Original subtitles

Previously on The West Wing:

Have you seen the new Zogby poll?

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

seven points down-- you guys concerned?

Figured it gave license to ask whether

you might want to have dinner with me?

How's tonight?

Emergency sirens went off

at the nuclear generating station

in San Andreo, California.

We could be looking at

a full-scale nuclear meltdown.

The coolant in the reactor has dropped at least a foot,

exposing an eighth of the fuel rod.

I pushed the licensing commission

to get San Andreo up and running.

JOSH: You're in on nuclear.

Vinick's got a long history on the other side.

This is all upside for us.

Arizona, up by four.

Nevada, up by three.

Virginia, up by four.

California?

Up by six.

I have seven.

Who's that? Gallup.

Really? I'm reading it right off paper.

Is it up? Nope.

ANNABETH: Check again.

I'm hitting "refresh" every 12 seconds.

Sometimes when you keep pressing the button

it won't load. She's right.

You may have to go to another page

and then come back to this one.

I've got three women trying to tell me

how to use the New York Times Web site.

It's pretty straightforward. You need some help?

I think I've actually got it under control.

We're within five of Vinick in Tennessee, four in Louisiana,

tied in Arkansas...

Tied in North Carolina. South Carolina.

South Carolina? It's up, it's up, it's up.

Go.

"New York Timesnational tracking poll,

"first national sample since the accident

"at the San Andreo Nuclear Facility

in Southern California..." Blah, blah, blah.

"In this three-day spread polling 1,400 likely voters,

Senator Vinick dropped..."

Damn it! Oh! ALL: Oh!

Screen froze.

Oh, for God's sake.

I got it over here, you guys.

* Beep, beep

* Beep, beep

* Beep, beep...

( whooping )

Up. Everybody up.

Good morning.

Get up!

Good morning!

Hurry up and come.

Ooh!

Oh, that's the elevator.

( laughs )

( knocking on door )

( muttering in room )

* Bang, bang...

( knocking )

JOSH: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I'm coming.

State by states are out.

We're tied in South Carolina and Arkansas and California.

California?

We pulled ahead in Arizona, Nevada, Virginia.

We got the new national tracking polls.

The Times? It's 44-44.

We're tied. We're tied?

Nationally.

Holy mother of God, we caught him!

Yes. We caught him! Oh!

* Oh, ah, oh...

BRAM: 44 and 44.

ANNABETH: I told him we were closing the gap.

That man better not ever doubt me again.

SANTOS: Wait a minute. I want to see these things.

BRAM: You're not nipping at the heals

of the front-runner anymore. This is serious.

No, no, no, no. Margin of error.

No, we're not home yet. Josh? Where's Josh?

Are they messing with me?

No, sir. Oh!

We've caught him!

( whooping and cheering )

We're neck and neck in the Carolinas.

And they pulled ahead of us in Arizona and Virginia.

The Times put it at 44-44.

California?

Tied.

Nine points ahead in California a week ago.

Now we're tied.

Okay, the good news is,

most of the votes we lost are showing up undecided.

They are not going for Santos yet.

12% undecided this late in the campaign.

You have local press downstairs.

No comments on the nuclear accident in California.

No, no. Yeah. It was a national tragedy.

You're not gonna talk about it in a political context.

You are concentrating on meeting voters,

talking about the issues.

Namely tax cuts and more tax cuts.

( sneezes )

MAN ( on TV ): Partly sunny with...

You okay?

Yeah, I'm fine.

The Kazakhstan situation is heating up.

You can always pivot to that if you need to... to...

I need 30 seconds to myself, okay?

C.J.: Tied. Nationally.

Who'd have thunk it?

Vinick must be weeping in his beer.

PRESIDENT: We talk to the Russians?

They're sticking with their story--

the election wasn't rigged, Tarimov is

the legitimate President of Kazakhstan, Russian troops

have crossed the border to provide stability

to the new government in Astana.

China says they've also gone in for stabilization purposes.

How about NATO? Everyone likes the idea

of the peacekeeping force, but nobody wants to be in one.

I can't imagine why not.

C.J.: The UN's not going to get involved.

China and Russia can both veto in the Security Council.

So, it's just us.

Which looks like what?

Russia's moving in from the northwest,

China from the east.

We need to send enough troops to create a human buffer zone

between the two advancing armies.

How far apart are they?

KATE: About 600 miles,

but not for long.

I want to see invasion plans as soon as possible.

We wouldn't think of it as an invasion, sir.

We'd call it an intervention.

Show me a plan that doesn't look like an invasion,

I'll call it whatever you want.

Keep the NATO ball in the air.

I don't want anyone

to get the impression we're writing them off.

I'll stay on it with State.

In fact, have Ted Barrow put together a NATO briefing

Hopefully, we know next week.

Hi. Hi.

I have a thing of yours.

My Pyongyang report, good.

I turned my whole office upside... It's not that.

Really? Absolutely.

It's in a blue binder, it may not be labeled...

Nothing in a blue binder. You sure?

I may have taken it out of the... It's a bra.

Oh. Okay.

I put it in a padded envelope, which seemed appropriate.

Really. Do you want it now?

No. No. Yes?

It's in your office?

It is. You keep it.

Permanently? Mail it to me.

Your home address to my home address.

You don't think that's a little complicated?

It is, isn't it?

I'll hang onto it until we...

Okay. We'll get better at this.

One can only hope.

Cancel everything here after the morning rally.

We got to get on the ground in the battle states.

Vinick's gonna have to head south,

try and get his lead back

in Louisiana, Arkansas, the Carolinas...

LEO: Has he even

been down South since the primaries?

Nope. While he flails around down there,

we'll have the swing states to ourselves.

Nuclear power plants in every one of those swing states.

Local news crews'll be all over us.

Free media. Pennies from heaven.

San Andreo created a lot of undecideds.

We got to get them off the fence.

and were satisfied voting for a moderate Republican.

Well, time for them to come home to the party.

They want to hear about deficit reduction, they want

to hear you're gonna put more cops on the streets.

We need to focus on the fact

that you were fighting nuclear power 15 years ago.

You're the forward thinking candidate

with the nuanced vision.

The kind of vision a President needs

to handle complicated international situations

like this mess in Kazakhstan.

He had the vision to predict problems with nuclear power,

he has the vision to find solutions for our future.

Yeah. Okay. Who's writing?

RONNA: I got it.

The Santos Education Plan is now the 21st Century Education Plan.

JOSH: The 21st Century Health Plan.

Let's not forget Energy.

21st Century Energy Plan. He's about the future.

Vinick's about the past. RONNA: Great.

I'll have Joey test some language,

but that's the direction.

I'm coordinating with Advance.

Which state should we hit first?

Oh, that's easy. California.

Yeah.

Hi.

Hi.

Drink this. I don't want it.

It looks like Hawaiian Punch, it smells disgusting,

and I'm not getting sick. Bob?

We lost these people 'cause of the nuclear accident.

We give them time to realize

that you didn't melt the damn thing down by yourself,

they'll come back on their own.

Cycle like that takes a month, which we don't have.

SULLIVAN: The base.

SHEILA: Governor.

We have had a good time,

all of us, running to the center, but the party's over.

You're a Republican.

You need to start talking to the Republican, conservative base.

Nail him to a cross.

He can stump for votes on the Via Dolorosa.

I'm the only person talking to values voters.

And you are doing a fantastic job.

They're not voting for me,

and they know it.

He needs to spend more time

in the southern states, make sure we don't lose them.

The undecideds are moderates, they're not Bible thumpers.

He's got to speak to their issues.

What's he gonna do, suddenly pull

the Arnold Vinick Health Care Plan out of his tailpipe?

Would that qualify as a miracle?

They like the miracles, your people.

It'll look like a desperation move.

We need an ad blitz. Negative.

That's not a bad idea.

It is, actually.

SULLIVAN: What we need to do is curb

Santos' momentum, keep these folks

undecided long enough for this nuclear mess to fade.

It's not gonna fade.

He's gonna run thousands of spots on your long-standing

love affair with nuclear power.

BOB: Which is why we need something to hit back with.

I'm not talking a smear campaign, just focus some attention

on the countless times Santos has voted to increase spending.

It'll drive up our negatives as much as it drives up theirs,

he'll look like a mud-slinging, desperate, hatchet man.

So what?

Is that an existential question?

Look, last week Vinick was

the voice of experience, now suddenly, Santos

is a wise, prescient visionary, and the Senator looks like a...

A foolish old man?

I'm sorry, sir. It's just, uh...

No, go ahead, I love it.

BRUNO: You're assuming it can't get worse.

Let me tell you something, it can.

VINICK: We go negative,

they're gonna trot out

every bad call I've ever made.

They're gonna plaster them all over the airwaves.

Yup. It's gonna come right back

and bite us in the ass.

Yeah.

I'm agreeing with you.

You are? Yeah.

Yeah, all right. SHEILA: We need to stay the course.

The Senator speaks to the center,

we pepper in a little more on health care and education,

Sullivan speaks locally to the right flank.

He's gonna talk about health care, too?

No, he's gonna do

what he's been doing--

family values, apple pie.

So, you're sticking with a 50-state strategy?

No... We can't win

50 states anymore.

SHEILA: I'm aware of that, thank you.

It's still the best strategy we have.

We'll do a swing through the south,

shore up our numbers there,

but he's not upending his message

this late in the campaign.

You've got Pensy and Carolton.

I start going after the base now,

I'll look like an idiot.

The Governor's going after the base.

You just got to make nice with Pensy and Carolton.

SULLIVAN: How about we grab lunch today,

talk about how you want me to shade this?

We've got time before your 11:00.

Let's get into it now.

Unless you want to talk about it alone.

In which case, you could discuss it over lunch.

Our base in Ayaguz has 9,000 Marines on the ground.

We're proposing sending in an additional 90,000 ground troops

for control and stabilization.

BARTLET: They'll require support units.

Certainly. How many?

Another 40,000.

SCHULTZ: We'd come up from the south, creating a zone of neutrality

separating the Russian-controlled northwest

and the Chinese-controlled east.

The mountains here on the northern edge of Lake Balkash

create a natural barrier.

our hope is that the Chinese won't push past them.

C.J.: It'll take weeks to prep an intervention this size.

HUTCHINSON: Eight probably.

We don't have that kind of time.

SCHULTZ: We'll start an early deployment of 12,000 troops.

The rest will follow as ready.

Coming from where?

We pull the 1st Armored Division from Wiesbaden...

BARTLET: And we get them there how?

Send them through the trans-load hub

to gather munitions and equipment,

then deploy on C-17s.

SCHULTZ: Or we could airlift them

straight from Wiesbaden on C-130s.

HUTCHINSON: If we want the Armored Division to bring their tanks,

we're gonna have to go with the C-17s.

What will they wear?

I think green and brown are still the favorites.

What kind of outerwear?

I haven't seen a prototype recently....

We're talking about sending 150,000 Americans

to the 50th parallel in November.

It starts snowing in Astana in August

and doesn't stop till June.

as opposed to the Russians, who do this a lot,

Americans haven't fought a war in the cold for quite some time.

I would like to know what kind of coats

you plan to put on our troops.

We'll look into it, sir.

Do that and come back.

Centcom's suggesting a no-fly zone in Kazakhstan,

symbolic buffer between the two armies

until we can get rapid deployment underway.

Yeah.

150,000 troops.

We're not talking about a drive-by, either.

If we go in, we could be there for years.

I need to talk to the candidates.

SANTOS ( over applause ): We live in the greatest...

Rally in San Diego soon as we arrive.

Visits to two of the shelters

holding evacuees from San Andreo.

Is he talking about the accident?

Nothing about the accident, nothing about nuclear power,

he's just sharing some ideas about health care

and education with a couple of cooling towers

in the background.

BRAM: We got a lot of new friends suddenly.

Who? BRAM: Governor Watley,

Governor Stockwell, Secretary of Energy,

Treasury Secretary, Senator Pallard.

How many times did I call Stockwell and Pallard?

A lot. That was before we grew coattails.

Well, better late than never.

Put them on the schedule.

Why are you looking at me like that?

Bono called. Bono?! Really?

Yeah, he's in New York this weekend.

He wants to have dinner with the congressman.

Do it! We're not in New York this...

Change the schedule!

Bono wants to meet him?!

Does he want to perform at a rally?

We didn't get into specifics.

He doesn't have to sing, they can just talk about debt relief.

Did you talk to him?! I talked to a guy named Phil.

Okay, invite him to San Diego. Phil?

Not Phil.

Press avail on the tarmac in San Diego,

and you need to be available all day

for phone interviews. Yup.

I'm getting a lot of questions

on what Santos thinks about Kazakhstan.

Tell them Congressman Santos applauds

the President's efforts, and he's glad the U.S. can share

its wisdom with emerging democracies.

Then call the White House, find out what the hell's going on.

If Bono comes... You'll meet him.

Uh, Donna?

I want to, um...

I'm sorry, uh... about this morning.

That was inappropriate.

Don't worry about it.

Totally inappropriate.

I-I feel terrible. Don't.

Seriously. Seriously.

It was bound to happen sometime.

I'm going to call

the White House, talk about Kazakhstan.

BARTLET: I want an evacuation report

from FEMA before the San Andreo budget call.

Get C.J.'s comments on this,

and get Hollings

at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

He's coming in this afternoon.

I still want to talk to him now. Did you look at the sketches?

I'll get to them. How about now?

A nuclear disaster and a war abroad,

I thought they could wait.

They've been sitting there for days.

Makes it look like I don't pick up after you.

I don't know what to think of these.

Simple thumbs up or thumbs down.

You think they look like me?

More or less. Then they'll do.

What does "more or less" mean?

Decent likeness-- commanding, thoughtful.

There's no cane, which is a choice.

Think it's a bad choice?

I don't know-- did you make it, or did he make it?

He did.

Then it doesn't matter. I'm not going

to be standing beside the thing with a running commentary.

You think it's a problem?

Do you? Often as not, I don't even use it.

Yes, but you exist in the zeitgeist with a cane.

I have an idea. What?

Let's call Hollings at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Yes, sir.

CAROL: Josh on two.

Hey, sailor.

Am I calling you, or you calling me?

I think I'm calling you.

How's it feel?

This must be what your first smack high feels like.

Well, here's hoping it's not followed by a huge crash

and years of rehabilitation. Nothing can kill my mood

right now, but that was a good try.

Thanks.

We need a briefer

to give us a more detailed idea

Can you send somebody?

Funny you mention it.

How about the President?

Below his pay grade, we'd love to see him.

He'd like to meet with the candidates

at the White House tonight.

Are you kidding?

For the first time in the history of this race,

we're not trailing, we're tied.

We pull ahead if we play this right.

Taking the guy off the campaign trail

so he can have some drinks in the Oval Office is not...

I know, and I'm sorry, and if I had a choice...

We're about to go to California.

We may win Vinick's home state.

He is not...

Would I be asking if it wasn't important?

It's a diplomatic foray into an entrenched conflict.

Yes, you have my word, should Santos win,

he will continue the President's efforts

to negotiate a peaceable solution.

Okay, let's do it this way-- Vinick's coming.

I'm sure you don't want the entire White House press corps

covering Vinick in the Oval with the President without Santos.

I like you less and less.

Will's going to coordinate the talking points

with your press people.

The President will brief the candidates.

See you tonight.

SHEILA: President wants to see both candidates at the White House.

For what? Security briefing.

San Andreo? They won't say.

Why not? Buys us some time to sort out the schedule.

You still stuck?

You're asking me to boost his public appearances

while limiting press access,

send him groveling for votes to states

he's never had to campaign in before,

when all he wants to do is go to California?

Yeah, I'm still stuck.

SHEILA: We're not going to California.

BRUNO: I keep telling him that.

What do you think about a media buy?

BRUNO: In California-- you know how expensive that is?

We're hemorrhaging votes there.

I need the bulk of our money for a media blitz on November 5th.

You could blow the entire budget

buying ads in California.

Call Stan, see what he thinks it'll cost.

How much time in the south?

Two, three days, see how it goes.

Oh, that's great.

A Republican stumping in Georgia.

So glad we've got Ray Sullivan planning the schedule.

It's not his plan, it's mine.

Really? Yes.

I am happy to change tack in light of current developments,

but I would be more comfortable if strategy meetings

took place with you, me and the Senator,

not you and Ray Sullivan.

Sullivan's just blowing off steam.

Nobody blames you for what's happening,

not me, not the Senator.

I don't care if I'm being blamed.

I care if I'm being shoved out.

You're not.

Hi. Hi.

And you're here. Yes.

Should I come back?

No, this was the point.

I've asked reps from both campaigns to come in

so we can get everybody on the same page with Kazakhstan.

You two should work that out.

I'll put together a backgrounder,

and he can adapt that into whatever...

Talking points. Yeah.

Something they can share with the press.

Which won't be the whole story, but better than vamping.

Sure. Great.

What?

What? Is something weird happening?

No. I feel like I'm

the heroine in the movie who doesn't know there's a guy

behind the refrigerator with an ax.

Maybe it's the weather.

People feel that way when it's damp.

Thank you...both.

We're really bad at this.

Really bad.

SANTOS: You know, in a minute, Dave Matthews

is going to come up on this stage.

Oh, I know, I know.

Believe me, I feel the same way.

As a matter of fact, I'd better get an autograph.

Lou's working with Joey Lucas on the whole

"Voice of a New Generation" thing.

She knows we got to detour to the White House tonight?

Yeah, Lou told Annabeth to send Leo to San Diego tonight,

pave the way. That's good.

See if we can get Helen there, too.

Hey, you got to get on a plane,

liaise with White House Communications on...

The Kazakhstan thing, Lou told me, I'm on my way.

I just wanted to tell you about a rumor I heard

from a guy at The Sacramento Bee.

You feel bad for the guys at The Bee, don't you?

I don't. Lacks dignity.

You're wandering. You heard a rumor?

At first, they thought it was allergies,

because, apparently, Vinick has a mold sensitivity,

and the carpet on the plane isn't all that clean...

Now you're wandering. Sorry-- they think he has a cold.

Vinick? Yes.

Oh, my Lord.

A cold!

BRAM: Fax from Lester at HQ.

He has a cold!

( screams )

The gods were listening to me, and they love me!

Why is there hugging?

Vinick has a cold.

Oh, that's precious.

I want to send him some Vicks VapoRub,

and a big German nurse.

Look, I have White House schedulers on the phone,

and they seem to think Leo has to be

at the White House tonight, too.

No. Seriously, give me the phone.

Hi, this is Josh Lyman. Who's this?

Hi, Roberta.

Mr. McGarry can't make it to the White House tonight.

He's campaigning for high government office.

Eh, I'm sure it was a mistake.

Thank you. Thanks.

Sorry.

No worries-- bureaucratic snafu.

So are they writing about this wonderful cold?

They will be.

Are they writing about the fact

that the Senator's health can't stand up

to the rigors of a campaign,

never mind the challenges of life in the Oval Office?

He's probably depressed.

He hasn't been in a close race in 30 years.

( phone ringing ) Beginning of the end, right here.

Josh Lyman.

WOMAN: Mr. Lyman, please hold for the President.

BARTLET: Hey, kid, how are you doing?

Fine, sir. How are you?

Good, good. Do me a favor.

Bring Leo with you to the White House, would you?

Um, sir...

You should tag along, too, and say hello.

It'd be great to see you.

Thanks, Josh.

( line disconnects )

What?

We're going to the White House tonight.

Leo, Congressman, everyone.

in all the Senator's pockets.

BRUNO: Cough drops, cough drops.

SHEILA: And cough drops, something industrial strength,

none of that herbal business.

Pray to whoever you pray to that he doesn't lose his voice.

We need to find him a day.

A day off?

He's running 101 fever.

He needs to rest.

Not 21 days out, he doesn't.

You want 21 days of the walking wounded?

He takes a day off, you reaffirm

every concern the voters have.

He's a dinosaur... Not up to the job.

Dead on his feet. Gentlemen.

ANNIE: Is the Senator here?

Doing Q&A outside, he'll be right in.

Annie, tell Jake I want the Senator's wake-up call

pushed to 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, not 6:00.

ANNIE: Okay. These are for you.

Which event are we killing

so he can sleep in?

It's an hour, we're not talking about it anymore.

Hodder from the RNC

would like a few minutes

with the Senator without staff.

Only time they request meetings without staff

is when the meeting's about the staff.

Should I pack my pencils

and coffee mugs now?

Stop it.

Annie, call Hodder's office,

tell them 4:00.

DONNA: Will.

Hey, look at you, back in the building.

Congratulations on your forward surge.

Can you believe it?

We're all walking ten feet off the ground.

Are you going to go visit your old desk?

Oh, not a lot of nostalgia there, really.

Oh, I've got the talking points

on the Kazakhstan negotiations,

but Vinick's press guy's running late,

so we should give it a minute.

Sure. Want a soda?

I'm fine. I'm going to have a ginger ale.

Good. Good.

Can I ask you a question?

Sure.

It's... going to sound a little wacky.

Go for it.

If something had happened with us

when we were working--romantically--

would that have been inappropriate?

Wow. Uh, I'm flattered...

Oh, no, no, no. ...but I'm actually seeing someone

in a very non-public and poorly defined way.

No, not you, I was talking about someone like you,

with your job in relation to me.

You're talking about Josh? You're seeing someone?

You're seeing Josh? No.

Then who? I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours.

Yours is Josh. You're not cryptic.

And yours is...? Classified.

Nothing happened with me and Josh at all.

I'm sorry.

I shouldn't have brought this up.

( sighs ): We should drop it.

Good idea.

It's not inappropriate-- seeing someone.

It's weird, maybe, but you figure it out.

Did they start?

SHEILA: Who?

Hodder.

Not here yet, but I really don't think

you need to be here...

The Chairman asked me to sit in.

Hey, here he is.

What's she doing here?

Good to see you, Sheila.

Mr. Chairman.

You remember Jane Braun?

Sure. BRAUN: How are you?

SHEILA: Bruno Gianelli,

Jane Braun from the RNC,

and Chairman Hodder you know. Good to meet you.

Mr. Chairman.

How you doing?

Ray, thanks for joining us.

The Senator's on a call.

He'll be here in a minute.

World upside down, huh?

It'll right itself, day or two.

BRAUN: How's he feeling?

Rumor has it he's got...

He's fine.

Oh, good.

I hear you're going to spend a couple days

below the Mason-Dixon line.

That'll help.

I think it will.

Message-wise?

Message-wise, we're holding center.

You sure that's

your strongest play?

We need to win back the undecideds right now.

Moderates.

I could see how you'd come to that conclusion,

but, um, I'm not sure it's about changing minds anymore.

It's kind of late for that. Three weeks is enough time.

Mm. Can't count on it.

What you can count on is getting out the vote,

and the foot soldiers of the Republican base

will do that for you if the candidate

starts speaking their language.

Here we go...

It's time to start talking about values and family.

By which you mean what, gay marriage?

( laughs )

I think the list of family values

is longer than just the one, but since you mention it...

Play the gay marriage card.

Santos will have to respond.

Conservative voters will flock to Vinick.

The Senator doesn't think that marriage

is a federal issue. The Senator should rethink it.

Is that what you plan on telling him?

Guys, you're up against the wall.

You had some maverick ideas early on

and they played beautifully,

but now it's time

to run a safe, sober campaign

that speaks to the concerns

of the Republican base.

And what exactly do you think that looks like?

We don't need to get into it...

No, I'm-I'm interested.

You make it clear to the base

that Vinick is their candidate,

they can count on him.

We didn't pull these policies out of a hat.

They're Senator Vinick's positions.

Well, I wouldn't broadcast that.

Meaning what?

You send a message that he got some bad advice early on.

He was listening to strategists

who steered him off course... I think we got the idea.

It's something you should think about. Sure.

Don't be flip about this.

There are down-ticket races to consider.

We could lose the House and the Senate.

Now, Arnie's alienated a lot of our people...

ANNIE: Excuse me.

The Senator's ready now. HODDER: Great.

Right this way.

( clears throat ): Good to see you. Pleasure.

( sighs )

You still think they're not trying to replace me?

Oh, no, they're definitely trying to replace you--

with her, apparently.

Mm-hmm.

Hey, stranger.

Hi.

Will get you up to speed?

Yes. I'm just hanging here

till the Congressman and everybody gets in.

It's so good to see you. You, too.

You must be having a good day. Amazing.

How's Josh? What do you mean?

Which part tripped you up? Oh, you're-you're just...

Asking how he is. Oh, sorry.

He's, um... he's fine.

Happy we're doing so well.

What's going on? Nothing.

Is something... is a Josh thing

going on? No. No, no, no, no.

Something happened. Nothing.

Oh, come on, you've got a useless poker face.

I spend my whole day

talking about election monitors in Central Asia.

Throw me a bone.

( sighs )

It's nothing.

We just...

we had an odd moment today.

Just another in a long series of odd moments

meant to be ignored.

You should... focus on your election monitors.

Oh, they're a complete failure.

( sighs ): That's too bad.

It is.

FIDERER: Would you come with me, please?

Evening.

Senator.

Wow. I don't like how that looks.

Yeah.

Make yourselves comfortable.

The President will be right with you.

Thank you.

Not too comfortable.

Excuse me?

Hmm?

Did you...?

What?

Nothing.

If there's anything I can get you,

please let me know.

DONNA: Vinick just came through.

I think they put him in the Mural Room.

Little close to the Oval for my taste.

The President will be with you

in just a few minutes.

JOSH: Thanks, Carol.

Can I get anybody anything to drink?

Oh, we're fine, thank you.

Good. Um, Mr. McGarry,

could you come with me, please?

I have no idea.

FIDERER: Sir, we're ready.

Why are we sitting here

while the Democratic VP candidate's

being ushered into the Oval Office?

BRAM: They had "Santos for President" undies.

Ten feet from the press pool?

They wanted to show me.

I thought it was my job

to keep them away from the Congressman.

You're a brave soldier, Bram.

I'm touched. I really am.

Anytime, sir.

We're at the Marriot tonight.

Take-out phone lists are in the packets,

but the restaurant in the hotel

should be open when we get back.

I want a room with a view.

Last time we were here, I was over the Dumpster.

BRAM: You're on the second floor.

No view is what he's saying.

You know, I was going to go over to the hotel

and look out every window,

but, uh, somehow, I didn't get to it.

ANNABETH: You like "dawn of a new America?"

JOSH: Not really.

How about "a new plan for a new America"?

New America sounds a little colonial, doesn't it?

How do you feel about stumping in a pilgrim hat?

I love it.

"Brave and bold visionary" ought to work someplace.

This is me talking about myself?

It's language Joey and Lou poll-tested--

we're trying to work it into the stump.

Let me see.

Just looking to capitalize

on our country's new vision of you, sir,

post-nuclear debacle.

Brave and bold.

As opposed to Vinick, who's... Big and bad.

I don't think we need it.

Polled well.

Well, you can't poll people three days after a crisis.

They're speaking from a place

of anxiety and confusion.

Their answers are going to be all over the map.

You want to just stay the course?

Well, we have their attention now.

They're finally listening.

We stick with it, maybe they'll get the sense

we've been on the right track all along.

Santos: Right from the Start.

JOSH: We want that

on every bumper sticker,

every press release, everything.

RONNA: That was some impressive teamwork there.

It was, wasn't it? I'm a little teary.

I'm going to have a doctor come by tomorrow morning,

make sure it's not strep or something.

It's nothing. I'm fine.

It's allergies.

Until the allergies clear up,

I think a cough suppressant

might make the day go a little faster.

You want to talk about what happened

in your meeting with Hodder?

I don't.

You want to talk about why

we're admiring the china

while McGarry's in there with the President?

BARTLET: We're setting up a no-fly zone over Kazakhstan.

Step one of a two-month ramp-up

with probably a five-year commitment on the ground.

NATO's waving us into the fray

with absolutely no intention of following.

Figures. You evacuate the embassy?

Not yet.

So it's a rapid deployment of, what, 10,000?

12. The dream scenario is,

we put them in the middle of the buffer zone,

which scares everyone enough to drive the Russians

and the Chinese back on their own soil.

Otherwise, we follow with another 100,000.

You think about air strikes?

Hit a few military targets?

I'm willing to threaten air strikes,

but I don't want to tear up the Kazakh countryside

just to make a point.

So you send in 100,000 men,

push the lines back,

and then you're a security guard

till they get a new government up and running.

Mm-hmm.

It's a reasonable move.

You put a massive force on the ground

for deterrent purposes.

You nip the conflict in the bud.

I'd be surprised if either Russia or China

actually wanted a real battle.

Maybe. That, or we're stuck

between two million-man armies spoiling for a fight.

You don't know till you're in it.

You think I should be sending another negotiating team?

Armies are already on the ground.

Nobody's going to agree to a cease fire

until they know you're serious

about getting involved.

Yeah.

This is what they'll remember 50 years from now.

About your presidency?

Got us into a big mess,

left it for someone else to clean up.

Oh, come on.

They'll remember eight years of strong leadership,

growth, a commander-in- chief they could trust.

You know what probably happens?

It goes badly, I get the blame,

it goes well, the next guy gets the credit.

Sounds about right.

The President's ready for you.

Sorry for the wait.

Gentlemen.

Everything okay?

Yeah.

SCHULTZ: The initial incursion

would be small, 2,000 troops there, to defend the embassy.

SANTOS: Does the embassy require that much defense?

HUTCHINSON: Not really.

C. J.: Hopefully, Tarimov takes it as an indication

of our commitment and resumes negotiations.

SANTOS: If he doesn't?

SCHULTZ: Two rapid deployment divisions are dropped in within 24 hours.

The rest of the ground troops

follow over the next eight weeks.

VINICK: Who are we dealing with at the Kremlin?

HARPER: Chigorin's been unwilling to engage, as you might expect.

The foreign minister's communicating,

but we get the sense he's been pushed out

of the decision-making process.

PRESIDENT: Thank you all.

One of you will inherit this piñata.

I thought you should know what's on the table.

I was under the impression

the diplomatic options hadn't been exhausted.

That's what we've been saying. I wish it were true.

What about an international force?

We've asked, but NATO's participation

would be nominal, at best.

So we're placing ourselves on an oil field

between two nuclear powers, alone.

Yes.

I don't see our presence

as doing anything more than exacerbating the conflict.

Once we're involved, India will have

to diplomatically align with the Russians.

Pakistan will support China.

South Korea will feel pressure to engage on our side.

I'm not sure I know what our side is, frankly.

Gentlemen, let's talk about what we're talking about.

You're worried that I'm going to announce

I'm deploying 150,000 American soldiers

three weeks before the election

and suddenly your race is about my war.

You can speak candidly.

It does change the nature of the election,

but more importantly, a new president

would have an easier time brokering a diplomatic solution.

If I thought we could wait

until after the election, I would wait.

What's this going to cost?

Depends on how long we stay.

It doesn't matter.

First hundred days in office

are the most productive of the whole term,

and there's no way we can extricate ourselves

from something like this in less than three months.

It's not about the money.

You're blowing any political capital we might have

by forcing us to fight a war.

Do we have an estimate...

First 12 months, $70 billion.

I can say good-bye to my tax cut.

Your education plan's certainly off the table.

What's a victory in this?

The retreat of Chinese

and Russian military forces across their own borders.

And a stable, neutral, and democratic government

in Kazakhstan.

Wait, no, that's... This is where you lose me.

Everyone back to their corner I understand.

A stable democratic regime

in a former Soviet

Central Asian republic,

that could take two, three generations.

I mean, if that's your definition of success,

I'm not sure I see a clear exit strategy.

That's a realistic concern.

Is there an exit strategy?

General Schultz will tell you there is.

He'll tell you we stabilize Astana,

hold new elections in ten months,

and pull out in 18,

but I'm not sure I buy that any more than you do.

What's your exit strategy?

I don't have one.

I suggest

you both start giving it some thought.

I appreciate your concerns, but I am not

in a position to hold off our involvement.

These armies are marching towards each other

and someone must stand in the middle.

Unfortunately, it has to be us.

Thanks for coming in.

Good luck to you both.

What did the President want?

Lozenge?

We have to talk about the Chairman.

Yeah.

He's a weasel, and I don't like that woman,

but they're right.

A little campaign shake-up

might create enough of a diversion

to get us past San Andreo.

Bruno's worked hard for us.

He's not the reason we're in the toilet.

I think firing him will just get us a whole lot of nothing,

but if you want to do it, do it.

I'm not talking about Bruno.

Bruno doesn't have the visibility

to be a viable scapegoat.

I'm the public face

of your campaign staff.

You want this to work, it's gotta be me.

That's the dumbest thing

I've ever heard. No, really.

From a smart woman, that's an incredibly stupid idea.

You need someone to blame

for the fact that we didn't campaign to the base.

You need to apologize for that misstep

and spend the next three weeks singing their song.

We're not doing...

Don't interrupt me.

I can still

be on the phone with you 24-7.

Hire Jane Braun, and once we get a 51% strategy in place,

Bob and Bruno can execute it.

We're not losing, we're just in a real horse race now,

I'll hop myself up on Sudafed tomorrow,

and Santos will be back in the dust by Friday.

Jane's a rainmaker at the RNC.

She is the darling of the evangelical right.

They will respond to her.

She'll whip them up into a door-knocking,

pavement-pounding frenzy.

You're really talking about this.

I made a promise to put you in office,

and that's what we're gonna do.

So that's it.

Tomorrow morning I get a letter of resignation?

It's already in your briefcase.

Um...

( clears throat )

You just have about...

ten minutes of grip and grin here.

Perry will have your back.

When you get home, call Jane.

( cheers rising )

Would you like your overcoat?

What?

Would you like your coat, sir? It's pretty cold.

No.

* My days have grown so lonely

* For you I cry...

DONNA: ...and "this is my size" conversation

with the butt brigade?

We dealt with the relevant information.

Oh, my God-- you got a phone number, didn't you?

I'm not at liberty to share that information.

RONNA: From the butt girl?

Oh, you're plummeting in my estimation right now.

EDIE: How'd it go? JOSH: Fine.

What'd they talk about?

You, actually. In the Oval, all three of them.

Bram's dating one of the women in the Santos undies.

I'm not dating her.

That's impressive, really.

Brings honor to the family.

If Bono comes, we are.

locking him in the Secret Service van.

BRAM: If Bono comes

you're gonna be printing Bono for President undies

and you know it. That's not a bad idea.

Well, give me butt girl's number, I'll find out

where they make those things.

One for each day of the week.

Okay, order me a pair in pink. I'm turning in.

Good night. Night.

Good night.

* That you'd throw away romance... *

Oh, she forgot her key. Donna!

I got it. I got it. She's gone.

EDIE: I got it, I'm going up anyhow.

It's no problem.

Well, she's next door to me, you're three floors up.

I got it.

* My life, a hell you're making *

* You know I'm yours *

* For just the taking

* I'd gladly surrender, body and soul *

* What lies before me, a future that's stormy... *

Sir, we have Des Ops. On your order.

* A winter that's gray and cold... *

Des Ops, we have a go.

( over speaker ): Thank you M-1. We have a go.

QRF on the tarmac at Ramstein.

Wheels up in two. RDF on deck.

First Armored in Wiesbaden mobilizing at 0800 GMT.

41st Artillery mobilizing at 0600 GMT.

* Oh, I tell you, I mean it

* I'm all... for you *

* Body and soul.