

Welcome back.

Thanks. Come on in.

I think this note was delivered to me by mistake.

What's it say?

"Come play chess."

No, that's for you.

It says, "Sigmund, come play chess."

That was a joke.

Not so funny, huh?

That's a beautiful chess set.

It's a gift for you.

Really?

Yeah, it's hand-carved.

It belonged to the Prime Minister's grandfather

who used it to play with Lord Mountbatten.

I'm surprised she gave it away.

She didn't-- we just boosted it from the palace

on the way out.

I've got some little bottles of shampoo and conditioner, too.

Well, it's a... beautiful gift, sir.

Sit down.

I wouldn't want

to take your time tonight.

Come on, man, you were out of line.

I was a jackass.

Let's call a truce.

Well, I certainly apologize, sir.

Let's play chess.

Aren't you in the middle of a game with Sam?

Yeah, he's-- one, two, four, eight--

12 moves away from checkmate.

12 moves? Yeah.

You take white.

Lord Mountbatten used to play with this set?

With Jawaharlal Nehru

where they came to an agreement

over the necessity of India's independence.

An appropriate topic for the evening.

No, Taiwan's not going to be our topic.

Ah, the Evans Gambit.

There's no such thing as the Evans Gambit.

A variation of the Giuoco Piano opening

named after British sea captain W.D. Evans

who invented it in 1820.

Don't tell me chess moves.

I moved my pawn.

Well, it's as popular today as it was back then.

What is?

I'm sorry?

What is our topic?

Reelection and the Bartlet psychosis.

Seems to me the last time we were here

we didn't do very well.

So we get right back on the horse.

I was out of line, sir.

I really do apologize.

You apologized already, so let's get back on the horse.

Neither one of us ride horses.

That makes it more likely that we'll learn something.

Sir?

Yeah?

Sam says, "Bishop to queen's knight three."

Excuse me. Eleven moves.

Take your time.

See the whole board.

Think happy thoughts...

Sir.

Sure.

The Spanish brought chess

to the Court of Charlemagne in 760 A.D.

"Charlemagne" is French for Charles the Great.

The Charles is a river in Boston.

The Hudson River is actually not a river at all...

I'm taking your rook.

Now take your time.

See the whole board.

The Hudson isn't a river?

It is in the Catskills, but once it gets to Manhattan

it's a tidal estuary.

Because it's deeper than the body of water it flows into?

Yeah.

Do you mind my asking

how the meeting with the Chinese Ambassador went?

Well, how do you think it went?

I think they said if Taiwan tests the Patriots

they'll start their exercises.

That's right, except they didn't call them Patriots.

What'd they call them?

U.S.-made Patriots.

Right.

They want us to say

we're going to roll back our sale of arms to Taiwan.

Good.

But we're not going to stop arming Taiwan.

No. Especially now when they're trying to hold

free elections. Right.

Plus, it's the law. Yeah.

So we sell them the Orions

we sell them the AMRAAMs...

You going to move?

Hang on.

You've got two carrier groups headed to the Taiwan Strait...

Move.

Plus the Carl Vinson in the South China Sea.

Beijing wants you to scale back the weapons

and you're not going to do it.

Right.

I got to go back to Toby in the other room.

He's trying a Balducci attack.

How does it work?

See the whole board.

The Aegis Destroyers.

I'm going out for some pizza. Do you want any?

I'll go get it. I want to get some air.

We need three, I think.

45 minutes till Hartsfield's Landing.

We're working the room.

Good.

It is absurd that 42 people have this kind of power.

I think it's nice. Do you.

I think it's democracy at its purest.

They all gather at once...

At a gas station.

It's not a gas station. It's nice.

There's a registrar of voters.

The names are called in alphabetical order

they put a folded piece of paper into a box.

See, this is the difference between you and me.

You're a sap?

Those 42 people

are teaching us something about ourselves.

That freedom is the glory of God

that democracy is its birthright and that our vote matters.

You getting that pizza?

Yeah, I should call ahead.

He Krazy Glued my phone.

Who?

Charlie.

Charlie Krazy Glued my phone.

Okay. Okay.

( chuckles )

Now we're playing for keeps.

Josh.

How'd it go?

I told them about the trade adjustment assistance.

And? They're not wild about the Canadian pulp thing

but their real problem is tax policy.

They want to go from an income tax to a sales tax.

Is this going to end up with Mackey Flender as Fed Chair?

I'm just telling you... Tell them a national sales tax is regressive.

Poor people pay a much higher percentage of their income.

Tell them we'll study it.

Okay, is the President destroying the economy to save salmon? No.

I'm having a hard time convincing them of that, too.

There's no salmon in New Hampshire.

Mackey's sister Fran lives in Oregon.

Tell them we haven't made a decision on the salmon runs.

Tell them salmon restoration is important to the economy.

Do you even know what they're talking about?

What am I, the fish guy?

Tell them we're looking into it.

They think the President's going to privatize Social Security.

He's not going to... That's the other guys!

He's not going to privatize Social Security.

He'll privatize New Hampshire

before he privatizes Social Security.

Yeah, but we haven't ruled it out.

'Cause we told Congress we'd keep an open mind.

They'd really prefer if we ruled it out.

Here.

"Bartlet for New Hampshire."

It gives all the reasons

why Bartlet's for the people of New Hampshire.

The Flenders, everybody. All 17 of them

or whatever the hell goes on up there.

Why are you wearing my coat?

It's warmer than my coat.

Okay. Go.

Are we getting pizza?

It's on the way. Coming.

All right.

What are you doing?

I'm just trying to get a little pizza

in an uncivilized world.

It's not easy being you, is it?

No. Listen...

so I shouldn't sweat, right?

There's a predetermined time for the carrier groups?

You know what? Half of me wants to let them go.

Half of you always wants to let them go.

Half of everybody always wants to let them go.

They need 400,000 troops on high alert

for thinking about holding an election.

400,000 troops and a battery of Patriot missiles

for thinking about having an election.

You're going to turn the carrier groups around, right?

We'll see how the pizza turns out.

( phone ringing )

Yeah.

JOSH: Yeah, it's me.

I just wanted to remind you

that child support collection's up 37%.

What?

I said child support collection's up 37%.

We're cracking down on deadbeat dads.

I wanted to make sure you told them that.

Okay.

Leo was just here.

Yeah?

He was talking about Taiwan.

He's saying 400,000 troops and a battery of Patriot missiles

just to think about holding free elections.

You know, he was on one of his things.

Okay, listen, I got to call them.

We're running out of time.

Yeah, okay.

PRESIDENT: Let me tell you

you're really showing me something tonight.

A lot of spunk, a lot of pluck.

This game isn't all about size, you know.

There's a little thing called heart

and you've got it, my friend.

You know what, old man?

The very minute they swear in the next guy

you and I are going round and round.

Check.

( sighs )

How did you get good?

I had a friend in school who taught me.

He was good.

He was ranked 18 and under.

He was a really nice guy. Everybody liked him.

What was his name?

David Wheadon.

Everybody had a crush on his sister.

You still see him?

He went on to Princeton

and Christmas vacation, he'd saved up to go to San Francisco

and he was on the wharf and he saw a guy beating a woman up

and he went in to stop it and the guy stabbed him to death.

Well, he taught you well.

So you know I had this historic

stretch of sleeplessness after our last meeting.

I didn't know.

It got so bad, Leo brought in the guy from ATVA

who worked with Josh.

Isn't he a trauma specialist?

Yeah, but we know him

and I figured he had to go to school for everything, so...

Anyway, we brought him in late at night.

What did he say?

He said it was your fault.

Said you shouldn't bother me so much.

I really am sorry about that.

I'm kidding.

Yeah, I forgot for a second that you're hilarious.

Let's go ahead and say the Republicans nominate Ritchie. They will.

First of all, let's stop for a moment and say, you know, "why?"

I mean, they got some serious guys in the field.

Kalmbach, Daniel, Weston.

Democrats had a lot of serious guys in the field

and they nominated you.

That's true.

Check.

You think the strike against me

is nobody likes the smartest kid in the class.

Oh, I don't know, sir.

Being the smartest kid in the class

it's a pretty good pitch.

It's not a strike...

...unless you watch it as it sails by.

I don't do that.

Check.

And I'm not a snob.

I don't believe you are.

If a guy's a good neighbor, if he puts in a day

if every once in a while he laughs

if every once in a while he thinks about somebody else

and above all else

if he can find his way to compassion and tolerance

then he's my brother

and I don't give a damn if he didn't get past finger painting.

What I can't stomach are people who are out to convince people

that the educated are soft and privileged

and out to make them feel like they're less than, you know.

"He may be educated, but I'm plain-spoken, just like you."

Especially when we know

that education can be the silver bullet.

It can be the silver bullet, Toby.

For crime, poverty, unemployment, drugs, hatred...

Who are you trying to convince?

I'm saying I don't watch the pitch go by.

Check.

And if I do, it's not 'cause my father...

Was an idiot.

Can we talk about... God! Can we talk about...

Please, can we talk about my father with some respect?

The man's gone. Can we...

He was my father. He wasn't a Dickens character.

Yes, sir.

( knocking on door )

Mr. President?

Yeah.

Check.

Check.

Check.

I'll be back.

Don't cheat.

I know exactly where the pieces on the board are.

I know exactly where the pieces are on Sam's board.

I know exactly where the pieces still are on David Wheadon's.

( door closes )

Sir, the carriers are 35 minutes from the Strait now.

All right, you can bring the Ambassador back now

and get Beijing.

I'm sorry, sir, it's a formality, but I...

She needs the order.

The Aegis Destroyers.

Yes, sir.

Just out of curiosity, what if that doesn't work?

I don't know, but for sure we're going to blame you.

Yes, sir.

( door closes )

What's going on?

I don't know.

Toby keeps coming back at me with this...

I don't know, he says I let the pitch go by.

What pitch?

I soften... I smooth myself out publicly.

It's not a put-on, by the way, I'm honestly folksy.

Yeah.

Yeah what?

Yeah... nothing.

You agree with him?

I don't think you let the pitch go by.

I don't.

I think you foul it off.

Yeah, well, he keeps coming back at me.

You invited him back this time, didn't you?

All right.

So...

what are you doing?

Just playing some chess.

( machine beeps )

Would you stay right there?

Tommy, it's me.

What happened?

She ran the card through.

It must be bent or something.

Would you stay right there, please?

I'm staying right here. I haven't moved.

Look. Guys, it's me.

This card says you're Charles Young.

Yes, okay, well, obviously I'm not.

Why do you have a card that doesn't belong to you?

What's going on?

This woman has a card that doesn't belong to her.

C.J., what the hell...?

Charlie's getting me back...

Stay where you are, please.

Oh, my God.

Tommy, sign her in with an appointment.

Be in your office in 15 minutes.

Can I move now?

DONNA: Roberta...

Roberta, those are all good points

and perfectly valid areas of disagreement

but what I don't understand...

I was saying what I don't understand

is that you guys were such fans of the President.

You loved him when he was Governor.

You... you worked so hard for him when he was campaigning.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, he didn't lie.

No, he didn't lie, Mackey, and I'll...

And I'll tell you what else.

The man just accepted a Congressional censure

and I think it's time...

And he should be held to a higher standard

and, believe me, he holds himself

to a higher standard, but... sometimes he can't meet it

because... President's aren't kings.

This one's an economist from New Hampshire

and I think it's time for you to get off your horse.

Donna.

I... I'm standing out here in the middle of the night...

Donna.

Hold on, please.

( sighs with exasperation )

No, I've kind of had it now, too.

They're shocked and appalled and disappointed

but really they're none of those things.

They just wish they were.

So, never missing an opportunity to feel morally superior...

I don't know, what do you want me to do now?

Let them vote.

What does that mean?

I came out here to tell you to let them vote.

Yeah, this is Josh Lyman.

We just want to call and thank you again for all your work

and remind you that the polls

in Hartsfield's Landing open in 14 minutes.

You got the chains on the truck, Mackey?

( chuckles )

Okay, listen, tell your sister in Oregon

I'm going to try and learn something about salmon.

Right now, all I know is that they're good on a bagel.

Good night.

Maybe they are morally superior.

Anyway, they get to vote.

( sighs heavily )

It's freezing out here.

Can I have my coat back?

TOBY: Abbey told me this story once.

She said you were at a party once

where you were bending a guy's ear.

You were telling him that Ellie had mastered

her multiplication tables and she was in third grade

reading at a fifth-grade level

and she loved books and she scored two goals

for her soccer team the week before

and you were going on and on.

What made Abbey's story remarkable was that

the party you were at was in Stockholm

and the man you were talking to was King Gustav

who two hours earlier had given you

the Nobel Prize in economics.

My God, you'd just won the Nobel prize

and all you wanted to talk about

to the King of Sweden

was Ellie's multiplication tables.

What's your point?

You're a good father.

You don't have to act like it.

You're the President. You don't have to act like it.

You're a good man. You don't have to act like it.

You're not just folks. You're not plain-spoken.

Do not, do not, do not act like it.

I don't want to be killed.

Then make this election about smart and not.

Make it about engaged and not

qualified and not.

Make it about a heavyweight.

You're a heavyweight.

And you've been holding me up for too many rounds.

Pick your king up. We're not done playing yet.

( door opens and shuts )

Hello. How you doing?

You really want to dance with me?

Wouldn't it have been a lot easier

to respect the rules and regulations?

What are you doing in here?

Leo told me to be here.

Leo?

What the hell...?!

I wanted the schedule... I devised a system...

...and the librarian here was giving me guff.

...to check out the schedule.

You sign it out, each has a number.

I decided to teach him by hiding his copy...

No copy can leave the building, but C.J. decides...

...and he switched security cards on me...

...she's above all that and can flaunt the rules!

...and Krazy Glued my phone!

All right, I think it's fine

that people blow off a little steam

but now it's done, and it's time for one of you to be mature.

Well, God knows C.J.'s a lot more

mature than I am.

Hey!

Excuse me, Leo. Yeah?

Nancy McNally's calling for you.

Okay, well, okay, it's over.

That's that.

So how long do you usually make people your bitch?

Depends.

Okay.

Sorry. I got tied up.

No, it's fine.

Let's get back to it.

You know, sir, I looked something up

while you were gone.

Eisenhower, it seemed, at all costs wanted

to avoid sending ships to resupply Quemoy and Matsu

'cause they'd be less than a mile

from the Chinese army.

A private could...

Well, everybody was a private in Mao's army

but a private could fire on a ship and that'd be it.

We'd be at war. We'd have to be.

Eisenhower wouldn't do it. Yeah.

No.

Why are you?

Look at the whole board.

I am. You're not.

Sam... I'm trying.

Why put the carrier groups

in the Taiwan Strait?

Are they in the Taiwan Strait?

They're on their way.

Is that the same thing?

How does this end?

( knocking )

Sir.

Like this.

Turn 'em around.

I'll make some calls and thank people.

Yes, sir.

And thank you, by the way.

You, too.

I'd like to try it without looking at the note.

Okay.

China agrees to stand down the war games.

Right. And they agree

to let Taiwan test the Patriots. One Patriot.

Yes. And we-- please

I want to be right about this--

we agree not to sell Taiwan the Aegis Destroyers

for a period of-- I don't know-- five years.

Ten years, but you got it.

Sir, the Aegis radar

technology isn't something that...

I mean, what if Taiwan did fall to China?

Now they have-- plus these ships cost something

like $800 million apiece.

Buying four of them

would eat up half of Taiwan's defense budget.

And so?

You never were going to sell them the destroyers.

But everybody wakes up alive in the morning

and saves a little face.

I don't know how you...

I don't know the word.

I don't know how you do it.

You have a lot of help.

You listen to everybody and then you call the play.

Sam, you're going to run for President one day.

Don't be scared.

You can do it.

I believe in you.

That's checkmate.

REPORTER: Two roads, no traffic lights and Town Hall's a filing cabinet

and a countertop in the town clerk's basement.

But Hartsfield's Landing, New Hampshire

is where democracy begins for the world's only superpower.

It's 12:01 A.M. and the registrar of voters

who's also the principal and only teacher

at the Hartsfield school, calls the roll of voters.

REGISTRAR: Claude Abernathy, please step up and cast your vote.

Diana Abernathy, please step up, cast your vote.

Barney Braddock, please step up, cast your vote.

Lillian Braddock. Lillian's 18, everyone.

This is her first vote.

Please step up and cast your vote.

Congratulations, Lillian.

Lillian's mom, Miriam Braddock

please step up and cast your vote.