All language subtitles for The West Wing (1999) - S06E05 - The Hubbert Peak (1080p AMZN WEB-DL x265 ImE)_track3_[eng]

Previously on The West Wing:

The position of White House
Chief of Staff

will be filled
by Claudia Jean Cregg.

The President can always send
C.J. Cregg

to Ramallah to swat at suicide
bombers with her purse.

C.J.:
My purse!

Page Carol! Get him the hell
out of there!

Can I apologize again?

No, but let's move
finding my replacement

from priority three
to priority one.

CHARLIE:
The President
made me promise that

when I got the degree,
I'd leave this job.
He doesn't want

me holding his jacket
for the rest of my life.

You don't want
a new press secretary.

Then who exactly do you think
is going to brief the press?

You.

MAN:
Great car.

Hybrid-- wave of the future.

The future's here.

There's a waiting list.

60 miles a gallon?

In the city.

51 highway.

Isn't that...?

Backwards, yeah.

Electrical battery
recharges every time
you hit the brake.

Perfect for D.C.

The car that loves
gridlock.

Like Congress.

And with gas prices
at an all-time high...

They're not, actually.

The record high
was in '81.

Adjusted for inflation,

gas was $2.80 a gallon
in today's money.

Okay.
( chuckles )

In the '50s,
prices were
equivalent

to what they are now.

A little more, even,

but per capita real income
was less than half

what it is today.

Cost your parents
twice as much
at the pump

as what you pay.

Grandparents,
in your case.

You're really up
on your, uh...

I work at the White House.

A great statement
for a government official:

"Drive the car that reduces
our dependence on OPEC."

Yeah, it's foreign made.

The symbolism's kind of a wash.

$3,500 over sticker?

Some dealers getting
$10,000 over.

So, I should just be happy
you're gouging me less?

It's a popular package.

How many on your waiting list?

Uh, 700.

Whoa!
Hmm.

How long?

Eight months.

Want to take
a test drive?

No, I'm just...

you know...

Can I drive that?

( engine starts )

Congratulations.

Thanks.

It's a long wait, huh?

Oh, worth it.

Individuals need to
take responsibility.

The government
won't do anything

about improving mileage.

It's so deep in the pockets
of the oil and car companies.

Yeah, Congress
is a nightmare.

Bartlet's done squat.

SALESMAN:
Mr. Lyman!

All set.

All right.

Thank you.

I know I sound
like a dork,

but this is way cool.

Yeah, it's a lot
of machine.

( engine starts )
All right.

So, uh, easy out of the lot.

Not like I'm off-roading
in Baja?

Not on the lot.

( tires squeal )
Whoa!

( phone rings )
It's a lot of machine.

DONNA:
Hey.
Yeah?

McNaughton at the D triple C
needs you right away.

You should see this thing
I'm driving.

It's a monster.

What?

My testosterone is flying.

Try not to get any on anyone.

Uh...

I'll put my
hands-free thing in.

What?

Hang on.

Look out!
Whoa!

( car alarm wailing )

Josh?

Are you all right?

Tell McNaughton
I may be a while.

Thank you again.

Good morning.

Hey. How was your weekend?

What weekend?

Oh, you mean that
two-day period

with a giant mountain
of briefing material

invade your domicile
instead of your office,

finally and completely
obliterating

whatever desperate
and pathetic distinction

you've labored mightily
and yet foolishly
to try and maintain?

At least you could
do it in your jammies.

You're picturing
that, aren't you?

A little bit.
And you?

I don't wear
jammies.

Your weekend.

You know, boring.

You got nothing
to report,

nothing adventurous
or illicit?

Boring. Dull, even.

In your non-jammies?

You're picturing that,
aren't you?

Trying furiously
not to.

You seen Toby?

He's briefing,
isn't he?

Okay, then.

Yeah.

I have no information

on that at this time. Yeah?

The CAFE standards
amendment

raising auto fuel
efficiency requirements

comes up for
House vote today.

Will the President sign the
Omnibus Transportation Bill

without that
provision?

I can't speculate
on an amendment

that hasn't been voted for
on a bill that hasn't passed.

Does anybody know
where your esteemed

confreres might be?

Is it a press holiday
of some kind?

H.L. Mencken's birthday?

Anniversary
of the expense account?

( clamoring voices )

Get out!

REPORTERS:
C.J.!

All of you!
You cannot be in here!

Why couldn't you...?

A human wave.
I was overwhelmed.

Toby is killing us.

He won't engage.

We do not do this anymore.

You really have
to leave.

We get nothing to file.

We're all going
to get fired.

That's not going to be
the best argument

to make to him or to me
at the moment.

You got to help us.
I'll talk to him.

Now-- and I say this with love--

get the hell out of my office!

Have the rules of engagement
been finalized

for the Mideast peacekeepers...?

I'm looking for something
to hurl at you.

JOSH:
Mine-sniffing rats?

KATE:
The Gambian giant pouched rat.

You hit a Prius
with an SUV?

Connecting my cell phone's
hands-free device.

The ironies abound.

Yeah, verily.

What happened
to training dogs?

Dogs get bored.

Sniffing for land mines?

These are some
jaded pooches.

What kind of SUV?

A humongous one.
Excursion, Expedition,

Escalade, what?
I don't know.
One of those.

I just wanted
to drive it.
Like a Hummer.

Wouldn't you want
to experience that once?

Yeah, I've had
the pleasure.

It's less of a giggle

when your taking
automatic weapons fire.

I don't know how
we get funding

for giant,
mine-sniffing rats.

Three of them found
20 live mines

in a test in
Mozambique.

Was the Prius
just totaled?

Pretty much.

Isn't there, like,
a big waiting list?

Just got longer.

This is hilarious,
but not actually funny.

See, and I'd say since
it's mostly expensive
and embarrassing,

it's funny, but not
actually hilarious.

You ever hear
of the Hubbert Peak?

Does it have to do with
gradations of mirth,

or are we back on rats
of an unusual size?

Hubbert was a geologist
who predicted--

pretty much right
on the money--

when U.S. oil production
would peak and then decline.

Did he win something?

Weekend in Shreveport?
Year's supply of Vaseline?

Oil supply's
a bell curve.

The worldwide
Hubbert Peak

may have already hit,

but no one thinks it's more than
20-30 years off.

Meaning, within the lifetime
of kids today

oil production
will plummet.

I just wanted
to drive a Hummer once.

And that's only
half the story.

I mean, what's
going to happen

when everyone in the developing
world has a car?

Be a good time to be
in the insurance business.

Glass houses.

Yeah. Point taken.

Exploding demand
meets plummeting supply.

Whether we've ever fought
one over it up till now,

the next war
will be about oil.

See ya.

( knocking )
C.J.:
If you're coming in here with

one more thing to read, I will
strangle you with my bare hands

and enjoy it.
Will's here.

I can scrag him, too.

I don't doubt it.

So I'm thinking
briefing books on tape

for in the car,
while you're jogging.

You jog?
Not anymore.

The President would like
the VP to meet

with the NSC on the new
nuclear fallout analysis
they're coordinating.

Absolutely.
The focus is evacuation?

Attribution,
post-event forensics.

If terrorists know
a detonation can be traced,

they'll be less likely
to attempt it.

Terrorists being
notably responsive

to logic and self-interest.

Almost sounded
important there
for a minute.

The House just
defeated the CAFE
standards amendment.

Already?
They limited floor debate
to 20 minutes.

So the car companies won't have
to raise miles per gallon from

venti to grande.
Actually, it's the other way
around, but something like that.

Not unexpected.

Or entirely unwelcome.

Hey, hey,
that's the spirit.

Dems get credit
with enviros for favoring it,

but the Vice President
doesn't have to defend it

with voters in Michigan.

Politics being
more important
than principle.

This administration's
had seven years

to make better
fuel efficiency
a priority.

Seven years...
Don't take your
guilt out on me.

Seven years
of a hostile
Congress.

And a public busy
singing "I Want My SUV."

That's regret, not guilt.

You don't have
the votes, you don't

have the votes.
The art of the possible.

Exactly what
Leo'd say.

I'd spend
the rest of the week

trying to decide
if sounding like

a dyspeptic 60-year-old
is an actual compliment.

You wanted to see me?
Where are we on finding
a new press secretary?

Getting up to speed.

Time for a turbo boost.

No one-- and I don't mean
this unkindly--

no one is anxious
to have you keep briefing.

Just curious,
but how'd you have put it

had you meant it unkindly?

( knocking )

PRESIDENT:
You're hovering.

He's hovering.

Verging on looming.

And he's stalling.

I'm crafting.

They're just
remarks.

People listening won't
know they're just remarks.

To them, it'll sound uncannily
like a speech.

A short speech.

The prompter guy needed
this half an hour ago.

You're on your own.
I am the leader

of the free world.
People pay attention
when I speak.

The job's not all waving
from the chopper.

Not as good as it might be.
It's all your fault.

I'm prepared to live
with the verdict
of history.

Thank you, sir.
Charlie, one sec?

Mr. President,
I wanted to remind you

about the reception
in the East Room today.

What?

The girls' National
Field Hockey champions.

Sir, you have to be there.

Charlie?

I'll get him there.
Thank you.

I'm noticing a distinct
slackening of awe,

a certain lack
of trembling in my presence.

Yes, Mr. President.
Yes, sir.

DONNA:
Josh?

What is it?

That gossip blog,
District Scene.

How did she get this?

Someone at the
dealer, I guess.

It's not the end
of the world.

It's a web log.

It's not The
Washington Post.

( phone rings )

Josh Lyman's office.

Yeah.

C.J.'s office... now.

TOBY:
You didn't think
it was a story?

It's obviously
a story.

I just didn't think
it'd become a ...

Every news organization
in this country

surfs these blogs now.

This'll be everywhere.

C.J.:
What possessed you?

I don't know.

I saw it and
was taken over

by my reptilian
brain stem.

The press is going
to have a party with this.

Conga lines,
piñatas...

They'll have fun
and be done in a day.

Not the week
raising CAFE standards

goes down in the House with us
having barely put up a fight?

I just got
a phone call

from the Alternative
Energy Resources Council

threatening to hold
a press conference

trashing our commitment
to conservation

citing your little
demolition derby
as Exhibit "A."

I'll call 'em.

You'll do better
than that.

You're going to head up

the White House Task Force
on Alternative Energy.

What White House...?

The one I promised to
get them to hold off.

I want a meeting today

that ends with something
announceable.

You standing with people
in Birkenstocks

in front of the press.
Birkenstocks...

And bicycle clips.

Yeah.

Bicycle clips?

For your pants.

You got a...?

Yeah.

Not counting today--
today was, uh...

I don't know what today was--
but the briefings?

Yeah, they're
getting better.

Good. On a scale
of one to ten--

ten being C.J. and one being
a chimp throwing feces--

where do I rank?

They're getting better.

I gotta go get
my ass kicked.

Yeah, me, too.

Congressmen... woman.

Does this President believe
fuel efficiency standards
should be raised?

We're dispensing
with the small talk.

LACKEY:
Answer the question.

It's a shame, 'cause
I'd been hoarding

amusing anecdotes,
mordant observations...

GLEESON:
This administration's
environmental record

is an embarrassment
to its party and a betrayal

of its supporters.

Mordant enough for you?

"Betrayal, embarrassment,"

it's that kind
of temperate rhetoric

that so endears the green
movement to the electorate.

You rolled over.

JOSH:
We did the
arithmetic!

Any increase in CAFE standards

wasn't going to happen.

Josh,

you rolled over.

An eight-year-old
can count heads.

This is supposed to be
about leadership.

Leaders avoid losing battles.

You live to fight another day.

LACKEY:
You're missing
the point, Josh.

Nobody thought we were
going to win this one.

But you've made it
easy for them.

AUREN:
Seat belts, air bags,
the first

fuel economy standards--

the auto industry
had to be dragged kicking

and screaming
into all of them.

GLEESON:
They didn't go
out of business.

They figured it out.

LACKEY:
When the White House
doesn't lead

on fuel mileage,

opponents get to cast
their vote at no cost.

We don't just lose a vote,

we lose out
on a national debate.

LACKEY:
Making it that much harder
to win the next vote.

This isn't a poli-sci seminar!

We didn't have the votes!

Thank you

all for your time.

Well?

And a pleasant good morning
to you.

You find someone?

Slept extremely well,
thank you so much for asking.

Well, sleep less and get us a
new press secretary, will you?

I'm sorry.

When you asked
me to do this,

I didn't realize
you expected me
to find someone

by the first hour of
the first morning of
my first day.

The sooner you get someone,

the sooner I can stop
doing briefings.

I told you, your doing them
for a while is a good thing.

Well, I'm glad someone
doesn't think

they're a total train wreck.

Oh, no, they're horrible.
But I can help you.

Help me by doing the job
you were hired for,

and find us a new
press secretary.

Settling in just fine.

But the muffin basket,
the flowers...

it's too much.

JOSH:
Donna!

Get some alternative energy
spokespeople in here

for a meeting
right away.
You mean...

Wind, solar, hamsters
in wheels, whatever's
out there-- today.

You have that...

Cancel it.
This takes priority.

Hey, Donna.

Hey. Was Josh
expecting you?

Actually,
I came by to see you.

How you doing?

Good. I'm good.

How soon before
you're out of that cast?

Soon. I can't wait.
I bet.

Look, we don't know
each other that well,

but if you ever
want to talk...

Thanks, but I...

I'm sure you've spoken
to somebody,

but I just thought, if you
ever wanted someone...

another woman...
I don't know.

Is this completely
inappropriate?

No, no, it's fine.

It's just, I've been
around the sort of
thing you went through.

I appreciate your concern.

Okay.

Well, if you ever want to.

I should really get back to...

Okay.

He's sure he's up to it?

Said so.

He's not just being polite?

I'm sorry-- Leo...?

He has a courtly side.

Not with me.

Don't want to overtax him.

He would've said.

A car will pick up the food,

then swing by to take you
over to his hotel at 1:00.

Great.

He asked if you play chess.

Chess? Not really.

I'll let him know.

JOSH:
Get this woman on the phone.

TOBY:
You didn't think to mention
someone had a camera?

There was no camera.

Well, there's a picture.

Just was a guy, his wife,
and his teenage daughter.

That was it.
Daughter have
a cell phone?

Josh Lyman's office
calling, please.

One moment, please.

TOBY:
I wouldn't do this.

This is Josh Lyman,
and this is off the record.

She's not a...

There may be more disreputable
ways to make a living

than trafficking in gossip
and clandestine photos,

but none spring to mind.

My and this administration's
environmental bona fides

are well established.

To use this incident
to imply otherwise

is scurrilous
and irresponsible--

cheap and easy irony
from what I can only surmise

is a cheap and shallow person.

WOMAN:
How do you spell scurrilous?

I said this was off the record.

She's not a journalist.

You're gonna post this?

She's posting it now.

CHARLIE:
He made the sushi...?

PRESIDENT:
It's his hobby.

Nothing against
the ambassador,

but I don't want
my raw fish prepared

by anyone
but a professional.

Said you're not supposed
to use a lot of wasabi.

Said it's considered
disrespectful.

To the fish.

Isn't it pretty much
past caring?

And there's such a thing
as sushi being too fresh.

Not for me.

You need to age the fish.

So the rigor mortis
has time to pass.

I knew you were going
to ruin it for me.

ALL:
Surprise!

A little bird told me.

ZOEY:
Tweet.

Congratulations.

Thank you,
Mr. President.

You know what this means, right?

Yes, sir.

Enjoy your party.

I think everyone's blocked off
all of eight minutes.

Way to go, Charlie.
Congratulations.

Thanks, man.

God, how did you do it?

MARGARET:
I don't even have time to learn
how to program my TiVo.

When it's the President
of the United States

asking if you did your homework,
it gets done.

I'm glad you told me.

I just hope he is.

I gotta get back to work.

...totaled a hybrid
with an SUV.

He's like an eco-terrorist
in reverse.

We'll be sure to point
that out to the press.

What do you need?

Draft a release about the
alternative energy summit

Josh is holding
this afternoon.

Mm, that's not gonna work.

Which I don't recall asking.

No meeting's gonna counteract
the symbolism of that accident.

You need to laugh it off.

Refer questions to the
Department of Metaphor.

Put out a statement
from the Undersecretary
for Whimsy and Caprice.

( weak laugh )

Just draft the release.

Will you be briefing?

I imagine.

What?

How do you get women?

Excuse me?

Briefing the press
is a seduction.

You've got a hot ex.

How'd you get her?
Get out of my office.

Know what she says?

Oh, my God.
You called Andy...

Smart and funny.

That's how guys who--

no offense--

Are you trying to get fired?

I'm trying to help you.

That Mencken line this morning
was funny.

No one laughed
'cause you flung it at them.

Briefing the press isn't
a seduction, it's war.

What C.J. did for seven years
wasn't combat.

It was charm and disarm.

Just draft the release.

Smart and funny.
Seduce them.

Worked on your wife.
We're divorced.

Living with you's
a whole another ballgame.

I get that already.

C.J.:
Charlie.

Thanks, C.J.,

for whatever part you
played in that back there.

I showed up and ate
too many corn chips.

Leo e-mailed me
something about

reminding the President
to play chess.

He and Leo played
weekly chess games.

Okay...

What did Leo say about it?

Just to remind him.

I guess that's
just it then.

Yeah.

C.J.

Mr. Vice President.

How are you adjusting
to the new job?

It's an adjustment.

I got to admit I was surprised
when I first heard--

we all were-- but, uh,

the more I thought about it,
it started making sense.

Thanks.

Leo was Leo, no one
expects you to be him.

But you'll find your way.

I'm finding it,
actually.

Just want you to know
that I'm here to help.

I appreciate that, sir.

I look forward to working
more closely with you.

As do I, Mr.
Vice President.

I work well
with strong women.

Good to know.

My mother...
strong woman.

Well, there you go.

If you'll excuse me.

WILL:
This where I might find

the "puling poster boy
for Bartlet's

indifferent energy policy"?

I was shopping for a Prius.
Just performing

your own crash test.

A joke the
blogger missed.

Maybe you should
shoot her an e-mail.

You just had the quintessential
consumer experience.

Your head said hybrid
but your heart said SUV.

Reptilian brain's
what I've been going with.

It's not like
people want them

because they get lousy mileage.
That's the argument

for mandating higher mileage
standards.

No one's saying
it's the wrong argument.

( heavy sigh )

You've got a pretty tight
relationship

with Michael Hirsch, yes?

People in show business

are charming for a living.

I'm one of his four or five
thousand closest buds, yeah.

Close enough to make a call?

For the Vice President?

You're one of the few
around here who doesn't

regard him with disdain.

Or at least
has the courtesy to hide it.

The Hollywood support's
all going to Baker.

He's raised enough money
out there

to start green lighting movies.

Governor Baker hasn't declared.

But he's still
the front runner--

I mean, no offense to your guy.

It'd be great
if you'd make a call.

Let me get back to you.

Mm-hmm. Sure.

Yeah, Hirsch has a hybrid.

Typical Hollywood--
drives his Prius

right up to his private jet.

PRESIDENT:
I'm about to go into a meeting
with the Commerce Secretary--

a man so soporific,

one shouldn't operate heavy
machinery in his presence.

A meeting that would feel
interminable at three minutes,

is certain to stretch into a
soul-annihilating 50 minutes--

presenting, therefore,
a perfect opportunity

for you to get started
on the particular errand

pertaining to your
post-graduate career.

Fiderer prepared them.
I'd check for typos.

Thank you, sir.

Now let's get to work
and fatten up that resume.

Yes, Mr. President.

DONNA:
Meeting's set.

Representatives from solar,
ethanol, hydrogen, and wind.

Copy Toby on the roster.

Did you know,
when we run out of oil,

it'll precipitate
a global food crisis?

Don't you start.

Fossil fuels
are key components

of fertilizers
and pesticides,

not to mention the fuel
used in farm machinery

and for irrigation.

Said the woman with
the electric wheelchair.

I've given it up.
You've inspired me

with your profound commitment
to renewable energy.

You know, the SUV came
through without a scratch.

You're going to hell.

MARGARET:
C.J.,

this is Gail Addison,
from the Office of
Administration.

Hello.

She's here about
changing over your office.

To a day spa, I hope.

I don't know how you
prefer to approach

your space-- if you
have a vision or

would like to be
provided options.

At the moment,
I prefer not to think about it.

Then I'm happy to.

And have you
not think about it either.

I'm sorry?

I'll have Margaret
call you once I'm

more settled in.
Thanks.

JOSH:
Hey...

Baker's running, right?

Yeah.

And he'll have it wrapped up
by Super Tuesday.

Will asked me to
call Mickey Hirsch.

He thinks
Baker's not gonna run?

The Vice President'd be out
there virtually unopposed.

President Russell.

You worry he'd win.
I worry he'd lose.

A Republican administration
and a GOP Congress?

They'd dismantle
everything

we've accomplished
in eight years.

Baker's gonna run.

Yeah.

Hey, how do you get women?

Huh...?

Smart and funny... right?

Plus, I got that, you know,
boyish thing.

I don't have that.

Yeah.

( heavy sigh )

Okay.

More and more charities playing
loosely with contributions.

Blessings for
the not-so-unfortunate.

What else?
The CAFE standards

amendment went down.

That was fast.

longer than that to decide
what to order for takeout.

Quick reconciliation.
Bill to sign by Wednesday.

Yeah.
Oh, and Josh
hit a Prius

with a Land Cruiser
or something.

We're handling it.

We done?
Yes, sir. Thank you,
Mr. President.

Oh, sir, I'm sorry.

Leo mentioned to remind
you to play chess.

Please tell Leo,
when he's healthy enough

to come back
and give me a game,

I'll be glad
to school him at chess.

Thank you, sir.

Josh, got a moment?

Sure.

The President and I
had an understanding--

actually,

it was more of an
executive order--

that once I graduated,
I'd look for

what he calls a "real" job.

So I'm handing
out résumés...

Great.
...that I'd like
you to ignore.

Okay.
I don't want to
leave the President.

Especially now that
he's without Leo.

Not that I compare myself to...

I understand.

Here, I'll...

put it in a safe place
in case you change your mind.

Thanks.

The Alternative Energy release.

So what else?

Smart and funny, that's
the sum total of your
vaunted expertise?

You could wear
a little makeup.

Oh, geez.
That'll happen.
You want my help?

Not if it involves
makeup, wardrobe

or alternative
facial hair strategies.
Body language.

What about it?
Projecting comfort
and command.

I don't do that?

One might say.

So what do I...
!
Follow me.

And, personally, the way
you trim your beard?

Little fussy.

KATE:
I'd be happy to brief
the Vice President.

How often?
Occasionally--
a continent
at a sitting.

I assume he's pretty much
got a handle on North America.

There's the
odd confusion,
that's all.

Sudan and Somalia.
Iran, Iraq.

You're kidding.
One time.

Actual confusion
or slips of the tongue?

Well, we won't presume
for these purposes.

He knows Pakistan's
the Muslim one
and India's Hindu?

Of course.
I'm just trying
to calibrate.

I wouldn't bet the
farm on Bangladesh.

Okay.
And he has a little
trouble with the whole

Shiite/Sunni thing.

We should start
right away.
That's what I'm thinking.

I'll come by
end of the day.
Great.

And bring my flashcards.
JOSH:
What?

Nothing.

You know why people
buy hybrids?

I mean, aside
from smugness and
moral superiority?

Funny, I was going
to say "conscience"
and "civic responsibility."

'Cause they think gas prices
are too high.

You know why
they buy SUVs?

'Cause they're not.

Record high was in '81--
adjusted for inflation,

gas was $2.80 a gallon
in today's money.

That's the only way
you'll get real conservation.

Hold an economic gun
to their heads.

That's why we should slap

a three-bucks-a-gallon tax
on gasoline.

Ah, there's
a popular position.

Wait till gas lines come back,
see how popular that'll be.

I'm about to solve
the whole problem.

Your Alternative
Energy Summit.

The children of
your villages will
sing my name.

Hello. Thank you all
for coming.

Particularly
on such short notice.

I've been waiting
to have this meeting

for seven years.
Then...

let's get right to making up
for lost time.

If we could go around the table.
Terry Anders,

the Solar Cell Project.

Riley Sheets, Ethanol Works.

Wind Now,
Corinne McKenna.

Paul Tyminski,
Hydrogen Caucus.

And I've been waiting
a while for this, too.

You guys sound like my mother.

When I call, all she does
is complain how I never call.

I'll try to keep
everybody straight.

I should've made
little symbols--

picture of the sun,
ear of corn,

cloud blowing out its cheeks,
and for hydrogen, uh...

The Hindenburg.

Hydrogen didn't cause

the Hindenburg fire.

It was the aluminum

powder coating.
Really?

Stuff's used
as rocket fuel.
But hydrogen is

extremely flammable.

TYMINSKI:
So's gasoline.
Okay...

Did she say flammable?
She meant combustible.

Guys...
Hydrogen
burns with

a colorless flame--
the Hindenburg burned red.

Where's your humanity?

Okay, then...

( tapping pen )

( smacks lips )

This is your room.

You're not venturing
onto their turf,

they're treading onto yours.

You have to own it.

You didn't really
just say "own it."

I'll show you
what you look like up here.

Thanks. Helpful.

Smart and funny.

Come here. Come here.

You try it.

( quietly ):
"Good afternoon."

Good afternoon.

"I'll take your questions."

I'll take your questions.

Okay, you look like

you loathe this.

Like you cannot wait
to get out the door.

I wonder why.
You're literally
hunching over.

You need to lean back.

Not too much--
you don't want to look

hostile and pugnacious.

I don't?
'Kay, relax your hands.

Look up. Look up.

Okay, now...

how does that feel?

Like a poodle in a dog show.

Let's try it again.

This time...

with more confidence.

Good afternoon.

( clears throat )

I can't do this.

ANDERS:
Solar energy is,
very simply, the answer.

It's clean,
it's accessible,

and we're not running out
of it anytime soon.

JOSH:
And when we do,

we'll be having
bigger problems.

We could replace
all the fossil fuels

we're burning today

simply by covering
220,000 square kilometers

with solar cells.

Isn't that a lot?
A piece of land

300 miles on each side.

Yeah, see...
that's kind of a lot.

This'll give you
an idea

of what we're talking about.

( whispers )

That's huge.

Drive it. There's 300 days
of sunshine and nothing there.

That covers Las Vegas.

ANDERS:
Appropriately--
the most wasteful

energy abuser
on the planet.

TYMINSKI:
Your cells'll
look attractive

covering the Grand Canyon.

You adjust this,

obviously.

Finding square footage
in the desert West

will not be the problem.
What will?

Manufacturing that
many solar cells.
We'd have to

pick up the pace some.

You might say--
since all the solar cells

ever made up to this point

would barely cover
ten square kilometers.

So, just...

219,990 to go.

CHARLIE:
I don't want to leave
the President,

and I just don't think
the time is right.

So if I could leave you
my résumé,

then have you ignore it.

Got it.

( tears paper )

( knocking )

C.J. Cregg.

Please.

Hey, you.

Oh, you are a sight
for sore eyes.

And sore legs,
sore chest...

You having
a lot of pain?
The Vicodin helps.

Whatcha got?

Takeout from Terrazzo.

The arugula...

Ooh, with the Pecorino
and walnuts.
Mm.

And... and gnocchi.

Supposed to be
very "gnice."

So much trouble.

If only you were
worth it.

I don't have much appetite.

Oh.

He needs to eat.

I'll eat when I'm hungry.

Put it in the fridge.

I'm actually
not that...

LEO:
No, don't be silly.
Go ahead.

I can enjoy it
as a spectator sport.

You sure it won't
bother you?

It'll be great.

Voyeuristic.

That sounds like
the Vicodin talking.

Has its compensations.

( laughs )

So, how's it going?

It's overwhelming,

the amount there
is to tend to.

I thought I was
busy before.

How in the world
did you manage it
for seven years?

I had a heart attack.

( laughs )
You remind
the President

about playing chess?

He pretty much blew me off.

You need to insist.

I obviously don't
know the President

as well as you,
but already I can tell

when something's a no go.

You have to insist.

The President gets

regular physicals,
and because of the MS,

rather more regular MRIs
and neuro-physical tests.

But MS is a disease
of the central nervous system.

It can affect cognition:
perception, reasoning, judgment.

What the doctors actually term
executive function.

As President
of the United States,

this needs to be monitored
on a weekly basis.

You need to get the President
to play chess.

Finish your lunch.

and most important,
ethanol's made right here

in the U.S. of A.

TYMINSKI:
And is already subsidized

up the ying-yang by

the U.S. of A government.

Hang on.

Some claim it's
not all that clean.

SHEETS:
The EPA's certified

it reduces carbon dioxide

and hydrocarbon tailpipe
emissions by up to 30%.

ANDERS:
And releases
more nitrogen oxide

and makes the entire
fuel mixture evaporate easier

than pure gasoline,
causing more smog.

It's climate dependent.

Helps in cold weather,
hurts in hot.

It consumes
more fossil fuels

to make than it replaces.

We dispute that.

JOSH:
It only replaces

ten percent of gasoline.

So at best, it's a stopgap.

It's practical now.

Not pie in the sky,
like some people's solutions.

Let's be honest--
all of us

sitting here know exactly
what the biggest thing is

that ethanol has
in its favor.

The Iowa caucuses.

MARGARET:
C.J., Gail's back

with a quick
question.
Yes?

I know you said
you weren't necessarily prepared

to consider redecoration
schemes, but I took the liberty

of pulling some pictures
of our inventory.

It's just so dark

and masculine in here.

A-And martial.
Do you feel it?

It's just militaristic
and martial and male.

You said
a quick question?

Oh, sorry.

This...

was Dolley
Madison's desk.

You know, most people
think she spelled
her name L-L-Y,

but in actuality it was

L-L-E-Y.
MARGARET:
Perhaps we should...

But it's lovely
and feminine.

Dolley-with-an-e Madison
was maybe five-three?

Yes.

Of course.

ANNABETH:
Briefing time.

I know.

I won't say a word.

But that tie's going
to bleed.

Keep it up,
it'll have company.

And don't look at them
with veiled contempt.

I don't.

You're right,
it's not veiled.

Charm and disarm.

( indistinct voices )

Good afternoon.

ALL:
Good afternoon.

I'll take
your questions.

What's your response
to criticism

of the administration's

lukewarm support for
higher CAFE standards

as reflected in
today's defeat
in the House?

Well, what today's vote
reflected...

( clearing throat )

Between anti-regulatory
Republicans

and auto-state Democrats,
we were outgunned.

As far as our lukewarm support,

I'd characterize it as more
of a parboil, myself.

( chuckling )

White House commitment
to fuel conservation

can more readily be measured
by the Alternative Energy

Task Force meeting
currently in progress.

KATIE:
Isn't this hastily-
convened task force

just an attempt
to counteract

the symbolism
of a White House

senior staffer
totaling a hybrid

while driving one
of the most fuel
inefficient

passenger vehicles
sold in the world?

Questions as to symbolism and
the relative meanings thereof

are the purview of
the Department of Metaphor.

And I refer you to
the Undersecretary

for Whimsy and Caprice
for further comment.

( laughter )

MARK:
But, really, this Alternative
Energy Summit's

not going to
fool anyone.

Good. Then maybe we
can stop thinking of it

as something intended
to fool people,

and start thinking
of it as a way

to maybe get something done.

Fuel conservation is
a critical issue.

We were outgunned today
in Congress, but not outflanked.

Yeah.

So what are the obstacles

to using hydrogen
as a replacement fuel?

Distribution.

To transport and then dispense
it you'd have to liquefy it.

JOSH:
Is that an issue?
You just need to freeze it,

then open it.
At enormous pressure.

I don't understand.

What's the problem?

When you do that, it can...

Have the tendency to explode.

Like the Hindenburg.

So you can just
file it or
toss it, or...

The President
wants you to quit.

But like I said,
I don't actually...
And you promised him

once you graduated
you would.

It was more of an implied
understanding.

Yes or no, Charlie.

Yes. I guess.

It's a dilemma.

No, all you
have to do is...

Charlie, what's my job?

Excuse me?

My job-- it's to serve
the President.

It seems to me the President
has expressed a clear wish.

I don't...
If he'd handed me

your résumé, do you imagine
I could ignore it?

Maybe I should just take
this back...

Yeah, you probably shouldn't
have come in here with that...

Deputy Special Assistant

to the Chief of Staff.

Sorry?

Your new title.

Come work for me.

What?

You're smart,
responsible,

you know the President.

Why wouldn't I hire you?

Title's a little gaudy,

but it mostly means you'll do
whatever's needed to be done.

A catch-all--
but grownup, policy stuff.

You're serious.

You'd be a stone's throw
from the Oval.

The President can't miss you
if you haven't really gone.

I don't know what to say.

Can I think it over?

Not really.

ANNABETH:
That was...

Absolute misery.
What?

Lean forward, but not too far,
but don't lean back.

Oh, my bleeding tie's
distracting from my fuzzy beard.

Be funny, be smart,
look pleasant.

I've never been more
self-conscious in my life.

I don't want
to be good at this.

Don't worry.
It was better.

Good's still a ways off.

You're welcome.

Wind turbines in California
produce enough kilowatt-hours

of electricity to
light San Francisco,

saving the state
the equivalent

of well over ten
million barrels of oil.

Wind provides 1.27%
of California's electricity.

From 13,000 turbines.

So, in order to get

all of its energy from wind,

California would
have to build...

TYMINSKI:
Only one million more.

And, oh, by the way,
they're an eyesore

and no one wants them.

What happens when
the wind doesn't blow?

Gee, I don't know. What happens
when the sun isn't shining?

This really isn't helpful.

Wind is clean,
increasingly
competitive--

the fastest-growing

energy technology in the world.

The Bartlet administration
could restore U.S. leadership

in wind power.

I can see the slogan now:

"Breaking Wind Together."

( chuckling )

Hey.

I only have a minute.

What'd you want
to tell me?

I got an
interesting offer

that you're pretty much
responsible for.

What?

In appreciation,

I'd like to tell you
about it over dinner.

Are you asking me on a date?

A thank-you dinner.

It's a date.

So far, it isn't anything.

You haven't said
that you'll go.

Sure.

So?

What?

What are we announcing?

We don't know yet.

C.J. wants an announcement.

Yeah, tell her that's
not happening.

Nice try.

What?

She's pissed at you,
you tell her.

She wasn't pissed.
Nettled, maybe.

Whatever, you're
telling her.

Really, nothing
came out of it?

Wind power?

Turns out the churn
from the turbines

changes the weather
on the ground.

Probably not ideal from an
environmental standpoint.

Three hours
of stuff like that.

That you're telling her.

Yeah.

( speaking Chinese )

DONNA:
I'm not ready.

I have spoken to experts
and they've told me,

what to look for and I don't
have to look very hard.

I do get angry over everything,
cry over nothing,

right down the list.

Rejecting offers of help,
that's on there, too.

I'm sure talking to you
would be helpful.

Actually, I'm...
I'm not sure of that.

I'm not sure of much
of anything,

except that I'm not ready.

I understand.

Okay.

Hey.

How was your energy meeting?

It was pretty Darwinian.

They're so great at knocking
each other's technology,

it makes you want to run out
and buy stock in Chevron.

They know we can't fund
everything.

I don't know
what we can announce,

other than the world's
running out of oil,

and in 20 years we're all going
to starve to death.

You know, those that haven't
already been wiped out

in an energy war with China.

Because the fuel alternatives

are even less ready
than you thought.

It's all economics.

Mr. President.

Sir.

Why do the Saudis fight
to keep oil prices from rising?

To discourage
conservation.

And the development
of alternative fuels.

And it works--
because we let them.

Economics.

So what do we do?

Veto the omnibus
transportation bill.

Why?

To demand the higher
CAFE standards.

Because Josh

demolished a hybrid?

Because improving
fuel economy
deserves far more

than a 20-minute debate.

Sir, there aren't
the votes

to sustain.
They'll just override.

It pushes the subject
out there.

Jump starts
a national debate.

Hummer sales had their best
month ever this year.

And Prius is expanding
its production 50%.

The market's doing
what markets do,
sorting itself out.

Messily and with
contradiction.

Better fuel economy's an idea

that just has
to reach its tipping point.

A veto maybe nudges
it a little closer.

And keep having those meetings.

We wait till
the alternatives
are perfect,

it's all going
to be too late.

Thank you,
Mr. President.

What was it you wanted?

Sir, if you'll follow me.

MAN:
Mr. President.

Sir, this is
Roger Quast,
from HUD.

He was on the Stanford
chess team.

He's here to play
a game with you.

Roger, unfortunately, you've
been dragged here for nothing.

Sir, I've cleared
your schedule
for the hour.

I spoke with Leo.

You're going to play
chess, Mr. President.

You heard the lady.

Where do you think
you're going?

Sir?

You're going to play me.

Sir, I don't really...

Stanford here is going
to stay and help you.

Sit down.

Chess team, huh?

Yes, sir.

I'm just trying to
imagine the cheer:

"Check him to
the left, check
him to the right,

stand up,
sit down, shh."

I was on
the chess team.

Right.

I really have no clue...

He's going to help you.

And I'll know if you're
holding back, young man.

You're hereby directed,
by presidential fiat,

to try your damnedest

to kick your
Commander in Chief's ass.

Move King's pawn
up two spaces.