Original subtitles

Previously on The West Wing:

Greg Brock just released a story

about a classified military space shuttle

that could be, but hasn't yet been sent up

to rescue those astronauts.

It's a federal crime

to divulge classified information.

I want this leaker found.

C.J.: Did David ever mention anything

about a noncivilian shuttle?

Hey, I got subpoenaed. Congratulations.

You? Nope.

Last one to get a subpoena is a rotten egg.

Last one to get a subpoena

is the focus of the investigation.

Can you tell me about

the nature of your relationship with Greg Brock?

I'm the suspect?

C.J.: You would not believe the day I've had.

I'd tell you about it if I could talk about it,

but a bunch of stuff happened today that I can't talk about

so I guess I should...

stop talking about it.

But the truth is,

I'm so strung out and wired on caffeine

I can't even tell what room I'm in.

C.J.

Let's open that bottle of champagne

you gave me for my birthday.

Maybe the alcohol will balance out the caffeine.

C.J., the leak... Let's have a toast.

One final toast

before I leave the White House for my perp walk in leg irons.

Here you open it.

I'll take out your eye. C.J.

Fine, I'll open it.

But just, uh, listen to what I have to say.

Leo's in trouble.

I know.

You do?

I got a lawyer.

What?

I got a lawyer.

( clears throat softly )

I did it.

Call the White House Counsel's office,

send someone over immediately.

I just didn't want you to think...

We really can't have any further conversation

without Counsel present.

( sighs )

( knock on door )

MAN: Oh, excuse me.

I was told to come right in.

C.J.: Mike, is it?

Uh, sorry.

Mike Wayne, Associate Counsel.

Mr. Ziegler.

Toby, would you tell Mike what you just told me.

I was the one who leaked the information

about the... classified military space shuttle

to Greg Brock of the New York Times.

Where's Oliver Babish?

Out to dinner.

I'll need the key to your office.

Where are you going?

Key's on my desk.

I'll have to ask you to accompany me

directly to the Roosevelt Room.

You'll need to wait there quietly

while I retrieve your key,

lock your office, and post a uniformed

Secret Service agent at the door.

That needs to happen right now.

We're going to need the room.

There was nothing on the schedule.

Yeah. We're going to be needing the room.

Sure. Absolutely.

I'll be back as quickly as I can.

I'll have to ask you not to speak to anyone,

about anything, in my absence.

Every conversation you have from this point forward

only increases the witness list.

HELEN: Watch a movie.

SANTOS: We land in 40 minutes.

Watch part of a movie.

I have to eat my vegetables.

It's something we can do together.

Our own machines, our own headphones,

how are we doing it together?

It'll be a shared experience.

You remember those?

I have to scan the stump speech

for racial code words. Really?

Yeah, this black professor's saying

the section about immigrants "who do work Americans won't do"

is code for "the black underclass is lazy."

He's got a point. No, he doesn't.

You're not going to solve interracial sensitivity

in the next 40 minutes.

Honey, I have to do this.

( snores ) All work and no play.

You calling me a dull boy?

I'm sorry. Were you saying something?

Just try not doing that in front of the electorate.

Come on, the headphones thing should be a plus.

You hate it when I talk in movies.

You'll just get louder.

You're not going to fool me.

Thought you liked it when I got loud.

In this, as in all things, context is king.

Fine.

Try not doing that in front of voters either.

Charles.

FROST: Commander.

You're a hard man to find.

You can't be too careful.

You can, actually.

Whom will I be addressing in the Situation Room?

That would be no one.

You're not going in the Sit Room.

You're going to tell me what you have to say

and then I'm going in, but first--

you can't stalk the White House Chief of Staff.

She wouldn't return my calls.

She's a little busy helping run the free world.

I doubt she calls her mother back.

Her mother's dead and her father's Alzheimer's

so bad he'd have no idea if she ever called or not.

Do you try to come off this creepy?

'Cause, I gotta tell you, as a strategy

for getting people to take you seriously,

it leaves a bit to be desired.

Do you have any idea how thoroughly

I could get you bounced over this?

I was right, wasn't I?

"Thank you, Commander Harper,

"for letting me keep my job, which is everything to me,

as you can see by how I dress."

I was right.

Before we discuss how right or not right you are,

were, or have ever been, I need a solemn vow

you'll never ambush a senior White House official again.

I'm waiting.

Fine. Thank you.

Now let's discuss this assassination in Kazakhstan.

( indistinct TV news )

I reached Oliver Babish.

He says you owe him a raspberry panna cotta cheesecake.

C.J.: He'll live.

Longer, probably.

It's morning in Jerusalem.

You wanted to call about the Farad funeral.

Right, right.

So you... want me to...

Yeah, let's do that.

I didn't want to.

I tried not to say anything...

I'm sorry?

The Committee.

I hope my testimony didn't do anything

to make things more difficult for you.

Don't worry about it.

If I caused you any problems...

I'm sure you didn't.

I'll... I'll place that call.

ED: Toby, got a minute?

No.

LARRY: We just want to get your take on these OMB numbers.

Go away.

Okay.

All right, we'll leave them on your...

Go.

LOU: What's wrong with the word vigorous?

JOSH: Sounds like we're taking a shot at Bartlet.

LOU: We're not running against Bartlet.

We're running against a Methuselah Republican.

Vigorous isn't the opposite of old.

It's the opposite of vigor-less... ness.

It's gonna come off like we're referencing the MS.

That's a win-win in my book.

Look, Arnold Vinick isn't some broken down feeb,

doddering from one campaign stop to the next.

He's got more energy than I do.

He is inconveniently spry.

Use that. What?

Spry.

It's a word that's only used to described old people.

Ever hear of anyone under the age of 70

who's ever been called spry?

Say "old guy versus young guy" without mentioning age.

Just got the new tracking numbers.

Nine and holding.

( groans )

Couple weeks ago you were doing cartwheels

over only being nine down.

That was a couple weeks ago.

With the margin of error, it could really be just six.

When the polls spit out the same number, day in and day out,

it's time to stop talking margins of error.

Nine points is nine points.

That's what I thought then, but you all were so happy.

So, basically, you've been wrong about this twice now.

( dialing )

Alana.

Toby Ziegler.

As my attorney, you should probably know

that I just confessed...

( clears throat )

...to C.J. Cregg that I was behind the leak.

( door opens )

I'm about to be debriefed by White House Counsel.

You left him in a room with a phone?

I'll talk to you tomorrow.

( hangs up phone )

Toby.

Oliver.

Who were you talking to?

My attorney's voice mail.

My instructions were that you sit quietly.

I'm pretty sure

I used my indoor voice.

Who else have you called

or spoken to since Mike's been gone?

No one. Ed and Larry.

Who?

They stuck their heads in, wanted to run something by me,

I told them to go away.

Did you discuss the leak or the investigation

in any way?

We didn't discuss anything.

I was curt and dismissive. As instructed.

Yeah, I'm gonna need their full names and extensions.

They were here maybe ten seconds.

Mike's gonna need to speak with them.

( writing )

Thanks.

You're in some trouble.

Um... and I'm personally truly sorry about.

Thank you. Unfortunately, at the moment,

that is of incidental concern in my capacity

as White House Counsel.

You've put this administration into difficulty,

so my immediate professional concern

is whether you put the President into jeopardy as well.

So, I'm gonna have some questions for you.

Get comfortable.

We're gonna be here for a bit.

Yes.

Did anyone instruct you to leak this information?

No.

Anyone suggest you leak it?

No.

Hint?

No. Nudge? Wink?

Did anyone employ non-verbal means

of any kind to suggest--

in an explicit or implicit fashion--

that you leak this information?

No, it was conceived and executed

solely and completely on my own.

( writing )

You tell anyone you were planning on leaking this?

No.

Discuss that you were considering doing so?

No.

Did you speculate to anyone that an individual might

be inclined to contemplate making such a leak.

We're gonna be here for quite a while, aren't we?

I need you to answer the question.

No, I didn't speak to anyone, at any time,

of any scenario involving myself or someone else

thinking, planning, dreaming, or having an out-of-body experience

related to the making of this sort of leak.

That's cute, the out-of-body thing.

But I don't recommend it with the FBI,

or the Congressional committee,

the federal prosecutor,

or any of the people who'll be following me.

( writing )

ABBEY: That was lovely.

PRESIDENT: Mm. I have to call Zahavy.

I don't blame him for not wanting

to go to Farad's funeral-- I wish you didn't have to go.

Isn't that what vice presidents are for?

PRESIDENT: No. Then what good are they?

The two I've had? An enduring mystery.

God, I'm exhausted.

You haven't forgotten Ellie and Vic are coming by.

No. Our daughter's getting engaged to the fruit fly guy.

He's a research scientist.

ABBEY: Stop making him sound like something out of a horror film.

Did you know that fruit flies reproduce

at a prodigious rate?

PRESIDENT: You've been whining about more grandchildren.

I just meant they're more than usually enthusiastic.

All right.

In fact, they make bunnies look like dysfunctional prudes.

That's our daughter you're talking about. Indeed.

Yeah. How about that?

Are you...

A little. What about you?

Astonished, actually.

Why? Did you and she never discuss...

Oh, no, there are some things that are outside

even the mother- daughter bond.

At least for us-- did you and she...

We always adhered to a strict

"don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Clung to it, actually.

She is one's daughter,

and wants her to be happy in whatever.

Of course, true to herself.

There's nothing wrong with that inclination.

Nothing whatsoever.

But God Herself strike me dead, it is not to be denied

that I'm not unhappy that my daughter is straight after all.

At least straight enough to be marrying the fruit fly guy.

RONNA: Someone in the Texas AG's office

has obtained the complete medical records

of 120 women who had abortions in three of the clinics there.

Please tell me one's not in Houston.

And San Antonio.

NED: The pretext is looking for unreported cases

of sexual abuse and statutory rape.

ZEKE: But it's an obvious smoke screen.

RONNA: We've fooled with some language.

We're not commenting.

We have to. This is a state matter.

From the Congressman's home state.

I'm familiar with the bio, thanks.

It violates the spirit of Roe.

How important is Texas?

With Vinick's lock on California,

it's just the whole B.O.W.

Ball of wax. Why wade into an issue that's not gonna

gain us no one who wasn't gonna vote for us already?

NED: Because all it costs us

is people who weren't gonna vote for us anyhow.

We don't need those people-- we need them to stay home.

RONNA: Single issue pro-lifers don't like Vinick any more than us.

Why energize them?

Let's let this particular sleeping dog lie.

NED: That's crazy-- we're Democrats,

we have to come out strong

for a woman's right to choose. Ever had an abortion?

Little personal, don't you think?

Don't talk to me about what we have to do on this subject.

Whatever you say.

I was thinking while you were asleep.

I wasn't asleep.

Oh, really?

With the drooling, the twitching,

and the muttering to yourself, which might otherwise

be described as a schizophrenic episode,

I'd go with you were sleeping. Okay.

Campaign is stagnating because the poll numbers are.

Doldrums, horse latitudes.

It's still mid-August.

Wind'll pick up.

You and I need to be a stiff wind

that blows through the staff and carries a bunch away.

Way to stick with the meteorological metaphor.

Still it's a little hysterical.

LOU: This group isn't cutting it.

We're fine.

Last week the advance team went to Springfield, Illinois

for an event in Springfield, Missouri.

Every campaign has a few bumps.

We need more experienced hands.

Look around you-- we're a little heavy on the wide-eyed and dewy.

We got a young staff.

Guess what? We're Democrats.

Well, Vinick's got grown-ups.

We're running a children's crusade.

It got a virtual unknown

the Democratic presidential nomination.

Well, now it's got him

consistently tracking nine points down,

which is, I believe, a loss, and not a small one.

We start firing people,

it's gonna look like the campaign's in trouble.

The campaign is in trouble. It'll look like we noticed.

First pass of the staff list.

That's a lot of names.

Anyone you want to fight for?

Ned? He's not built for this.

He's been with the Congressman forever.

Santos'll never let me can him.

That's why he's got to go-- it'll kill morale

if you fire all these people and keep him.

So we don't fire anyone.

Keep whistling past the graveyard,

but it'll be your future gets buried

when you preside over a 49-state wipeout.

MARGARET.: Can't leave before the boss leaves. You?

KATE: Time and assassinations wait for no one.

Pithy. Thinking of putting out a line of twisted samplers.

When's your turn? With the committee?

Supposedly Friday, but if they spent all day on you...

Really looking forward to things

getting back to normal around here.

BABISH: Did you have any private conversations

with the President

regarding the existence of a military shuttle?

No.

Participate in any group discussions

on that subject that included the President?

No.

Did you have any internal White House conversations

with anyone, at any time, about the United States

possessing a classified military space shuttle?

Yes.

With whom?

Who'd you talk about it with, Toby?

C.J. Cregg.

KATE: Frost thinks...

HUTCHINSON: I know what Frost thinks-- about everything.

If it rains on a picnic,

Frost thinks Al Qaeda seeded the clouds.

SLATTERY: Why do you keep him in the job?

SLIGER: He's a good analyst.

Good analysts spend a lot of time being wrong.

HUTCHINSON: Funny, at Defense Intelligence, we like our guys to be right.

Different strokes. SLIGER: Are there Islamic extremists

who dream of a new China-to-Spain caliphate? Sure.

Do we think they're gonna start by assassinating

the Palestinian chairman and the President of Kazakhstan?

I mean, come on.

Margaret, will you call Leo for me?

BABISH: When you spoke to Greg Brock of the New York Times,

you were aware you were speaking on the record?

TOBY: I'm the White House

Communications Director-- I have a rough understanding

of the protocol involved when speaking with journalists.

BABISH: That'd be a "yes"?

TOBY: That would be an "of course."

BABISH: And your intention in conveying this information to Greg Brock

was that it be published in his newspaper? Yes.

You were aware this information was classified?

Excuse me?

Can you answer the question?

You're asking me if I knew

that the military space shuttle was classified?

One of the most closely-held

pieces of information I've experienced

in my seven and a half years in the White House?

Which no one would so much as hint at,

much less acknowledge, much less ever actually discuss?

Which revelation of same

caused a governmental security crisis,

international consternation,

and the launching of three separate investigations?

You're asking me if I realized it was classified?

Yeah, I had a vague inkling.

Were you personally authorized to have this information?

Alana Waterman, Mr. Babish.

I'm Mr. Ziegler's attorney,

And as such, I must inform counsel that my client

will not be answering any further questions.

It's okay, thank you.

No, it's most certainly not okay,

and you're not to say anything else.

You know, I'm really getting fed up to here with lawyers

ordering me around. Probably should've considered that

before passing state secrets

to New York Times Reporters, which brings up:

did you leak to anyone other than Greg Brock?

Do not answer that. No.

If I may have a word in private with my client?

I'll be right outside.

( door closes )

I really appreciate your concern,

but I am taking full responsibility,

and I am prepared and ready to face the consequences.

Well, that's very noble and very stupid. Thank you.

You have to listen to me now.

If you were truly the only one involved...

I was. Well, then that's unfortunate,

because it means you have no bigger fish

to turn over to the prosecutor, which is what he

and the Congress will be looking for, and obviously

would've been the best and fastest way to make a deal.

I don't care about that.

Well, it's my job to, and we're not starting

with a lot of bargaining chips.

And we have less

every time you open your mouth.

I'm not looking to cut a deal. Oh, really?

'Cause the last time I checked the sentencing guidelines,

even for somebody who's a first-time offender,

were 63 to 78 months jail time.

63 to 78-- how do they come up with those numbers?

Pick out of a hat?

Dart board? You have an obligation...

Please, don't bring up my kids!

When you hire someone

like me, you take on a responsibility.

To my reputation.

If you decide you want to go down

in some quasi-orgasmic blaze

of self-pitying, self-destructive,

self-aggrandizing attempted glory,

all anyone's going to say is, "How did Alana Waterman,

"that smart, tough, savvy, Washington in-fighter,

"let her client do something so crushingly

boneheaded moronic as to get himself

six years in jail?!

Now, you have a decision to make.

If you want me to continue as your attorney,

when the White House Counsel reenters the room,

you either decline

to answer any further questions, or you watch me walk

not only out of this room,

but off the case.

( door opens, closes )

Who was it who first informed you of the existence

of a classified military space shuttle?

I decline to answer on the advice of counsel.

Please wait here.

( door opens, closes )

Well, you certainly earned your fee today.

I'm deeply gratified that you decided to heed my guidance.

No, I just meant it was the first time tonight

he used the word "please."

If you gentlemen are done for the night,

you should probably go home.

KATE: C.J.

Catch me up.

HUTCHINSON: Commander Harper's been entertaining us-- well,

given the hour, I'm not sure entertaining is the right word--

with her theory on this assassination in Kazakhstan.

C.J.: Mr. Secretary, through no fault of your own,

your customary default acerbity,

which some might characterize as snide,

but which I never fail to find delightful,

is perhaps not the right tone

for my particular mood this particular evening.

Now, would you catch me up?

KATE: Assassination's been a historic tactic

of Russian security services.

I feel there's reason to look in their direction.

The Russians and Kazakhs are allies.

KATE: Kazakhstan's been cozying up to Beijing.

They recently announced the establishment

of a strategic partnership.

KATE: This is on top of the oil pipeline

the Kazakhs had already agreed to build to China.

When they announced this alliance, they took pains

to stress it wasn't directed against any third party.

Doth protesting perhaps a bit much.

You buying this?

We're catching her up.

KATE: Moscow's not thrilled with this budding relationship.

Not only is it competitive

with Russia's own oil interests,

but it's emblematic of China's growing dominance in the region.

Who takes over in Kazakhstan with Issenov dead?

Constitutionally, Prime Minister Tarimov.

SLIGER: Who has ties that go back to Moscow from the USSR days.

It's Russia's interests that are most directly served

by removing the sitting President.

What will the Chinese do?

That's the question.

Russia and China, eyeball to eyeball in Central Asia.

Over oil.

HUTCHINSON: With 900 U.S. Marines stuck

right in the middle.

Oh, God!

This is so scary!

JOSH: Congressman, you got a minute?

Yeah, sure.

What's she watching?

That latest Rob Zombie film.

Seems to be enjoying it. ( Helen screams )

I guess.

SANTOS: You a big Rob Zombie fan?

I prefer his earlier, funnier

movies.

Lou and I have been discussing the staff.

What about them? Making some changes.

HELEN: Are you kidding me?

SANTOS: She's not

talking to you.

JOSH: The campaign's not hitting

on all cylinders.

Could be time for a mid-course correction.

How many people are we talking about?

About 45.

HELEN: You can't be serious.

You can't do that.

It's a lot of people. HELEN: It'll look

like panic.

We can bring in more operatives with experience and savvy.

HELEN: Have we been turning them away?

"I'm sorry, you can't work for us.

You have too much experience and savvy?"

JOSH: We need to make some changes.

Are we panicked?

No. 'Course not.

Well, you're running this thing.

It is a big layoff, and it's gonna get noted

in the press, but if you think it's needed...

I do.

One of the people is Ned Carlson.

HELEN: What?

JOSH: I know he's been with you a long time; I'm sure

he was a real asset in the Congressional office...

You can't fire Ned. JOSH: ...but he is not

cut out for this.

The pace, thinking fast on your feet...

Send him back to the Congressional office.

( Josh clears his throat )

And we will get him something

in the administration once we're in.

Matt...

Anyone not getting the job done is gonna go.

Do you want to be the one to tell him?

You can take care of it.

Mrs. Santos.

BABISH: That's as far as I got before his attorney intervened.

C.J.: Do you feel you got the whole story?

Toby mentioned he discussed the existence

of the military shuttle with you.

He did.

Did you direct him to leak the information?

I did not.

Urge it? No.

Subtly hint?

Absolutely not.

Why, did Toby give any indication that I had?

No.

His account matches yours.

It's important that everyone's stories are in sync.

They are. That's because it's the truth.

Have you discussed this with anyone since

Mike and you last spoke?

No.

No comment on what's been going on in the Roosevelt Room

or Toby's office?

Of course not.

And others you've encountered will so testify?

Yes.

Spoken to anyone outside the building?

No.

And the White House phone logs will so confirm?

I placed a call to Leo McGarry.

For what purpose?

For what purpose, C.J.?

I didn't reach him.

But had you, was your intention to discuss the fact

that Toby Ziegler was the White House leak?

I didn't reach him.

He and you should be very glad about that.

What, if any, message did you leave?

I told Margaret not to leave any,

that it wasn't anything important.

Were those your exact words?

I don't know, I...

I may have said not to even mention that I called.

You have between now

and tomorrow morning-- when I imagine

the first question will come about this--

to consider whether you had a particular reason

to phone Leo McGarry this evening,

other than discussing courses of action

in dealing with this news regarding Toby Ziegler--

which might, to outsiders,

appear like consideration of a cover-up.

It's time to tell the President.

What will be the recommendation of the Counsel's office?

The same as yours.

( glasses clinking )

PRESIDENT: Congratulations.

ABBEY: I want to see that ring.

Oh, it's lovely.

ELLIE: You don't think it's too big?

Oh, there no such thing, dear.

( laughter ) Almost got you

a rebate there.

I, uh, only wish I could have afforded an even bigger one.

Hmm.

ABBEY: Well, I want to hear all about the proposal.

Tell me everything.

We went for a mountain bike ride

to a secluded spot in Rock Creek Park.

We did it there.

ABBEY: Oh.

I did it there.

Romantic.

ELLIE: Very. The two of us and

my Secret Service detail.

Mm.

When are you thinking about having the wedding?

As soon as possible.

PRESIDENT: We don't want to distract

from the election, of course,

but any time after that could work.

A White House wedding at Christmas?

I don't... I don't think she wants that.

What? To do it here.

What could be more wonderful?

Oh, no, no, undoubtedly.

A White House wedding would be very beautiful

and terribly romantic, but inevitably,

it would be quite a bit of a spectacle.

You know, and of all of us, Ellie has been the one

who's most shied away from the spotlight.

Why don't you consider having the wedding

after your father has left the office entirely?

Sure. If you want to turn your back

on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Hopefully, the wedding is

the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

You would seriously consider

not getting married in the White House?

Well, you could do something

very private at the farm.

Where,

at the moment, is

the less pressing concern.

There's another consideration

that may need to take precedence.

As far as scheduling goes.

And, you know,

why we...

might not want to... wait.

Oh.

Well,

we should probably get right on to scheduling that then.

NANCY: I'm sorry for the interruption, Mr. President. Hmm?

Ma'am, Ellie.

Nancy, this is our... new...

son-in-law to be, Vic Faison.

NANCY: Oh, nice to meet you.

Congratulations.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

NANCY: Sir, uh, C.J. and Oliver Babish

would like to speak with you.

Of course. Excuse me, please.

Oh.

TOBY: Self-aggrandizing and self-destructive?

I was trying to make a point.

Quasi-orgasmic might have been a bit much.

Oh, colorful rhetoric-- occupational hazard.

Why'd you do it?

To save lives.

Your brother was an astronaut.

Astronauts' lives in the short term.

Start a discussion about whether we want

to extend mankind's capacity for warfare into the heavens.

The weaponization of space.

I believe in an open society.

You debate these things in the light of day.

That's what's supposed to happen in a democracy.

Yes, global pacifism, freedom of information.

These are things that people will rally around.

We can get a lot of lefty support.

College campuses, Hollywood...

Good. Help defray my legal expenses.

I'm serious.

So am I. I know what you charge.

A couple of well-placed editorials,

some cable news spots, public demonstrations.

This could be very helpful.

Certainly not gonna hurt, huh?

Won't keep me out of jail.

There's a lesser criminal statute,

35 USC 799, which makes it a misdemeanor

to disobey a regulation set forth

by the NASA administrator.

Penalty's likely a fine,

no more than a year's jail time.

Yeah, I know, it's a little

pie-in-the-sky around the edges.

Keep thinking, Counselor.

It's what you're good at.

Toby.

Is it possible to be astonished

and, at the same time, not surprised?

BABISH: I've debriefed him, sir.

It seems to have involved no one else.

C.J.: Obviously, there will be a partisan push

to probe past Toby to cause us

and the Santos campaign more difficulty.

The fact that there's no there there

should limit the other side's ability to get traction.

The political fallout is not my first concern.

BABISH: We should move quickly, sir.

C.J.: Oliver's pointed out that not only

do we not want the appearance of a cover-up,

we don't want the appearance of, even for a moment,

having considered anything but full and immediate disclosure.

I'll make a statement.

And Toby...

I'll take care of that, sir.

No.

Bring him here.

BABISH: Respectfully, Mr. President, you should not be

in the same room with Toby Ziegler.

He is radioactive, sir,

potentially toxic to the presidency.

Thank you for your counsel, but I have to do this myself.

Then I have to insist on being present.

Give me a moment.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you, sir.

( sighs )

God.

See, this is what puts people off.

Lurking.

No one likes a lurker.

How'd it go in there?

For your theory?

Not well.

I think there's a better one.

Can't be better if it's wrong.

Good night, Charles.

The pattern is so patently obvious, children,

even kindergartners would see it!

I am trying to save everyone's

jobs, okay?!

What?

All right, your theory, what is it? Tell me.

It's a pretty scary scenario, actually.

It leads to Russia and China on the brink of confrontation,

two neighboring nuclear powers, India and Pakistan,

poised to pick sides,

Japan and the United States

being drawn in against their will.

It's your basic horror show--

World War Three nightmare.

Very cool.

Do you want to grab coffee?

Ned, hang on a minute.

What's up?

Am I in trouble?

You know this kind of thing

is never easy, but we've decided to make a change.

Sorry?

We're shaking up the staff

and you're one of the people we're going to let go.

I'm sorry.

You're joking.

I'm not.

You're firing me?

It's reassignment, back to the Congressional office.

No, um, you don't fire me.

Does the Congressman know about this?

He signed off on it. Yeah.

Well, due respect,

I'm really going to have to hear it from him.

He's going straight to the meet-and-greet

and then, I really hope, straight to bed.

Well, he's going to need to find some time.

Listen to me. Talking to the Congressman isn't going to change anything.

I want to thank you for all your hard work.

Screw you.

You know,

you can fire as many of us grunts as you want,

but you want to know why this campaign is floundering,

look in the mirror.

C.J.?

Something break in the leak investigation?

Since I'm supposed to be heading it...

I can't talk about this right now.

I feel like I owe you an apology.

You don't.

And I really can't discuss this right now.

The President wants to see you.

Just Toby.

I'm afraid I have a problem with that.

I'm sure I didn't just hear you invite yourself

into the Oval Office.

You're hearing me request that the courtesy of an invitation

be extended to Mr. Ziegler's attorney

or my client's not going anywhere.

TOBY: It's okay.

Toby.

It's all right. Go home.

( knocks )

Mr. President.

Toby.

I was hoping we would be able to speak in private, sir.

Your actions have pretty much made that impossible.

I haven't had much time to absorb this news,

so I'll apologize in advance

if I express any half-formed thoughts.

But the one thought that hits the hardest

is that this was somehow inevitable.

That you've always been heading for this sort of crash and burn,

that self-righteous superiority.

Not that you were smarter than everyone.

That you were purer, morally superior.

Due respect, sir,

I don't think I'm morally superior to everyone.

No.

Just to me.

Sir, I've drawn up a letter of resignation.

What is that, the third one?

Rip it up.

Sir?

I can't accept your resignation.

I have to fire you.

For cause.

BABISH: You'll need to turn in your credentials.

A guard will come to escort you from the building immediately.

You may not take anything out with you.

All personal effects will be

sent to your home after Counsel staff

has catalogued the contents of your office.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Toby.

When you walk out of here, there'll be people out there,

perhaps a great many, who will think of you as a hero.

I just don't, for a moment, want you thinking

I'll be one of them.

C.J.: Hey.

Is he in?

Thanks.

Hey.

Hey, what's up?

I'm offering...

well, um, not so much offering as dragooning you

to be the new White House Communications Director,

starting immediately.

Congratulations.

I'll smooth things over with the V.P.,

but first, you should know the President's making a statement

in, oh, three or so minutes in which he'll announce

that Toby Ziegler has been fired

for an egregious national security violation.

( whispers ): Toby.

Said termination taking place within the hour

of Mr. Ziegler's confession of responsibility for this act.

Uh, does the President want me to help with the statement?

I think he's got a pretty good handle on

what he's going to say.

White House Counsel sealed Toby's office,

so feel free to use Annabeth's old one for the time being,

which, come to think of it, used to be yours.

Funny how things work out.

Not so funny, really.

No, not so much.

Rough in there.

To be expected.

I thought he'd thank you for your service.

He's angry.

Someone should thank you for your service.

AGENT: Mr. Ziegler?

I'll need your hard pass, sir.

If you'll come with me.

PRESIDENT: Good evening.

Less than an hour ago,

White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler

confessed to making an unauthorized disclosure

of classified national security information

to a reporter from the New York Times newspaper.

This admission was promptly brought to my attention

and Mr. Ziegler was immediately fired from his position

in this administration, effective at once.

He's been relieved of his credentials

and asked to leave the White House directly.

Authorities at the Federal Bureau of Investigation

and the office of the federal prosecutor have been alerted...

( no audio )