All language subtitles for The.West.Wing.S00E02.Documentary.Special.WEBRip.x264-FGT

C.J.:
Here it comes.

TV ANCHOR:
With 17% of the precincts
reporting

we are now ready to call
the Illinois primary

for former New Hampshire...
Yeah!

PAUL BEGALA:
Some people dream
of going to the moon

or some people dream
of hitting a home run

for the Yankees in the seventh
game of the series.

I always dreamed
about electing a president

and then maybe...
helping to change the world.

Victory is mine!
Victory is mine!

Great day in the morning,
people.

Victory is mine.

Good morning, Josh.

I drink from
the keg of glory.

Donna, bring me
the finest muffins

and bagels
in all the land.

It's going to be
an unbearable day.

MICHELLE CRISCI MEYERCORD:
I remember the first paycheck.

Of course you need to cash it
and pay rent

but there's a small part of me
that thought

"I could frame it."

Come join the campaign.

How much does it pay?

How much were you
making before?

$550,000 a year.
This pays $600 a week.

So this is less?
Yes.

Do you want those
who will be sycophants

who will defer to you
under any circumstances

to gain your favor?

Or do you want people who will
tell you the brutal truth

even though they know

it might not be
the popular thing to say?

Everything you do says

"For God's sakes, Leo,
I don't want to be

a one-term President."

Did I not say
put our guys on the FEC?

No, sir, you did not...

Leo!

No. You said

"Let's dangle our feet

in the water" of
whatever the hell it is

we dangle our feet in

when we want to make it
look like we're trying

without pissing
too many people off.

First place, White House closets

are a lot bigger
than anybody knows

and there was a phone
in this closet

and so, I was in there,
and I thought

"Okay, I'll be 15 minutes."

It went on an hour,
and by that time

I had to go to the bathroom.

So I picked up the phone
called his, uh, secretary

and said,
"Marie, get me out of here.

I'm freezing,
and I've got to go to the head."

That was my introduction
to the West Wing.

PRESIDENT BARTLET:
How are you doing?

We met last night.

You were singing and dancing
in a bathrobe.

Yes, sir.
Why were you in the closet?

I had to pee.

They won't let me smoke inside,
but you can pee in Leo's closet.

The Oval Office is awesome.

It's a pressure cooker, really

for anybody who has that...
responsibility.

I'm tired, I'm cranky,
and my wife's in Argentina.

Let's get this over with.

DEE DEE MYERS:
You have your good days
and your bad days

and in the middle of any
workday, it's your job.

Uh, I think that's the good news
about it.

It's a very human place.

If you did an interview

with everybody that worked
in our administration--

from the White House staff
to the Cabinet members on down--

and you asked them,
"How are you doing today?"

all of them would tell you three
things-- I'll bet you anything.

"I enjoy having my life back.

"I enjoy having more time
with my family

"and more time to myself.

I'm making more money
than I was."

And the third thing they'd say
is, "But I sure miss the work."

I sure miss the work.

There's is nothing,
nothing like it.

I've never felt
like this before.

It doesn't go away.

...here now, the President.

My fellow Americans,
good evening...

GENE SPERLING:
I literally ran
from Capitol Hill

down to, uh, the White House

and I remember, as you start
going towards the gate--

I was with a friend--
and just saying

"If I ever take this for granted
just shoot me."

I remember very distinctly
walking down the path

from the northwest gate
to the West Wing

uh, and thinking,
"Oh, my God"

You know, "I'm actually...
this is where I work."

But by the time your foot's
crossed the threshold

into the building

you were so overwhelmed
with what you had to do

that you immediately switched
into let's-get-it-done mode.

It's a nice morning,
Mr. McGarry.

We'll take care
of that in a hurry,
won't we, Mike?

Yes, sir.

BONNIE:
Don't kill
the messenger, Leo.

Oh, why the hell not, Bonnie?

MARLIN FITZWATER:
Starting every day
at the White House

is a marvelous kind of,
of upper

in terms of getting you excited
about life.

Because, first, you get
a private parking place

and you go in through
these big gates that open up

that kind of protect you
from the rest of the world.

So, right away, you think,
"I'm really special."

And then you walk up the stairs

and a Marine stands there,
and clicks his heels...

and you think

"I am really special."

And then you go
in the West Wing lobby

and there's a fellow there
who takes your coat

and asks
if you're having a good day

and hands you a paper,
and you think

"This is the greatest place
in the world for... ever."

And then you go in your office

and there's Helen Thomas
waiting for you

you say, "Well, there are some
problems with this job, but...

nevertheless, it's a good deal."

And then somebody comes to me
and says

"You know, we might have room

"for one of the deputy economic
advisors in the West Wing.

Would you be interested?"

And I said, "Oh, to have
an office in the West Wing

I would take
half of a windowless closet"

and that's pretty much
what they gave me.

LEO:
It's right over here...

442.

PEGGY NOONAN:
There was a lot of garbage
and air-conditioning ducts

outside my office.

It was always dark.

On the most beautiful day,
it was dark.

When I was new, I was told

"You have to go
to a certain woman.

"She's in charge
of the furniture.

"She'll come to your office,
look at it, bring you furniture.

She'll bring you couches
and desks."

So I called her up,
and she very nicely came down.

She looked around at the office
they had given me

and obviously this office said,
"totally unimportant person."

I'm working in the steam pipe
trunk distribution venue?

No, you're working
in your office.

Well...

BETTY CURRIE:
I walked into the office
and I looked around...

Thank you, for the help.

...and I said,
"Well, this can't be my office.

It's obviously a mistake."

It was just beautiful.

They had two dozen fresh roses.

So I said,
"I'll sit down and wait

for someone to come
take me to my office."

So I sat there and waited,
with my coat on

and then they came to tell me
this was my office.

Almost everybody walks
into the Oval Office

and gets cotton in their mouth.

Their tongue gets tied.

If I could just get
a glass of water...

No problem. We keep it in here.

( boisterous laughter )

Mr. President, I'm
so sorry to interrupt.

Not at all.
We're just having a nightcap.

I'd like you to meet
Barry Haskel from the FEC.

PRESIDENT BARTLET:
Well, may I present
Treasury Secretary Kenneth...

How are you?
Mr. Attorney General.

Dan Larson.

Of course, CIA director
Rob Konrad.

It's good to see you.

Barry, I'm Jed Bartlet.

I understand you're thinking
about helping us out.

That makes me so happy.

Quite often, very articulate
people would come

in the Oval Office
to ask a favor

and when they got there,
they couldn't speak.

Or they couldn't bring
themselves to ask me

to comply with their request

so they would... I would say,
"What did you come for?"

"Well..."
They would just fumble around

and then they'd go out later

and tell my staff member
what they wanted

but they couldn't bring
themselves to ask

for a mundane request in the
presence of the Oval Office.

C.J.:
See, it's
all about budgeting your time.

This time, this hour,
this is my time--

5:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.

I can work out,
as you see.

I can think about
personal matters.

I can... meet
an interesting man.

( pager beeping )
The trick is...

Your beeper's going.

What?

I think
your beeper's going.

GERGEN:
The White House is
an all-consuming job.

But you go in and give it
everything you've got...

( C.J. shrieks )

...recognizing
that the President

is in a different position.

The President is engaged
in a marathon.

His aides are engaged
in a sprint

and they have to keep working

in order to make
the White House work.

People really viewed it
as a once-in-a-lifetime shot

and you would have a life
in a... and sleep after.

( snoring )

Josh!

( snorts and coughs )

Hi.

On Capitol Hill at least,
you knew

when you were out of session,
you were out of session

and when you had a break,
you had a break.

When I went to the White House,
there is no break.

What are your plans?
We're having drinks

we're having dinner,
we are dancing,
we are having dessert.

No problem.
You can do all those things

except for the drinks,
the dancing and the dessert.

Josh...
You need to be done with dinner
in an hour and five minutes.

Do you see what I'm wearing?

If you want to have sex,
you better do it during dinner.

BEGALA:
It's not so much the hours
as it is

the constant focus.

So that you're never
off the job.

You're never
not at the White House.

Even when you're sleeping.

It's time for the President's
wake-up call.

WOMAN ( over phone ):
Lucky you.

Let me put you through.

( phone ringing )

KRIS ENGSKOV:
I guess I would say

when you wake up the President,
you do so very carefully.

What?

Good morning, Mr. President.

It's Charlie. I...

What could you possibly want
right now?

Sir, it's 6:30 AM...

Who the hell is this?

Sir... I need you to dig in now.

It wasn't a nightmare;
you really are the President.

You know, it was a 50-50 shot--

you know, either he was
in a great mood and he was up

or he wasn't and he was not.

Mr. President.

Charlie, are you aware

you're committing
a federal crime right now?

I'll take my chances
with the Feds, Mr. President.

It's 7:00.

How did you know the First Lady
wasn't going to be naked

when you came in here?

Come to think of it,
where the hell is my wife?

Argentina.

MEYERS:
You had no time for anything

so, uh, not having a spouse

and certainly not having
children

relieved me of a lot of conflict
and inner anguish, I thought.

'Cause I saw all my friends
with families just in agony.

This is the most
important thing

I'll ever do, Jenny.

I have to do it well.

It's not more important
than your marriage.

It is more important

than my marriage
right now.

These few years,
while I'm doing this

yes, it's more important

than my marriage.

MEYERS:
It's very hard on marriages.

I think, people don't see
their children very often.

Uh, and I think
that's part of the sacrifice.

The flip side of it is

it's about as exciting
a place to work as, uh

as there is, on the Earth.

( cello plays classical music)

GERGEN:
Everyone has unforgettable days
in the White House.

Usually when things--
a bill's passed

or some big achievement.

Sometimes, when things have
really gone badly.

But there are glamorous days,
too, that you look back and say

"Wow, I can't believe
that really happened."

I had the privilege of going
with President Reagan

to, uh, a summit conference
in Versailles.

When the meeting was over

we woke up in the morning
in the Versailles Palace.

We walked out to helicopters,
went over, got on Air Force One

and flew to see the Pope
for lunch.

We had this session
with the Pope--

which was, like, glorious.

We got back on helicopters,
went out to Air Force One

flew to London
and had dinner at Windsor Palace

with the Queen.

And I thought,
"I can't," you know

"This is unbelievable."

How can one have
a more interesting

richer experience than that?

The White House does that
sometimes.

It is, it's a place where things
can happen, and you say

"This is magical."

It was almost a small
amusement park

on the South Lawn.

It had a Ferris wheel
and great picnic.

And it was Friday afternoon,
and you have a crazy week

and you're exhausted,
and you think

"Okay, we'll go by the picnic
for a few hours."

And you get in line and you ride
the Sizzler with Alan Greenspan

and you think,
"This job is crazy."

When we'd come back from trips

we would land
at Andrews Air Force Base

and get off the plane
onto Marine One

which was the helicopter
that the President would fly on.

And, uh,
the helicopter's not that big

and there's just
a few people on it

and the Aide's seat was
right behind the President's.

And when we'd fly,
we'd take off from Andrews

and we'd fly across Maryland
over the DC line.

And then, the route into DC
was over the Capitol

and you sort of make
a right turn

around the Washington Monument

close enough
where you could literally

at night, feel like you could
reach out and touch it

and then you'd swerve right
onto the South Lawn

and you could see it lit up.

And here's the President
sitting three feet from you

and you realize that you were
in a really special place.

I realized I had been
through three phases

while I was there,
and they were three phases

that pretty much
everybody went through.

First phase:
you are brand-new.

You are lucky to be there.

You see all these people

from people you see
on Meet the Press on Sunday

to people who just look
like geniuses

or really brilliant people.

They are big people.

They have significant jobs.

And you know you just got
in here by a fluke.

You're lucky.

Keep your head down.

Don't let anyone know
how stupid you are.

Do your best.

I'm admitting to you that...

there are things I do not know.

And I'm telling you
that I don't think

anybody would have
any trouble imagining

that there are things
you do not know.

That's phase one.

Phase two is you've been there
for maybe a year.

You've done some work.

You've gotten to know people.

You've gotten to understand
the plant and how things work.

You have some friends.

And you realize,
"You know what?

"This is the great blessing
of my life

but I think I feel equal
to these people."

Let me see if I have this.

A hurricane has picked up speed
and power

and is heading
for Georgia.

Management and Labor are
coming here to work out

a settlement to avoid
a crippling strike

that will begin
at midnight tonight

and the government's planning
a siege on 18

to 40 of its
citizens, all the
while, we host

a state dinner
for the President of Indonesia?

Yeah.
You got it.

NOONAN:
That's phase two.
Phase three--

you all of a sudden
know everything

and you realize
how frail we are

how imperfect we are

how half-dumb
or fully dumb we are.

And you think, "Oh, my God.

We're running the country?"

What time is it in Tokyo?
14 hours ahead.

I thought it was 13.
Eastern daylight.

So, it's 14 hours ahead?

Yes.

We're sure it's ahead
and not behind?

Guys, the clock's
on the wall.

JOSH:
Okay, so it's almost

11:00 in Tokyo?
Yes.

KARL ROVE:
This is not writing a paper
in high school.

You very quickly
come to understand

that the decisions
that you help frame...

have a power and a might
and a significance

that is pretty awesome at times.

Cautious optimism, Josh.

Nothing bad is going
to happen this week.

Exercise cautious optimism.

Look, there is no real...

( thudding )

PANETTA:
The White House can fall apart
very fast.

One story

in the morning news

one event during the day

and you literally can have
people running around

like chickens
with their heads cut off.

Ginger?
Yeah.

Public Liaison wrote up
talking points two hours ago.

Pull them.
They're no good anymore.

When are they going
to have new ones?

Public Liaison?
Yeah.

HBOTH:n hour.
We got to call the network
15 minuteand make sure

we get one of our people on
every single broadcast tonight.

Okay, let's try not
to do that a lot.

DUBERSTEIN:
You're on the inside

but you can't let too much out.

You say something
at a cocktail party

or sitting around, watching TV
with some new friends

and it may be
on the network news that night.

What the hell happened?

DUBERSTEIN:
You have to be guarded

in what you say around town.

I gave Ann Stark the quote,
and she fed it to a reporter.

Why did you give her
the quote?

It wasn't a quote
when I gave it to her.

What the hell was it?

I misunderstood
my relationship
with Ann Stark.

Yes, you did.

The year is one week old.

The legislative session
hasn't begun

and we can't put a fork
full of waffles in our mouth

without coughing up the ball.

I have press in ten minutes.

Figure it out.

Tell me what you're going to do.

FITZWATER:
Well, the press corps has

to be stationed
at the White House

in the briefing room
all day long

waiting for news to break out

and they always seem to me
like a pride of lions--

that they would just kind of

lazily walk around the room
and read their newspapers

and drink coffee
and talk to each other.

But if they were aroused
by a huge story or by news

they just sprang into action.

Can you tell us anything?

His name? Where he's from?

Ethnicity?

If you guys
suspect a motive?

Yes, Steve, I can tell you
all those things

because when I said we weren't
releasing any information

whatsoever, I meant except
his name, his address

his ethnicity, and what
we think his motive was.

ALL:
C.J.?

FITZWATER:
And they were at your throat
in a minute

and so you had to always
walk among them, very carefully

kind of like a white hunter
who was worried about

whether or not he was going
to get his tail end eaten off.

( laughs )

There's a lot of ways
to screw up.

There's a lot
of different ways to do it.

I'm sorry, Joan.
C.J., would you say

that the President's situation

makes it harder
for him to focus?

MYERS:
For me, it was
the flip comeback.

To be honest with you, Paul,
I think the President's relieved

to be focusing on something
that matters.

MYERS:
Sometimes you say something

and as it's coming
out of your mouth

you're like, "Oh, no.

Put that back."

Obviously, what I meant
to say was...

Excuse me.
Did you just say

he was relieved?

Obviously, what I mean...

ALL:
C.J.

MYERS:
It's just such

a down side of the job.

There's no way you can sit there
and brief every day

half an hour to an hour,
depending on what's happening

and not make mistakes.

I was going to go out
and tell the press corps

on live television

that we had started
the invasion.

And I said, "Mr. President,
you don't suppose

"Noreiga is laying in bed
with his mistress

"looking through his toes
at television would see me

announce the invasion
of his country, would you?"

And the President looked at me
at first like I was crazy

and then said,
"You better wait till 1:30."

Honest to God.

It doesn't matter what the hell
the hearing turns up.

It's a hearing.

This one is drugs,
so it's sexy.

This is Geraldo's dream
come true.

So, don't get up with me, okay?

I am throwing you a rope.

Something I'd
like the two of
you to remember

the next time
you're mouthing off

on Face the Nation, you
can't get anything done

'cause House Republicans
are vindictive.

PRESIDENT FORD:
I was in the House
of Representatives

for 25 and a half years,
and I disagreed

with the occupant
of the White House

whether it was Democrat
or Republican.

I used to say

"How can he be so autocratic,
so dictatorial?

"Why doesn't he understand

that the Congress is
doing the right thing?"

Well, when I moved

from one end
of Pennsylvania Avenue

to the other end
and occupied the Oval Office

my perspective changed
significantly.

And then, I would look
down at the Congress and say

"What are those people doing
over there?

How can they be
so irresponsible?"

We need to be
investigated

by someone who
wants to kill us

just to watch us die.

We need someone
perceived by the
American people

to be irresponsible

untrustworthy,
partisan

ambitious and thirsty
for the limelight.

Am I crazy, or is
this not a job

for the U.S. House
of Representatives?

A member said, um

"Last night I had a dream,
and Jesus talked to me."

I said, "What did Jesus say?"

He said, "Jesus said

"that I really ought
to support this economic plan.

"But... Jesus also said
that I could support this plan

if I got approval
for a casino in my district."

How do you do this to
a Democratic President?

State tax costs 65 cents
on the dollar.

That's not my point.

Why would anyone want
to build up...

That's not my point.
Well, what's... ?

You were with
us yesterday

and now you're
holding us hostage.

( bangs gavel )

Josh, we can't
have this meeting

every time the President
wakes up in the morning

and decides
to make the world better.

Why don't you take
your legislative agenda

and shove it up your ass?

That is out of line,
Congressman.

...and though I compromise,
I draw a line in the sand.

I'm there to ensure that
only multimillionaires

and not billionaires are exempt
from the estate tax.

Toby!

Re-elect the President, Bonnie.

He's on the side of millionaires
and not billionaires.

I don't like what I've just been

accused of.
I'm afraid that's tough.

You owe
an apology...
( gavel banging )

Lowest Latino unemployment
in history.

More small business loans
for Hispanic entrepreneurs

and the biggest drop in Latino
poverty in two decades.

That's what I got
in the last election.

What do I get in this one?

You know, I'm so sick
of Congress, I could vomit.

What do you want?

Washington is a...
is a zero-sum place.

Uh, and I-I was really surprised
by that.

You know, it's almost like
there's a finite pool of power

and if somebody has
a little piece of it

somebody else is giving it up.

And, uh, that makes people
really aggressive

and covetous of what they have,
and, uh, unwilling to give it up

and willing to do...
sort of fight fiercely

and dirty, if that's
what it takes

to hang on to what they have.

Vince Foster,
may his soul rest in peace

called it "The blood sport
of Washington"

which is destroying people
as part of a process.

Journalists destroy people
to get ahead sometimes.

Some would admit that.

Politicians destroy people
to get ahead sometimes.

Some would admit that.

Are there alcoholics
working in the White House?

I would imagine
that there are.

You would imagine?

Statistics suggest.

You know for sure
that there are?

Yes.

What are their names?

What are you,
crazy?

Well, you don't think the public
has a right to know?

Drinking isn't
against the law.

I'm speaking
of a higher standard.

He's not going to tell you
the names of people

he knows
to be alcoholics.

Move on.

BEGALA:
It's all well and good
for a Republican President

to beat up on labor

or a Democrat
to beat up on business.

When have you stood up
to your friends?

When have you gone to people
who have been there for you

and say, "I know
you're my friend

but I got
to put the country first."

Here's what I think.

Screw the environmental lobby?

Did I say that?

Did I say,
"Screw the environmental lobby?"

You didn't say anything.

That's right, and before
I even open my mouth

you decide I'm going to say

"screw the
environmental lobby?"
I apologize.

There's an extent to which

we've got to screw
the environmental lobby.

Yeah.

Mario Cuomo once said

that "we campaign in poetry,
but govern in prose"

and I think that, you know,
we all do that

and then, when it's all said
and done, you look back

and sometimes you think

"Well, maybe that's something
I shouldn't have given away."

And sometimes you look back
and think

"Maybe I shouldn't have been
quite so hard-headed

and compromised a little more."

But I think, on balance,
our system works quite well

and I must tell you

the day I walked out
of the White House

I was more idealistic
than the day I walked in.

We agree on nothing, Max.

You know why?

'Cause I'm a lily-livered,
bleeding heart liberal

egghead Communist.

Yes, sir.

And I'm a gun-toting,
redneck son of a bitch.

Yes, you are.

We agree on that.

We also agree
on campaign finance.

Yes, sir.

So, Max, can I count

on your support

to confirm my candidates?

And what do I get in exchange?

The thanks
of a grateful President.

Good answer, sir.

Thank you.

WOMAN:
Telephone, Leo.

I'm in the shower.

It's POTUS.

WOMAN 2:
A message was just passed up

to the cockpit for you.

I'm not sure
I've got it right:

"POTUS in a bicycle accident"?

( sighs )

Tell your friend Potus
he's got a funny name.

I would, but he's not
my friend, he's my boss.

It's not his name,
it's his title.

POTUS?

President of the United States.

I'll call you!

When you first get there,
being referred to as "POTUS"

or FLOTUS or VPOTUS
is sort of disorienting.

And then, uh, you get used to it

and it just becomes
a part of the daily

kind of culture
of the White House.

A modern president
who is a natural

will almost breathe in
the presidency--

breathe it in--

straighten out his shoulders
and walk forward.

And whatever reality
he walks into

he is bringing the presidency
with him.

CHILDREN ( in unison ):
Good morning

Mr. President.

Oh, that sounded
pretty weak to me.

Let's try it again.

( louder ):
Good morning

Mr. President!

That's better.

But when he breathes it in
and brings it into the world

he is presenting the American
presidency to the world

and that is a big thing.

I know I'm the President
of something...

CHILDREN:
America!

Yes! Thank you.
I am the President

of the United States of America.

Now, who has a question?

He better be well-meaning.

He better have
his act together.

What's your favorite part
about being President?

I'm doing it

right now.

Who's next?

GERGEN:
It's almost as if
somebody whispers

in their ear, you know?

"There's room up on Mount
Rushmore for one more face."

( chuckles )

"And if you do well,
you might get there."

Ah, now there isn't room
up there.

I've checked it out.

But that sense pervades
the White House

and so you want
to encourage that.

Why shouldn't I stand up and say

"We are going to cure cancer
in ten years"?

PRESIDENT CARTER:
The fear of failure

by an incumbent President
or his staff

is one of
the very deterring factors

in making courageous decisions.

It'll be seen as
a political ploy.

PRESIDENT BARTLET:
Why?

It can be seen
as self-serving.
How?

And so, if you take a chance
and fail

you know, there's no doubt

there's a deleterious effect
on your popularity.

Whereas if you take a chance
and succeed, it's very good.

It's always a danger
you have to take.

Sam?

Yes, sir?

Why shouldn't I do it?

I think you should.

I think ambition
is good.

I think overreaching
is good.

I think giving people
a vision of government

that's more than
Social Security checks

and debt reduction is good.

I think

governments
should be optimistic.

A good staff does that.

A good staff, you know,
comes together and says

"We're so lucky to be here

"and we have
some great things to do.

"Let's just buck up the boss.

"We'll just help him
the best we can.

Give him the best shot we can,
and we'll do okay."

We have to say what we feel.

Let government--
no matter

what its failures
in the past--

and in times to come,
for that matter--

government can be a place
where people come together

and where no one
gets left behind.

No one...

gets left behind.

BEGALA:
Benjamin Franklin said that

"Our critics are
our best friends

"for they show us our failures.

"They show us our weaknesses.

They reveal our flaws."

American voters like guts,
and Republicans have got 'em.

And in three years, one of them
is going to beat you.

PRESIDENT CARTER:
One of the things
that any top leader needs

is to have people whom you trust

that will actually tell you
the brutal truth

even if it's contrary
to what they know

your desires or beliefs
might be.

Well, you've gone through
everyone who works for you

and everyone
who's married to you

I didn't know who else
you could get mad at

so I was afraid the American
people might be next.

One of the things
that you have to have

when you're Chief of Staff

to the President
of the United States

is a relationship of trust.

And it means
that you can basically

blow off at the President

and the President
can blow off at you.

What are you talking about?

I'm talking about
286 American Marines in Beirut!

I'm talking about Somalia!

I'm talking about Nairobi!

And you think ratcheting up
the body count's

going to act as a deterrent?

You're damn
right, I do.

Oh, then you are just as stupid

as these guys who think
capital punishment's

going to be a deterrent
for drug kingpins.

DR. HENRY KISSINGER:
To tell truth to power

in a mature White House
should not be a problem.

Uh, what is a problem is if
you tell the President something

that is very contrary
to his opinions

and very contrary
to what he'd like to hear.

It's proportional,
it's reasonable

it's responsible,
it's merciful--

it's not nothing.

Four high-rated
military targets...

Which they'll rebuild again
in six months.

Then we'll blow them up again
in six months!

We're getting really good at it.

GERGEN:
It's very, very hard

to speak truth to power
when the truth is unpleasant.

Um, I think
it's one of the toughest things

especially a young person
has to do

and the only way you can do it

is if you're willing
to walk out the door

if he doesn't take your advice

or you're willing
to walk out the door

if he goes over the line.

( scoffs )

Oh, man, Leo...

I think of all the
work you put in

to get me to run.

I think of all
the work you did

to get me elected.

I could pummel your ass
with a baseball bat.

( both laughing )

A president needs to be
both revered and feared.

He can't just be
"one of the boys."

I don't know how to address you.

Would you prefer "Jeb"

or "Mr. President"?

To be honest,
I'd prefer "Mr. President."

That's fine.

You understand why,
right?

Do I need to know why?

It's not ego.

I didn't think it was.

There's certain decisions
I have to make

while I'm in this room...

Do I send troops
into harm's way?

Which fatal disease
gets the most research money?

Sure.

It's helpful
in those situations

not to think of yourself
as the man but as the office.

Then "Mr. President" it is.

PRESIDENT CARTER:
The most difficult issues

and the most controversial
questions

are the ones that finally
wind up on the President's desk.

And so inherently
during an average day's work

the President has to make
some tough decisions

and there is no appeal
if it's an executive decision.

So, that's part of life,
and, uh, we ask for it.

And, uh, almost invariably
we ask for a second term

to do it again.

So, it's an exhilarating and
challenging and unpredictable

and, uh, adventurous
and gratifying life

being President.

MAN:
Ladies and gentlemen

boys and girls

the President
of the United States.

This is a great job.

PANETTA:
I'm one who believes
that if a president

does what he believes
is right for the country

that that's... that's what
the American people want.

What would be the next thing
that challenges us, Toby?

That makes us
go farther

and work harder?

You know that
when smallpox was eradicated

it was considered

the single greatest humanitarian
achievement of this century?

GERGEN:
I think the best thing
about our best Presidents

has been that they have
a sense of how much better

we can be than we are.

And they have a sense

of potential, of possibility.

To maintain
that sense of possibility

about who-who we can be
as a people

and then encourage us
to have great dreams.

That's when leaders
produce action.

That's what you want to keep
alive in the White House.

PRESIDENT BARTLETT:
Surely, we can do it again

as we did in the time

when our eyes looked
towards the heavens.

And with outstretched
fingers...

we touched the face of God.

MAN:
Mr. President,
I have House Resolution 10:

The Death Tax
Elimination Act.

It bears the signatures

of both the Speaker of the House
and the President of the Senate

and is presented to you

by the Congress
of the United States

for your signature or veto.

The President said,
"I can't accept it.

"It may cost me the election

but I'm just
not going to do it."

And at that point in time,
I just....

I had the sense

that the President
of the United States

has made a very tough decision.

It's the right decision
for the country

but it's a very tough decision,
because suddenly

the whole issue of
"Can you be reelected

as President
of the United States?"

has to meet the substance
of what you believe in.

JOSH:
Sir, if the House
successfully overrides

the veto, we're
going to look weak.

If the House successfully
overrides the veto

we are weak.

And what you believe in

has to come first.

Send it back.

KISSINGER:
The decisions you make

are 51/49...

and closer than that.

And there's
no good technical answer

so... you need

some moral convictions.

With the responsibility
as President

I had to get the Nixon problem
off my desk.

I signed the pardon,
and I knew it was right

but I also knew
it would be controversial.

But a president
has to make those judgments

and he ought to do it
on what's right

and not
what public surveys show.

Yes, ultimately,
you have to do what's right.

The most difficult thing, really

was when the hostages
were taken.

I could have been
very popular, I think

if I had launched
a military attack on Iran.

All three scenarios
are comprehensive,
meet the obligations

of proportional response
and pose minimum risk

to American personnel
and assets.

But my decision was

to be patient.

And to negotiate, and ultimately

my goal was to preserve
the integrity of my country.

Although I lost the election,
maybe partially because of that

every hostage did come home,
safe and free

and we didn't kill
innocent people in Iran.

Well, it looks easy
in retrospect, 25 years later

but it was very difficult
at the time.

GERGEN:
Harry Truman, 1948.

He signed an executive order
with regard to the military

to desegregate the military.

And his advisers warned him

"If you do that,
you might lose the election."

And he said,
"This is more important.

"I'm going to do it because
it's the right thing to do.

"And if I lose the election,
I lose the election.

That's final."

And of course,
he went on to win the election.

But that's one of the reasons
all of us have

such a high regard
for Harry Truman

because he was
one of the examples.

And there have been many others.

He was a model for saying,
"Let's put the country first

and we'll worry about
our election later."

And we're going to lose
some of these battles--

and we might even lose
the White House--

but we're not going to be
threatened by issues.

We're going to put them
front and center.

We're going to raise the level

of public debate
in this country.

And let that be our legacy.

That sound all right
to you, Josh?

I serve at the pleasure

of the President
of the United States.

Good.

Well, let's get in the game.

PRESIDENT CLINTON:
Nothing the President does

is possible without the talent
and the devotion

and the hard work
of the staff and the Cabinet.

And so,
I think it's very important

that every President
acknowledge--

and that
the American people understand--

that this is a teamwork.

It's a group enterprise,
and the President

has to be responsible
for the mistakes

that are made on the big calls.

But a lot
of the really good things

that happen day in and day out

are because of the other people
who work there.

I just felt, every day

that it was such a privilege
to be there

and that there was

just such a sense
of responsibility

to get things right
that it just drove me--

and drove many others--
to want to, you know

put in that extra hour,
go that extra mile.

Because what you were doing
was ultimately

for the President
of the United States.

And what you did right or wrong
was going to affect

tens, hundreds of thousands
of people, sometimes millions.

And that's a pretty inspiring
force to keep you there

an extra hour late at night.

GERGEN:
Working in the White House
is a special institution.

It's different from working

in a lot of other institutions
in our society.

And there is a fraternity
of people who work there

who do look after each other

because they have such a respect
for the office of the President.

This guy's walking
down the street

when he falls
in the hole.

The walls are
so steep, he
can't get out.

A doctor passes by
and the guy shouts up

"Hey, you! Can you
help me out?"

The doctor writes
a prescription

throws it down in the
hole and moves on.

Then a priest comes
along, and the
guy shouts up

"Father, I'm down
in this hole.
Can you help me out?"

The priest writes
out a prayer

throws it down in
the hole and moves on.

Then a friend walks by.

"Hey, Joe, it's me.
Can you help me out?"

And the friend
jumps in the hole.

Our guy says,
"Are you stupid?!

Now we're both down here!"

The friend says, "Yeah

"but I've been
down here before

and I know the way out."

Long as I got a job,
you got a job.

You understand?

Many people no longer believe
this, but trust remains

the coin of the realm
in politics.

A president who is trusted--

by the people, by the Congress

by the press,
by foreign countries--

is a president who can get
a lot of good things done.

You break that trust,
you violate that trust

everything else tumbles
around you.

On the day
that Richard Nixon resigned

my daughter was four years old,
and my son was two years old.

At 10:00 at night,
I drove them downtown

and parked in front
of the White House.

And I said to them,
"Look, there isn't a soldier

"there isn't a policeman

"there isn't a gun
anywhere to be seen.

"The most powerful person
on the planet

left this place on his own
because of the rule of law."

Now, that may be corny,
but I said to myself

"God bless America
that made a system like this

where there's no military
that I can find."

And I turned around,
proud of my eloquence

and they were both sound asleep.

JOSH:
Well, Toby, it's
election night.

What do you say
about a government

that goes out of its way

to protect even citizens
that try to destroy it?

God bless America.

GERGEN:
There are no silver linings
out of September 11.

But one of the hopes that one
draws after September 11

is that it did bring us
together as a people.

And we began to appreciate again

how important
public leadership is

whether it be firemen
or policemen

or the teachers who rescued kids

from around
the World Trade Center...

or whether it's the President
of the United States.

The group
from NASA's

assembling for
their photo op.

At 7:00, you have cocktails
in the Map Room...

BEGALA:
I had done some work
with John Kennedy, Jr.

He said the only memory
he really had of his father

that he knew was his,
was that desk.

His father used to hide candy
in it.

That's why he crawled around
in it like that.

So you see that,
and you think about that

and the way
that the light comes in...

And to realize
that ever since Teddy Roosevelt

every President has sat in there

and tried their best
and sweated blood.

And a thousand
little weenie aides like me

have come in and out, you know

with their great arrogance
and their great dreams...

And to know that you're
one small link in that chain...

*

MYERS:
It's a very human place

and the people who work there
are very human.

And they're not imbued

with any
super-extraordinary powers

and they just do
the best they can.

And I think,
regardless of party

from administration
to administration

people go there with high hopes

and they work their hearts out

and they are fragile,
and they make mistakes.

And it's a building
full of human beings.

Okay, what's next?