Original subtitles

Previously, on The West Wing:

Get the President your report on domestic storage capacity.

Hang on; I'm not sure we're ready to...

He asked me for it. We done?

What we need to focus on is the best way

to manage his symptoms.

How many hours a day can we schedule him?

Six or seven and he's going to need a nap midday.

A nap? He's going to love that.

The both of us, sir, this is our last game.

Let's leave it all out on the field.

( Verdi's Otello playing )

*

Sir? Evening.

I thought you were heading back to the residence.

Thought about it.

Then I thought I'd sit here

and enjoy the art for a while.

Sir, do you want me to get Curtis...? No, no.

I'm a bachelor tonight. So I heard.

Abbey's in Baltimore with Ellie

and what's-his-name, the new boyfriend.

I hear we like him.

What's not to like?

The guy's spent the past 15 years

studying the mating rituals of Drosophila melanogaster.

He likes fruit flies.

And my daughter.

Hopefully, not in that order.

What say we grab Toby and head out on the town.

Trip the light fantastic.

Are we going to throw on sailor caps

and chase after Miss Turnstiles?

Come on, the old lady's out of town.

The old lady'll have my head

if I don't get you to bed in the next half hour.

Yeah.

Besides, I understand you've got a big date tomorrow night.

I actually convinced her

to let me out of the house for Valentine's Day.

You're taking her to the opera?

Verdi's Otello.

Romantic, huh?

Isn't that the one where the guy kills his wife?

It's in Italian.

I'm hoping she won't notice.

You sure you don't want me to call Curtis?

I'm good. Night, C.J.

Night, sir.

Get some rest.

Yeah.

( Verdi's Otello continues playing )

Margaret.

Will you ask Debbie

to move the President's wake up call back to 8:30?

And I'd like to take a look

at the President's schedule for tomorrow. You got it.

TOBY: And Shevardnadze just pulled the section on executive power?

MAN: Replaced it with his own.

The old constitutional bait and switch.

Hello. C.J. Cregg,

I'd like you to meet Professor Lawrence Lessig.

Hi.

He's a constitutional writer.

He's helping the folks from Belarus

write their constitution.

You would've thought they would've

written one of those by now.

They have.

It's three lines pledging allegiance

to the Supreme Soviet.

Hence the rewrite. Hence.

PRESIDENT: C.J., you have a copy of the BLS mass layoff report

I can read in the residence?

Sir. Good evening, Mr. President.

Am I interrupting?

Sir, this is Professor Lawrence Lessig.

The Future of Ideas.

That Lawrence Lessig?

He's here to help with the Belarus constitution.

He also helped with the Georgian constitution...

Founding father for hire.

Have quill will travel.

No, no, no, no.

The Belarusians will be the founding fathers.

I'm more of a midwife.

Well, it's God's work if you can help us

bring some stability to that mess.

TOBY: Professor, maybe we should... Sir.

Where do you start-- a document of that importance.

I like to begin with a series

of conceptual questions, and then...

Excuse me, Professor Lessig, I'm sorry.

This sounds fascinating, but the President really needs...

Oh, I think we can spare five minutes

to discuss the roots of democracy.

That is, if the professor has the time.

It would be an honor, sir.

Come then, let us sit as men do

and discuss important things.

( door closes )

( sighs )

( phone ringing )

WOMAN ( on phone ): Ms. Cregg, this is the White House Operator.

You have a call holding with Commander Harper.

Go ahead.

Tell me you're calling about some guy you just met in a bar.

A United Britannia flight

from London to New Delhi went off radar

over the Caspian Sea an hour ago.

A commercial plane?

About a hundred passengers.

Mostly British and French.

How many...? Six Americans.

We think it was a crash?

It's too early to tell.

The plane was off course

and drifting into Iranian airspace.

I'll be right in.

Can you transfer me back to the switchboard?

( phone rings on line )

OPERATOR: Ms. Cregg?

Let's wake some people up.

Yes, Madam Prime Minister, but...

Ma'am, we've had no indication the Iranians were involved.

And I think it's in all of our interests

not to jump to conclusions.

Yes, ma'am. Yes.

The British Prime Minster? In all her glory.

Funny, when I stopped working for the President,

I thought I might start going home nights.

At least you can't complain you're not getting overtime.

You don't pay me overtime.

Oh, that's right.

You wake up the guys from State?

The Great Britain Desk sent over some language

for the condolence statement. Good.

And they suggested we invite

the British Ambassador for breakfast.

Just what we need: more international intrigue.

I thought you liked Lord John.

I adore Lord John.

And when I was press secretary

I could adore him from afar.

You going to be in the Sit Room for a while?

Hoping to catch a ball game? Maybe a nap.

Call Barrow at State.

Set up some time with Chet.

Chet? He'll know.

KATE: 30 minutes out of London,

the flight was already six miles off course.

HUTCHINSON: We think they accidentally

left the autopilot in heading mode.

You see the trajectory of the plane? Yeah.

I just got off with the Prime Minister.

They're coordinating with the Ukraine

on a search party in the Caspian,

but she's already pointing fingers.

C.J.: She pointing them for a reason?

I'm sorry,

are we waiting for the President? No.

Do we have any reason to believe

the Iranians were involved?

We've been flying RC-135s off the northern coast of Iran.

Spy planes. Since last March.

And the Iranian MTI that tracks the RC-135

produces very rough CAPPI readouts.

English.

The United Britannia flight drifted into Iranian airspace

on a track very close to our RC-135's flight path.

You think the Iranians mistook the flight for a U.S. spy plane

and they took a shot at it?

It's possible.

The RC-135 is roughly the same size as a 737.

A 737 with a large dish on it.

A banner that says spy plane. But on a dark and stormy night...

We're going to have to find out what happened up there.

We're talking to the Israelis.

And Signals Intel has a bunch of Iranian feed

from the time the plane went off radar,

but it's going to take a while to translate.

I want updates every half hour.

C.J.: So the Iranians taking potshots at our spy planes,

technically, that's fair game.

Also we don't let them hit us.

Did the President get into it with Prime Minister Graty?

He wasn't on the call.

She got pretty hepped up all by her lonesome.

State's been conducting secret talks

with the Iranians on their nuclear program.

We've been making progress. It's a fragile conversation.

If Iran's involved and Graty makes this a thing...

I put in a call to Chet.

You find it odd,

calling a high-ranking Iranian official Chet?

It's easier to say than Asefi Hossein Kamal Bin Hamid.

Man, I'm fried.

You up late last night?

Ten-part lecture on the future of democracy in Belarus.

Democracy? The last guy scrapped term limits

and made his political opposition disappear.

Literally. Why they've asked for help.

C.J.?

Prime Minister Graty...

she tends to overreact.

She's a runaway train.

The President usually likes a heads up

if there's a chance she's making decisions

with international ramifications.

He'll be awake in a few hours.

Make sure I get those updates.

Yes, ma'am.

NEWSCASTER: Debris from what appears

to be a commercial plane crash

has begun to wash up in Astara...

You have my schedule?

Officials fear this could be

the wreckage of United Britannia Airlines Flight 101...

Yeah, we're going to need to pare this down.

Get rid of my 10:30.

Have Charlie take the 12:00 with Karshner.

Please tell me this is a joke.

No, ma'am.

I'm meeting with Miss World?

She's from Bhutan.

I have her bio,

so you can be prepared. For Miss World.

It's a tradition. Every year the new Miss World

comes in to lobby the White House.

On what? AIDS in Africa,

world hunger-- she generally has a very good cause.

And she gets to meet with the Chief of Staff

to the President of the United States?

Leo always thought

that as a show of international good faith

we should accord all due respect to...

Pretty girls everywhere?

She's a brilliant flautist.

Get it off my schedule.

You're in early.

Toby?

Yeah.

Whatcha doing?

Reading.

Constitutional Choices.

It's amazing how tricky emergency powers are.

Okay. If you're the executive in a young republic,

you're going to need some type of emergency power,

so do you write that in the constitution,

or does that lead to abuse?

Great. I really just came in because...

See the predicament? Toby.

Right, we need to put out a condolence statement

on the United Britannia crash.

I'll put Annabeth on it as soon as she gets in.

Good. Charlie's got some language from State.

Building on a democracy.

How do you shape a new world? Right.

Have you reassigned Miss World?

Well, I thought maybe...

I'm sending Toby a Valentine.

We just got a call from our base in Incirlik. Okay.

This is the satellite surveillance of the Caspian Sea

from the time the plane went off radar.

And these are...?

Two jets flying out of the Iranian air base in Rasht

on course to intercept the United Britannia flight.

Margaret, call the switchboard.

Ask them to wake the President.

Good morning, ma'am.

( knocking on door )

CURTIS: Mr. President?

Good morning, sir.

( groggy groan )

Why are there three of you?

Mr. President, we think the Iranian Air Force

mistakenly shot down a British commercial airliner.

PRESIDENT: I need to speak with Prime Minister Graty.

C.J.: Sir, I spoke to her earlier

and asked her to wait for us before making a statement.

What's Iran saying?

KATE: Not much.

I'm sure that's going over well.

Intel's working on the Iranian feed.

Sir, if the Iranians were aiming at our plane,

it at least provides some explanation for their actions.

Have we called Marbury? He's already on his way.

And we should call Chet. Also on his way.

Damn it, we were just making progress with the Iranians.

If Graty gets revved up and starts quoting Churchill...

Yes, sir.

She gets aggressive, Iran gets defensive,

this thing's going to spiral.

I need to talk her down.

Let's get her on the phone. Sir.

GRATY: We condemn the attack by Iran

against 109 innocent men, women and children

aboard an unarmed United Britannia plane.

This is a barbaric, monstrous crime

committed against Great Britain, against Europe,

against the United States, against humanity.

There can be absolutely no justification.

Well, I guess I'll have to wait till she's off camera.

GRATY: It shall not stand.

KATE: Debbie's still trying.

Were we talking with British Intelligence?

C.J.: Yes, sir.

They must have had something they haven't shared,

or she wouldn't have been getting

all Hans and Franz in prime time.

Where's the latest report from Hutchinson?

It's right here, sir.

Marbury on the way? He's on his way.

And the networks; we schedule time

with the networks?

We should discuss whether that will be necessary.

It wasn't an hour ago, but now that there's been

a "monstrous crime" committed

against Britain and the United States,

I'm going to have to say something.

Debbie, is she on the phone yet?!

Thank you. Thank you, sir.

I want an update from Hutchinson,

and you should put in a call to Barrow,

see where we are with Chet.

Mrs. Bartlet.

Hello, there.

Did you just get in?

About a half an hour ago--

Around the time I noticed

my husband wasn't in bed.

I checked the bathroom, the sitting room--

he was nowhere to be found.

I get a little nervous.

My husband's not the healthiest guy, you know.

So, I call Curtis.

He tells me the President's in the Oval.

Can you imagine my surprise?

There was a development.

You do remember waking me at 4:00 a.m.?

I thought we agreed to let him sleep.

I let him sleep until I couldn't let him sleep anymore.

How late was he up last night?

Ma'am, I let him sleep as long as I could.

CAROL: Toby Ziegler, this is Alexander Zubatov,

head of the delegation from the Republic of Belarus.

A pleasure to meet you, sir.

And, uh, we thank you for having us.

DELEGATE: Hello.

Hi. Hello.

Could you check the lobby, and see if you can find

Professor Lessig?

No problem.

Please.

Is that a copy of our constitution?

ZUBATOV: Yes.

You know this document?

Yes, I do. I have many question.

Well, that's a good thing.

Hopefully, over the course of the week, we can...

For example, it says here,

President shall be Commander

of Army, Navy, etcetera.

Ah, yes. Here...

it says, uh, Congress shall have power to declare war.

Yes. Commander

does not declare war?

Theoretically, Congress needs to...

"Theoretically."

So, your habit is to ignore document.

No.

Well, occasionally.

( chuckling )

LESSIG ( in distance ): Good morning.

Excuse me.

Good morning. Morning.

Sorry I'm late.

I was having breakfast with Justice Lang,

and we got into the most fascinating discussion

over the reformation

of the rule against perpetuities.

Ah, I see we've got our noble patriarchs.

Have you started?

TOBY: Well, I've been answering

a few questions.

Excellent.

Gentlemen, let's begin.

I'll be right back.

Excuse me; sorry.

She needs to see you.

You put a beauty queen on my schedule?

MARGARET: She did it.

You put a beauty queen on my schedule?

The United Brittania flight

was shot down by two Iranian fighters.

On purpose? We think it might've been a mistake.

Kate's going to give you more.

You need to brief. Okay.

And tentatively set up

some time with the networks.

Graty's a little excited.

He wants to distance himself.

If he went on TV every time Graty blew a gasket...

Tentatively schedule.

And Toby, in the briefing...

"Since the early hours of the morning,

the President has done everything in his power to assist the British."

Yeah, but don't say "President."

The White House has done everything in its power...?

Yeah. That's gonna make it sound

like he got a good night's sleep.

MARBURY: Gerald?

Gerald? Gerald!

Good Lord. C.J.?

Toby, I got to...

Lord John?

Hello. You look familiar.

C.J. Cregg.

We've met a number of times.

Yes, yes. Where's Gerald?

I do hope he's recovered.

Leo has moved down the hall.

Oh, yes, I heard.

Demoted on account of a heart attack.

That's cutthroat, even for American politics.

Actually, he's been...

No, no, there's no need to hedge.

So, you're the... new Gerald.

I suppose.

Delightful.

If you'll just...

PRESIDENT: Maureen, of course

we support...

Yes, but until we know all the facts...

Yes, Madam Prime Minister.

We'll be in touch.

Thank you.

So much for a stiff upper lip.

C.J.: Mr. President.

PRESIDENT: John, thank God.

Kate Harper, may I introduce...?

I'm Lord John Marbury,

the hereditary Earl of Sherlbourne,

the great-great-grandson of the former Viceroy.

I have served as the Queen's Minister in India,

the Queen's Minister in Pakistan,

and I am presently the British Ambassador

to the United States.

Oh, and I have an uncle who once performed

in the London Opera Company's production

of The Mikado in the role of Nanki Poo.

It's a pleasure. Yes, isn't it?

John, please, I'm afraid your Prime Minister is doing

her William the Conqueror thing again.

Prime Minister Graty's

own party thinks she's soft on Iran;

her government is far from stable;

and we have just lost almost 100 countrymen--

so, are you surprised?

Not at all, really.

But we think this might have been a mistake.

They accidentally

fired two Anab AA-3 missiles at the side of a passenger jet?

Lord Marbury...

Please, uh... call me John, heh?

Uh, John, it's possible

the Iranians thought

they were shooting at a U.S. spy plane.

So, it's your fault.

John... You've been spying

on their nuclear facilities?

Yes.

Why do you think

they want you to stop?

Either the Iranians deliberately killed

innocent British and American citizens,

or they tried to shoot down your spy plane

because they want to continue building nuclear weapons.

They are a rogue nation

on the verge of becoming a rogue nuclear power,

and while I, by no means,

wish to trivialize the...

most appalling loss of life earlier this morning,

one need not reread Thucydides to see this

as an opportunity.

She's going to use this as an excuse

to bomb their nuclear plants?

MARBURY: Heavens, no.

Of course, the Prime Minister

must demand remuneration for the victims,

perhaps a formal apology,

even some elegiac groveling.

We all know the Ayatollah

will never pay, let alone apologize for anything.

Well, then we will be forced to take appropriate measures.

Will there be mimosas with breakfast?

Toby, will the President back the British

if they respond with force?

TOBY: I'm not going to speculate.

If they need logistical support?

I'm not going to speculate on Britain's response.

What was the President's reaction

to Prime Minister Graty's address?

I haven't discussed it with him.

Were we consulted before the Prime Minister's address?

TOBY: The White House has been working

with the British since early this morning.

GORDON: But was there a call

with the British Prime Minister?

I don't have the details right now.

GORDON: When can we get

the initial ticktock?

Toby, the Prime Minister's address...

I don't have any more for you right now.

She called it a monstrous crime.

Is that how the President...?

The President is scheduled to address the nation at 6:00.

I'd tune in.

For you.

Why?

It's Valentine's Day.

Go ahead, they're yummy.

Hey, what's the ticktock?

It's a minute-by-minute accounting

of the President's actions.

The press...

Often ask for it during a crisis.

If you know, why do you ask?

"The White House has been

working with the British since early this morning"?

Yeah?

"The President needs to look strong."

"The President needs to look like he's up to this."

"The President has been working with the British since early this morning."

I got it. I got it. Apparently not,

or they wouldn't have asked for the ticktock.

Yeah. Good, huh?

I've got more, if you want, for your special someone.

Excuse me?

* I like Bhutan in spring, how about you...? *

I'm still meeting with the beauty queen?

Oh, yeah.

LESSIG: And we say the President

is the sole representative of the people,

because while he is elected by electors,

these electors are elected by the people

upon the premise that they will vote for him.

I can go through it one more time,

if you'd like. No.

Is he explaining the electoral college?

We've covered it in detail.

Toby, we've been discussing the American executive.

I'm sure you could shed some light.

I was thinking maybe we should

push beyond American-style government.

Push beyond?

Yeah.

Mr. Zubatov has many questions.

Yes, but perhaps this time would be better spent

discussing a parliamentary system.

We don't want parliamentary system. Okay.

No, no, no-- President Eliches needs broad powers.

Like American President.

Sir, your country has a history of brutal dictatorship.

I don't think a strong executive is-is such a good idea.

You agree with this?

Not entirely.

Half the faculty at Yale Law

describes the American Presidential system

as one of this country's most dangerous exports,

responsible for wreaking havoc

on over 30 countries around the globe.

It is a recipe for constitutional breakdown.

Well, I can see this is going to be a vibrant discussion.

PRESIDENT: John, you can't focus

on the Ayatollah.

President Alijani is a champion of reform.

If our negotiations with Iran progress...

Alijani's weak and nonproliferation agreements

won't stop their efforts.

It'll just drive them underground.

Bombing is the better solution.

The Iranians have spread out their nuclear facilities.

We don't even know where half of them are.

Well, we'll bomb the half we can find.

( laughing ): Abigail!

Blanket my loins, I'm tied to the stake.

Here we go.

Lovely to see you, John.

So many distractions, Mr. President.

How do you get anything done?

God only knows.

Where's C.J.?

With Secretary Hutchinson.

May I have Kate for a minute?

Tarry not long, gentle courtesan.

Did he just call me a...?

Isn't he delightful?

Yeah. The President

needs a break.

Okay. He was up late last night.

He was up early this morning.

He needs a break.

Well... we've got the French Ambassador

and then the Iranians,

but maybe after... I mean now.

Maybe I should just check with C.J.

You could do that...

or you could go back in there and get my husband.

Yes, ma'am.

"whose nest is in a watered shoot;

"My heart is like an apple-tree

"whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;

"Raise me a dais of silk and down... ( phone rings )

"Hang it with vair and purple dyes... Kate Harper.

"Carve it in doves and pomegranates...

Sorry, can you repeat that?

And peacocks with a hundred eyes..."

Yeah, we'll send it over right away, thanks.

Um, hello.

Thank God.

C.J., so good of you to return.

Where's the President?

Apparently on recess. Uh, may I use your phone? ( pager beeps )

He went back to the residence?

The First Lady wanted him to rest.

Yeah. I guess we can try to delay the French.

I'm sorry, should I have...?

No. Just... wasn't quite clear on the chain

of command. Really, it's fine. Margaret?

Can you find Charlie and see if Leo's in yet?

Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria--

they all chose parliamentary systems.

Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson--

they all chose a presidential system.

Only four presidential democracies have lasted

longer than 30 years.

Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison-- they got lucky.

They want a unifying national figure.

We need a unifying figure.

British Prime Minister is a unifying national figure.

Prime Minister Graty's weak.

Subject to shifting coalitions.

Subject to the people's representatives,

so she can be ousted if she summarily starts

locking people up who don't like the White Album."

President Eliches is good man, and he wouldn't do this.

He would create a stable environment for the new country.

For the next ten years, yes,

but this document isn't about President Eliches.

It's about the 60 guys who come after him.

You need systemic protections,

safeguards that can last beyond a generation.

You've got to look beyond the moment,

beyond the here and now.

Your 12:30 is here.

( clears throat )

My, uh... 12:30...

I need you to take my 1:30 with Conrad

and my 2:15 with Lauer.

No problem.

You rang?

Uh... uh... Gerald!

Sweet Lord in heaven.

It's been too long.

Oh, I don't think it has.

One moment.

I trust you've heard our news.

Oh, terrible tragedy,

but if it means that our paths may cross again,

well, there is indeed some small consolation in that.

Yes...

Leo, I hate to pull you into this,

but Toby's plate is full,

and with Josh gone... What do we got?

Well, the President's in the residence,

the Iranians are in the mural,

the French are at the gate, and then there's Maude.

The ball is in your court.

I really can't believe

that we still let him in the building.

Tell me about it.

We have diplomatic relations with the Iranians now?

No, we have Chet.

Chet's the new Phil?

Phil?

Chet's the new Phil,

but I was hoping you'd take the French,

or you could... No, I'm not of that opinion.

Uh, French are fine. C.J.: Excellent.

You take the French, I'll take Chet,

and Kate can stay and entertain Lord Flibertygibit.

Good. Not good.

C.J.: Have fun.

So, you-you said you were from...

Bhutan. Uh-huh.

I'm sorry, uh, uh, say that again.

Toby, didn't you ask for the...

the Asian Carp report?

TOBY: No. You sure?

Pretty sure.

( clears throat )

Uh, sorry, you were saying...

Yes, Bhutan. It's just south of...

Toby, I brought you the latest...

Okay.

Thanks.

( whispering ): You're the man.

So, Bhutan.

Just south of... MARGARET: Hi.

Hello.

Do you need something?

Do you need something?

No; good; thank you.

Great.

* You're my funny valentine

* Sweet comic valentine

* You make my smile with my heart... *

Annabeth?

Happy Valentine's Day.

I'm still waiting for the ticktock.

Would you settle for a chocolate heart?

Why wasn't the President on the early call

with Prime Minister Graty? So that would be a no.

I've got a tip from the Guardian he wasn't on the call.

Well, the British papers can be kind of dodgy.

( chuckles )

Is Toby around? He's a little busy at the moment.

Annabeth, if the President wasn't up,

the country has a right to know.

I've got candy hearts.

I can post this story with or without comment

from the Administration.

Maybe now would be a good time

to talk to Toby.

No, I think large scale study

of gene expression is a very noble cause.

Excuse us, I hate to bother you,

but Gordon had a...

Oh, and this is...

I'm sorry, I didn't get

your name.

Lyonpo Palden Wangchuk.

Right. This is Gordon.

He's a famous journalist from the Washington Post.

In fact, Gordon has written some columns

on the mapping of the human genome.

WANGCHUK: Oh, yes?

And Miss...

Wangchuk.

...Wangchuk is very interested

in microarray-based

gene expression studies.

GORDON: Really.

WANGCHUK: Yes.

Would you excuse us?

GORDON: Uh, sure, sure.

WANGCHUK: Yes, sure.

TOBY: What in God's name...?

Gordon got a tip the President wasn't on

the early call with Graty.

Okay. I figured we might want to stall him.

And you really think that...

( indistinct conversation )

Okay, it might work.

Toby, I have the First Lady for you.

You have to control the British.

They are jeopardizing more than just

the nuclear talks. They're understandably upset.

Maybe, but with Graty's saber rattling,

even the educated are rallying around the Ayatollah.

President Alijani is worried

about the future of our reform movement.

Which is why the Ayatollah needs to apologize.

The President has been trying to reason with him,

but with Graty's threats, the Ayatollah can't apologize,

and really, why would he consider it?

Maybe to avoid compromising a potential relationship

with the United States.

Did the United States apologize when the U.S. Navy shot down

Iran Air flight 655, killing 290

innocent people?

And even if it were in his best interest,

the Ayatollah's a very proud man,

especially when it comes to his air force.

You'll do what you can.

I will try... but if you cannot control the British...

Miss Cregg.

Things went well with Chet, huh?

Yeah. How'd it go with the French?

Like talking to Madam Defarge.

The EU is scared to death of an Iranian nuke.

Opportunity knocks...

Maybe we should just fall in line.

Got to believe in the future of Iran.

They've got garage rock bands and pro-America rallies.

We play nice, democracy could be around the corner.

The reform movement has gained a lot of ground

over the past ten years.

Why do you think the Ayatollah's refusing to budge?

I mean, he can rebuild his nuclear plants,

but the anti-Western sentiment it'll generate

if the RAF starts dropping bombs on Tehran...

I just got a call from the First Lady.

She wants to cancel the President's address tonight.

Excuse me? She wants us to issue

a statement instead.

She thinks he's not up to it.

That's not her call. Pretty much what I said.

I'll talk to her. Good.

Is that the Miss...

TOBY: Yeah.

I used to love this time of year.

Why is she with Gordon?

TOBY: He was asking for the ticktock.

How long do you think we can...?

Annabeth thinks quite a while.

Keep me posted.

So, Abbey's been more involved

since you got back from China?

Yeah.

Thank God for early retirement.

After China, Abbey and I met with the doctors.

We came up with a plan.

A full night's sleep, a nap during the day,

a way to manage things.

Of course, getting him to cooperate is another story.

I called Abbey last night.

I thought we should wake him,

but he'd been up till almost midnight and...

I always thought the wake up call was

one of the hardest decisions to make.

The President's always going to want the call.

But really,

all you have to ask yourself at the end of the day is,

would it have made a difference if he'd been awake?

VINICK: It's no surprise.

Iran's always been a problem,

but this time, they've painted themselves

into a corner, and I urge the President

to take all appropriate measures.

Easy for him to say.

Hey. Where's Lord John?

He lost interest. Something about a Miss World?

Can you believe these people?!

Which people would you be referring to?

Hoynes, Vinick, Walken-- pick one.

All on the "Iran is evil" bandwagon?

Apparently, when you're campaigning

for the American presidency, there's no need for nuance.

It is a French word.

When are we meeting with the French?

Leo sat with them.

They're on the bombing bandwagon, too.

When do we sit with Chet?

We didn't have much luck there, either.

You talked to the Iranians without me?!

Kate, Leo, can I have the room, please?

I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't raise

your voice at me in front of the staff.

I need to manage this crisis.

I needed to be in those meetings.

We handled the meetings.

Yeah, you're right.

I don't think my presence would've added much.

You were up in the residence, sir; you were unavailable.

All I have in this situation is influence.

Influence and relationships.

If you take those things away from me, I am powerless!

The Ayatollah is praying for rain.

I'm not sure Muhammad himself could convince him

to change his mind. Do you know

how many hours I have sat with the Iranians,

with the French, with Prime Minister Graty?

I put in my time; I built relationships

with these people so that I can know

when they're headed for the deep end

and I can rein 'em in,

which is exactly what I would've done

if I were awake this morning!

I doubt that, sir.

From the moment that Iranian pilot pulled the trigger,

Prime Minister Graty was writing speeches.

All the king's horses and all the king's men

weren't going to keep her from opening her mouth.

So no, had you been in London on her doorstep

this morning, I don't think you could've reined her in.

And the funny thing is, sir,

I'm pretty sure you don't think

you could have, either.

Hey, how's everybody doing?

Fine, fine.

Great, great.

The President's speech is in the printer.

Assuming there is one.

How are they?

Dandy.

Don't you just love Valentine's Day?

( men speaking quietly in native language )

I think I'm managing to pick up a few phrases.

It's not all that different from Polish, actually.

Still on a lunch break.

Oh! They love the roast beef.

You're giving them a two hour lunch

after wasting the morning on a system of government

that's never gonna work for these people?

I wouldn't call it a waste.

These guys have to walk out of this building on Friday

with a set of laws to take back home to Minsk.

Not a set of laws-- a sense of the rule of law.

You're not planning on writing a constitution this week?

Are you familiar with Meyer v. State of Nebraska?

Nebraska passed a law making it illegal

to teach anything other than English during World War I.

Meyer wanted to teach German.

Supreme Court said the law was unconstitutional.

Good.

Now, where in the constitution does it say

you've got a right to teach German in school?

You're saying the document is irrelevant?

No, I'm saying the document is just the beginning.

A constitutional democracy

succeeds only if the constitution

reflects democratic values already alive in the citizenry.

Yes, but these Belarusians don't have those values.

Which is why our most important job

is to instill those values in their leaders

through discussion and debate.

You're talking about eight guys

on a sightseeing trip to Washington.

You think you teach democratic values to these eight guys

you're gonna reverse 50 years of brutal dictatorship?

Mr. Helakal

was known as the only

honest legislator in the government.

Mr. Lipecki

is the most respected judge in the country.

And Mr. Zubatov, well,

Mr. Zubatov is the editor-in-chief

of Sovetskaya Belorussiya.

His articles helped bring down the last dictator.

How many guys do you think it takes?

You got a cigarette?

First Lady get to you?

Yes, sir.

Come on, cough 'em up.

Aren't those bad for the MS?

You wanna play doctor, too?

Suddenly I've got 17 nursemaids.

She didn't wake me up this morning. Okay.

If I was awake this morning, I could have...

What?

Prime Minister Graty thinks you're an intellectual snob;

a Yankee-Doodle windbag.

Likely as not, you would have made things worse.

If an American dies

and there's even the slightest suspicion

of international intrigue, she's supposed to wake me.

Since when?

If I'd used that rule,

you'd be dead by now from sleep deprivation.

Damn it, Leo, five minutes ago,

you were telling me to leave it all out on the field.

Now you're telling me to stay off it?

I'm telling you to let her do her job,

so you can do yours.

C.J.: Excuse me.

Do you have a minute, ma'am?

I sent him back to work.

Yes, I saw him. Thank you.

Ma'am, I can't have you confusing my staff.

Okay.

If you have a question, a concern,

I need you to come to me.

What if I can't find you?

Find me.

You gonna take away my key to the executive washroom, too?

Ma'am...

I made a mistake this morning.

He needed to sleep.

Yes, I agree with you.

The mistake was not making the decision on my own.

You can't make these decisions by yourself.

I'm the Chief of Staff.

You're not a doctor.

It's not a medical decision.

It's a question as to whether the leader of this country

needs to be informed about something

that puts the country's citizens in jeopardy.

What he does with that information,

how he manages his disease,

those are his decisions.

He was up until midnight.

He's not managing his disease.

You're gonna have to take that up with him, ma'am.

( pager beeps )

I'm sorry. If you'll excuse me.

( door opens )

John...

thanks for sticking around.

No trouble at all, really.

We've translated two radio transmissions

from before the incident

that we'd like to share with you.

By all means.

At 02:30 Greenwich Mean Time,

we believe this is an Iranian fighter

calling in to military radar ground control in Rasht.

( man speaking foreign language )

( translating ): Unable to establish visual contact with RC-135.

Hailed on military channels.

No response; please advise.

( stops tape )

They thought it was our plane.

Here's the response

at 02:33.

( man speaking foreign language resumes )

Iranian Air Defense Command radar signal confirms aircraft

as US RC-135.

You are instructed to fire.

Now, this is all very lovely indeed,

but I'm not sure how it changes anything.

Damn it, John,

the reform movement in Iran has real promise.

Demographics are on our side.

Yes, you've been making that argument for some time now.

You're going to drive the Iranian people

right back into arms of the hard-liners.

The Iranians have a ballistic missile

that reaches 2,000 kilometers.

That's half the distance to London.

And they're making improvements.

To their weapons technology,

to their already formidable air force.

How long do you think we can wait for democracy

to sweep through Tehran?

Five years? Ten years?

Would you bet your capital on it?

We threaten to make this public.

We call an emergency meeting of the Security Council,

tell them we're going to play the intercepts.

The intercepts prove

that the Iranian Air Force shot down our plane.

The Prime Minister won't budge.

Not the Prime Minister, the Ayatollah.

The Iranian Air Defense Command couldn't tell the difference

between a commercial airliner and a spy plane.

It's a little embarrassing.

For a man who's proud of his air force.

We let the Ayatollah know what we have,

odds are, he jumps at the chance to apologize

for the actions of a rogue pilot

rather than humble Iranian Air Defense Command.

And if they issue even a vague apology...

Mr. President,

Jack Stanley and his fiancée

perished in that plane last night.

Nicolas Ashe and his three small children.

He was a fellow at Oxford.

The list goes on,

but the casualties are nothing

compared with what might happen

should Iran successfully develop a nuclear weapon.

They have over a hundred

nuclear facilities.

So, it's not a matter of three or four bombs,

it's a matter of 300 or 400.

And this regime

will not be afraid

of selling to the highest bidder.

Kate, set up the meeting

with the UN.

And have Chet get word to the Ayatollah.

He can apologize now or after he reads about it in the Times.

Yes, sir.

You do realize

the Ayatollah will be embarrassed and weakened.

He'll do nothing but redouble his nuclear efforts.

Diplomacy, John. The job of statesmen.

And I thought it was drinking and dancing.

Tell the networks they can have their time back.

The Iranians are apologizing?

Let's work on a statement for tomorrow's papers.

Where are we with Gordon?

And I always looked down my nose at beauty pageants.

You know, we should at least consider...

Yeah, give him the ticktock.

Tell him the Prime Minister was a courtesy call.

I wasn't sure Iran was involved.

I didn't think we needed to wake him.

Just because the public thinks the President's

supposed to be up, doesn't mean he's supposed to be up.

You know what the story's gonna be.

They're gonna be writing MS stories

till the end of this administration.

Give him the ticktock.

So maybe we should cancel the address.

I took care of it.

Iran's apologizing.

Britain's backing down.

There's no need for you to distance yourself from Graty.

You've got to trust me to make these decisions

or there's no point in having me in this job.

Yeah.

I spoke to Mrs. Bartlet.

From now on,

I'll be making the wake up calls on my own.

And your MS won't be a factor in my decision.

Thank you.

Sir...

these international crises drag on for days,

one rolls right into the next.

You need to take care of yourself,

because there are going to be mornings

when I'm going to have to wake you at 3:00 a.m.

Good night, sir.

Night.

Happy Valentine's Day.

That's what you're wearing to the opera?

You have a 7:00 a.m. call in the morning.

I canceled the opera.

The whole opera?

No, just the part where we give the usher the tickets...

Damn it, Abbey, I can manage my health

without you taking my pulse every five minutes!

Is that what you were doing when you decided to stay up

gossiping with the children last night?!

PRESIDENT: I was talking to Professor Lessig!

ABBEY: Oh, shove it, Jed-- "It's my disease,

it's my health, I can handle it"-- the hell you can!

You think you can run this country

on four and a half hours sleep

with secondary progressive MS?!

You're out of your mind!

( yelling continues muffled )