Original subtitles

Previously on The West Wing...

NSC just got a call.

There's a China, Russia, Kazakhstan thing happening.

When are you thinking about having the wedding?

As soon as possible.

Oh.

Tarimov has stronger ties to the Russians.

And he killed the China oil deal, and China's pissed.

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.

HARPER: What's likely is that China

is massing troops on the border of Kazakhstan.

Worst case scenario, two nuclear powers

are positioning themselves to actively engage

in an armed conflict over oil.

( classical music plays )

( President humming )

Dad.

You're not really going to sing along.

I thought I had a solo.

Or tell jokes.

None?

After the ceremony.

Short ones. Preferably not during the toast.

I have to give a toast?

Dad.

Now you lift the veil...

give her a kiss...

walk over here...

and sit.

Kinda far from the action, isn't it?

You're not performing the ceremony.

I wasn't asked to.

Sir? I'm sorry to interrupt.

No, that's quite all right.

He was about to go into his Spencer Tracy routine.

There's been an escalation in Kazakhstan.

We've picked up three Russian military convoys

heading for the border.

I'm gonna need to step out.

Well, uh...

my apologies, everyone.

I'm afraid I'll have to meet you all at dinner.

Don't slip away, young lady.

We need to practice our dance.

Father.

DEBBIE: I told them you were busy.

Yeah.

I hear there's a rehearsal dinner tonight, swanky affair,

President of the United States is supposed to show.

He's got 15 minutes.

So now the Russians are invading?

I just got off the phone with State.

The Russians say they're sending in advisors

at the Kazakh President's request.

Advisors with AK-47s and riot gear?

Pretty much.

President Tarimov's got to be nervous,

with the Chinese camped out at the border

and his own people ready to storm the palace gate.

Not nervous enough to reschedule elections.

The Chinese seeing what we're seeing?

The Chinese won't enter the country unprovoked,

but if those convoys cross the border...

Debbie!

38 seconds. Nice work, Commander.

I'm gonna need the Russian Ambassador,

the Chinese Ambassador and my wife.

Probably not in that order.

PRESIDENT: Yes, Mr. Ambassador,

but if we could focus on...

Yes, Yuri.

Yes, it should be a lovely affair, but...

But, listen, if those convoys enter Kazakhstan...

No, I'm not sure who's doing the flower arrangements.

Mr. President, I hate to interrupt,

but we've got Secretary Hutchinson on the other line.

Thank you, C.J.

Yuri, you'll communicate my concerns

to President Chigorin?

Yes, we'll speak later.

Thank you.

Flower arrangements.

He's stalling.

Where are the convoys?

30 miles from the border.

And Pakistan just issued a statement

warning that Chinese interference

in Central Asia will not be tolerated.

You want the Chinese Ambassador?

Get him on the phone.

Hey. Just wanted to give you guys a heads up.

Governor Baker has decided

to join us at tomorrow morning's rally.

We've added a half hour to the event.

What about the wedding? We'll be wheels up at noon.

The Congressman should have plenty

of time to get to the White House.

Have you seen the new Zogby poll?

I have. Six weeks to go, you're still seven points down.

You guys concerned?

We drew record crowds in Jersey today.

We got a four point bump on the debate.

The Economist said a Santos Presidency might be

the best thing to happen to race relations in this country

since the Civil Rights Act.

I'd say we're gaining ground.

( all clamoring ) You haven't been... you haven't been

within five points of Vinick in a month.

We're a little more focused on the state polls.

I've got a senior Democrat

on record saying it's time to shake things up.

He should look at a map, do the electoral math.

This race is tighter than you think.

SANTOS: We really want to go dark in Arizona?

We picked up two points there last week.

We're still trailing by seven.

We can't pull the money from anywhere else?

Vinick's challenging us across the board.

With California in his pocket, we have to sweep

Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida.

That means

putting every available dollar in those four states.

LEO: We've cut all we can

out of the places where we're actually competitive.

Okay.

Move the ad money from Arizona into, uh...

Houston and Miami.

We done with the bloodletting?

We go dark in Washington, Maine, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona.

These 12 are still in play.

SANTOS: Thanks, everybody.

I'll try to catch my kids before they go to sleep.

Leo.

You guys have to narrow down

the board like this eight years ago?

Sure.

Six weeks out, only so much in the war chest,

gotta manage your resources.

Feels like we're closing a lot of doors here.

Good strategy always does.

PRESIDENT: Yes, of course, Mr. Ambassador, but...

We've been over this.

It's three convoys. They're not invading.

Yes, but as I've said, if...

If the Chinese Army enters the country...

Yes, I'll convey your thoughts.

Yes. You, too, Yahlin. Thank you.

How long before the convoys reach Kazakhstan?

Actually, they've stopped.

A few miles from the border.

Are they refueling or pitching tents?

Hard to know.

I'm gonna go with tents.

I want a full briefing in the morning.

Yes, sir.

If those convoys start moving again... Yeah.

'Night. 'Night.

Are they still in the Red Room?

DEBBIE: They were 20 minutes ago.

Do you want me to follow up with Berryhill?

No, I got it.

All right if I...

Yeah. No, wait a minute.

The Chinese Ambassador's coming to the wedding.

Okay.

I can't remember who he's sitting with.

Hopefully not the Russians.

State eyeballed the seating chart, right?

One of Berryhill's deputies. Couple of weeks ago.

Maybe I should take a look.

Yeah.

BRAM: DNC fundraising totals

and the changes to tomorrow's schedule.

Thanks.

If you could sign off on those before you leave for D.C.

Five states dark.

A lot of contested Congressional races,

and a lot of guys going to have trouble

getting Democrats to the polls if we jump ship.

Yeah, we're not gonna be very popular.

You want me the new tracking numbers before we go public?

Sure.

Right, and we'll want local press

from south Jersey and the Philly suburbs.

Great. Thanks, Edie.

Did you get the photo op with the Governor?

Santos, Baker and a cheesesteak.

Make it a hoagie.

Advance said he should get a cheesesteak.

Trust me, make it a hoagie.

Press is a little antsy.

Yeah. Tell 'em national polls are meaningless.

Staff's a little antsy, too. Yeah.

You guys have been behind closed doors

since we got to Philly. Killer game of Boggle.

Since we got to Philly.

Donna...

There's a rumor we're pulling out of Arizona.

Okay, I need you to kill that rumor.

Is that because we're moving money into Illinois?

LOU: Josh. Joshua!

We just picked up five points in Illinois.

What?

Illinois tracking poll.

We're... we're down by nine points.

Not anymore.

Let me see that. What's going on?

We're only down four in Illinois.

Really? We've barely spent any money there.

I'm going to call you back.

This could be a mistake.

We should have Joey re-run this in the morning.

No, this has gotta be the Trib.

The Tribune endorsement put us within four?

JOSH: Wow.

Four points, the state's in play.

LOU: We need

a big media buy, huge.

Maybe a swing through Chicago, this week.

21 electoral votes.

Close a door, open a roof.

LOU: I'm thinking a 1500 rating points buy?

Maybe 2,000?

Where the hell are we gonna get the money?

ABBEY: Nice of you to drop by.

PRESIDENT: I missed dinner.

Only by an hour and a half.

( sighs )

Don't worry, Ellie had a wonderful time.

I, on the other hand,

was stuck in a corner with Vic's uncle.

A botanist.

You would have liked him.

I'm getting too old for this job.

Really.

It was their relatives, who we don't particularly know,

and our relatives, who we don't particularly like.

They understood.

The Faisons were so busy playing host,

they barely noticed.

Although we did decide on Uncle Norman

as a possible stand-in for you tomorrow.

A stand-in?

Worst case scenario.

Uncle Norman?

He is a bit of a tippler,

but he's reliably punctual when there's an open bar.

You'll have time

to practice the dance with Ellie before the wedding.

I'll find her tomorrow.

Sure. Well, you know we do have

the foreign dignitaries gift reception

starting with the Bermudian Ambassador at 9:00.

Okay.

And hair at 10:00, make-up at 11:30...

( elevator bell dings )

LOU: Maybe we could

pull some money out of New York.

No, we need to be at full force in New York

so we can shore up northern Jersey.

What about Missouri?

We're starting to see some movement

in the independents in St. Louis.

Iowa?

Yeah, but Chicago's pretty pricey.

Des Moines and Cedar Rapids won't make much of a dent.

I was really looking forward to a hot bath.

Well, conference room, five minutes.

Three day schedule, point buys for the weekend,

couple of calls.

Yeah? Anything urgent?

You got ten state party chairs

worried you're gonna pull local advertising.

Anything else?

Folks in Illinois seem pretty excited.

Yeah? Who called?

Uh... Congressmen Sloan,

Gabus, Arrow, Leiter, both Senators and the Governor.

What about the guy

who's running the DNC field operation in Chicago?

Three times in the last half hour.

Get him on the phone.

See if we can fit him in for breakfast tomorrow.

Okay, you realize you have a breakfast

every half hour between 8:00 until 1:00.

( phone rings ) The later ones must be lunches.

Yeah.

DONNA: Tomorrow's photo op? Yeah.

The Governor's office

said Baker'd be having a cheesesteak.

Okay. Howard in advance

is worried about the comparative visual.

They think the hoagie's gonna look weak?

I believe his exact words were "pansy-ass."

Howard's from Philly, right?

Uh-huh.

Okay, go with the cheesesteak.

Yeah.

But, uh, prep him on how to order it.

No Swiss, no Muenster, he gets it with sauce and Whiz.

Whiz?

Cheez Whiz. Ask Howard.

And no onions.

He's got a photo op with the President at the wedding.

I don't want him knocking him over

with the breath. Got it.

Thanks, guys.

( sighs )

I'm getting calls about Illinois.

Well, tell them we're excited.

Press is wondering who decided not to contest the state.

Tell them I did.

Tell them I also made the decision

not to contest Georgia, where we're down by 11,

and not to contest Mississippi, where we're down 15.

You ready? Yeah.

I got to go.

ABBEY: I think I can

pencil you in

between the pictures and the ceremony.

Yeah.

Besides, rumor has it

that you're gonna have a little chat

with the groom tomorrow morning.

I am.

Well, that will be lovely, I'm sure.

What? I did it with Doug.

Yeah.

I don't recall that as being an unqualified success.

Well, now I've had a run at it.

You do know that talking him out of marrying your daughter

is not an option.

Yeah.

You really think it's not an option?

( TV plays quietly in the background )

New Hampshire, Iowa, Wisconsin.

Pull out of the original five.

We go dark in New Hampshire.

We halve the ad buy

in Wisconsin and Iowa.

You sure?

Yeah.

Hallelujah. Do you want me to call the media team?

No. I'm meeting with a couple of Congressmen

from Wisconsin tomorrow.

Let me break the news to them first.

Okay. I'm going to head out.

Wait.

Oh!

( sighs )

( TV continues playing )

No, this is right. We got it.

MAN ( on TV ): No question the latest Illinois tracking polls

change this race dramatically...

( sighs )

...throw a whole new light on the electoral map,

but at Santos' headquarters,

I'm not entirely certain they should be celebrating.

Look, they picked up five points in Illinois.

Sure, it's terrific news,

but the question we need to be asking is,

why wasn't Santos there in the first place?

And if you ask me, it's a pretty big tactical error

on the part of Josh Lyman.

Need a ride?

Illinois' 21 electoral votes

No, I got to finish up a few things.

are a huge factor, gigantic.

Suit yourself.

Lyman should have been watching the sampling in Evanston.

Of course, this campaign is still salvageable,

but he certainly can't afford

to make another Illinois-sized mistake,

which is why I think some people have begun

to question whether Josh Lyman is the right guy

to take the Santos campaign down the stretch.

to "Sorge Nel Petto," the aria Goffredo sings

to his daughter in Handel's Rinaldo.

The aria was picked for its beauty and its text,

which translates roughly

to "A certain delight surges from my breast

and promises to calm my heart."

That's lovely.

I made it up. Don't tell.

There's nothing better on?

Well, I like to start the weekend

with a little post game analysis, you know, stay sharp.

Uh, no. Ellie decided

to go with the pau de soir Monique Lhuillier

instead of the lace Vera Wang.

Uh-huh.

Is there something you need?

Need to take a look

at the seating chart for the wedding reception.

Sure.

Pau de soir?

Apparently, it's soft, yet supple.

Oh, and it drapes beautifully.

Yeah.

Who put the British Royals at the table

with the German Ambassador?

Ah, still smarting over the World Cup Match?

Well, that and the devaluation of the pound.

Right.

How about we swap in the Scottish ambassador?

Hmm. Queen and the Scottish ambassador had a thing.

A thing?

It was a while back, but still. Sure.

Do you mind if I take this for a little while?

New Hampshire, Iowa, Wisconsin.

Good morning to you, too.

You here to sit with Jarin?

And then Trotman and Alexander. You?

Uh, Chicago field rep, Cooper,

Steel, Goldin, Walvick.

I'm thinking New Hampshire, Iowa, Wisconsin.

Did you get some sleep?

We cut New Hampshire, pull money out of Iowa and Wisconsin.

Really, you got to pace yourself.

I mean, New Hampshire's a no-brainer.

I'm serious. You should be getting at least five hours.

Only four electoral votes.

We're paying a premium 'cause the ad buy's out of Boston.

Soon you're gonna be at two hours a night,

and it only gets worse if we win.

Leo.

New Hampshire.

Yeah.

It's not worth the ad buy.

Iowa and Wisconsin.

Iowa, sure.

How much we up in Wisconsin?

Three points, and the Illinois ad buy

should carry into Wisconsin.

You considered cutbacks in Missouri?

We're only down two points. I don't want to cede the state.

Sounds right.

Got to go make nice with the fat cats.

Yeah. Pick some pockets, will you?

Get some sleep.

Yeah. Josh?

Stan Mitchell, DNC field op, Chicago. Stan, thanks for flying out.

I've been telling you guys we got a shot in Illinois.

Just wish you'd called sooner.

Just tell me we can get the full field operation ready

by November 8.

To be honest, you're asking for a six month job in six weeks.

Sure, we can get it up, but it's gonna cost you.

MAN: In Bermuda, it is traditional to place a cedar sapling

atop the wedding cake and then plant it

at the home of the bride and groom.

I bring this sapling

from Warwick Pond,

one of the few surviving cedar forests on the island.

May it grow with your love.

Thank you very much.

You are most welcome.

Mr. Ambassador.

ABBEY: It's beautiful.

Yes.

We'll keep it off the cake.

Yes.

The French Ambassador,

the honorable Julian Lefort.

Bonjour, Monsieur.

How many of these do we have?

There were a couple of additions--

the Greek Ambassador, the Latvians.

The Romanian Foreign Minister happens to be in town.

All told, that brings us to... 71.

The hairdresser comes at 10:00.

Maybe we ought to skip Romania.

Or all of Eastern Europe.

The three convoys--

they're still holding at the Kazakhstan border?

Yes, sir.

Their restraint is admirable.

HUTCHINSON: Maybe not. Our keyhole

satellites took these photographs

of the Russian military base in Omsk

two hours ago.

Looks like a couple of battalions.

Close to 100,000 men.

They've got to be posturing.

Sure, but 100,000 Russians to the west,

one sixth of the Chinese army to the east...

We should consider evacuating the marine base outside Ayaguz.

KATE: The base is critical

to our interests in Central Asia.

Not to mention that both sides are gonna have one less

reason to restrain themselves once we pull out.

C.J.: Yeah, you're talking about

leaving 9,000 Marines in the middle

of a wrestling match between two 800,000 pound gorillas.

How do we get our men out?

Airlift to the Arabian Sea.

Can I get you anything?

No, thank you.

Water?

No.

Coffee?

No.

Valium?

How long will it take after I give the word?

72 hours,

assuming our ships are in position.

( knock at door ) Yeah?

Your 10:00 is starting to melt.

Yeah, send him in.

Move a dozen evac transports into theArabian Sea

and put them on ready alert. Yes, sir.

C.J., let's get the Kazakhstan ambassador

in here tomorrow.

See if we can't convince them to reschedule elections before

their country becomes a rugby field.

Gentlemen, my future son-in-law.

Congratulations.

Thank you. Thank you, sir.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Sir.

Thank you.

Sir.

Tell me you didn't plan that.

COOPER: You go dark in Wisconsin...

Congressman, we're just talking about trimming the ad buy.

If anything, we need more money in the state.

We still have a 500 point buy in Green Bay,

a 500 point buy in Milwaukee...

Vinick's got 1,500 points out of Green Bay,

Milwaukee, Madison.

He's outspending you guys two to one. ( phone rings )

I can try to have the Congressman

make a few stops in Wisconsin...

Come on. You know it's all about the media buy.

Now, look, I know Vinick's pressuring you everywhere,

and I'm thrilled you've made headway in Illinois,

but we've got six contested congressional districts

in Wisconsin, not to mention a very tough Senate race.

( phone rings )

Without national ad support,

we could lose every one of those campaigns.

You need to take that?

I do.

( sighs )

You're up four in Jersey and three in Michigan.

You should trim back there.

Thanks for stopping by, Congressman.

Appreciate your input.

Hey, how was Philly?

DONNA: Pretty good.

Pretty good.

Did you get the photo op?

No, we got it. Little problem with the cheese steak, though.

He screwed up the order.

Sauce and whiz, no onions.

That sounds fine.

The whiz got a little drippy.

How drippy?

He probably should have ordered the hoagie.

Who was at the photo op?

AP, Reuters, the Times,

Le Monde... We figure

it's probably front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Any way you'd like me to spin it?

"Acts like a man, eats like a man?"

Uh, I got to go.

Josh.

Senator.

Great news about Illinois.

Absolutely.

Nice to have it in play. Sure.

Shame we didn't start there earlier.

Well, we had some other places we had to be.

At 21 electoral votes I'd have thought

it'd be a little higher on the priority list.

We're only up by six in New York.

Any states we're losing by ten doesn't get a lot of attention.

So long as we start investing there now.

There's no question.

Listen, I heard a rumor you're thinking

about pulling money out of Iowa.

We're thinking about pulling money out of a lot of places.

As goes Iowa, so goes the Midwest.

I'd cut back in Philadelphia.

See you at the wedding, Josh.

Yes, sir.

( sighs )

You... done?

Uh, just about.

Want to take a look?

Sure.

( sighs )

The Canadian Prime Minister won't mind being stuck

in the corner?

It's for the best. He's a little grabby.

Really?

Brings a whole new meaning to "O Canada!"

K.H. plus one?

Oh, that's me.

President wanted someone from the NSC to go.

Smooth over any international incidents?

Prevent, more like.

Sure. You're not going?

Wasn't invited.

I was concerned it might have something to do

with my encounter with the happy couple last weekend, but

I hear it's a small affair.

Is there something on my...?

Do you own a tux?

Excuse me?

I mean, I was just gonna go stag, but...

if you're not busy later,

don't have anything...

to do.

You clean up nice.

Don't start. I already got it from Helen.

Philadelphia cheese steak--

it's a political rite of passage.

Yeah, wait until you see the pictures. It's...

It's only gonna endear you to the Eagles fans in Philly

and south Jersey.

Had a little chat with Baker.

How is the Governor?

He's concerned. He's concerned about the campaign,

wondering why we weren't in Illinois,

why we're not spending more in Pennsylvania.

Monday morning quarterbacking.

It's a favorite pastime in Philadelphia.

He's not the only one that's concerned.

I've gotten calls.

Josh?

We're six weeks out,

still down seven, vultures are gonna swarm.

I just want to make sure

they're not swarming for a reason.

No one else I'd rather have running this campaign.

Congressman, you wanted to screen the new Texas ad buy?

Yeah. I'll see you down there in ten?

Yeah.

Josh?

Think we should cut the media buy in Missouri?

Aren't you supposed to be at the...

Missouri or maybe New York.

To pay for Illinois?

We should also take a harder look at Michigan.

I just called the media team to pull the money out of Wisconsin.

Yeah, we're gonna hold off on that.

Josh, your car's ready.

I'll call you after the wedding.

I know you think this is probably old-fashioned,

but, frankly, it's much more humane than it used to be.

Abbey's father made me take a six-hour hike with him

through the woods outside Montpelier

in the dead of winter.

At least it felt like six hours.

( chuckles )

Of course I was still a grad student then,

whereas you're almost a tenured professor.

Isn't that right?

Ah, yes, um, at least the Dean suggested--

I mean, in the next few years...

Good, good.

'Cause, before you know it, you'll have a house and kids...

( knock on door )

Yeah?

Sir, the guests are starting to arrive.

Yeah. You should be

heading back to the residence to change.

You don't want to be

late to the cocktail hour you're hosting.

Thank you, Debbie.

Well, thanks for dropping by.

Sir, was there something that you wanted to discuss?

No, no. I just thought, you know, when you have a daughter,

you'd just like to know.

You really want to know whether...

Ah, hell, just tell me you decided to marry her

before you got her pregnant.

11 months, two weeks and three days.

Excuse me?

That's when I decided to marry her.

A year ago. On our third date.

What was the matter with the first two?

I'll see you at the end of the aisle.

Yeah, we're gonna need the new numbers from Michigan, too.

Yeah. Thanks, Otto.

Ah, Josh, he's a big blowhard.

C.J., Mr. Chairman.

Former chairman, Josh.

Wishful thinking, maybe.

No, those of us on the sidelines

can see what a great job he's doing.

I appreciate that, sir.

Now if we can just get this one to run for something.

Good to see you, Josh. You, too, sir.

Keep up the good work. Appreciate it.

Barry Goodwin running the party, those were the days, huh?

Yeah.

You guys must be excited.

Huh?

Illinois.

Yeah. Hopefully, we can afford it.

Pinching pennies?

Pretty much.

You're up a bit in Washington.

Can you take some money out of Seattle?

We're pulling out of Washington.

Wow. Things that tight?

Welcome to my world.

( beeper beeps )

Is that Kazakhstan?

Probably. Wanna trade?

Here. Take your mind off things.

Dignitary bingo?

I've already got four across.

Find the Mexican President and you're home.

You look nice.

Nothing says international crisis

like a pair of black stilettos.

You know what's going on?

Just got paged.

Yeah. You really look nice.

Okay, now I'm starting to think you're hitting on me.

No, I'm serious. The make-up, the hair...

I try to impress.

Who's the guy?

What makes you think there's a guy?

The necklace, the neckline,

the earrings, the back...

Okay, okay. I have a date.

Really.

I think you'd call it a date.

I kind of invited Will to the wedding.

Dark hair, glasses, just got a big promotion.

Will Bailey?

Yeah, we were talking...

You asked Will on a date?

Technically, I just invited him to the wedding.

Will Bailey.

Yeah, I'm gonna...

What have we got, Miles?

Other than the sensation

that we've all suddenly landed in a British drawing room farce.

There's been an incident in Kazakhstan.

The protests at Alma Ata

turned violent and Tarimov sent in riot police.

Any casualties?

Our people on the ground are saying

it could be up to 200,

many of them ethnic Chinese.

The Russian convoys? Have crossed the border.

( computer beeps )

We expect the Chinese to start mobilizing any minute.

DEBBIE: Minority Leader.

Postmaster General.

Is that the Swiss Ambassador over there?

Is this a test?

Dignitary bingo.

Ten bucks a sheet. You in?

Aren't you supposed to be

hurrying me someplace?

Photo op with Congressman Santos

and then bridal party photo at 4:00.

So I've got a half an hour.

Maybe. That the Swiss Ambassador or not?

How much you got riding on this?

50 bucks.

It's the Duke of Edinburgh.

Oh. Duke of Edinburgh.

Congressman. Mr. President.

Leo.

Welcome.

I hear they like you in Illinois.

Apparently I'm growing on them.

After your performance in those debates, I'm not surprised.

Wasn't he something?

Think that's impressive,

you oughta see me do cheesesteak.

Senator Montgomery wanted a word.

That's my cue. Find me later.

We'll talk about Cabinet travel

and ways we can be helpful in the home stretch.

Thank you so much, sir.

Good luck.

So things are looking up, bub.

We're making some headway.

You know if you win this damn thing,

you're stuck working here another four years.

I like to think of the Vice Presidency

as more of an emeritus position.

Sure.

How's everything on this end?

Russia and China are doing their little Sharks and Jets routine

in Central Asia and Abbey's got an understudy for me.

Seriously?

Yeah, Uncle Norman's on call.

Ouch.

I've been getting some calls about Josh.

Yeah.

Triplehorn, Nayak, Stackhouse, Montgomery.

Losing six weeks out, people get antsy.

Sure. It's always like that around this time.

Absolutely.

Who'd they want to replace me?

Okay, so maybe not always.

Enough gossiping, ladies.

Debbie, you look lovely as always.

You've got 20 minutes.

I assume you want to say hello

to the Duke of Edinburgh.

That's not the Duke of Edinburgh.

Catch you later.

Hey.

I thought the wedding photos were at 4:00.

We got a little ahead of the game,

so I thought you might want to get in that dance.

Have I mentioned this mother of the bride thing

agrees with you?

When Liz got married, you said

I didn't look old enough to be the mother of the bride.

You didn't.

I do now?

I didn't say that.

What did you say?

There any way out of this for me?

Probably not.

C.J.: Mr. President.

The Chinese troops have started moving into Kazakhstan.

We've got a translator in the Oval.

We're getting the Premier on the line now.

It's okay. We'll do the photos after.

Jed?

The service starts at 5:00.

Yeah.

Fried wonton?

Hey.

Really, they're pretty good.

Yeah.

They're out of champagne, though.

Okay.

The First Lady just gave me 20 bucks,

asked me to pick up a bottle of Cold Duck...

Uh-huh.

Josh.

I'm sorry.

Have you seen Leo?

I'm bored.

I'm an attractive woman waiting to be entertained.

He was just with the President. I'm sure he's still...

I just saw him heading toward the East Room.

He was with the Congressman.

And Barry Goodwin and Senator Montgomery.

It looked pretty intense.

Illinois?

I'm sure it's nothing to worry about.

Leo, I'm all for allegiance,

but loyalty for loyalty's sake is ridiculous.

George...

Josh got it wrong in Illinois.

Sure, with the benefit of hindsight...

21 electoral votes.

LEO: I didn't see you calling for a major effort

in Illinois.

Barry?

Look, I have never seen an electoral map

as inside-out as this one.

And as for Illinois, we were ten points down.

Chicago's one of the most expensive

media markets in the country.

Now, spending money there

would have meant sacrificing Iowa,

maybe Missouri,

and possibly slimming our ad buy in Wisconsin, but...

It's cost us.

Yes, it has.

Polls move money

as much as money moves polls.

If you'd been in Illinois,

you would have gotten this bump sooner,

possibly seen a boost in fund-raising.

And maybe you wouldn't be pulling out

of so many states now.

MONTGOMERY: Josh Lyman's done a terrific job.

But, Congressman, I'm not sure

he can see you through to the finish line.

Who can?

GOODWIN: Only one guy I'd want running a campaign this tough.

That's the guy standing next to you.

You should sit down.

It'll wrinkle.

You know, we considered going to Las Vegas.

Sounds pretty good about now, huh?

( knock at door )

Come in.

Uh, hi.

Hello. C.J. asked me to tell you

that they've started circulating additional

refreshments downstairs, in case you were worried.

Any idea when the President might be joining us?

Afraid not.

Well, I should, uh... get back.

Congratulations.

Why is Will Bailey wearing a tux?

Mr. President, we cannot pull back.

Lian, this doesn't make any sense.

The Russians supply you with the oil

they take out of Kazakhstan.

At a premium, some of which goes to owners of the pipelines--

American companies, I believe.

We're not supporting the Russians.

Yet you're condoning their attempts

to annex half of Central Asia.

Lian, I'm not condoning anything.

I am trying to stop two nuclear powers

from going to war over oil.

Oil?

Mr. President, this is not about oil.

It is about the brutal suppression

of a democratic movement,

a movement that includes

many of our Chinese brothers and sisters.

You of all people should understand our concern.

MONTGOMERY: Look, you've only got

one more hour of campaigning left anyway.

GOODWIN: He's right.

Once you finish the vice presidential debate,

you're pretty much done.

Tell that to my schedulers.

MONTGOMERY: Due respect, you're not exactly

a force on the campaign trail.

GOODWIN: Josh is gonna have to move his war room

to the Congressman's plane

in the next few weeks anyway. You guys start

campaigning together, you can work out of there.

Might even play better for the crowds.

We'd cover half the ground.

You'll get a boost from the joint appearances.

The point is, this campaign should be making the best use

of its political assets.

We are-- with me on the trail

and Josh Lyman running things at headquarters.

Congressman?

Appreciate your thoughts, gentlemen.

All right.

Thank you. Thank you, Congressman.

We should find Josh, go over the morning meetings.

Uh-huh.

Leo.

Should Josh be running this campaign?

Oh. Oh.

( chuckles ): Hey, stranger.

Abbey.

Nice speech in Des Moines. You believe this

dog and pony show they've got me in?

Getting any sleep?

And eating my vegetables.

How's Ellie? Still standing.

That's good. Not really.

The dress, it wrinkles.

I'm sure he'll be here any minute.

You think?

Miracles happen.

Lian, I need your men to stop advancing.

If you'll just hold your position.

I'm not sure what that will accomplish.

Let me at least talk to the Russians, try and convince them

to push President Tarimov

to reschedule elections.

TRANSLATOR: It was the Russians who put

Tarimov in power in the first place.

For years, this is how

the Russians have been operating...

Lian.

...and given their history,

it seems clear to me Lian.

that the only way to stop

their continued aggression...

Damn it, Lian!

Will you shut up already?!

Is your daughter married?

Excuse me, Mr. President?

Your daughter, the one I met when we were in Beijing,

is she married?

Yes, she was married two years ago, last spring.

Then you will understand me when I tell you

that my daughter's wedding is this afternoon,

and that she has been waiting for 46 minutes for me

to give her away, because I can't put down this damn phone

until you tell me that you're not gonna

start World War Three today!

Now for the love of God, Lian, will you please just give me

one half hour so I can go

and walk my little girl down the aisle?

Mr. President, we can continue this discussion in one hour.

And your troops will hold their position until then?

Yes, Mr. President.

Thank you, Lian.

( sighs )

You've got one hour.

Is the wedding starting?

Not yet.

How's Senator Montgomery?

Full of hot air, as usual.

Yeah? Who's he want to replace me?

Josh.

Who is it?

No one wants to replace you.

It's Goodwin, too, isn't it?

Son of a bitch.

He was just shaking my...

So who do they want? Is it Peipman?

Blume?

The guy's practically tone deaf

when it comes to message politics,

but I'm sure he'd be good.

Josh.

You could get Simonds or Sharp.

Maybe you should just promote Lou.

It's not like any of the other guys have run a Presidential.

They want you.

It's you, isn't it?

Hell, that's who I'd want.

You would have known.

You would have been in Illinois months ago, right?

Stop it. Right? You would have figured it out.

Where would you have gotten the dough?

Come on, tell me.

Where would you have gotten the money?

I wouldn't have gotten the money,

because I wouldn't have been in Illinois.

The polls there looked as bad as

when we were running against Eisenhower.

I would have made the same decision as you.

And that's exactly what I told

Barry Goodwin and George Montgomery.

Look, these are tough calls.

It's impossible to know how they're gonna turn out.

What's important is how you respond when you get it wrong,

how you react, what your next move is.

I don't know what my next move is.

I've been staring at this damn map all day.

Still haven't got a clue.

Iowa's vulnerable,

I don't know what I was thinking in Wisconsin,

we can't take a dime out of Ohio, Florida, Texas...

I don't know where to start.

They're right.

You should take over.

You're all trying to kill me.

( music begins )

Wedding's about to start.

Let me see the map.

( paper rustles )

Come on.

We'll talk about it on the way.

ABBEY: You made it.

Honey, you look...

Dad?

I'm sorry, sweetheart.

It's okay, Dad, really.

You wanted a White House wedding.

All of that's being taken into consideration.

Well, I thank you for your support.

Thank you so much.

I'll meet you in there.

How'd it go?

Fine.

Taking over?

No.

Leo, I thought...

Josh is gonna make lots of strategic decisions

over the next few weeks.

He's gonna sweat 'em like life and death.

And they'll be important, sure, which is why you and me

are gonna be in on every one of them.

But they're meaningless compared to the decision

the voters are gonna have to make

just by listening to you

and trying to figure out if they can connect with the idea

of Matt Santos as President.

And Josh has nothing to do with that.

Goodwin's right.

Josh has taken you as far as he can.

The rest is up to you.

( classical music playing )

You okay, Dad?

You know, one time during my first term in Congress

we went on a congressional delegation to East Germany.

You probably don't remember,

you couldn't have been more than four or five.

But anyway, we got to East Berlin,

and we're waiting on line with our passports

at Checkpoint Charlie, when all of a sudden, you bolted out

into the no man's land between the two guard posts.

And everything stopped.

The M.P.'s just froze,

and your mother and I were scared to death, but not you.

You just calmly looked up

at one of the soldiers on the wall and you waved.

And the soldier waved back.

And then...

And then, all the soldiers were waving at each other.

I remember, Dad.

Take my arm.