All language subtitles for The.West.Wing.S03E05.WEBRip.x264-FGT

Previously on The West Wing:

DONNA:
He's a Republican lawyer.

Turns out, now, he's
on Government Oversight.

You can't see
him anymore.

about the scope of inquiry.

Look...
We're not going
to get anywhere

putting on a calm face.

We need to pick a fight.

He scheduled a trip
to New Hampshire?

High Tech corridor
of the Northeast.

What does that
matter right now?

SPORTSCASTER: ( over TV ):
45 seconds to go...

Wittmeyer hands the ball off
to Johnson on the right side...

( game continues in background )

Well, Chris.

Yeah.
Hi.

Hey.

C.J., do we know
what kind of gun it was?

Which gun?
The first gun.

Okay, here are a
few confirmations

and a few
more details.

The shooting took place
approximately 15 minutes

into the 9:00 service
at United Baptist Church

in Abilene, Texas.

Will Sawyer

is that you?
Yes.

You're back in the country?

Yeah.
You working for

the San Francisco Chronicle now?

Then you want to get your ass
out of their chair?

( reporters laughter )
There's assigned seating?

You see the little brass plaques
with the names

of media outlets
on the front
of the seats?

I thought that
meant they made

a generous
contribution.
Find a seat in back.

15 minutes into the service,
Daryl Bechtell--

B-e-c-h-t-e-l-l--

Reports indicate he was looking
for his estranged wife.

He fired off a round--
that was from the .38--

missing his wife
and hitting Harold Winter

in the left shoulder.

Mr. Winter is 65
and currently undergoing surgery

at Abilene Regional
Medical Center.

Mr. Bechtell fired off anywhere
between two and four more rounds

at that point-- reports differ--
as the crowd began to scatter.

That's when Ron Cahrl pulled
a nine-millimeter Glock

from under his suit coat
and fired off three rounds

in the direction
of Mr. Bechtell.

It's unclear which
of those rounds
struck Melissa Markey.

Confirmation on her age?

She'll be nine
years old
tomorrow.

Can you speak to what
either Daryl Bechtell

or Ron Cahrl
might be charged with?

No, the Abilene Sheriff's
Office will address that.

I can tell you that Mr.
Bechtell's gun was registered

and that Ron Cahrl had a license
to carry a concealed weapon.

Doesn't Texas
law prohibit
carrying a weapon

in a church or
a synagogue?

Again, I'll let the Sheriff's
Office speak to that

but I'll tell you
that it only prohibits it

if the church or synagogue

posts such a prohibition
in plain sight.

REPORTERS:
C.J...

Hang on.

Well...

Melissa Markey died.

SAM:
If you don't understand
a question, say so.

And they'll
repeat it

or they'll rephrase it.
DONNA:
Yeah.

There's nothing wrong with not
understanding a question.

Right.
There's
nothing wrong

with saying "I
don't recall."

I appreciate this.

Yeah.

Don't you want to go
over this with Josh?

He's pissed at me.

No, he's not.

He's... yeah, he is.

He didn't say anything.

He doesn't say anything.

All right.

Anyway,
I appreciate this.

Charlie, hang
on a second.

You're going to be
sitting in a room.

It's going to feel
like you did something
wrong, but guess what?

What?
You didn't, so...

Yeah.

You got a cab out front?

Yeah.
Come back when
it's over?

Thanks.

You make a pick?

Oakland over Dallas.

Okay.
It's a lock.

Okay.

Everybody's staying away,
because they want

to keep Oakland
down the road.

But if you're like me,
you're not as impressed

with the pre-season hype.

You pick the Raiders
at home

and you bank on them
not being

a prohibitive favorite
going into the playoffs.

Okay.

You think I should take
Tennessee over Detroit?

I didn't say that.
You said it
with your eyes.

Okay.

I'll take Tennessee
over Detroit.

I'm writing it down.
Write it down.

Wait. No, give me
Oakland over Dallas.

Okay.

Except make it New
Orleans over Atlanta.

The first game's
about to start.

New Orleans
over Atlanta.

I'm writing it down.
Write it down.

Good afternoon.

Hey, Charlie.

How was church?

It sucked.
It was fine.

Stop it.
It sucked.

You're talking
about church.

Oh, like I'm not
already going to hell.

What was the problem?

He feels the homily
lacked panache.

It did lack panache.

It was a perfectly lovely
homily on Ephesians 5:21.

"Husbands, love your
wives, as Christ loved

the Church and gave
Himself up for her."

Yeah, she's skipping over
the part that says

"Wives, be subject to your
husbands, as to the Lord.

"For the husband is
the head of the wife

as Christ is the head
of the Church."

I do skip over
that part.

Why?

Because
it's stupid!
Okay.

"Husbands, love your wives

"as Christ loved the Church

"and gave himself
up for her

"that he might
sanctify her

"having cleansed her by washing
of water with the word

"that he might present
the Church

to himself in..." something.

"In splendor," and I have
no problem with Ephesians.

And anytime you want
me to cleanse you

with the washing of water,
you know I'm up for it.

Then what is your problem?

Hackery. This
guy was a hack.

He had a captive audience.

And the way I know that
is that I tried

to tunnel out
of there several times.

He had an audience,
and he didn't know
what to do with it.

It couldn't
have hurt.
Oh, God, oh!

Words, words,
when spoken out loud

for the sake of performance,
are music.

They have rhythm and pitch
and timbre and volume.

These are the properties
of music

and music has the ability
to find us and move us

and lift us up in ways
that literal meaning can't.

You are an
oratorical snob.

Yes, I am,
and God loves me for it.

You said He was
sending you to hell.

For other stuff,
not for this.

You can't just trot out
Ephesians--

It has nothing to do
with husbands and wives.

It's all of us.

St. Paul begins the passage,
"Be subject to one another

out of reverence
to Christ."

"Be subject to one another..."

In this day and age
of 24-hour cable crap

devoted to feeding
the voyeuristic gluttony

of an American public hooked
on a bad soap opera

that's passing itself off
as important

don't you think
you might be able

to find some relevance
in Verse 21?

How do we end the cycle?
"Be subject to one another."

So, this is
about you.
No, it's not about me.

Yes, it is about me,

but tomorrow, it'll be
about somebody else.

We'll watch Larry King
and see who.

All hacks off the stage,
right now!

That's
a national security order.

I'm going to
the residence.

I'm taking a bath.
I'm turning on Sinatra.

How does Mrs. Sinatra
feel about that?
Peace be with you.

* You make me
egg foo yung... *

Good morning, Mr. President.

* You make me feel there
are songs to be sung... *

He's feisty.

Please, don't ask
him about church.

No, I won't.

I'm sorry, Mr. President.

Melissa Markey died.

Yeah, okay.

Oh, damn.

Charlie, can
I see Leo?

Yes, sir.
She would've lost

too much blood
at the scene, Jed.

She didn't have
a chance.

Yeah.

All right...

I'll be over in
the residence.

I've got to see Babish
this afternoon.

Okay.

When do you think I
should go in there?

I'd wait a couple of hours
till we have some more facts.

You'll talk to the
Sheriff's Office and...

Yeah.

I guess the D.A.

Yeah, but you don't want
to walk too far into that.

Yeah.

Good morning.

You heard?

Yeah.

C.J. thinks I should
wait a few hours.

I would.

Okay.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Be subject
to one another, Leo.

What can I do to be
of subject to you?

I'm fine.

Yeah?

I've got Margaret.

Okay.

( sighs )

I think you should send
Hoynes to Texas.

He's not going
to want to do it.

What do you care?

I'm meeting
with Adamley.
What about?

He wants to talk to me about
the War Crimes Tribunal.

Keep me out of
it, all right?
Yeah.

You think I should send
Hoynes to Texas?

Yeah.

All right, get
him over here.

Now?
Yeah.

Thank you, Mr. President.

CALLEY:
This proceeding is known
as a deposition.

The person transcribing

the deposition is
a House reporter

and although she's not
a notary public

you were just sworn in
by a notary public

Do you understand?
DONNA:
Yes.

Because you were
placed under oath

your testimony here
today has the same
force and effect

as if you were
testifying

before the Committee
in a courtroom.

This Committee has been
granted authorization

pursuant to House
Resolution 173.

I'm Majority Counsel
for the House Government

Oversight and Reform Committee.

Would you state your full name
for the record, please?

Donnatella Moss.

D-o-n-n-a-t-e-l-l-a.

M-o-s-s.

At this point, I'd like
the record to indicate

that Majority Counsel
has met the witness

Without objection,
I'd like to proceed.
No objection.

Counsel?
No objection.

I'd also like to express

the Committee's appreciation
to the witness

voluntarily or as the result
of a subpoena?

A subpoena.

Donna, this is
going to be easy.

You can laugh.

Were you recently
asked to help

organize documents, pursuant

to this Committee's
current investigation?

Yes.

Would you describe
how that worked?

On instructions
from Joshua Lyman

and the White House
Counsel's Office

I took over a storage room
at the OEOB

and began sorting through
any interoffice

or interdepartmental
documents

both from the campaign
and from the West Wing.

Now, for the record,
the campaign

you're referring to is...?

Bartlet for America.

How'd you guys do?
We won.

Okay, my colleagues
are going to ask you
some questions.

Then we'll get back
to me and finish up.

Okay.
MAN:
Ms. Moss?

Do you keep
a photo album?

No.

Okay, do you keep...

I'm sorry, I keep photographs.

I don't have them in an album.

Okay. Do you keep
a scrapbook?

No.
Do you keep letters,
notes or other

correspondence
you receive
from people?

Sometimes a birthday card
or a letter from my father.

Do you keep
a diary?
No.

Okay, do you receive
gifts from anyone
who's currently...

I'm sorry, hang on.

Would you read that back?

Question: "Do you keep a diary."

Answer: "No."

Question: "Okay, do you
receive gifts from...?"

Okay.

Okay.

Go ahead.

Do you receive gifts

from anyone
who is currently

( thunder rumbling )

C.J.:
How are you doing?

Good.

You're sitting
in my chair.

It didn't have
a plaque on it.

( chuckling ):
I've missed you.
Yeah.

You've been gone
three weeks.

I've been gone
two and a half years.

Really?
Yes.

I thought you were
our man in Myanmar.

I got kicked out of Myanmar.

Will, is there
a third world country

you haven't been
kicked out of?

Hey, I've been kicked
out of plenty

of industrialized
nations, too.

Why'd they kick you out?
Well, first of all

they didn't kick
me out exactly.

In fact, they love me
in Myanmar.

What happened?

They put a bounty
on my head.

( laughing )
It's not funny.

The Myanmarese
government is built

on narcotics trafficking.

Myanmar, Thailand, Laos.

I was this close
to the story.

Yeah?
I had interviews
with Peng Jiasheng

Pau Yukiang, Li Zuru.

I was tight
with narco-barons.

Until?
The Myanmarese army...

...put a bounty
on your head.

Yeah.
How'd you know?

The State Department came
and got me.

Oh, that had to be embarrassing

in front of your
narco-baron friends.

I'm assigned to
the White House
Press Corps

until they can find me,
you know, a reporting job.

No. No offense taken.

Thanks.

I have a quote if
you want to comment.

What is it?

Toby Ziegler says,
"If the President
wins reelection

it'll be on the Vice
President's coattails."

If the President wins
reelection

it'll be on the Vice President's
coattails?

I think that's, uh...

yeah.

He said this to you?

No.
Where'd you get it?

The person he said it to.

give me a little time
to check it out, would you?

Yeah.

You've been gone
two and a half years?

Yeah.
It seemed like
less than that.

People lose all track of time
and space when I'm not around.

Yeah.

SAM:
It's $30 billion
in School Modernization Bonds.

Thanks, Ginger.

Thank you.
Sure.

It's $30 billion
in School Modernization Bonds.

Interest free for
school districts.

We're estimating it will
help build and modernize

7,000 schools nationwide.

There's another $1.5 billion
for urgent repairs

targeted to high-need
districts.

Roof repairs, heating
and cooling systems,
electrical wiring.

The point is, we
think we need the
Congressman's vote

to get it out of the
Appropriations Committee
and onto the floor.

He'll be with it.
That's what I thought.

He's just looking
for the President's support

on a bill
that he'll be sponsoring.

What's it called?

It's called the "Legal Tender
Modernization Act."

Which provides for?

The elimination
of the penny.
I'm sorry?

It would permanently halt
production of the penny.

Why?

I'm glad you asked.

Yeah.

Last year, the U.S. Mint
cut 14 billion pennies

and shipped them off
to the Federal Reserve

which dumped them
in our laps.

They're worthless.

Well, they're actually
worth one cent.

The dollar has
the buying power today

that the quarter
had 30 years ago.

The penny's buying power's
shrunk to nothing.

Well, that's not true--
you can get yourself
a gumball.

No, you can't.
They cost a nickel.

Really?

I'm going to need to give
the Congressman a good reason

why the White House
won't support the bill

if they won't support
the bill.

Oh, don't make me give
you a good reason.

You want your $30 billion
in school repairs?

Well, we're already
well on our way

with 140 million pennies.

Sam...
I'll get you
a good reason.

Charlie?

Yes, sir.

You took Indianapolis?

Yes, sir.

You didn't want to take
Kansas City over Arizona?

No, sir.

Kansas City's got three
players out of Notre Dame.

Yes, sir.

that's got more players
out of Notre Dame.

That's a heck
of a system, sir.

What's your system?

I compare the team's record
to the record of its opponent.

That's a little
simplistic, isn't it?

Yes, sir.

Excuse me, Mr. President?

Yeah.
The Vice President.

Thank you.

Charlie.
Sir.

Hey, John.

Good afternoon, sir.

Do you know this church?

No.

No.
Listen, you feel like
having a beer with me?

On Sundays, when we
got back from church

my father would let
my brother and me
split a beer.

It got to be a habit.

You mind if I split
some water with you?
Nancy.

I need you to go
to Texas, John.

Nancy, could I get a cold beer
and some ice water?

Yes, sir.

And close the door, please.

You want to send me to Texas?

It's what Texans do.

You know, a decade ago

we passed a few national
gun control laws

and the gun lobby turned
its back on Congress

and started focusing
on the states.

The NRA systematically worked
the legislatures

to weaken conceal-and-carry laws

the effect of which is
to increase gun sales

and pad its own membership.

Well, I don't necessarily agree
with that, but...

The National Conference
of State Legislatures is meeting

next weekend at the Convention
Center in San Antonio.

And you want me to go to Texas
and speak for you.

Yeah.

'Cause that's what Texans do.

It's also
what Vice Presidents do.

( knocking )

Thank you, Nancy.

Thank you, Nancy.

Alan?

Hey!

( pats shoulder )
Come on back.

Thanks for taking the time.

No, no.

So how did it go?

It was a good trip.

I met with, uh, Hassan

and I met with
the Aviation Prince.

You know what we need
in this country?

An Aviation Prince.

That's right.

Well, let me tell
you something.

Sultan Bin Abu Azir ain't
what he used to be.

Last time I was in Kuwait

he gave me a gold
inlay Gadara sword

What'd you get this time?

Nothing.

You want to down
to the Situation Room

blow 'em off
the face of the Earth?

Yeah.

So...

The, uh, NSC Communications
Office cabled me a draft

of the President's
radio address
for next weekend.

Alan, it's a...

"At the close of
the last World War

"our nation was instrumental
in the creation

"of both the United Nations

"and the Nuremberg War
Crimes Tribunal.

"Now at the dawn
of the millennium

we cannot betray
that tradition of
moral leadership."

He's made up his mind.

It's an early draft.

It's not a big thing.

Well, I know that Hutchinson
and Berryhill are for it

but, to me, to Fitzwallace,
the Pentagon

the House and the Senate
Armed Services

and House and Senate
Foreign Relations

it's a thing
of catastrophic
proportions.

Let's go inside and talk.

( thunder rumbling )

Hey.
Uh, I'm-I'm not here.

I called you at home
and had you paged.

Yeah.
I didn't know
you were here.

I'm not.

I think the jig is up.

Clearly I'm here,
but I'm not open
for business.

I heard the President
was meeting with Hoynes

so I-I-I wanted
to see how it goes.

Listen...

And I see you picked
Chicago over Cincinnati

why your money's going
to be in my pocket.

it's going to be on
the Vice President's coattails.

I-I-I just said...
that exact same thing
a couple of days ago.

I know.
You know how I know?

Will Sawyer just told me.

Will Sawyer's in Myanmar.

He got kicked out of Myanmar.
He's in the Room now.

C.J., I said it...

I said it in
that W.A. meeting.

I said it at the end
of the meeting.

We were talking
about areas

where Hoynes is polling
stronger than...

It was...

( awkward chuckle )

I said to our own...

( sighing )

Do I have a little time?

A little.
Thank you.

You're here now?

( chuckling )

Yeah.

Ginger!

I want you to page
every junior staffer
and senior assistant

who works in the West Wing.

I want them to assemble
downstairs

in the mess in two hours.

If they can't be here
in two hours

then they don't need to come in
tomorrow morning.

( thunder cracking )

Hey.

How you doing?

How'd you get here
before me?

I drove.

Should you be here?
No.

Then what are you...?
I need to know why
you lied before.

When?
Donna--

I didn't lie.

I saw your diary.

When I was over
that night.

You keep a diary.

Why'd you say
you didn't?

I don't keep a diary.

I saw it.
You didn't, because
there is no diary...

Now what's in it
that you had to lie
to the Committee?

You're lead counsel
for the Committee

and the President
of the United States.
That's right.

And I thought you were
a little bit smarmy

with your "Donna, it's okay,
you can laugh, you're..."

Was that charm?
Tell me what...

There is no diary.

18 U.S.C., 1-0-0-1,
Lying to Congress

$10,000 and not more
than five years in prison.

Cliff...
18 U.S.C., 1-5-0-5

Obstruction of Proceedings
Before Departments

Agencies and Committees:
not more than five years.

Two U.S.C., 192,
Contempt of Congress:

a thousand dollars

and imprisonment
in a common jail

for not more than 12 months.

It was a perfectly
innocent mistake.

Now let me talk to your lawyer
and help you walk this back.

Just out of curiosity,
what would you say?

That you thought
you saw a diary

while you were
hunting around

for your boxer shorts?

You shouldn't be here.

Why?

Why?
Yes.

is populated with
unbalanced people

many of whom
find their way
to Washington

as if the continent
funnels them into
this one spot.

He doesn't want
to abolish it as
much as he wants

to give his boss
a reason why we can't.

Well... it's stupid.

Yeah, the thing is,
it isn't really.

Turns out the majority

of pennies
don't circulate.

Two-thirds of the
pennies produced in
the last 30 years

have dropped out of circulation.

You've been reading about this?

It's interesting.

No, it's not.

The Mint gets letters

with pennies taped
on notebook paper

from citizens who
found the pennies
on the street

and mailed them back
to the Treasury

to help pay down the debt.

It's almost hard to believe

It's also bad for
the environment.

of millions of
tons of copper
and zinc each year.

Zinc?
In 1982

they changed the composition

to 97.5 percent zinc, and
only 2.5 percent copper.

Sam?

I'm turning into one
of the funnel people?

Yeah.

Donna thinks you're
still pissed at her.

I'm not.

I wasn't before.

When did she tell you that?

Before she left.

You've heard from her?

No.

She should be done by now.

Here's a riddle.

What is the most ubiquitous
man-made object in America

that does not interact
with any mechanism or machine?

The penny?

The penny.

You can't even throw it
in a tollbooth.

Well, except for Illinois.

Why can you use it in Illinois?

That's an interesting question.

No, it's not.

Hey.
Hey.

I'm going to have
something for you soon.

Toby's talking
to some people.

Okay.

Hey, are you a king?

No.

Somebody said you
were hanging out with some tribe

and they made
you a king.

I'm a god.

Oh.

I'm the only white man

to ever witness
the sacrificial rites

of the Bau
Tribe of Fiji.

I was almost
a victim myself

until they made me
The Supporter of the World.

How'd you swing that?

Using my Palm Pilot

I convinced the Bau
I had the power

to make the gods'
writing appear at will

predict the next
day's weather.

So you're a god.

I'm the God of Good Harvest
and the Land of the Dead.

I've got to go there
and bring my laptop.

It quacks when I have email.

No, you're too tall.

What would happen?

They would paint your face
and other body parts black

so as to resemble a warrior
ornamented for feast or combat.

Then you would be garroted
by a length of boar tripe.

Yeah. No, good safety tip.

Alan Adamley here?

Yeah.
Why?

He's meeting with Leo McGarry.

Listen, you made a joke before
about being assigned

until you could get
a real reporting job.

Yeah.

Was it a joke?

Yeah.

Okay.

I'll have something for you
on the other thing soon.

Thanks.

HOYNES:
That's not true.

John...

It is not true, Mr. President.

29 states have
"shall issue" laws.

And if you look
at the State of New Jersey

if you look
at changing that one word...

Look, I'm not saying...

...changing that one word
means law enforcement can decide

who gets a concealed weapon

and when and where
they can carry it.

in front of the
legislature right now

and you going down there...

Me going down there is suicide,
and you know it, sir.

It's counter-scheduling.

you tell them something
they don't want to hear--

So the editors
of the New York Times

while the people
who decide elections...

You're a hero in Texas.

I was a hero in Texas.

Texans don't like
that you have the courage

of your convictions?

They're not my convictions,
they're yours.

Oh, yeah, I forgot.

( sighing )

( clearing throat )

Mr. President,
we're not going to get anywhere

by treating gun owners

like psychopaths.

And particularly
in the South

where guns are a tradition

and a heritage that's passed on
from father to son.

That's not good enough.

Sir...
A tradition

passed on from father to son?

We tamed the frontier, John.

We did that already.

you're taking advantage
of the shooting in Abilene.

That you like it

when these things
happen, 'cause it

gives you a chance...

Let them stand in this room
and say that.

On this day.

Let them stand in this room.

I like it?!

She was nine years old!

( knock at door )

Green Bay lost.

She was nine years old.

You know, last month in Idaho

a man killed six members
of his family

including his
pregnant wife.

And you know why
the liberal intelligentsia

didn't go crazy?

'Cause he did it with an ax.

You think we need ax control?

Well...
that is an excellent point.

I never saw it that way.

I'm playing devil's advocate.

Tighter ax control.

You come down on firearms,
you come down on tobacco

you come down on alcohol,
but you let Griffith run around

talking about
legalizing marijuana.

She didn't...
Sir...

You know what?

Last year-- gun deaths?

30,708.

Alcohol deaths?

35,450.

Tobacco deaths? 400,000.

Marijuana deaths?
Zero.

This guy?
The second shooter-- Rambo?

He's going to get nothing;
he's going to get a parade.

You know why?

There was no sign

posted in the church
saying you can't carry

a concealed weapon.

I'm just playing
devil's advocate.

She was nine years old.

LEO:
Two things--

one, technically it's not
just a court for war crimes.

Technically?

And two: The President
hasn't made up his mind yet.

Well, the U.N. has.

The U.N. made up
its mind in 1948

when they recognized
the crime of genocide.

Yes...
A crime so immense

as to exceed the jurisdiction

of any single court
or government.

Alan, systematic extermination
of civilians

enslavement, torture,
rape, forced pregnancy

terrorism-- doesn't
the world need

a permanent standing body...?

National sovereignty
is at stake.

Americans
are answerable

to no one
but their own government

and their own laws.

And people need to be reminded

that the U.N. is not
a democratic organization.

There's no input

into its deliberations by any...

Come on; the court is designed
with plenty of safeguards

if we don't subject ourselves
to the treaty

it will encourage
other countries.

Sure.
And you don't think
that'll undercut

the U.N.'s campaign
against war crimes?

( knock at door )

Excuse me.

Excuse me, General.
Hey, Sam.

If you're in the middle of
something, I can come back.

We're eliminating genocide.

What are you doing?

Eliminating the penny.

So I'll come back.

Yeah.
See you later.

Hey.
Hi.

How did it go?

It went fine.

Just background,
right?

It was fine.

Is Josh in his office?

He's around someplace.

Thanks.

Do you know the only thing
pennies interact with

are those coin wrapping
machines

people buy
to get rid of pennies?

Which kind of
proves the point.

What point?

I don't know.

It went okay?

Fine.

How'd it go?

I really need
to talk to you
for a second.

What happened?

I need to just...

Can we go in your office?

Hey, how'd it go?
Fine.

What happened?

I was asked if I kept a diary,
and I said no

only I do keep a diary.

Why did you
say you didn't?

I don't know.
What do you mean,
you don't know?

Nothing in the diary
is relevant.

Is there anyone
on the witness list

who knows you keep one?

There's nobody who knows
I keep a diary

except the thing is...

Cliff saw it.

What do you mean?
Cliff came to me

after the deposition
and told me he saw the diary

when he was
in my apartment.

I swear it wasn't premeditated.

Nothing in it was material...

You don't get to decide that!

You don't get to decide what's
material and what isn't, Donna!

Please keep your voice down.

They got nothing
on the President with MS

they're trolling

then you go in
and hand them a...

You were subpoenaed.

You answer the damn question!

I screwed up.
You think?!

What should I do?

Do nothing.

Do absolutely nothing.

( door closes )

( junior staffers murmuring )

( room falls silent )

There's an old saying.

"Those who speak don't know,
and those who know don't speak."

I don't know
if that's true or not

but I know that, by and large,
the press doesn't care

who really knows what
as long as they've got a quote.

Last Friday,
we had our Week Ahead meeting

in the Roosevelt Room.

Some of you were there,
most of you weren't

but I'm talking
to all of you now.

Bruno Gianelli and I were
leading a discussion

about whether or not
the President should stop

in Kansas on his way back
from the West Coast

and I remarked that the Vice
President is polling better

than the President right now
in the plains states

and that if the President
is re-elected

it's going to be on the
Vice President's coattails.

That remark made its way
to a White House reporter.

We're a group.

( chuckles )

We're a team.

From the President and Leo
on through, we're a team.

We win together,
we lose together.

We celebrate,
and we mourn together.

And defeats are softened
and victories sweetened

because we did them together.

And if you don't like
this team...

then there's the door.

It's great to be in the know.

It's great to have the scoop,
to have the skinny.

To be able to go to a reporter

and say, "I know something
you don't know."

And so the press becomes
your constituents

and you sell out the team.

So, an item will appear
in the paper tomorrow

and it'll be embarrassing to me

and embarrassing
to the President.

I'm not going
to have a witch hunt.

I'm not going to huff and puff.

I'm not going
to take anyone's head off.

I'm simply going to say this:

You're my guys, and I'm yours...

and there's nothing
I wouldn't do for you.

That was unexpected.

Yeah.

You're a good
deputy, Sam.

What do you mean?

That.

You won money on
football today,
didn't you?

Yeah, but I mean it anyway.

What can I do
for you today?

How can I help you out?

You can give
me a good reason

why the White
House can't support

This is the Legal Tender...
Huckleberry Bill?

Modernization
Bill, yeah.

because it'll never get
to the floor.

Why not?

He's from Illinois, which,
by the way, is the only state

where you can put pennies
in a toll machine.

Why is that
do you suppose?

It's because...

It's because Lincoln's
from Illinois!

Yes.
Well, that's a good reason.

Well, it's a dumb reason,
but it's good enough

right?

Sure.

Thank you.

Yeah.

And thanks for
the other thing.

Yeah.

Hi.

Hi.

What do you need?

You called me.
Yes, I did.

Well, Toby made the remark

in response
to some new polling data.

It was offhand.

Obviously, he meant it
as a joke, and he regrets it.

Okay.

He'll be happy
to go on the record with you.

No, that's
all right.

What do you mean?

You're not going
to let Toby explain himself?

I'm not writing it.

Why not?

It's not news.

Really?

Yeah.

Okay.

I'll see you
in there.

You weren't joking before,
were you?

When?

When you said...

No.

Why do you think

the White House is a bad beat?

I don't like being
a stenographer.

And I don't like writing gossip.

I read a column last week

where a lady bemoaned a decade
of scandals she's had to cover

as if the news was to blame
for the quality

of journalism.

ever been a more important time
to be good at what I do.

Can you imagine
how much

about what Toby said
to a staffer?

Yeah.

All right.

You can sit anywhere you want.

LEO:
139 countries have signed.

35 have ratified.

Once 60 ratify,
that's the ball game.

You want to
be left out?

Absolutely.

This is going to raise 19 kinds
of hell in Congress.

What doesn't?
They are already

extreme Republicans
who are attaching amendments

to bills cutting off
military aid

to any NATO member
that signs the treaty...

That won't happen.

...and committing

the U.S. to forcibly rescue
any American soldier

held and tried
in such a court.

Leo, this commits
the United States

to a scenario
where we'd be invading Holland!

How much of this is
about hedging our bets?

It's not.

Look, we set
up Nuremberg!

We set up the Tokyo
War Crimes Trial.

And that was fine,
until we realized

the Cold War threat was
going to take precedence.

So when the
German rocket

scientists came here
to help us get into space...

Oh, please.
...we looked
the other way

while SS Officers followed
right behind

protected
by American
intelligence

services, 'cause they were going
to help us with the Communists.

Oh, please, Alan?

So...

how much of this
is hedging our bets?

( clears throat )

You remember Operation
Rolling Thunder?

Yeah.

I think I do, yeah.

September, 1966.

You were piloting
an F-105 Fighterchief.

This was our first unit--

the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing
out of Thailand.

Yeah.
I was Forward
Air Commander.

I gave you your directions.

"From I.P., heading 273
for ten point five miles

"your target is

"north-south running bridge
over river, one kilometer

to the tree line
running east-west."

Yeah?

It was a military target.

It was a civilian target.

It was a dam.

There were 11
civilian casualties.

Why did you tell me that?

Because you could be charged
and tried for a war crime.

Why did you tell me that?

All wars are crimes.

( sighs )

We've been here a while.

Yeah.

Maybe we'll call
it a day, huh?
Yeah.

I'll get you some time
with the President this week.

I'd appreciate that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Can I ask a question,
just out of curiosity?

Yes, sir.

If guns are meant
to deter the threat of crime

what's the point
of concealing them?

I mean, wouldn't you want
the criminal to see

that you've got a gun?

I suppose
you would.

Then what's the answer
to that?

I really don't
know, sir.

You don't know.
No, sir.

I suppose the concern has more
to do

We can't all just agree
it's a stupid-ass amendment

that was written
before there were street lamps

much less police forces,
and move on?

Sir...

There's no need

for a citizen militia.

I agree with you.

40 percent of Americans have
a gun in their home.

Only 16 percent believe

gun ownership is
an absolute right.

Only nine percent believe
it's an absolute wrong.

There's a middle.

Not when we're running the
MS defense, Mr. President.

Which we wouldn't have been
doing if...

If what, sir?

Nothing.

Sir...
You outed me, John.

With that trip

to Nashua,
with the oil companies.

You wanted people
to start asking questions.

I needed to
start running

because nobody told
me that I wasn't!

And you announced it!

I found out
on television!

So did my wife.
This whole thing

was mismanaged, sir.

Look...

It was blown!
Yes, it was.

Yes, it was.

It's not easy being
my Vice President, is it?

( sighing )

No, sir.

I wouldn't think so.

But it's the only way

you're going
to get the nomination.

You know that, right?

If I win.

Yeah.

And the only way
you're going to win...

is if I'm on the ticket.

You know that, don't you, sir?

Yeah.

You'll go to Texas?

I want a seat at the table.

Yeah.

( knock at door )

Mr. President?
Yeah.

They're getting
ready for you in
the briefing room.

Thank you.

I'll be back
in my office.

Yeah.

Is there anything else, sir?

No.

Thank you, Mr. President.

( rolling thunder )

There's a coffee shop
across the street.

You can read it there,
you've got an hour.

I haven't read it,
but if anything bothers you

you'll issue a subpoena
in the morning

and you'll have it back
before the end of the day.

If not, that's that.

Yeah.

If I read any of this
in the newspaper

or anything happens
I don't like

I've got the entries
for October fourth and fifth.

What's October
fourth and fifth?

You.

That's fair.

Thank you.

It's starting
to get cold already.

It's going
to be fine.