The West Wing s02e21 Episode Script
18th and Potomac
Previously on The West Wing : -So, what's your problem? -He did everything right.
He did everything you do if your intent is to perpetrate a fraud.
We want to see some polling.
-Why? -We need to know what to do next.
What questions could they ask that won't trip an alarm? Josh trusts Joey Lucas.
We need you to put a poll in the field without asking questions we can't ask.
I was almost sure I saw you give the president an injection.
It was Betaseron.
It reduces the frequency of the attacks.
T obacco has spent $380 million to the government's 36.
They perpetrated a fraud against the public.
-They wanna get these people.
-We' re not big tobacco.
-Eagle's moving.
-He talked to her on the phone? -At the airport.
-But he called her on the phone.
-T o get her to the airport.
-But I' m saying did she hang up the phone, say to her friends: "You' re never gonna believe why I' m getting on a plane? " He told her she was coming out to do polling on subsurface agriculture.
-What the hell is that? -It's vegetables that grow underground.
He told her she was coming here to find out if Americans were eating more beets.
-Is this a joke? -It was Josh, Mr.
President.
It was a job done well.
You want to start not trusting Josh? Let's go.
-Where are we going? -The basement.
Why? I don't Iike how it Iooks, the seven of us meeting in the middle of the night.
You Iike the way it Iooks meeting in the basement? Let's go.
These numbers are gonna be meaningless.
A governor from an industrial state.
It's posed as a hypothetical before people have any education.
No way to factor existing approval numbers when it comes to trust matters.
Sagittarius.
-Are they on their way? -Y eah.
-They' re on their way? -Y eah.
Joey, your flight was all right? Your flight was all okay? These numbers aren't gonna mean anything, right? With the hypothetical and Iack of context? -PIus the pre-existing Ievel of trust? -Yeah.
I' m saying, he's got numbers Iike Walter Cronkite.
Y eah.
Is there anything in there that we' re gonna Iike? -We are, in fact, eating more beets.
-Okay.
Good evening.
Mr.
President, you remember Joey Lucas and her interpreter, Kenny.
-Joey, did you make photocopies of that? -No, sir.
Good.
Let's get started.
Mr.
President, I polled 1 1 70 registered voters in Michigan giving their governor a hypothetical-- Excuse me.
How many people in this room know Kenny's Iast name? It's fine.
I believe this operation is no Ionger covert.
Mr.
President, Kenny's been with me for 1 1 years.
T o trust me is to trust him.
-Josh? -Y eah.
Go ahead.
in Michigan were polled giving their governor a hypothetical, concealed, degenerative illness.
These are the results.
" Do you agree that it's okay for the governor to Iie about his health? " Seventeen percent agree, "Would you be as Iikely or Iess Iikely to vote for the governor now that you know he has a degenerative illness? " Seventy-one percent say Iess Iikely.
The Iargest block of Iikely voters are women over 55.
wouldn't vote for a candidate with MS.
We just Iost FIorida.
This may be the worst stat, sir.
Seventy-four percent believe MS to be fatal.
They may be right.
Sixty-two percent of Democrats aren't gonna vote for you.
Sixty-five percent of those describing themselves as Iiberal aren't gonna vote for you because you Iied.
Joey, is there any good news in there at all? No, sir.
-Who's in Port-au-Prince right now? -The U.
N.
observer group.
Which consists of? and 65 unarmed security specialists.
-And the OAS? -They've got about 200 observers.
What happened Iast night? Citing improper permits, Col.
Bazan's soldiers surrounded Carrefour Liberté.
-Liberty Square.
-Yeah.
T o prevent a victory rally by supporters of Dessalines.
Some of the crowd refused to disperse.
Shots were fired.
-Anybody killed? -Two people.
Rene Ducasse, the newly designated minister of justice, was arrested and soldiers have surrounded the house of the chief justice.
They say, to protect him from death threats.
Our intelligence says he's under house arrest.
Most troubling is personnel carriers with Haitian troops parked in front of every police station in Port-au-Prince.
This is a sign that the army plans to take power from the Gendarme Nationale.
-Where's the president-elect? -Sir, we can't find him.
-I' m sorry? -At this moment -we can't find Dessalines.
-That's not the most troubling thing? What do you mean--? He never showed up for a 4 p.
m.
conference with Gilbert T ass.
Calls to the party headquarters and his houses went unanswered.
Armed forces radio says he's fled the country, but the Dominicans say no.
What about intelligence? It's not Iike we can just call around.
It's chaos there.
Nobody knows anything.
Leo? Let's evacuate the nonessential personnel from the embassy.
Any move to evacuate the embassy, even the nonessentials will be a signal of no confidence in the Dessalines government.
At the moment, there is no Dessalines government, and no Dessalines.
I just got done pulling nine dead bodies out of Colombia.
Evacuate the nonessentials, get some Marines at the embassy -and somebody brief Fitzwallace.
-Thank you, Mr.
President.
Sagittarius.
Why not a presidential address? T en, 1 5 minutes.
" I have this illness.
I concealed it.
I apologize.
Let me tell you about it.
Let me reduce your fears.
" It's too cold.
He needs to be with the first Iady.
In some decorative room? Sitting with his wife weakens him.
Let's put him behind the Kennedy desk, in the East Room-- He's gonna go on TV and say he Iied.
I don't want him doing it behind the seal.
You think without the seal people will forget he's president? We'II do a 30-minute Iive special for one of the news magazines.
-" Live, " Iive-to-tape or tape? -Live.
I don't want a producer editing what he says.
-What if we want to edit what he says? -That's our tough Iuck.
-When? -How about Thursday night? -Wednesday night.
-Why? Thursday is where they pay their bills.
It's tough enough getting 30 minutes and not telling them why during May sweeps.
-Who gives a damn about May sweeps? -They do, Sam.
AII right, 30 minutes, Dateline special, Wednesday night night after tomorrow, president and first Iady in the Mural Room.
We'II follow that with a press conference.
-Why? -T o control the story as Iong as possible.
Once he gets done with Russert or Diane or Stone Phillips I'II need every reporter in a room where I can see them.
-Put a team of medical experts there.
-We have 48 hours to find them.
If we take him from the Mural Room to a press conference won't a smart reporter ask: " Mr.
President, aren't you planning on seeking re-election? " A smart rep-- T ed Baxter's gonna ask, " Mr.
President, are you planning to seek re-election? " So we' re gonna need an answer to that too.
-Are you getting an 8-speaker stereo? -No.
-Six speakers? -No.
How many speakers? I have two ears.
How many speakers do I need? -At Ieast six and a subwoofer.
-I' m not getting a subwoofer.
-How about the tow package? -The tow package? -T o tow your boat.
-I don't have a boat.
-What about a camper? -No.
-What do you tow? -Groceries.
You could put those in the trunk.
-Tinted windows? -Hey.
Hello, Josh.
Mrs.
Landingham's picking up a new car today.
-Really? -I wish I hadn't told anyone.
Why do men think women can't buy a car without a man? It's an old stereotype, Mrs.
L.
Did you get the extended service warranty? -No.
-Women.
-What do you want? -Leo wanted to see me.
-He's in his office.
-Did you get the tow package? -See? -He's in his office.
Margaret.
-Where's Josh? -He's on his way.
-He remembers where my office is? -Calm down.
I' m right here.
-He's right here.
-Get out.
-This report is staggering.
-I know.
Justice has 31 Iawyers and staff, tobacco has 1 893 Iawyers and 2783 paralegals.
-This isn't a typo, right? -No.
We've spent 8.
7 million on outside counsel, they've spent 1 92.
The 61.
3 million they've spent on travel expenses is twice as much -as we've spent on our entire case.
-Y es.
Who oversees the Justice Department budget? The subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary.
-Who's the ranking minority member? -Ritter.
T alk to him and find out what the problem is.
Josh, how's it going downstairs? They'II have an answer by the end of the day.
It's Iooking Iike 30 minutes on Dateline and a press conference.
But, Leo, it's also Iooking Iike any scenario is gonna require a firm position from the president on re-election.
Well, we'II have that answer by the end of the day too.
-Will we? -Yes.
He got Joey's numbers in the middle of the night.
Give me the day.
Don't you think it'd help him if he had a discussion among--? A discussion among the rest of us? Excuse me.
-What? -Two of Dessalines' bodyguards were shot.
We think he's headed to our embassy.
-How do we know? -Peter Bratt got a message through.
What is Peter Bratt doing there? He went for the inauguration, and he may have Dessalines in the trunk of his car.
-In the trunk of his car? -Y es, sir.
-Did we evacuate the nonessentials? -On their way.
A C-9 is waiting for them on the runway.
If we don't take Dessalines, he'II be convicted in a 20-minute trial imprisoned for Iife or probably executed by the junta.
This is an internal affair in Haiti.
The U.
S.
has no place choosing sides.
Of course we' re choosing sides.
There was a free election.
We saw to it.
There was a free election, and Dessalines won.
If we grant asylum, we'II be in a standoff with Bazan.
Bazan can elevate his stature in Haiti by staging a standoff with the U.
S.
Bazan can surround the embassy, saying he's searching for a wanted criminal and he can take everyone in the embassy hostage.
Mr.
President, there will never be real elections in Haiti if the military thinks it can kill the winner.
AIso, I'd Iike to point out, sir, that we encouraged Dessalines to run.
In fact, we strongly encouraged it, and now he's in the trunk of a car.
The car's at the gate.
I got the gate right here.
-Let him in.
-Sir.
-Let him in.
-T ell them to Iet him in.
He's in.
Do we put Hoynes up there at the press conference? -Put Hoynes up there? -There's never been a more important time to emphasize the vice presidency.
The vice president's presence underlines the health risk to the president.
The president anticipated this problem with the selection of the vice president.
It'II also serve to underscore that he anticipated the problem and didn't tell.
Hoynes was one of the first to know.
If he's there, it's a demonstration that he signed off on the president's health.
He'II get bombarded with questions about what he knew and the press corps will impanel themselves as a grand jury.
Then Iet them, C.
J.
-We did something wrong or we didn't.
-Well, fantastic, Sam.
I didn't realize it was that simple.
There's a situation developing in Port- au-Prince.
I have to get ready to brief.
Sam, can Josiah Bartlet function as president? I' m not a medical expert.
Right.
T oby, there is responsibility, and the future, and an obligation to the party.
If he's not gonna run, he's gotta point to Hoynes and say, "This is our guy.
" And what if they ask Hoynes, " In the meantime -can Bartlet function as president? " -He'II say yes.
What if he says, " I' m not a medical expert"? The president of Haiti was taken to the embassy in the trunk of a car? Yes.
-I've Iived too Iong.
-Don't go anywhere, because I need you.
I mean it.
This will get worse before it gets better.
You may be right, but Haiti's actually not what I wanted to talk to you about.
-T obacco? -The president wants to get behind a $30 million appropriations bill the Justice Department's had in your committee for months.
-They need money to continue the case.
-I know.
-Has the chairman scheduled a vote? -He's not gonna.
He won't schedule a vote? Kalmbach's gonna dance with the girl that brung him.
How much tobacco money has he taken? -In the Iast campaign? -Yeah.
Four hundred and sixty thousand in PACs.
-Is there a nose count? -Y eah, eight to seven against.
-AIong party Iines? -No, believe it or not we've got two Republicans, they've got two Democrats.
-They've got two Democrats? -Warren and Rossitter.
Warren and Rossitter aren't even from the South.
They have ideological problems with the case.
This is a phenomenally important case.
It's historic.
It has to be won, and we' re fighting it with paper clips and a slingshot.
We were wondering when you guys were gonna notice.
-Hi.
-Hi.
-Have a seat.
-I was told you wanted to see me.
Y eah, Donna.
I' m gonna tell you something shocking except we don't have time to be shocked.
So I need you to just hear it and go back to work.
Eight years ago, the president was diagnosed with MS.
He concealed it during the election, but we' re going public with a Iive network interview and a press conference.
This is what Josh is gonna be working on and he's gonna need you to know.
And so I' m telling you.
You' re the first person on the assistant Ievel to find out.
Margaret doesn't know.
Bonnie and Ginger don't know.
Mrs.
Landingham doesn't know.
Is the president in a Iot of pain or discomfort right now? -No, he's in remission.
-Okay.
Is there anything else? I want to impress upon you how important it is that this not be-- Yeah.
You wanna know where you made your mistake? I didn't make a mistake.
You probably did.
Here's where you went wrong.
-Where? -You went to the dealership alone.
-Y es.
-That was a mistake.
Because the dealer would Ioad me up with extras I don't need? -That's right.
-Like a tow package? How will you tow your camper without a tow package? I have never been camping.
Neither have I.
I was hoping you'd take me.
I'd be sitting there fishing, Iistening to the Orioles on a transistor radio.
-What would I be doing? -Warding off bears, that kind of thing.
-How much did you pay? -We don't talk about money, dear.
Can you tell me how much you paid below sticker? -I didn't pay anything below sticker.
-What do you mean? I didn't pay anything above sticker either.
-Mrs.
Landingham, seriously.
-Charlie-- -You paid sticker price? -Y es.
-Why? -That was the price.
-Mrs.
-- -Says so right on the sticker.
-Who pays sticker price? -I do.
-Let me go back there with you.
-I wasn't duped.
-You paid sticker price.
-I' m a government employee.
That doesn't mean you' re a fool.
No, but it means I' m not allowed to accept gifts of a certain value.
-It's not a gift.
-Of course it is.
The price tag says one thing and the dealer gives it to me for something Iess.
-That happens when you buy a car.
-Not me.
-I was Iooking for Leo.
-Situation Room.
That's usually a good sign.
-How many are they saying? -They can't say.
-How many are they estimating? -It changes every minute.
-How many this minute? -Nancy, the cavalry.
-You guys need some adult supervision? -No, we need the cavalry.
What's the Iatest estimate? It's about 500 soldiers, maybe 300 of them with AR-1 5s.
We sold those to them, right? Well, until a few hours ago, they were on our side.
-Still.
-Y eah.
AR-1 5s aren't the only thing they've got.
They've got two Bradleys with 1 20 mm cannons and a couple of artillery tubes.
-What do we have? -37 Marines with M1 4s and Beretta sidearms.
What happens when the first shot is fired? -Get me hooked up to operations.
-Y es.
Embassy Marines aren't Iawn jockeys.
They' re not decorative.
They' re trained in restraint, and they' re trained well.
-Operations, ma'am.
-Thank you.
If they take the embassy, how will we know? Will they send a note? Sidney, I need Com Con status.
This is a few minutes old.
There's no note, Leo.
They' re taking the embassy.
Fitz, this is Nancy.
I think we should mobilize the 880th Hostage T ask Force out of Parris Island.
The USS Enterprise, as well as amphibious carriers out of FIorida are being dispatched to the region, expected to be there in 36 hours.
Aircraft will be in a combat radius of 3 to 400 miles within 1 2 hours.
You'II get more details on that when the Pentagon briefs at 3.
-C.
J.
! -Katie.
Should we read anything into the fact that Pentagon's briefing, not State? State will brief Iater.
Is one option recognizing the Bazan government? -There is no Bazan government.
-But is one--? -You' re not taking me there, Mark.
-Is the U.
S.
prepared to invade Haiti? It should be clear that we' re talking about two separate issues.
One is a democratically elected president whose people are being denied their Ieader by an armed militia.
The other is the Iives of Americans in the embassy and the Marines.
-You didn't answer my question.
-How about that? I'II be back.
-Is he here? -He's in the Mural Room.
-I Iook all right? -You Iook pretty tired.
That's what you' re saying to me? There's nothing I can get for you, Mr.
Hacket? No, Bonnie, thanks.
I' m fine.
-Paul.
-Good afternoon, CIaudia.
Bonnie, would you stand outside the door, please and knock if anybody wants to come in? She took me in through the basement.
I've been in this building 300 times, never came in through the basement.
-What do you got in front? -The White House Press Corps.
-Yeah? -I need 30 minutes, night after tomorrow.
-What are you guys planning for Haiti? -It's not Haiti.
-What is it? -I' m not gonna tell you.
What do I tell my news director? -It's your network.
-It's not.
It belongs to a company that belongs to stockholders.
What am I supposed to tell him? That we need 30 minutes Wednesday night.
On Wednesday morning, I'II tell you why.
You pick the interviewer, they'II have 1 0 hours to prepare.
-Just the president? -The president and first Iady.
-On our set? -In this room.
So we get the interviewer and the network Iogo? No network Iogo.
I've gotta get two other networks and CNN to pick this up Iive.
Bad enough it's your guy and not theirs.
But they'II run Petticoat Junction before they put your network brand on their air.
-C.
J.
? -Y eah.
-Between friends.
-Y eah.
Is the water over your head? No, the water's exactly at my head.
I'II talk to Jeremy.
We'II start to Ieak Wednesday morning to soften the ground but anything Ieaks before then and I'II take my business across the street.
Y eah.
Well, I was surprised when Andy gave me the nose count because I wasn't aware of any ties to tobacco you have.
-We don't.
-Y eah.
-I don't.
Do you? -No.
We grow no tobacco in my state.
I'd have to check, but I don't think I've taken contributions.
We are both former U S.
attorneys and it's the suit itself we find troubling.
The suit alleges that the tobacco companies have been engaged in a broad conspiracy of Iies since the 1 950s.
-Y es.
-How exactly will Justice Department Iitigators demonstrate that? Well, I' m not a Iitigator and I don't work at the Justice Department and there's a reason for both of those things but I don't think it's hard to prove that the tobacco companies have Iied since we already know they did.
Every surgeon general since 1 964 has warned the public about smoking.
And since 1 966, through Congressional mandate a pack of cigarettes has had to carry a warning Iabel.
T urning around now and saying, "We've been had, " is ridiculous.
You saying that people who start smoking and get addicted to nicotine are too stupid to Iive? No.
I' m saying they' re too stupid to be protected by the courts.
"T oo stupid to be--" Every day, the Justice Department uncovers evidence that cigarette companies knew, far better than the rest of us that smoking causes death and disease.
T o say nothing of the CEOs being the Iast seven people on Earth to discover that nicotine was addictive-- Your administration wants to prosecute a suit they know is hopeless so they score points at the expense of an industry that funds your opponents.
It's politically correct extortion and that's why it's unlikely the appropriations bill will make it out of the subcommittee.
It's almost 3:00.
By 7, 3000 new people will have taken up smoking.
will be under 1 8.
Thanks.
Good afternoon, ma'am.
Sagittarius.
Good afternoon, Mrs.
Bartlet.
What do we use this place for when we' re not using it for this? I think-- I know we used it to plan some of the millennium things.
Didn't it used to be the photo office? I don't know.
I could check it out.
-Would you Iike to sit down? -Yeah.
We' re talking about 30 minutes with an interviewer.
The questions will be about the medical history.
No questions about the Iaw.
C.
J.
got them to agree to that? She will Wednesday morning when she tells them what it's about.
-Why will they agree? -They'd Iose the story.
That's all right with me.
I'd Iike to go through the story, get a sense of what you'II say run it by OIiver Babish, spend a couple of days going over it with you.
That sounds fun, but I' m kind of seeing someone right now.
It's not serious, but it could be.
You know what I' m saying? T en years ago, he began experiencing fatigue and signs of paraparesis of the anterior femoral muscles.
-In Iaymen's terms? -He had a tingling pain in his thigh.
-And those symptoms subsided? -Y es.
And two years Iater? My husband experienced neuropathy and presented symptoms of optic neuritis with partial unilateral nerve paresis.
-Mrs.
Bartlet-- -Dr.
Bartlet.
Y es, ma'am.
The Ianguage you use-- Why aren't the president and I doing this together? I' m sorry? Somebody's doing this with the president and I was asking why we' re not doing it at the same time.
-Is it so you can compare our stories? -Y es.
The Ianguage you use-- Two years Iater, he felt numbing and dizziness.
-Look-- -Section 2635 of the guidelines Iaid out in Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch final regulations issued by the U S.
Office of Government Ethics-- Section 2635, wherein White House employees are specifically enjoined from receiving or soliciting gifts over $20 in value.
They want to give me a $ 1 9 discount on my car, I'II take it.
-He's waiting for you.
-Thank you.
What happened? We shot three Haitian soldiers on the runway.
-They boarded the plane? -Ground traffic control stopped the plane.
When the soldiers boarded, they were told they'd boarded a U S.
Air Force C-9.
They were told to drop their weapons.
They were told again.
Two staff sergeants in the bulkhead had a clear shot and took them.
They dumped the bodies on the tarmac and made an emergency takeoff.
-Leo-- -Sir-- That wasn't supposed to happen.
I evacuated the nonessentials specifically so that wouldn't happen.
-We-- -I gave the order six hours ago.
-They had to-- -Six hours ago, I gave the order! What were they still doing on a runway? They had to be collected.
They weren't all in one place.
-We shot three men-- -That's what you do.
-We what? -A foreign hostile puts his foot on an American military plane, that's an attack.
Rules of engagement give us every right to repel.
I' m sure they had their handbooks with them.
These guys were there to keep the plane on the ground.
-The plane is up in the air? -Yes, sir.
What's happening on the ground? We' re communicating through diplomatic back channels.
-Who are we using? -The Canadian ambassador Dominican intelligence.
-And what does Bazan want? -Dessalines.
-On what charge? -That as treasury minister he embezzled $ 1 8 million earmarked for humanitarian aid.
I' m sold.
Margaret, get me the secretary of state.
You' re right.
I should be bringing them in on re-election.
-I should be talking to them.
-Yeah.
I don't want to make the same mistakes again.
Y eah.
Not when there are so many new mistakes we can make.
Let's start tonight.
Around 9:00, we'II meet in the residence.
Scott, I' m with the president.
We' re gonna need to invoke 1 070 at OAS.
-Good evening, Mr.
President.
-Bob Cratchit.
Surely you have better things to do than annoy me.
-Never.
You bought a new car? -Y es.
-And you paid sticker price? -Section 2635-- You need to Iook at the next page, subsection B, paragraph 4.
I could beat you up anytime I want, sir.
Secret Service would have you down Iike a calf at a rodeo.
"The definition of gift excludes opportunities and benefits including favorable rates and commercial discounts available to the public at Iarge.
" -I did Iook at the next page.
-And? I work next door to the Oval Office, sir.
Caesar's wife must be above reproach.
Is the reason you didn't tell me you were getting a new car, you--? Did you think I was gonna think it was an extravagance? You don't think I think you should have a new car? -Dolores, have you ever had a new car? -No.
Henry would go to Calvin Hilly in Concord and Calvin would give him a good deal on something reliable.
Let me find out what you were to pay, and write a check for the difference.
Oh, no.
Thank you, but I' m buying this car myself.
This car is gonna feel good.
-Is it a nice one? -It's a beauty.
It's blue.
It has air conditioning.
I told them I can roll down the windows, but it comes with it.
Consumer Reports rates it very high.
It's very safe.
And when you get inside, there's this.
-Smell? -How did you know? The smell of freedom, and the chemicals they treat the dashboard with.
-When are you picking it up? -Now.
Do me a favor.
Come back after you pick it up.
I'd Iike to talk to you about something.
And put the car in the driveway.
I'd Iike to kick the tires.
Why? It's an expression, Fannie Mae.
Go get your car.
What happens is, basically, that small stones in the inner ear which respond to gravity become dislodged and that'II cause benign positional vertigo.
-You all right? -Y es, ma'am.
You sure you don't want some acetylsalicylic acid? -Aspirin, my brother.
-What a dumb major you had.
-Good evening.
-Oh, OIiver.
Do you know what peripheral neuropathy indicates? No, but I don't really care that much.
Sam, would you mind for a minute? -No.
-B1 2 deficiency.
-Thank you.
-Sure.
-Mrs.
Bartlet, I want to talk to you-- -Dr.
Bartlet.
When did I stop being Dr.
Bartlet? When in the campaign did I decide that women were gonna Iike me more if I called myself " Mrs.
"? When did I decide that women were that stupid? Ma'am, I want you to get your own Iawyer.
-I have my own Iawyer.
-Pat's a family Iawyer.
I want you to get someone for this.
I'II give you eight names.
You, Pat and the president whittle it down to three, I'II pick the one.
Can we do this after the broadcast Wednesday night? No, I want you to do it right away.
I don't think you should do the broadcast.
-Why? -You shouldn't answer without a Iawyer.
Sam said they' re not gonna get into issues of Iegality.
I don't know how they' re gonna avoid it.
Herman Vikram was the original specialist, right? It was Vikram who put him on prednisone.
And then almost four years ago you put him on interferon beta-1 b.
-Betaseron.
-Y eah.
-You did it, not Vikram.
-It was in consultation with Vikram.
He didn't write the prescription.
I thought that it would be wrong to involve another doctor.
So you wrote these prescriptions to yourself and had them filled where? The Dunwich Women's Health CIinic.
-Then shipped to various Iocations? -It was a campaign.
-One Iocation was Phoenix.
-Probably.
-Another was St.
Louis.
-Y eah.
You violated the medical ethics rules of three state boards: New Hampshire, Arizona and Missouri.
"The board may take disciplinary action against any person who has engaged in dishonest or unprofessional conduct.
" They were extraordinary circumstances, OIiver.
I gave my husband excellent medical care and I'II Iine up tenured professors who'II say so.
-Did you keep medical records? -No.
" --or any person who has failed to maintain adequate medical records or documentation on diagnostic and therapeutic treatment.
" The AMA's code of ethics pretty well spells out the egregiousness of treating your own family members.
We do it anyway.
We write prescriptions for migraines, antibiotics-- Can I ask you, as the president's physician have you asked him if he's had extramarital affairs? No.
Isn't that a crucial question in the diagnosing of autoimmune diseases? I'd Iike to be next to my husband when he does this.
I'd Iike you to get your own Iawyer.
-Is there anything else? -No.
Thank you, Dr.
Bartlet.
You need this? -I didn't even see you there.
-I haven't seen you all day.
I've been with, you know, tobacco.
-You need this? -Y eah.
The president wants you at a meeting tonight in the residence around 9:00.
I'II tell you what that is, that's the BIue Ribbon Commission on reform.
I' m gonna be collecting benefits or not by the time we get this BIue Ribbon thing up.
-Josh.
-Y eah.
I' m trying-- See, this is why I'II never have a career as a-- -Donna, what--? -Sagittarius.
-You all right? -Y eah.
There's an empty office next to the conference room.
I moved two couches in, pillows and blankets.
-C.
J.
putting the Iid on? -Right now.
And Leo's ready for you now.
The OAS has agreed to meet in an emergency session tomorrow but we' re waiting for confirmation.
-Can you tell us what you'II say? -Y es, but first we'II say it to them.
A question on the Haitian casualties-- We've run out of time.
We'II pick it up tomorrow.
I' m calling a full Iid.
Any developments throughout the night, you'II be paged.
-Thank you for your patience, everybody.
-Thank you, C.
J.
-Leo's ready for you.
-Thanks.
Leo, this is insane, plain and simple.
What's insane? Oh, never mind.
What isn't? -You don't think it's crazy? -I don't know what we' re talking about.
We' re firming up strategy on what will define the future of this presidency and we don't know if this president is interested in the future.
-We have to have a discussion tonight.
-We' re having a discussion.
-When? -T onight.
Okay, then.
-Good evening.
-Good evening, Josh.
Leo, would you excuse us for a second? T oby, can I talk to you outside? -You told Donna.
-Y eah.
-Why didn't you Iet me? -You hadn't yet.
How'd she take it? If everybody out there takes it the way she did, we may be okay.
If a few more people in here took it the way she did, that'd be all right too.
-Was that for me? -That was for me.
T obacco.
Kalmbach's not gonna Iet it come to a vote in the subcommittee which is fine, because if he did, it'd be 8-7 against.
-Party Iines? -No.
We have Stacy and Miner, but Warren and Rossitter are voting against.
They have ideological problems with the case.
What do you wanna do? Stick some dynamite up Warren and Rossitter's ass.
The problem is Rossitter sits on the Judiciary Committee and I don't know how many enemies on Judiciary we want to make.
Both of you, Iisten.
We' re not gonna stop, soften, detour, postpone circumvent, obfuscate or trade a single one of our goals to allow for whatever extracurricular nonsense is coming our way in the next few days, weeks and months.
When did we decide this? Just now.
Light them up.
-You got a recommendation for me? -30 minutes, Wednesday, Iive.
-Live-to-tape? -Live.
-Mural Room? -Y eah.
They pick the interviewer.
It's carried on all the networks and CNN.
I give it to them 1 0 hours before.
Followed by a press conference.
There isn't another step until we know what the president's intentions are.
We need a discussion, and it can't wait another night.
-We' re having a discussion.
-When? -T onight.
-Really? -That's great.
-Good evening.
Sam, what do you know? I know that fluid accumulating in the semicircular canals of the vestibulocochlear nerve is usually what'II account for dizziness.
Leo, I want to state right here, in terms so plain and clear as to command their-- Meeting tonight.
The whole country is gonna assume he's not running when he announces.
-We' re having a meeting.
-The press-- -We' re having a meeting.
-Really? -That's great.
-Y eah.
Why doesn't everybody grab something to eat, be back at 9 and you'II get called to come over to the residence.
Josh, walk out with me.
I mean it, set one off under these guys.
How about I have C.
J.
make a statement at her briefing? A strong statement.
"The president calls on Congress to fund the Justice Department tobacco Iawsuit at the Ievels necessary to continue this Iitigation.
" "The American people deserve their day in court.
" "This administration won't sit on the bench while well-fed members of the Appropriations Committee choke off funding for a Iawsuit aimed at the perpetrators of hundreds of thousands of negligent homicides while filling their campaign war chests.
" Light them up.
Charlie? Leo, there was an accident at 1 8th and Potomac.
Mrs.
Landingham was driving her car back here.
-What happened? -There was a drunk driver and they ran the Iight at 1 8th and Potomac.
-They ran it at a high speed.
-Charlie, is she all right? No.
She's dead.
-Is he alone? -Y eah.
He did everything you do if your intent is to perpetrate a fraud.
We want to see some polling.
-Why? -We need to know what to do next.
What questions could they ask that won't trip an alarm? Josh trusts Joey Lucas.
We need you to put a poll in the field without asking questions we can't ask.
I was almost sure I saw you give the president an injection.
It was Betaseron.
It reduces the frequency of the attacks.
T obacco has spent $380 million to the government's 36.
They perpetrated a fraud against the public.
-They wanna get these people.
-We' re not big tobacco.
-Eagle's moving.
-He talked to her on the phone? -At the airport.
-But he called her on the phone.
-T o get her to the airport.
-But I' m saying did she hang up the phone, say to her friends: "You' re never gonna believe why I' m getting on a plane? " He told her she was coming out to do polling on subsurface agriculture.
-What the hell is that? -It's vegetables that grow underground.
He told her she was coming here to find out if Americans were eating more beets.
-Is this a joke? -It was Josh, Mr.
President.
It was a job done well.
You want to start not trusting Josh? Let's go.
-Where are we going? -The basement.
Why? I don't Iike how it Iooks, the seven of us meeting in the middle of the night.
You Iike the way it Iooks meeting in the basement? Let's go.
These numbers are gonna be meaningless.
A governor from an industrial state.
It's posed as a hypothetical before people have any education.
No way to factor existing approval numbers when it comes to trust matters.
Sagittarius.
-Are they on their way? -Y eah.
-They' re on their way? -Y eah.
Joey, your flight was all right? Your flight was all okay? These numbers aren't gonna mean anything, right? With the hypothetical and Iack of context? -PIus the pre-existing Ievel of trust? -Yeah.
I' m saying, he's got numbers Iike Walter Cronkite.
Y eah.
Is there anything in there that we' re gonna Iike? -We are, in fact, eating more beets.
-Okay.
Good evening.
Mr.
President, you remember Joey Lucas and her interpreter, Kenny.
-Joey, did you make photocopies of that? -No, sir.
Good.
Let's get started.
Mr.
President, I polled 1 1 70 registered voters in Michigan giving their governor a hypothetical-- Excuse me.
How many people in this room know Kenny's Iast name? It's fine.
I believe this operation is no Ionger covert.
Mr.
President, Kenny's been with me for 1 1 years.
T o trust me is to trust him.
-Josh? -Y eah.
Go ahead.
in Michigan were polled giving their governor a hypothetical, concealed, degenerative illness.
These are the results.
" Do you agree that it's okay for the governor to Iie about his health? " Seventeen percent agree, "Would you be as Iikely or Iess Iikely to vote for the governor now that you know he has a degenerative illness? " Seventy-one percent say Iess Iikely.
The Iargest block of Iikely voters are women over 55.
wouldn't vote for a candidate with MS.
We just Iost FIorida.
This may be the worst stat, sir.
Seventy-four percent believe MS to be fatal.
They may be right.
Sixty-two percent of Democrats aren't gonna vote for you.
Sixty-five percent of those describing themselves as Iiberal aren't gonna vote for you because you Iied.
Joey, is there any good news in there at all? No, sir.
-Who's in Port-au-Prince right now? -The U.
N.
observer group.
Which consists of? and 65 unarmed security specialists.
-And the OAS? -They've got about 200 observers.
What happened Iast night? Citing improper permits, Col.
Bazan's soldiers surrounded Carrefour Liberté.
-Liberty Square.
-Yeah.
T o prevent a victory rally by supporters of Dessalines.
Some of the crowd refused to disperse.
Shots were fired.
-Anybody killed? -Two people.
Rene Ducasse, the newly designated minister of justice, was arrested and soldiers have surrounded the house of the chief justice.
They say, to protect him from death threats.
Our intelligence says he's under house arrest.
Most troubling is personnel carriers with Haitian troops parked in front of every police station in Port-au-Prince.
This is a sign that the army plans to take power from the Gendarme Nationale.
-Where's the president-elect? -Sir, we can't find him.
-I' m sorry? -At this moment -we can't find Dessalines.
-That's not the most troubling thing? What do you mean--? He never showed up for a 4 p.
m.
conference with Gilbert T ass.
Calls to the party headquarters and his houses went unanswered.
Armed forces radio says he's fled the country, but the Dominicans say no.
What about intelligence? It's not Iike we can just call around.
It's chaos there.
Nobody knows anything.
Leo? Let's evacuate the nonessential personnel from the embassy.
Any move to evacuate the embassy, even the nonessentials will be a signal of no confidence in the Dessalines government.
At the moment, there is no Dessalines government, and no Dessalines.
I just got done pulling nine dead bodies out of Colombia.
Evacuate the nonessentials, get some Marines at the embassy -and somebody brief Fitzwallace.
-Thank you, Mr.
President.
Sagittarius.
Why not a presidential address? T en, 1 5 minutes.
" I have this illness.
I concealed it.
I apologize.
Let me tell you about it.
Let me reduce your fears.
" It's too cold.
He needs to be with the first Iady.
In some decorative room? Sitting with his wife weakens him.
Let's put him behind the Kennedy desk, in the East Room-- He's gonna go on TV and say he Iied.
I don't want him doing it behind the seal.
You think without the seal people will forget he's president? We'II do a 30-minute Iive special for one of the news magazines.
-" Live, " Iive-to-tape or tape? -Live.
I don't want a producer editing what he says.
-What if we want to edit what he says? -That's our tough Iuck.
-When? -How about Thursday night? -Wednesday night.
-Why? Thursday is where they pay their bills.
It's tough enough getting 30 minutes and not telling them why during May sweeps.
-Who gives a damn about May sweeps? -They do, Sam.
AII right, 30 minutes, Dateline special, Wednesday night night after tomorrow, president and first Iady in the Mural Room.
We'II follow that with a press conference.
-Why? -T o control the story as Iong as possible.
Once he gets done with Russert or Diane or Stone Phillips I'II need every reporter in a room where I can see them.
-Put a team of medical experts there.
-We have 48 hours to find them.
If we take him from the Mural Room to a press conference won't a smart reporter ask: " Mr.
President, aren't you planning on seeking re-election? " A smart rep-- T ed Baxter's gonna ask, " Mr.
President, are you planning to seek re-election? " So we' re gonna need an answer to that too.
-Are you getting an 8-speaker stereo? -No.
-Six speakers? -No.
How many speakers? I have two ears.
How many speakers do I need? -At Ieast six and a subwoofer.
-I' m not getting a subwoofer.
-How about the tow package? -The tow package? -T o tow your boat.
-I don't have a boat.
-What about a camper? -No.
-What do you tow? -Groceries.
You could put those in the trunk.
-Tinted windows? -Hey.
Hello, Josh.
Mrs.
Landingham's picking up a new car today.
-Really? -I wish I hadn't told anyone.
Why do men think women can't buy a car without a man? It's an old stereotype, Mrs.
L.
Did you get the extended service warranty? -No.
-Women.
-What do you want? -Leo wanted to see me.
-He's in his office.
-Did you get the tow package? -See? -He's in his office.
Margaret.
-Where's Josh? -He's on his way.
-He remembers where my office is? -Calm down.
I' m right here.
-He's right here.
-Get out.
-This report is staggering.
-I know.
Justice has 31 Iawyers and staff, tobacco has 1 893 Iawyers and 2783 paralegals.
-This isn't a typo, right? -No.
We've spent 8.
7 million on outside counsel, they've spent 1 92.
The 61.
3 million they've spent on travel expenses is twice as much -as we've spent on our entire case.
-Y es.
Who oversees the Justice Department budget? The subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary.
-Who's the ranking minority member? -Ritter.
T alk to him and find out what the problem is.
Josh, how's it going downstairs? They'II have an answer by the end of the day.
It's Iooking Iike 30 minutes on Dateline and a press conference.
But, Leo, it's also Iooking Iike any scenario is gonna require a firm position from the president on re-election.
Well, we'II have that answer by the end of the day too.
-Will we? -Yes.
He got Joey's numbers in the middle of the night.
Give me the day.
Don't you think it'd help him if he had a discussion among--? A discussion among the rest of us? Excuse me.
-What? -Two of Dessalines' bodyguards were shot.
We think he's headed to our embassy.
-How do we know? -Peter Bratt got a message through.
What is Peter Bratt doing there? He went for the inauguration, and he may have Dessalines in the trunk of his car.
-In the trunk of his car? -Y es, sir.
-Did we evacuate the nonessentials? -On their way.
A C-9 is waiting for them on the runway.
If we don't take Dessalines, he'II be convicted in a 20-minute trial imprisoned for Iife or probably executed by the junta.
This is an internal affair in Haiti.
The U.
S.
has no place choosing sides.
Of course we' re choosing sides.
There was a free election.
We saw to it.
There was a free election, and Dessalines won.
If we grant asylum, we'II be in a standoff with Bazan.
Bazan can elevate his stature in Haiti by staging a standoff with the U.
S.
Bazan can surround the embassy, saying he's searching for a wanted criminal and he can take everyone in the embassy hostage.
Mr.
President, there will never be real elections in Haiti if the military thinks it can kill the winner.
AIso, I'd Iike to point out, sir, that we encouraged Dessalines to run.
In fact, we strongly encouraged it, and now he's in the trunk of a car.
The car's at the gate.
I got the gate right here.
-Let him in.
-Sir.
-Let him in.
-T ell them to Iet him in.
He's in.
Do we put Hoynes up there at the press conference? -Put Hoynes up there? -There's never been a more important time to emphasize the vice presidency.
The vice president's presence underlines the health risk to the president.
The president anticipated this problem with the selection of the vice president.
It'II also serve to underscore that he anticipated the problem and didn't tell.
Hoynes was one of the first to know.
If he's there, it's a demonstration that he signed off on the president's health.
He'II get bombarded with questions about what he knew and the press corps will impanel themselves as a grand jury.
Then Iet them, C.
J.
-We did something wrong or we didn't.
-Well, fantastic, Sam.
I didn't realize it was that simple.
There's a situation developing in Port- au-Prince.
I have to get ready to brief.
Sam, can Josiah Bartlet function as president? I' m not a medical expert.
Right.
T oby, there is responsibility, and the future, and an obligation to the party.
If he's not gonna run, he's gotta point to Hoynes and say, "This is our guy.
" And what if they ask Hoynes, " In the meantime -can Bartlet function as president? " -He'II say yes.
What if he says, " I' m not a medical expert"? The president of Haiti was taken to the embassy in the trunk of a car? Yes.
-I've Iived too Iong.
-Don't go anywhere, because I need you.
I mean it.
This will get worse before it gets better.
You may be right, but Haiti's actually not what I wanted to talk to you about.
-T obacco? -The president wants to get behind a $30 million appropriations bill the Justice Department's had in your committee for months.
-They need money to continue the case.
-I know.
-Has the chairman scheduled a vote? -He's not gonna.
He won't schedule a vote? Kalmbach's gonna dance with the girl that brung him.
How much tobacco money has he taken? -In the Iast campaign? -Yeah.
Four hundred and sixty thousand in PACs.
-Is there a nose count? -Y eah, eight to seven against.
-AIong party Iines? -No, believe it or not we've got two Republicans, they've got two Democrats.
-They've got two Democrats? -Warren and Rossitter.
Warren and Rossitter aren't even from the South.
They have ideological problems with the case.
This is a phenomenally important case.
It's historic.
It has to be won, and we' re fighting it with paper clips and a slingshot.
We were wondering when you guys were gonna notice.
-Hi.
-Hi.
-Have a seat.
-I was told you wanted to see me.
Y eah, Donna.
I' m gonna tell you something shocking except we don't have time to be shocked.
So I need you to just hear it and go back to work.
Eight years ago, the president was diagnosed with MS.
He concealed it during the election, but we' re going public with a Iive network interview and a press conference.
This is what Josh is gonna be working on and he's gonna need you to know.
And so I' m telling you.
You' re the first person on the assistant Ievel to find out.
Margaret doesn't know.
Bonnie and Ginger don't know.
Mrs.
Landingham doesn't know.
Is the president in a Iot of pain or discomfort right now? -No, he's in remission.
-Okay.
Is there anything else? I want to impress upon you how important it is that this not be-- Yeah.
You wanna know where you made your mistake? I didn't make a mistake.
You probably did.
Here's where you went wrong.
-Where? -You went to the dealership alone.
-Y es.
-That was a mistake.
Because the dealer would Ioad me up with extras I don't need? -That's right.
-Like a tow package? How will you tow your camper without a tow package? I have never been camping.
Neither have I.
I was hoping you'd take me.
I'd be sitting there fishing, Iistening to the Orioles on a transistor radio.
-What would I be doing? -Warding off bears, that kind of thing.
-How much did you pay? -We don't talk about money, dear.
Can you tell me how much you paid below sticker? -I didn't pay anything below sticker.
-What do you mean? I didn't pay anything above sticker either.
-Mrs.
Landingham, seriously.
-Charlie-- -You paid sticker price? -Y es.
-Why? -That was the price.
-Mrs.
-- -Says so right on the sticker.
-Who pays sticker price? -I do.
-Let me go back there with you.
-I wasn't duped.
-You paid sticker price.
-I' m a government employee.
That doesn't mean you' re a fool.
No, but it means I' m not allowed to accept gifts of a certain value.
-It's not a gift.
-Of course it is.
The price tag says one thing and the dealer gives it to me for something Iess.
-That happens when you buy a car.
-Not me.
-I was Iooking for Leo.
-Situation Room.
That's usually a good sign.
-How many are they saying? -They can't say.
-How many are they estimating? -It changes every minute.
-How many this minute? -Nancy, the cavalry.
-You guys need some adult supervision? -No, we need the cavalry.
What's the Iatest estimate? It's about 500 soldiers, maybe 300 of them with AR-1 5s.
We sold those to them, right? Well, until a few hours ago, they were on our side.
-Still.
-Y eah.
AR-1 5s aren't the only thing they've got.
They've got two Bradleys with 1 20 mm cannons and a couple of artillery tubes.
-What do we have? -37 Marines with M1 4s and Beretta sidearms.
What happens when the first shot is fired? -Get me hooked up to operations.
-Y es.
Embassy Marines aren't Iawn jockeys.
They' re not decorative.
They' re trained in restraint, and they' re trained well.
-Operations, ma'am.
-Thank you.
If they take the embassy, how will we know? Will they send a note? Sidney, I need Com Con status.
This is a few minutes old.
There's no note, Leo.
They' re taking the embassy.
Fitz, this is Nancy.
I think we should mobilize the 880th Hostage T ask Force out of Parris Island.
The USS Enterprise, as well as amphibious carriers out of FIorida are being dispatched to the region, expected to be there in 36 hours.
Aircraft will be in a combat radius of 3 to 400 miles within 1 2 hours.
You'II get more details on that when the Pentagon briefs at 3.
-C.
J.
! -Katie.
Should we read anything into the fact that Pentagon's briefing, not State? State will brief Iater.
Is one option recognizing the Bazan government? -There is no Bazan government.
-But is one--? -You' re not taking me there, Mark.
-Is the U.
S.
prepared to invade Haiti? It should be clear that we' re talking about two separate issues.
One is a democratically elected president whose people are being denied their Ieader by an armed militia.
The other is the Iives of Americans in the embassy and the Marines.
-You didn't answer my question.
-How about that? I'II be back.
-Is he here? -He's in the Mural Room.
-I Iook all right? -You Iook pretty tired.
That's what you' re saying to me? There's nothing I can get for you, Mr.
Hacket? No, Bonnie, thanks.
I' m fine.
-Paul.
-Good afternoon, CIaudia.
Bonnie, would you stand outside the door, please and knock if anybody wants to come in? She took me in through the basement.
I've been in this building 300 times, never came in through the basement.
-What do you got in front? -The White House Press Corps.
-Yeah? -I need 30 minutes, night after tomorrow.
-What are you guys planning for Haiti? -It's not Haiti.
-What is it? -I' m not gonna tell you.
What do I tell my news director? -It's your network.
-It's not.
It belongs to a company that belongs to stockholders.
What am I supposed to tell him? That we need 30 minutes Wednesday night.
On Wednesday morning, I'II tell you why.
You pick the interviewer, they'II have 1 0 hours to prepare.
-Just the president? -The president and first Iady.
-On our set? -In this room.
So we get the interviewer and the network Iogo? No network Iogo.
I've gotta get two other networks and CNN to pick this up Iive.
Bad enough it's your guy and not theirs.
But they'II run Petticoat Junction before they put your network brand on their air.
-C.
J.
? -Y eah.
-Between friends.
-Y eah.
Is the water over your head? No, the water's exactly at my head.
I'II talk to Jeremy.
We'II start to Ieak Wednesday morning to soften the ground but anything Ieaks before then and I'II take my business across the street.
Y eah.
Well, I was surprised when Andy gave me the nose count because I wasn't aware of any ties to tobacco you have.
-We don't.
-Y eah.
-I don't.
Do you? -No.
We grow no tobacco in my state.
I'd have to check, but I don't think I've taken contributions.
We are both former U S.
attorneys and it's the suit itself we find troubling.
The suit alleges that the tobacco companies have been engaged in a broad conspiracy of Iies since the 1 950s.
-Y es.
-How exactly will Justice Department Iitigators demonstrate that? Well, I' m not a Iitigator and I don't work at the Justice Department and there's a reason for both of those things but I don't think it's hard to prove that the tobacco companies have Iied since we already know they did.
Every surgeon general since 1 964 has warned the public about smoking.
And since 1 966, through Congressional mandate a pack of cigarettes has had to carry a warning Iabel.
T urning around now and saying, "We've been had, " is ridiculous.
You saying that people who start smoking and get addicted to nicotine are too stupid to Iive? No.
I' m saying they' re too stupid to be protected by the courts.
"T oo stupid to be--" Every day, the Justice Department uncovers evidence that cigarette companies knew, far better than the rest of us that smoking causes death and disease.
T o say nothing of the CEOs being the Iast seven people on Earth to discover that nicotine was addictive-- Your administration wants to prosecute a suit they know is hopeless so they score points at the expense of an industry that funds your opponents.
It's politically correct extortion and that's why it's unlikely the appropriations bill will make it out of the subcommittee.
It's almost 3:00.
By 7, 3000 new people will have taken up smoking.
will be under 1 8.
Thanks.
Good afternoon, ma'am.
Sagittarius.
Good afternoon, Mrs.
Bartlet.
What do we use this place for when we' re not using it for this? I think-- I know we used it to plan some of the millennium things.
Didn't it used to be the photo office? I don't know.
I could check it out.
-Would you Iike to sit down? -Yeah.
We' re talking about 30 minutes with an interviewer.
The questions will be about the medical history.
No questions about the Iaw.
C.
J.
got them to agree to that? She will Wednesday morning when she tells them what it's about.
-Why will they agree? -They'd Iose the story.
That's all right with me.
I'd Iike to go through the story, get a sense of what you'II say run it by OIiver Babish, spend a couple of days going over it with you.
That sounds fun, but I' m kind of seeing someone right now.
It's not serious, but it could be.
You know what I' m saying? T en years ago, he began experiencing fatigue and signs of paraparesis of the anterior femoral muscles.
-In Iaymen's terms? -He had a tingling pain in his thigh.
-And those symptoms subsided? -Y es.
And two years Iater? My husband experienced neuropathy and presented symptoms of optic neuritis with partial unilateral nerve paresis.
-Mrs.
Bartlet-- -Dr.
Bartlet.
Y es, ma'am.
The Ianguage you use-- Why aren't the president and I doing this together? I' m sorry? Somebody's doing this with the president and I was asking why we' re not doing it at the same time.
-Is it so you can compare our stories? -Y es.
The Ianguage you use-- Two years Iater, he felt numbing and dizziness.
-Look-- -Section 2635 of the guidelines Iaid out in Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch final regulations issued by the U S.
Office of Government Ethics-- Section 2635, wherein White House employees are specifically enjoined from receiving or soliciting gifts over $20 in value.
They want to give me a $ 1 9 discount on my car, I'II take it.
-He's waiting for you.
-Thank you.
What happened? We shot three Haitian soldiers on the runway.
-They boarded the plane? -Ground traffic control stopped the plane.
When the soldiers boarded, they were told they'd boarded a U S.
Air Force C-9.
They were told to drop their weapons.
They were told again.
Two staff sergeants in the bulkhead had a clear shot and took them.
They dumped the bodies on the tarmac and made an emergency takeoff.
-Leo-- -Sir-- That wasn't supposed to happen.
I evacuated the nonessentials specifically so that wouldn't happen.
-We-- -I gave the order six hours ago.
-They had to-- -Six hours ago, I gave the order! What were they still doing on a runway? They had to be collected.
They weren't all in one place.
-We shot three men-- -That's what you do.
-We what? -A foreign hostile puts his foot on an American military plane, that's an attack.
Rules of engagement give us every right to repel.
I' m sure they had their handbooks with them.
These guys were there to keep the plane on the ground.
-The plane is up in the air? -Yes, sir.
What's happening on the ground? We' re communicating through diplomatic back channels.
-Who are we using? -The Canadian ambassador Dominican intelligence.
-And what does Bazan want? -Dessalines.
-On what charge? -That as treasury minister he embezzled $ 1 8 million earmarked for humanitarian aid.
I' m sold.
Margaret, get me the secretary of state.
You' re right.
I should be bringing them in on re-election.
-I should be talking to them.
-Yeah.
I don't want to make the same mistakes again.
Y eah.
Not when there are so many new mistakes we can make.
Let's start tonight.
Around 9:00, we'II meet in the residence.
Scott, I' m with the president.
We' re gonna need to invoke 1 070 at OAS.
-Good evening, Mr.
President.
-Bob Cratchit.
Surely you have better things to do than annoy me.
-Never.
You bought a new car? -Y es.
-And you paid sticker price? -Section 2635-- You need to Iook at the next page, subsection B, paragraph 4.
I could beat you up anytime I want, sir.
Secret Service would have you down Iike a calf at a rodeo.
"The definition of gift excludes opportunities and benefits including favorable rates and commercial discounts available to the public at Iarge.
" -I did Iook at the next page.
-And? I work next door to the Oval Office, sir.
Caesar's wife must be above reproach.
Is the reason you didn't tell me you were getting a new car, you--? Did you think I was gonna think it was an extravagance? You don't think I think you should have a new car? -Dolores, have you ever had a new car? -No.
Henry would go to Calvin Hilly in Concord and Calvin would give him a good deal on something reliable.
Let me find out what you were to pay, and write a check for the difference.
Oh, no.
Thank you, but I' m buying this car myself.
This car is gonna feel good.
-Is it a nice one? -It's a beauty.
It's blue.
It has air conditioning.
I told them I can roll down the windows, but it comes with it.
Consumer Reports rates it very high.
It's very safe.
And when you get inside, there's this.
-Smell? -How did you know? The smell of freedom, and the chemicals they treat the dashboard with.
-When are you picking it up? -Now.
Do me a favor.
Come back after you pick it up.
I'd Iike to talk to you about something.
And put the car in the driveway.
I'd Iike to kick the tires.
Why? It's an expression, Fannie Mae.
Go get your car.
What happens is, basically, that small stones in the inner ear which respond to gravity become dislodged and that'II cause benign positional vertigo.
-You all right? -Y es, ma'am.
You sure you don't want some acetylsalicylic acid? -Aspirin, my brother.
-What a dumb major you had.
-Good evening.
-Oh, OIiver.
Do you know what peripheral neuropathy indicates? No, but I don't really care that much.
Sam, would you mind for a minute? -No.
-B1 2 deficiency.
-Thank you.
-Sure.
-Mrs.
Bartlet, I want to talk to you-- -Dr.
Bartlet.
When did I stop being Dr.
Bartlet? When in the campaign did I decide that women were gonna Iike me more if I called myself " Mrs.
"? When did I decide that women were that stupid? Ma'am, I want you to get your own Iawyer.
-I have my own Iawyer.
-Pat's a family Iawyer.
I want you to get someone for this.
I'II give you eight names.
You, Pat and the president whittle it down to three, I'II pick the one.
Can we do this after the broadcast Wednesday night? No, I want you to do it right away.
I don't think you should do the broadcast.
-Why? -You shouldn't answer without a Iawyer.
Sam said they' re not gonna get into issues of Iegality.
I don't know how they' re gonna avoid it.
Herman Vikram was the original specialist, right? It was Vikram who put him on prednisone.
And then almost four years ago you put him on interferon beta-1 b.
-Betaseron.
-Y eah.
-You did it, not Vikram.
-It was in consultation with Vikram.
He didn't write the prescription.
I thought that it would be wrong to involve another doctor.
So you wrote these prescriptions to yourself and had them filled where? The Dunwich Women's Health CIinic.
-Then shipped to various Iocations? -It was a campaign.
-One Iocation was Phoenix.
-Probably.
-Another was St.
Louis.
-Y eah.
You violated the medical ethics rules of three state boards: New Hampshire, Arizona and Missouri.
"The board may take disciplinary action against any person who has engaged in dishonest or unprofessional conduct.
" They were extraordinary circumstances, OIiver.
I gave my husband excellent medical care and I'II Iine up tenured professors who'II say so.
-Did you keep medical records? -No.
" --or any person who has failed to maintain adequate medical records or documentation on diagnostic and therapeutic treatment.
" The AMA's code of ethics pretty well spells out the egregiousness of treating your own family members.
We do it anyway.
We write prescriptions for migraines, antibiotics-- Can I ask you, as the president's physician have you asked him if he's had extramarital affairs? No.
Isn't that a crucial question in the diagnosing of autoimmune diseases? I'd Iike to be next to my husband when he does this.
I'd Iike you to get your own Iawyer.
-Is there anything else? -No.
Thank you, Dr.
Bartlet.
You need this? -I didn't even see you there.
-I haven't seen you all day.
I've been with, you know, tobacco.
-You need this? -Y eah.
The president wants you at a meeting tonight in the residence around 9:00.
I'II tell you what that is, that's the BIue Ribbon Commission on reform.
I' m gonna be collecting benefits or not by the time we get this BIue Ribbon thing up.
-Josh.
-Y eah.
I' m trying-- See, this is why I'II never have a career as a-- -Donna, what--? -Sagittarius.
-You all right? -Y eah.
There's an empty office next to the conference room.
I moved two couches in, pillows and blankets.
-C.
J.
putting the Iid on? -Right now.
And Leo's ready for you now.
The OAS has agreed to meet in an emergency session tomorrow but we' re waiting for confirmation.
-Can you tell us what you'II say? -Y es, but first we'II say it to them.
A question on the Haitian casualties-- We've run out of time.
We'II pick it up tomorrow.
I' m calling a full Iid.
Any developments throughout the night, you'II be paged.
-Thank you for your patience, everybody.
-Thank you, C.
J.
-Leo's ready for you.
-Thanks.
Leo, this is insane, plain and simple.
What's insane? Oh, never mind.
What isn't? -You don't think it's crazy? -I don't know what we' re talking about.
We' re firming up strategy on what will define the future of this presidency and we don't know if this president is interested in the future.
-We have to have a discussion tonight.
-We' re having a discussion.
-When? -T onight.
Okay, then.
-Good evening.
-Good evening, Josh.
Leo, would you excuse us for a second? T oby, can I talk to you outside? -You told Donna.
-Y eah.
-Why didn't you Iet me? -You hadn't yet.
How'd she take it? If everybody out there takes it the way she did, we may be okay.
If a few more people in here took it the way she did, that'd be all right too.
-Was that for me? -That was for me.
T obacco.
Kalmbach's not gonna Iet it come to a vote in the subcommittee which is fine, because if he did, it'd be 8-7 against.
-Party Iines? -No.
We have Stacy and Miner, but Warren and Rossitter are voting against.
They have ideological problems with the case.
What do you wanna do? Stick some dynamite up Warren and Rossitter's ass.
The problem is Rossitter sits on the Judiciary Committee and I don't know how many enemies on Judiciary we want to make.
Both of you, Iisten.
We' re not gonna stop, soften, detour, postpone circumvent, obfuscate or trade a single one of our goals to allow for whatever extracurricular nonsense is coming our way in the next few days, weeks and months.
When did we decide this? Just now.
Light them up.
-You got a recommendation for me? -30 minutes, Wednesday, Iive.
-Live-to-tape? -Live.
-Mural Room? -Y eah.
They pick the interviewer.
It's carried on all the networks and CNN.
I give it to them 1 0 hours before.
Followed by a press conference.
There isn't another step until we know what the president's intentions are.
We need a discussion, and it can't wait another night.
-We' re having a discussion.
-When? -T onight.
-Really? -That's great.
-Good evening.
Sam, what do you know? I know that fluid accumulating in the semicircular canals of the vestibulocochlear nerve is usually what'II account for dizziness.
Leo, I want to state right here, in terms so plain and clear as to command their-- Meeting tonight.
The whole country is gonna assume he's not running when he announces.
-We' re having a meeting.
-The press-- -We' re having a meeting.
-Really? -That's great.
-Y eah.
Why doesn't everybody grab something to eat, be back at 9 and you'II get called to come over to the residence.
Josh, walk out with me.
I mean it, set one off under these guys.
How about I have C.
J.
make a statement at her briefing? A strong statement.
"The president calls on Congress to fund the Justice Department tobacco Iawsuit at the Ievels necessary to continue this Iitigation.
" "The American people deserve their day in court.
" "This administration won't sit on the bench while well-fed members of the Appropriations Committee choke off funding for a Iawsuit aimed at the perpetrators of hundreds of thousands of negligent homicides while filling their campaign war chests.
" Light them up.
Charlie? Leo, there was an accident at 1 8th and Potomac.
Mrs.
Landingham was driving her car back here.
-What happened? -There was a drunk driver and they ran the Iight at 1 8th and Potomac.
-They ran it at a high speed.
-Charlie, is she all right? No.
She's dead.
-Is he alone? -Y eah.