1. Previously on The West Wing:Copy !req
2. The only thing you can pray for
in this job...Copy !req
3. is the strength
to get through the day.Copy !req
4. - What?
- We won California.Copy !req
5. How did we end up in a crouch?Copy !req
6. I'm not changing my ads
because of a stunt.Copy !req
7. Eric Baker's live on MSNBC right now.
Says he's not running.Copy !req
8. It's the time that I can
keep my commitment...Copy !req
9. to the people of Pennsylvania
to be a full-time governor.Copy !req
10. - Are you asking me on a date?
- You haven't said that you'll go.Copy !req
11. I don't wanna leave you guys with just
a candygram and a get-well card.Copy !req
12. We'll be fine.Copy !req
13. As most of you know...Copy !req
14. President Bartlet won
a Nobel Prize years ago...Copy !req
15. for economics.Copy !req
16. - Yeah.
- Mr. Vice President, the governor is here.Copy !req
17. - Show him in.
- Record deficits...Copy !req
18. - ... a weakened dollar...
- Governor.Copy !req
19. - Mr. Vice President.
- ... a ballooning trade imbalance...Copy !req
20. - What have they been saying?
- It's Bartlet-bashing, mostly.Copy !req
21. One advantage of not yet
having our nominee.Copy !req
22. - They could be going after you.
- Have a seat.Copy !req
23. Seems you have something of theirs
they're gonna need back.Copy !req
24. - It's good of you to come.
- My pleasure.Copy !req
25. I don't need to tell you what
a critical time this is.Copy !req
26. Brokered convention.
It's been a while.Copy !req
27. After the first ballot,
we need a consensus nominee.Copy !req
28. - Consensus? We're Democrats.
- The right ticket could create one.Copy !req
29. There's press speculation
about Matt Santos as VP.Copy !req
30. Of course. But you've gotta think
seriously about regional balance.Copy !req
31. - I think that'd be a must.
- Vinick's a moderate.Copy !req
32. States will be in play that Democrats
count on. We need to protect our flank.Copy !req
33. - Vinick's well-liked in my state.
- Pennsylvania's critical.Copy !req
34. From the convention
straight through to the general.Copy !req
35. We're gonna wanna
do everything possible...Copy !req
36. to make sure that goes for us.Copy !req
37. - Thirsty? Want something to drink?
- Sure.Copy !req
38. Absolutely.Copy !req
39. Eight is enough.Copy !req
40. Eight is enough.Copy !req
41. Eight long, liberal years...Copy !req
42. of social policies
out of step with the values...Copy !req
43. Elevating oratory.Copy !req
44. It's Lincolnesque.Copy !req
45. Boil your message down
to the title of a bad TV show.Copy !req
46. Careful. It was formative
for many of us.Copy !req
47. - Formative?
- Crush on the mom.Copy !req
48. Very Mrs. Robinson.
What were you, 8?Copy !req
49. - Well, she seemed knowing.
- Eight kids.Copy !req
50. Maybe not so knowing
about contraception.Copy !req
51. - What's he saying?
- I wouldn't know. I'm not watching.Copy !req
52. Yeah, we were not watching
up in the suite.Copy !req
53. - What do we say to failed trade policies?
- Eight is enough!Copy !req
54. - To years of overregulation?
- Eight is enough!Copy !req
55. - To years of windfalls for trial lawyers?
- Eight is enough!Copy !req
56. To bloated bureaucracy,
runaway entitlements...Copy !req
57. - ... and endless red tape?
- Eight is enough!Copy !req
58. - What say we?
- Would eight, perhaps, be enough?Copy !req
59. - Eight is enough!
- Uncanny.Copy !req
60. Psychic. You need to...Copy !req
61. - Someone I'm meeting later.
- Don't wanna keep a lady waiting.Copy !req
62. - It's good for her.
- To years of radical, activist...Copy !req
63. You wanted to talk?Copy !req
64. I have a proposition.Copy !req
65. You been watching this?Copy !req
66. - Is the Congressman...?
- Yeah, but...Copy !req
67. - It's okay.
- Sorry.Copy !req
68. - My time is your time.
- Evidently.Copy !req
69. - What's up?
- I'll just...Copy !req
70. You should probably hear this too.Copy !req
71. The Russell campaign, in return for us
releasing our convention delegates...Copy !req
72. is prepared to name Matthew Santos
as Democratic nominee...Copy !req
73. for vice president
of the United States.Copy !req
74. Vice president?Copy !req
75. - To Russell.
- They've given us till Thursday.Copy !req
76. - Don't need it. Tell them we pass.
- We do, do we?Copy !req
77. - What do you think?
- He's acting like the front-runner.Copy !req
78. - He is.
- By the skin of his teeth.Copy !req
79. If this race had gone one more week,
you would be the one ahead.Copy !req
80. Arguments in favor: It avoids
a messy floor fight, chaotic convention.Copy !req
81. Also known as exciting,
also great television.Copy !req
82. Also known as "The Democrats
can't get their crap together. "Copy !req
83. The best argument is, it sets you up
as the consensus front-runner...Copy !req
84. in either four or eight years.
Nomination would be yours.Copy !req
85. Or you're so tainted by association
when Vinick wins...Copy !req
86. - ... you can't run for dogcatcher.
- I don't think anyone elects dogcatchers.Copy !req
87. - My dad ran for dogcatcher.
- Really?Copy !req
88. - No.
- This campaign has been...Copy !req
89. predicated on, driven by, gotten all
of the aforementioned momentum...Copy !req
90. from the ironclad conviction
that Russell can't win.Copy !req
91. I'm a three-term congressman...Copy !req
92. being offered the second
most powerful job in the world.Copy !req
93. Sorry. I thought we were
discussing the vice presidency.Copy !req
94. How about we all sleep on it?Copy !req
95. - Hey, it's getting real, isn't it?
- Real as it gets.Copy !req
96. I'll call you right back.Copy !req
97. - Well?
- You didn't expect an answer.Copy !req
98. - How it hit him. A read.
- You know Josh.Copy !req
99. What's he gonna recommend?Copy !req
100. I'm not asking you to betray
king and country. A best guess.Copy !req
101. - I have no idea.
- That's a real coup for Santos.Copy !req
102. - Obscurity to the vice presidency?
- He'd be a fool not to take it.Copy !req
103. It elevates him to the big leagues.Copy !req
104. - How'd it go with Baker?
- Receptive.Copy !req
105. - You said nothing explicit?
- He got the drift.Copy !req
106. - Santos turns us down, we go to Baker.
- Win-win.Copy !req
107. Good day. Really good day.Copy !req
108. Treasury, Commerce, OMB.
I want all hands out...Copy !req
109. refuting that swill the Republicans
were spewing last night.Copy !req
110. - Hey.
- Is for horses.Copy !req
111. Thank you, Grammy Cregg.Copy !req
112. You can take the girl
out of the Midwest...Copy !req
113. Fast as her little feet
could fly, or not.Copy !req
114. Something's wrong with the International
Space Station. Losing oxygen.Copy !req
115. - Astronauts on board can't fix it?
- Not so far. Got a NASA administrator...Copy !req
116. - ... wants to see the president.
- President's unavailable. Bring him here.Copy !req
117. - Morning.
- Hey.Copy !req
118. You watch last night's
Bartlet bash-athon?Copy !req
119. They think it's Russell.
They're tying him to us.Copy !req
120. Russell's had as much to do
with what's gone on as...Copy !req
121. Not the best defense: "I had the job,
but no one actually listened to me. "Copy !req
122. Get ready for press questions
about how organized...Copy !req
123. and unified the Republicans are
compared to us.Copy !req
124. Organized. They're about
as spontaneous as...Copy !req
125. I actually can't think of anything
as unspontaneous as their convention.Copy !req
126. Four nights of Swiss watch precision.Copy !req
127. We get a pie fight.Copy !req
128. Thanks, Nancy. Steve, come in.Copy !req
129. Children. Infants.Copy !req
130. Well, there's a lot at stake
for these candidates.Copy !req
131. I'm chair of the DNC, and that's what
my days are. Babysitting.Copy !req
132. Tantrums, Mr. President.
"They have more floor passes.Copy !req
133. We need a bigger room in the hall. We
don't like this hotel, we want theirs. "Copy !req
134. I'm sorry this is falling to you.Copy !req
135. - Until we have a nominee...
- You saw last week's Time.Copy !req
136. - The exploding donkey.
- "Dems in Disarray. "Copy !req
137. You know what next week's will be.Copy !req
138. - "Republicans on a Roll"?
- Something has to be done, sir.Copy !req
139. I've reached the end of my influence.
They won't listen to the nanny.Copy !req
140. We may be in danger
of overextending the metaphor.Copy !req
141. We need Daddy to step in.Copy !req
142. A rescue operation is called for, but the
space shuttles are grounded right now...Copy !req
143. pending a safety review and retrofit.Copy !req
144. Russians can't get
a launch together in time.Copy !req
145. - How long have they got?
- Assuming present rate of oxygen loss...Copy !req
146. three weeks they'll be dead.Copy !req
147. Can't a shuttle be pressed into service
notwithstanding the review?Copy !req
148. One's missing half its wing assembly,
the other's undergoing tile replacement.Copy !req
149. Now, we can try
and speed up repairs...Copy !req
150. The concern would be losing
the shuttle crew and station crew.Copy !req
151. Now, that's the civilian shuttle.Copy !req
152. Sorry?Copy !req
153. Can we speak with the president?Copy !req
154. Yeah, they wanna announce
right after the Republican convention.Copy !req
155. Blunt the bounce. Smart.Copy !req
156. - How come we're not that smart?
- It's all I've been thinking.Copy !req
157. - Why didn't we offer it to him first?
- We hope to do better.Copy !req
158. - And because he's in front.
- If Hoynes' bimbo eruption...Copy !req
159. happened earlier, we're the nominee.
If New York had been later.Copy !req
160. - Yeah, if wishes, horses, et cetera.
- What, is that a Dylan song?Copy !req
161. - Guys your age have this thing for Dylan.
- Guys my age?Copy !req
162. This is where we're at. We got close,
Russell got closer. Neither of us is home.Copy !req
163. - They offer a bird in the hand.
- Know that one?Copy !req
164. - What about Hoynes?
- He doesn't want it to be us.Copy !req
165. You think he still thinks
he has a hope?Copy !req
166. It's his last hurrah.
He's gonna milk this.Copy !req
167. And, yes, I believe that somewhere
in the back of his deeply deluded mind...Copy !req
168. he imagines deadlocked convention,
a nation turns its lonely eyes to Hoynes.Copy !req
169. - Simon and Garfunkel.
- Forget him. He's a wounded animal.Copy !req
170. He could wind up doing anything.Copy !req
171. Matt Santos for president.Copy !req
172. Yeah, just a moment.
Will Bailey for you.Copy !req
173. Yup.Copy !req
174. - Just checking in.
- Okay.Copy !req
175. Any preliminary thoughts
on our offer?Copy !req
176. It's the next thing we talk about.Copy !req
177. Thought the congressman
might wanna sit down with the VP.Copy !req
178. - I'll get back to you about that.
- Okay.Copy !req
179. I'll talk to you later.Copy !req
180. - What'd he say?
- What was that?Copy !req
181. - Get Hollofson.
- Baker's chief of staff?Copy !req
182. - He's just taking our temperature.
- We're gonna wanna stay in touch.Copy !req
183. How long have they got up there?Copy !req
184. They run out of oxygen
in less than three weeks...Copy !req
185. if the leak doesn't get worse.Copy !req
186. Sir, the NASA administrator
alluded to a non-civilian shuttle.Copy !req
187. Wernher von Braun's autobiography
was titled I Aim for the Stars.Copy !req
188. Mort Sahl joked he should have added,
"Only Sometimes I Hit London. "Copy !req
189. I want hourly updates on everything
that's being done to fix this. Thank you.Copy !req
190. Thank you, Mr. President.Copy !req
191. - Us, they're a little worried about.
- Oh, thanks, Bill.Copy !req
192. - You know I'm counting on you.
- Left, left, left.Copy !req
193. - Bye.
- And that is exactly how Americans...Copy !req
194. feel about the Bartlet-Russell
White House.Copy !req
195. Left, left, left behind.Copy !req
196. You finish all your calls?Copy !req
197. You don't finish. At some point,
you just decide to stop dialing.Copy !req
198. How you feeling?Copy !req
199. Hard to say no to the vice presidency.Copy !req
200. Well, it's not what you signed up for.Copy !req
201. - No one signs up to come in second.
- Are you kidding me?Copy !req
202. - We didn't.
- No.Copy !req
203. Hard to say no to the vice presidency.Copy !req
204. You don't have to for a couple days.Copy !req
205. - Night, congressman.
- Good night.Copy !req
206. My fellow Americans...Copy !req
207. the body politic is ailing.Copy !req
208. - You're not going there.
- We have businesses paralyzed...Copy !req
209. - ... by overregulation.
- Tell me you're not going there.Copy !req
210. international profile that's a shadow
of our former strength.Copy !req
211. - Is he doing what I think?
- Foreign policy stumbling...Copy !req
212. - ... from one crisis to another.
- The MS. He's invoking the MS.Copy !req
213. progressively falling apart
before our very eyes.Copy !req
214. - This is gonna backfire.
- A Defense Department enfeebled...Copy !req
215. - Maybe people won't get it.
- ... so clogged with complications...Copy !req
216. - ... it's positively sclerotic.
- Okay, they'll get that.Copy !req
217. I don't know about you,
but I am sick and tired...Copy !req
218. - ... of being sick and tired.
- You're going to hell!Copy !req
219. Josh, let's sit over here.Copy !req
220. How you doing?Copy !req
221. I mean, I realize the VP candidate's
the designated hatchet man, but that's...Copy !req
222. - Santos accepts, you can get revenge.
- Yeah.Copy !req
223. You think I might find five
or 500 ways to call Vinick old?Copy !req
224. You want sclerotic,
I'll give you sclerotic.Copy !req
225. - Santos wouldn't do it.
- Probably not.Copy !req
226. - Maybe why he shouldn't take the job.
- Maybe why he'd be a great choice.Copy !req
227. - You want him to accept?
- You don't.Copy !req
228. I have concerns.Copy !req
229. - He's not hitman enough.
- Too much voltage on the ticket.Copy !req
230. - Overshadows the nominee.
- People wish the names were reversed.Copy !req
231. Gets people willing to wait
until next time.Copy !req
232. - How'd you get so smart about this?
- I had a good teacher.Copy !req
233. Thanks.Copy !req
234. I meant Will.Copy !req
235. - Okay, see you later. Good night.
- Good night.Copy !req
236. Evening, Charlie.Copy !req
237. Mr. President...Copy !req
238. Listening to relentless attacks
upon my record...Copy !req
239. seems to have left me wakeful.Copy !req
240. Thought I'd stretch my legs,
so it's really the Republicans' fault...Copy !req
241. we're in this terribly
embarrassing situation.Copy !req
242. It's...Copy !req
243. I think, perhaps, the best thing
is for us to carry on...Copy !req
244. as if this encounter
hadn't happened.Copy !req
245. Due respect, I'm having a hard time
exactly imagining that.Copy !req
246. It's 1 in the morning, we both have
to be at work in a few hours...Copy !req
247. and you're standing outside
my daughter's bedroom.Copy !req
248. I say we give it a shot.Copy !req
249. - Night, Charlie.
- Good night, Mr. President.Copy !req
250. - Good morning.
- Morning.Copy !req
251. - Morning.
- Morning.Copy !req
252. What's the status
of the space station leak?Copy !req
253. - Unchanged.
- Current thinking on options?Copy !req
254. Sections of the space station
can be sealed off.Copy !req
255. There are small compartments
to repair to conserve air.Copy !req
256. - Which just delays the inevitable.
- Which buys time to fix it.Copy !req
257. - Engineers are working around the clock.
- Around the world.Copy !req
258. Which is great, and hopefully
will make one heck of a movie...Copy !req
259. but should these efforts fail,
I don't relish the idea...Copy !req
260. of astronauts floating
in some spaceship sarcophagus.Copy !req
261. - Rescue options?
- That's NASA's area.Copy !req
262. DOD space program expenditures
for the last fiscal year...Copy !req
263. came to $22.9 billion, or $ 7 billion
more than NASA's civilian program.Copy !req
264. - What are we spending that on?
- That's what the Chinese want to know.Copy !req
265. Since they're not here,
maybe you could just tell me.Copy !req
266. - Missile warning, command and control.
- Solar flare watch.Copy !req
267. Twenty billion to tell us
when the sun burps?Copy !req
268. - They disrupt satellite communications.
- Yes, and Grand Ole Opry broadcasts.Copy !req
269. Are we weaponizing space?Copy !req
270. Air Force Special Command
operates and supports...Copy !req
271. the Global Positioning System
and military communication satellites.Copy !req
272. We look at ways space systems
can support war fighters...Copy !req
273. - ... in navigation, intelligence.
- Is that weaponizing space?Copy !req
274. Space-based lasers, highly targeted,
no nuclear fallout.Copy !req
275. Space-based kinetic energy weapons.
Hunter-Killer satellites.Copy !req
276. - R & D guys talk about a lot of things.
- A military space shuttle.Copy !req
277. - Reusable launch vehicle.
- Space bomber.Copy !req
278. That has the theoretical capability
of launching and dropping a weapon...Copy !req
279. anywhere in the world.Copy !req
280. With virtually no ability
to detect it in advance.Copy !req
281. Out of reach of conventional
air defense.Copy !req
282. Theoretical capability.Copy !req
283. No one wants space
to become a battleground.Copy !req
284. Is that the argument in favor of
building it or of not building it?Copy !req
285. Or the argument for building it
and not telling anyone?Copy !req
286. The answer to that would be yes.Copy !req
287. Annabeth, is there a contingency plan
to go up and rescue these astronauts...Copy !req
288. if they can't fix the leak?Copy !req
289. NASA is exploring all their options.Copy !req
290. The precise nature of those
is something best gotten from them...Copy !req
291. but the president has every
confidence in their expertise.Copy !req
292. What's the White House reaction
to the Bartlet-bashing...Copy !req
293. at the Republican convention?Copy !req
294. - I'm not aware anyone here's seen it.
- No one?Copy !req
295. We have a country to mis-run.Copy !req
296. - So you saw it.
- I gleaned the gist.Copy !req
297. "Republican good, Democrat bad. "
Sophisticated dialectic. Nuanced.Copy !req
298. Care to comment
on the expected contrast...Copy !req
299. between the high degree of discipline
in the Republican convention...Copy !req
300. and the Democrat's
anticipated free-for-all?Copy !req
301. I believe the people
will be the beneficiaries...Copy !req
302. in that they will be presented
a clear choice.Copy !req
303. Do they want to be governed by people
who are animated or animatronic?Copy !req
304. Mr. President? The first lady's
back, and Leo's here.Copy !req
305. - Send him in, please.
- Mr. McGarry.Copy !req
306. - Morning, Mr. President.
- Leo.Copy !req
307. - How you feeling, sir?
- Vexed, riled, irked.Copy !req
308. - The Republican convention.
- Ticked, honked, pissed.Copy !req
309. - You can't take it personally.
- I keep telling myself.Copy !req
310. Problem is, once you're telling
yourself that, it's too damn late.Copy !req
311. - Already taking it personally.
- Gonna be more next couple nights.Copy !req
312. I've got calls from everybody
in the party about ours.Copy !req
313. - Rorsche is going to pieces.
- Rock that he is.Copy !req
314. I thought he might cry in here.
Actual tears.Copy !req
315. With no nominee,
they're running over him.Copy !req
316. We need someone strong
to organize the damn thing.Copy !req
317. - Wonder who we can get.
- If it helps...Copy !req
318. it gives me no pleasure
dumping this damn thing on you.Copy !req
319. The pleasure of not having
to do it yourself.Copy !req
320. Which is not inconsiderable.Copy !req
321. Let's get representatives
of the three candidates in here...Copy !req
322. set down some ground rules,
establish a tone.Copy !req
323. A floor fight doesn't have to
devolve into a brawl.Copy !req
324. Is there anything to these
press rumors of a Russell-Santos deal?Copy !req
325. Be the smart move.Copy !req
326. Latino on the ticket from Texas,
gives us a shot there. Florida.Copy !req
327. Maybe even makes
California contestable.Copy !req
328. Let's not get carried away.
The Southwest?Copy !req
329. Vinick's politics put these in play.Copy !req
330. One way or another, we're
coming out of this with a nominee.Copy !req
331. Be nice if he didn't seem like
merely the last clown standing.Copy !req
332. Now, this space walk is scheduled
for 0900 hours Houston time...Copy !req
333. to again try and source
the oxygen leak.Copy !req
334. Now, the problem with space walks
is they're strenuous...Copy !req
335. resulting in increased
oxygen consumption.Copy !req
336. Obviously, not an optimal
condition at this juncture.Copy !req
337. The American people can
be assured, we on the ground...Copy !req
338. are doing everything possible to assist
these astronauts at this time.Copy !req
339. - How was your trip?
- You didn't haul yourself up here...Copy !req
340. in the middle
of a presidential morning...Copy !req
341. just to inquire about my trip...Copy !req
342. Oh, my God.
I can't remember where I was.Copy !req
343. Folk dancing, people winning things,
and lots of fiddles screeching.Copy !req
344. I'm sure the fiddles were wonderful.Copy !req
345. Maybe it was me doing
the screeching. Inside.Copy !req
346. I caught Charlie tiptoeing away
from Zoey's room last night.Copy !req
347. - Caught?
- Discovered. Encountered.Copy !req
348. No, damn it, I caught him red-handed,
skulking from my daughter's bedroom.Copy !req
349. Oh, I'm sure he wasn't skulking.Copy !req
350. If he'd been sauntering,
there might have been a row.Copy !req
351. - I got a big picture of that.
- Are you being blithe just to irritate me?Copy !req
352. Zoey told me about the two of them.Copy !req
353. Not that she had to, because there is
the small matter of the Secret Service.Copy !req
354. A clandestine
is a nonstarter around here.Copy !req
355. Then why have I been so
ostentatiously kept out of the loop?Copy !req
356. Golly. One wonders.Copy !req
357. Is that actual dismay?Copy !req
358. Or just your assumption
of the standard paternal attitude?Copy !req
359. - Does it matter?
- I just know how you abhor the cliché.Copy !req
360. What's up?Copy !req
361. I have an awkward question to ask.Copy !req
362. Awkward prying, awkward
embarrassing, awkward prurient?Copy !req
363. About your brother.Copy !req
364. - Okay.
- I'm sorry to ask...Copy !req
365. but did David ever mention anything
about another kind of space shuttle?Copy !req
366. - Another kind of space shuttle?
- A non-civilian shuttle.Copy !req
367. A military shuttle?Copy !req
368. Did he ever mention anything
about anything like that?Copy !req
369. You mean, did he ever commit
a felonious breach of national security?Copy !req
370. Hints, intimations,
a brotherly confidence.Copy !req
371. - Brotherly confidence, by definition?
- Sibling one-upmanship.Copy !req
372. Look what I know.Copy !req
373. An occasional cryptic hint,
when he wanted to lord it over me.Copy !req
374. - Like being an astronaut wasn't enough.
- Thank you so much.Copy !req
375. If he'd been in that station and we
didn't send such a vehicle after him...Copy !req
376. - To send it reveals it.
- Would he have sacrificed himself...Copy !req
377. for national security?Copy !req
378. He would have insisted on it.Copy !req
379. But don't ask me
what I would have insisted on.Copy !req
380. - Hey.
- Hey.Copy !req
381. The Post has the VP offer.Copy !req
382. You got somebody leaking
in your campaign.Copy !req
383. - I'd check yours.
- We run a pretty tight ship.Copy !req
384. - Maybe Hoynes' people got wind.
- It puts pressure on us.Copy !req
385. Lays us out there
if you turn us down.Copy !req
386. Thanks for coming in, guys.Copy !req
387. President asked me
to organize the convention...Copy !req
388. since we don't have a nominee.Copy !req
389. Though, I'm now hearing
that may change?Copy !req
390. - We hope so.
- It's under respectful consideration.Copy !req
391. The White House
is officially neutral, of course...Copy !req
392. but I don't think anyone's opposed
to avoiding a prime-time display...Copy !req
393. of disharmony and dysfunction.Copy !req
394. Which is what we're here to discuss.Copy !req
395. We'll just wait for the
Hoynes representative to arrive.Copy !req
396. I don't know why
he was even invited.Copy !req
397. - He has 956 delegates.
- And no chance for the nomination.Copy !req
398. Dylan Clark, Hoynes for president.Copy !req
399. Thank you for that assessment
of our chances.Copy !req
400. - I'm sorry you heard that, but it's true.
- With you two maneuvering.Copy !req
401. - Gentlemen.
- You gonna accept?Copy !req
402. - We're mulling.
- It's a lousy job.Copy !req
403. I'm sure your candidate
would agree. Mine does.Copy !req
404. Maybe why he treated it
with such dubious respect.Copy !req
405. This is exactly what we
don't want on prime-time TV.Copy !req
406. The first order of business
is to select a convention chair.Copy !req
407. I've drawn up a list of candidates.Copy !req
408. - Martindale?
- I have no problem with him.Copy !req
409. - He stumped for you.
- We had a couple of joint appearances.Copy !req
410. A couple? If they showed up together
more, people would think they eloped.Copy !req
411. - Ding Martindale.
- Frenley's not acceptable.Copy !req
412. - He's strong, respected.
- On your VP shortlist.Copy !req
413. We don't have one.Copy !req
414. You have one, he's on it,
I'm dinging him.Copy !req
415. - No to Pereira.
- Why not?Copy !req
416. - Are you joking?
- He's Latino.Copy !req
417. - God forbid we show diversity.
- Said the man with a Latino candidate.Copy !req
418. I hope you're not suggesting Latinos
can't be trusted to be unbiased.Copy !req
419. The three of you, knock it off.Copy !req
420. Put lines through the names you
object to, and let me have them back.Copy !req
421. - Well, I'd like a day to go over this.
- No.Copy !req
422. Nope.Copy !req
423. Maybe you guys would prefer
a Republican.Copy !req
424. I'll look these over later,
see if there's a consensus.Copy !req
425. I'd like to discuss floor positions.Copy !req
426. To counteract the perception
Vinick has it wrapped up...Copy !req
427. I propose placing
the California delegation up front.Copy !req
428. - Santos won there.
- Nice try.Copy !req
429. We're not gonna sit here
suggesting states your campaigns won.Copy !req
430. Battleground states.
Missouri, Wisconsin.Copy !req
431. - Texas. Spirited, boisterous.
- Loud enough to carry from the back.Copy !req
432. - Have something against my guy's state?
- You should.Copy !req
433. The VP carried his home state.Copy !req
434. - Matter of fact...
- We're not putting Colorado up front.Copy !req
435. - A Southern strategy...
- California.Copy !req
436. - Fifth largest economy in the world.
- What has that got to do with anything?Copy !req
437. Mr. President, you wanted to see me?Copy !req
438. You were right. Avoiding last night
is really not going to work.Copy !req
439. - Yes, sir.
- I don't wanna get righteously paternal.Copy !req
440. Sir, I don't wanna sneak
around anymore.Copy !req
441. - I'm not breaking you up.
- No.Copy !req
442. I'm talking about actually seeing
more of Zoey. More time with her.Copy !req
443. Spent together. Being together.Copy !req
444. And such.Copy !req
445. Charlie...Copy !req
446. the president's daughter
can't move in with somebody.Copy !req
447. - I assume you understand you cannot...
- Move in here.Copy !req
448. - Yes, sir. That had occurred to me.
- Then I'm sorry.Copy !req
449. I'm not quite sure what you...Copy !req
450. Are you...Copy !req
451. talking about...?Copy !req
452. - Yes, sir.
- You wanna make...Copy !req
453. - ... an honest woman out of her?
- No, that's not it at all.Copy !req
454. We've been sleeping together
for kind of a while...Copy !req
455. You might wanna consider
quitting while you're ahead.Copy !req
456. Yes, sir.Copy !req
457. Sir, would I have your blessing?Copy !req
458. I'm not the member of the family
you should be concerned about.Copy !req
459. Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. President.Copy !req
460. Josh.Copy !req
461. - Probably not what you had in mind.
- It's exactly what we're worried about.Copy !req
462. People are always complaining about
how canned these conventions are.Copy !req
463. Not the people trying to use them
to put a clear message...Copy !req
464. - ... in front of the American electorate.
- Good TV.Copy !req
465. It'll be entertaining.Copy !req
466. Professional wrestling is entertaining,
but when they click off the set...Copy !req
467. no one runs out and votes
for the loudmouth in the leotard.Copy !req
468. Outside of Minnesota.Copy !req
469. You need to take the VP deal.Copy !req
470. - We're considering it.
- Not consider it, take it.Copy !req
471. The party, the president,
needs you to accept.Copy !req
472. - Yeah.
- Santos will be incurring the gratitude...Copy !req
473. of a great many people, people who
can be very helpful to his future.Copy !req
474. - That future could be now.
- Three-term congressman against Vinick?Copy !req
475. Be careful what you wish for.Copy !req
476. I don't know that Russell
has a better shot.Copy !req
477. I don't either.Copy !req
478. But Russell goes down,
you want people in the party...Copy !req
479. organizers, fundraisers, thinking
it was partly Matt Santos' fault?Copy !req
480. Long memories, Josh.
Big win for your guy.Copy !req
481. Four years from now,
he can run the table.Copy !req
482. You'd be doing him a favor.Copy !req
483. - The space walk?
- Unsuccessful.Copy !req
484. - How much oxygen it cost them?
- Couple hours. Could've been worse.Copy !req
485. Worse being a relative term
when it comes to slow suffocation.Copy !req
486. We have a decision to make.Copy !req
487. The security concerns
outweigh the consequences.Copy !req
488. It's presumably been launched
before without exposure.Copy !req
489. - This is a high-profile case...
- It would disclose the asset.Copy !req
490. But measured against
our responsibility toward three lives...Copy !req
491. - Two. Only two are Americans.
- Meaning what?Copy !req
492. Russian's life doesn't count?
Two are more expendable than three?Copy !req
493. - The cosmonaut would see the asset.
- Take pictures of it for all we know.Copy !req
494. Even without the camera,
cosmonauts are military.Copy !req
495. It'd be the intelligence coup
of the new century.Copy !req
496. I appreciate that. But wouldn't we
be revealing hardware...Copy !req
497. everyone assumes we have?Copy !req
498. Maybe we should invite the Chinese
and the Russians over for a formal tour.Copy !req
499. Israelis and the Iranians can visit
each other's nuclear facilities.Copy !req
500. - Mr. Secretary.
- I can't help note the absence...Copy !req
501. - ... of NASA to make the case for rescue.
- I don't need anyone to make it.Copy !req
502. I need more time.Copy !req
503. - Thank you, Mr. President.
- Thank you, sir.Copy !req
504. I appreciate that, senator.Copy !req
505. I'm giving it every consideration.Copy !req
506. Thank you for the call.Copy !req
507. Another voice for party unity.Copy !req
508. Yeah, the White House just
leaned on me pretty good.Copy !req
509. - Same extortionate undertone.
- I heard something on the way over.Copy !req
510. Source I have in Philadelphia.Copy !req
511. Russell's been talking to Baker.
As backup, we turn him down.Copy !req
512. - Thinks it flips Pennsylvania.
- It does flip Pennsylvania.Copy !req
513. One hundred and seventy-eight votes
swing from us to Russell.Copy !req
514. If the Hoynes delegates break
anywhere near even once released...Copy !req
515. It's game over.Copy !req
516. Smart. Smart.Copy !req
517. How come we're not that smart?Copy !req
518. You have to go sit down with Russell.Copy !req
519. And when you're in there,
you look for a way to tell him yes.Copy !req
520. - You okay?
- Yeah.Copy !req
521. Yeah. Just...Copy !req
522. You know.Copy !req
523. - Night yips?
- Little bit.Copy !req
524. Because you've made
a decision or because you can't?Copy !req
525. Both.Copy !req
526. Neither.Copy !req
527. I bet Arnie Vinick
is sleeping like a rock.Copy !req
528. - I don't know. He's old.
- What?Copy !req
529. Old people don't sleep so good.Copy !req
530. Old people who have their party's
presidential nomination wrapped up...Copy !req
531. and have a mortal lock on California
in the general. They sleep like the dead.Copy !req
532. But the prospect of sleeping
like the dead...Copy !req
533. is part of what keeps
old people up nights.Copy !req
534. You ever stop to think that maybe
Vinick's up now, worried about you?Copy !req
535. I can guarantee you
that's not happening.Copy !req
536. Smart guy, young guy.Copy !req
537. - Good-looking too.
- Yeah.Copy !req
538. Let's see about helping
this troubled office-seeker...Copy !req
539. get himself some sleep.Copy !req
540. - Morning.
- What do you do when he's just wrong?Copy !req
541. - You remind yourself he got elected.
- We could rescue these astronauts.Copy !req
542. He's got 295 million Americans
to think about, not just these three.Copy !req
543. Two are Americans.
Defense Secretary's made it clear...Copy !req
544. if they offed the third,
he'd send it.Copy !req
545. Lovely affirmation of
international cooperation in space.Copy !req
546. We don't want Russia, China
building space bombers.Copy !req
547. They'll build them
if they assume we've got one.Copy !req
548. Even if they know,
they have to build it.Copy !req
549. - This is Alice in Wonderland.
- Yeah. Some days it is.Copy !req
550. - Quick. Hide the Ouija board.
- See, they can afford Ouija boards.Copy !req
551. - Josh has us reading chicken entrails.
- I'll tell the VP you're here.Copy !req
552. - We're very excited you've come.
- Excited to be here.Copy !req
553. It's exciting.Copy !req
554. Congressman, welcome.Copy !req
555. - Good of you to see me.
- Shall we?Copy !req
556. Remember, three feet
on the floor at all times.Copy !req
557. - Have a seat there.
- Thank you.Copy !req
558. Don't.Copy !req
559. Congratulations
on a well-fought campaign.Copy !req
560. You too.Copy !req
561. And hopefully, we're about
to put that all behind us.Copy !req
562. That's what we're here to discuss.Copy !req
563. Arnie Vinick is gonna be
a tough customer.Copy !req
564. We need to marshal all our strength.
I can't think of a better way...Copy !req
565. than by having both
our names on the ticket.Copy !req
566. That's a good point.Copy !req
567. So you wanna flip a coin?Copy !req
568. That's a good one.Copy !req
569. In all seriousness, let me describe
the relationship I envision.Copy !req
570. A substantive role in policy,
strategic planning. A voice.Copy !req
571. A clear and palpable presence.Copy !req
572. More of a partnership, frankly,
than I've had with Jed Bartlet.Copy !req
573. - I'm flattered.
- You should be.Copy !req
574. It's not an offer, it's not the relationship
I'd envision with a lesser man.Copy !req
575. - You're capable and bright.
- You're very kind.Copy !req
576. I'm sure there's things
I can learn from you.Copy !req
577. Well. I don't...Copy !req
578. Just as there are undoubtedly things
you could learn from me.Copy !req
579. Thank you, all. Josh.Copy !req
580. Mad at me?Copy !req
581. No.Copy !req
582. Oddly.Copy !req
583. Disappointed?Copy !req
584. Proud, I think.Copy !req
585. You've got a tough
conversation ahead.Copy !req
586. Not so tough.Copy !req
587. Yeah, I do.Copy !req
588. Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome...Copy !req
589. the next president
of the United States, Arnold Vinick!Copy !req
590. Thank you.Copy !req
591. Thank you.Copy !req
592. We're gonna run out of prime time.Copy !req
593. It is with great humility
that I accept your nomination...Copy !req
594. for president of the United States.Copy !req
595. Before I share with you
my vision for America...Copy !req
596. I wanna say a few words about
the man who I hope is my predecessor...Copy !req
597. President Josiah Bartlet.Copy !req
598. He has graced and honored his office.Copy !req
599. The highest in the land.Copy !req
600. The most powerful in the world,
some would say. Myself included.Copy !req
601. He has served this country
steadfastly and laudably...Copy !req
602. and I say this despite our political
and philosophical differences.Copy !req
603. For in the end, a presidency
is more than a simple catalogue...Copy !req
604. of policies pursued, crises weathered,
battles lost or won.Copy !req
605. It's a stewardship, a sacred trust...Copy !req
606. a commitment to sacrifice
every fiber of your being...Copy !req
607. every thought, every moment,
every... Every everything...Copy !req
608. in service to your nation.Copy !req
609. President Bartlet has done this
well and ably...Copy !req
610. and he deserves nothing less
than our humble appreciation...Copy !req
611. and heartfelt gratitude.Copy !req
612. Nice what he said about you.Copy !req
613. Yeah. The bastard.Copy !req
614. He just picked up five million
Democratic votes.Copy !req
615. My commitment to strive to be worthy
of the example of the great men...Copy !req
616. who have gone before.Copy !req
617. Presidents walk in giant footsteps.Copy !req
618. They have magnificent legacies
to uphold.Copy !req
619. I stand here on this day
and put my name forth...Copy !req
620. as one who aspires
to their example...Copy !req
621. who will daily make that sacrifice.Copy !req
622. Who will honor not just the office,
but the people that office serves.Copy !req
623. Their president of these
United States of America.Copy !req
624. Arnold Vinick just positioned himself
as Jed Bartlet's natural successor.Copy !req
625. How'd he do that?Copy !req
626. Without one mention, without so much
as an allusion to either one...Copy !req
627. he managed to dismiss Russell
and Santos as puny, dwarflike children...Copy !req
628. trying to get a seat
at the grownups' table.Copy !req
629. Yeah.Copy !req
630. I'll send him right down.Copy !req
631. Josh is here to see you.Copy !req
632. We start working
to beat this guy right now.Copy !req
633. - Hey.
- Hey.Copy !req
634. - What...?
- Talk to Leo.Copy !req
635. Okay.Copy !req
636. Could have used you out there.Copy !req
637. Did okay without me.Copy !req
638. It's not the same.Copy !req
639. Good luck.Copy !req
640. Thanks.Copy !req
641. - Listen to Vinick?
- No.Copy !req
642. You're better off.Copy !req
643. Santos turned Russell down.Copy !req
644. Okay.Copy !req
645. - Okay?
- So now you get him to unturn it down.Copy !req
646. - Doesn't work like that.
- No, it does.Copy !req
647. - I told him to find a way to say yes.
- You find it for him.Copy !req
648. - You're not hearing me.
- You're not hearing me.Copy !req
649. Matthew Santos has had a terrific ride.
Improbable, impressive.Copy !req
650. And over.Copy !req
651. This is a return to reality.
He's Russell's vice president.Copy !req
652. - It's not gonna happen.
- You are gonna do this...Copy !req
653. for us...Copy !req
654. for the president.Copy !req
655. - For your party.
- I'm not. I don't agree with it.Copy !req
656. I told him to say yes. I was wrong.Copy !req
657. He's twice the man Russell is
on his best day.Copy !req
658. Ten times. And Russell
doesn't have that many best days.Copy !req
659. I'll go tell the president.Copy !req
660. - Toby.
- Okay.Copy !req
661. - Toby.
- Yeah. Okay.Copy !req
662. You have to quit
and then get rehired.Copy !req
663. - Leo wants you in California to...
- Greg Brock just released a story...Copy !req
664. about a classified
military shuttle that could be...Copy !req
665. sent up to rescue those astronauts.Copy !req
666. It's already on the website. It'll be on
the front page of the New York Times.Copy !req
667. To do this, Brock would have had
to assure them he had it cold...Copy !req
668. which means whoever leaked it,
it's somebody big.Copy !req