Original subtitles

Previously on The West Wing...

You can do more in a day than most people

can do in a lifetime.

You think I'm not aware

that I'm living the first line of my obituary right now?

Kennedy School's looking for a new dean.

Everyone wants you.

You really think today's the day for this?

How about Secretary of State?

You gonna go with Reynolds?

If I don't get my first choice.

Who's that?

That would be you.

If I'm gonna jump off the cliff,

and you're gonna get pushed off the cliff,

why don't we hold hands on the way down?

You could leave it here,

you know, on the off chance

you're back someday with bad breath.

You're sweet.

What time is it? 6:45.

How did that happen?

I thought maybe Barton's tonight.

For dinner?

Yeah.

I have the Trade Commission.

Oh, okay.

Did I say I was free? Yeah.

I'm sorry. I shouldn't speak

when I don't have my book in front of me.

That's okay. My sister's in town tomorrow night.

You want to meet us? We're finalizing the budget.

Well, she's here Thursday, too.

Intelligence Review.

All right, I'm bailing on dinner.

I'm sorry. This week is just...

No worries.

I feel bad.

I'd love to meet your sister. You would.

She's like me but with bigger teeth; it's something.

This week is just...

"No" is a perfectly acceptable answer.

I've got to be able to ask, right?

I just feel bad saying "no" all the time.

It makes me feel like a heel.

So I shouldn't ask?

I should sit by the fire and wait for my booty call?

Of course not.

I mean, it's okay.

I'm not turning it down, but it's limiting.

You make it sound like I'm trying to avoid you.

I didn't say that.

I don't make booty calls.

You don't make any calls, kind of how it works out.

What? You're elusive. Part of the draw.

You know what?

It's way too early for this. What?

It's 6:45 a.m.

Hey, I'm kidding.

Are you? Yeah.

Everybody take a breath.

Okay.

I'm sorry.

There's nothing to be sorry about.

You're right.

This will all be easier in two weeks, it really will.

Hi.

Tell Kuber I found 14 errors in 16 pages.

They should think about proofing these things

before they hit my desk.

Would you like to take a walk?

What did you think was happening now?

I thought you could go across the street,

get some breakfast, maybe a scone.

I don't want a scone.

They have fruit. I'm not hungry.

It's a nice day with fresh air.

You could have a little fun.

I still have a schedule, right?

We're not just pretending I have a job,

like Dad, who no longer runs the company

but still shows up at the office every day?

It's a full day, but not crazy.

You could say hello to Will Bailey.

Step aside.

Charlie and I were trying to get a jump on some filing.

We thought we'd have it all cleaned out before you got in,

but things got a little

out of control. I've seen messy before.

I don't think you should go in there. I'm getting that.

Seriously.

Margaret.

You're not filing, you're packing.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

Most of this is going to the Archive.

A guy named Martine is supposed to come pick it up.

Don't worry about it.

We're gonna move it somewhere in the meantime,

but we haven't settled on where.

Margaret. I shouldn't worry about it.

You shouldn't. Get Fred and Herb in here.

Wow!

Nice, huh?

This is grim.

Roosevelt Room in ten.

What am I doing there?

A casual conversation about your future.

Another one?

We're nearing the end of the list.

This is a guy from Hollis.

How about this is the end of the list?

How about we cancel the rest and send a thanks but no thanks?

Ten minutes. Job interviews?

Headhunters waving stock options and corporate jets.

And all I have to do is show up at the occasional board meeting.

Why should I find that appealing?

They don't know you're a masochist.

I like working for a living; is that odd?

I get it.

You must be getting these.

Yeah. Defense contractors mostly.

You interested? Maybe.

It's hard to get excited about anything after this.

Yeah. I've got a call

with the Chinese Defense Minister at 4:00.

You should sit in.

Tell Margaret.

Where's your transition memo?

It's coming.

When? Soon.

Did you start it? Yeah, sure. Final touches.

I want it today.

Absolutely.

We were summoned?

You were.

I read the first half of the budget last night

and couldn't find the deficit reduction.

It shouldn't be buried on page 600, it should be up top.

Is it on page 600?

No.

Where is it? There isn't any.

What do you mean there isn't any? There's no...

The President said he wanted deficit reduction

worked into this budget.

I said it should be 50%. Was that not clear?

We thought it was along the lines of "I'd like a pony."

Nobody actually expects to get the pony.

I want the pony.

50% deficit reduction is unrealistic.

It isn't.

Go back and find enough revenue raisers and cost savers

to cut the deficit in half

and then release it to White House, OMB

and the Agency senior staff this afternoon for comments.

We need to integrate everybody's feedback.

What?

You're talking about doing a ton of work

on a document nobody will ever read.

It's a formality.

We're leaving office. Really?

I don't know where we're gonna find $150 billion.

I told you where you could find it. Did we or did we not...

The tax you proposed was massive.

Was that your idea or the President's?

It was the President's idea to cut the deficit,

it was my idea to propose doing so with...

With a massive increase... Stop saying "massive."

We have to get jobs when we leave here.

We can't propose... Do it!

And send the damn thing out for departmental review, now.

Okay. Yeah.

What?

I wanted to see what all the yelling was about.

What, are you just walking around?

Senioritis.

Having a little trouble getting motivated.

I probably shouldn't share that with the boss, huh?

Where's your transition memo?

My epitaph?

They're important documents that make it possible

for your successor to take the baton.

Write one.

Greg Thatcher's moving over to State.

Santos made him an offer,

and he wants to get started as soon as possible.

Did he write a tran... I'll deal with the transition memo.

Then I guess it's okay. He's leaving Friday?

Today, I think.

You should say good-bye or something.

Yeah. Tell him to stop in.

You're needed in the Roosevelt Room.

I want you to call all 30 department heads

and explain that when I said

I needed the transition memos today,

I wasn't making a funny.

Your Hollis meeting is right now.

Give me five minutes. Get him a Coke.

I don't think we should keep him waiting.

He's a headhunter, I'm a highly-placed official

in what was once considered a fairly prestigious organization.

He can sit quietly and have a Coke.

It's not a headhunter from Hollis, it's Franklin Hollis.

Franklin Hollis is in the Roosevelt Room?

Yes. No, he's not.

What do I get out of lying in this moment?

Franklin Hollis is in the Roosevelt Room.

Really? Hey, there's a guy in the Roosevelt Room,

looks just like Frank Hollis.

The hair, glasses, whole bit.

It's Frank Hollis.

Really?

He just bought an island and Montana.

He didn't buy Montana.

He bought most of Montana.

Oh, my God.

Don't stare. Can I meet him?

I want to meet him. We shouldn't go in together.

It would look not cool.

What was the last thing you did that looked cool?

I touched his hand.

We shook.

Now I'm uncomfortable.

Hey, tell him you want a piece of Montana.

He's not giving it away.

Why? What's he gonna do with it?

Teeth. You're fine.

Ew.

Okay, thanks, guys.

I'll catch up with you in the lobby there.

Good morning, Mr. Hollis.

I'm C.J. Cregg.

Call me Frank.

My dad had 200 shares of Hollis in 1992.

Sold them. You're kidding.

Didn't see it going anywhere.

Think C.J. goes to work for him?

He probably wants a toady to make nice with the FCC.

I'm heading over to the D-triple-C in a few minutes.

They're making you an offer?

I think so.

Will Bailey, Executive Director

of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Sounds pretty good. Could be.

Nice place to work.

I get my hands in a lot of races

without the water torture of any one race.

And I'd stay in Washington, which is nice.

You think?

Yeah.

I mean, no pressure, but I like the idea of giving the future

an opportunity to unfold of its own accord.

Our future?

Yeah.

I like that idea, too.

I'm prepared to put together a fairly attractive package

if you're willing to...

I'm not boring you, am I?

No, certainly not.

'Cause usually that doesn't happen

till I start in on the nanotechnology.

No, I'm sorry.

I'm just...

familiar with the package these days.

Well, what does the package look like these days?

You're prepared to dramatically

change my standard of living,

if I'm prepared to sit on your board and spend an hour a month

advising you on your strategic relationship with the FCC.

I don't know, that sounds like it'd be

a waste of your time to me.

It does?

That's not the package.

Okay.

I'm starting a foundation,

because if I hold onto all this money, I start to look impolite.

I want to find a single problem

I can attack, something which might actually have

some kind of substantive effect.

Maybe I should be fighting AIDS in Africa.

Or maybe it's malaria.

Could be clean air or election reform... I don't know.

But my sense is that you would have a unique perspective

on what that could be and how to make it happen.

A single problem.

It's a complicated question...

Highways...

is what you're looking for.

Really? It's not sexy.

No one will ever raise money for it.

But nine out of ten African aid projects fail

because the medicine or the personnel

can't get to the people in need.

Infrastructure's the problem.

Blanket the continent with highways,

and then maybe get started on plumbing.

Also not sexy.

Makes for a lousy telethon.

It does.

Well, if you think that's what needs fixing,

I'll give you $10 billion to fix it.

Hey, Will, come on in.

How goes it? Good. Thanks.

Listen, Andy Lowry... He's going to be calling you

about tickets to the Inaugural.

We're out.

I'm sure you guys probably are, too,

but I had to get him off my call sheet.

I'll see what I can dig up. Thanks.

So, uh, you going to take some time off,

go sit on a beach or something?

Maybe. I thought about

hiking the Appalachian Trail, which I've always wanted to do,

but I don't really want to do it in February,

and if sit around until May when it's warm,

I'll lose my mind.

Well, weekend in Vegas. More likely.

Yeah, listen, we wouldn't rush you.

The D-triple-C... We are dead until March anyhow.

Takes us that long just to recover from the Inaugural.

So, you know, you come back when you're ready,

help us put together a strategy for the whole board.

Which races you think you're looking at?

Maryland 3rd, North Carolina 1st.

Florida 15th's going to be a big one.

Oregon 4th? Heffinger is stepping down?

No. There's always the hope that we can unseat him,

but it's obviously a long shot,

and I should probably take it off the list.

He's a real son of a bitch.

If you can boot him, you should.

I ran Chulo's campaign against him in '94.

Lost by 15 points, but he's one mean bastard.

Well, he's got an iron grip on that district.

And he hasn't done a thing for 'em.

He's barely a seat warmer.

There's got to be someone who can kick his ass.

Yeah, but the question is who.

I'm sure you'll dig up someone.

You're not going to find a sane person on this planet

willing to pick a fight with John Heffinger.

Really? Mm-mm, no way.

I mean, go for it. I love the attitude.

If you find me someone, we'll run him.

I'm just not going to hold my breath.

Mm.

Illinois 5th should be exciting.

Looks like Faye Green wants to retire,

and there's going to be all kinds of craziness in Arizona.

How was it. Was he fascinating?

He may not have people skills.

He's used to talking to machines.

You can't hold that against him.

I think you should consider it. You can't say no to everything.

At least think about it?

Oh my gosh, you're thinking about it.

It was just a conversation.

But it was an interesting one.

Very. Hi.

Andy! How are you?

Well, it's good to see you.

I didn't want to interrupt. I was in the building.

I thought I'd ask Margaret

if you had a hole in your schedule somewhere.

I wish I could. I'm a little slammed today.

You can do it now.

Really?

You have nothing now.

I have nothing. Come in.

How are the twins?

Oh, amazing. Inexhaustible.

Uh, we spend a lot of time arguing about socks.

You're pro, they're con?

Oh, Molly's con, Huck's pro.

But never more than one at a time.

God, they're gorgeous.

Yeah.

They get to spend more time with their dad these days,

now that Toby's... not working.

That must be... nice.

So, presidential pardons. 'Tis the season, right?

It is.

Is Toby on a list somewhere?

The DOJ and the Pardon Attorney are reviewing applications,

but I don't think anybody's had an opportunity

to talk to the President about it.

Are you planning to?

Bring it to the President?

I know this is awkward, and he's pissed off

a lot of people, including you,

and God knows, the President, but he was attempting

to the save the lives of three astronauts

suffocating to death in a tin can somewhere west of the moon.

Yeah. The Union for Concerned Scientists thinks

he should get a medal.

So does the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability,

the Arms Control Advocacy Collaborative,

the Council for a Livable World.

Andy. Did you read the profile in the New York Times Magazine?

There's a petition.

I saw it.

Thousands of names, C.J.

A lot of people who think it's time for Bartlet

to come home to his base and acknowledge the fact

that carpeting the heavens with nukes is a crappy idea.

I know the President was angry.

He has every right to be...

but we're talking about prison.

Maybe the President's calmed down.

I'd like you to talk to him about it.

I'll see what I can do.

He was your friend for a long time.

I'll see what I can do.

You should get going.

Yeah.

Did you call Charlie?

He's on his way.

Herb told me to tell you

the budget went to department heads for review an hour ago.

He didn't want me to check the changes before it went?

I think he didn't.

He's a little turd. I'll let him know.

This is the preliminary list.

DOJ and the Pardon Attorney

are finalizing their recommendations.

This didn't go to the President yet.

No. They're going to send it to him in the next day or two.

This is just the people who actually applied for pardon.

The President can add his own names,

but I don't think he's added any yet.

This is everyone who applied?

They've cut some people already.

They've been through it a few times.

Did you see the earlier lists? I've got copies. You want me to...?

Did you read them? Yeah, but I don't remember every name...

Toby Ziegler.

Never appeared on a list.

Which means he didn't apply.

Nope.

But if the President wanted to commute his sentence, he could.

He could do whatever he wants to in this area.

Yeah. Is he asking about it?

The President? He isn't.

Are you?

I don't know.

It's a tough call. Yeah.

Thanks.

Anything serious you can find me at the President-Elect's office,

but I can't imagine this taking any longer than 15 minutes.

They asked for a CV.

The Santos people? Yes.

They asked for my resume?

Yes. Hi.

Should I send them a list of references?

No, you shouldn't.

I'd be happy to speak on your behalf.

To the Santos people?

Oh. They really shouldn't need references.

They're offering me a job, purely as a courtesy,

which I'll pretend to consider, purely as a formality.

I think there are some mistakes

in the budget draft that went out.

You read it already?

Yeah. It's 800 pages.

Okay, I didn't. But Lucy Benoit did,

and she's got some crazy stories.

Well, who's Lucy Benoit? New reporter.

Business desk at the Times.

What happened to Jack? Shingles.

Really? Raging.

Well, shingles doesn't force a man into retirement.

Tax fraud is, I think, the real story.

Shingles is a cover.

If I'm in the market for a cover,

I think I'd pick something that's not...

Viral? Yeah.

Any port in a storm.

I'm going across the street.

Will you be sad you don't have a coat?

I'm fine.

So Whosy Benoit?

Lucy, yes. She seems to think

we're proposing a 50-cent-per-gallon gas tax,

which I assume must be a mistake?

Why does a reporter have a budget I haven't released yet?

73 department heads have it.

Well, they've had it for less than two hours.

Don't you think they'd want to read a page or two

before they start leaking?

I'm thinking no, since she's

not the only reporter with a question.

Can I tell her it's a mistake? You can't.

Because we're not talking about it yet?

That, too, but it's also not a mistake. 50 cents a gallon?

You don't mean five cents? I don't.

That's insane. You know how many people you're going to piss off

with a tax like that?

Many, many.

Why does the President want to stir up so much animosity

two weeks before we leave office?

I don't know... because he's old and dotty?

He has a reason. He does.

But we're not ready to discuss it with the press.

We're really not. I will kill the rumors.

Yeah, kill whoever's blabbing about it,

'cause we're not ready to release it.

It's really cold out here. I told you to wear a coat.

Hey, what do you think about Tony Sharkey?

From Treasury?

His wife is younger than his daughter,

but otherwise, he's okay.

You think he gets anywhere in a race against John Heffinger?

Oregon 4th? Hmm.

Probably not.

D-triple-C's afraid to run anybody against Heffinger.

I think they're wimping out.

Well, if Tony Sharkey's their only option, I see their point.

Tony Sharkey's my opening salvo.

I'm asking if you've got anybody better. From Oregon?

Yeah, I was thinking maybe Ina Horton,

but she keeps publishing these articles on eminent domain

that make her sound a little like Mao Tse-tung.

Paul Kravitz is from Oregon.

He put together our whole immigration plan.

He'd scare Heffinger's pants off.

Also, Gil Siverly'd be great.

You've been very helpful. No problem.

Hello.

Hi.

I believe I'm here to see the President-Elect.

Great. What's your name?

C.J. Cregg.

Ms. Cregg!

Ronna Beckman. We met in Pittsburgh.

Good to see you. Nice to see you, too.

The President-Elect is just finishing a call.

Can I take your coat? Sure. Thanks.

Hey. Gil Siverly!

How's it going?

Good. Thanks for coming by.

Wow, people are packing up, huh?

Weird, isn't it? Sure is.

Have a seat.

D.O.E. must be in boxes, too, right?

Well, the secretary's on his way out.

We assumed that Santos would want a whole new staff,

what with his Education Program and all,

but so far, they're asking a lot of us to stay put.

Were you ready to move on?

I've been at the Department of Education for six years.

A change wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Ever think about running for office?

Really?

D-triple-C thinks John Heffinger's seat

in the Oregon 4th is ungettable.

I think they're wrong.

Oh, Heffinger's been there for 15 years.

I mean, they love him.

They know him. Nobody loves him.

Be a nasty fight.

The best ones are.

I don't know.

Don't get me wrong.

I think Heffinger is an idiot, and he's probably corrupt,

but I don't want to move back home

and spend the next two years of my life begging money

from everybody I know, just so I can get my ass handed to me.

I think you're underestimating the voters.

We've been running dead fish against Heffinger

the last ten years.

We put someone with a heartbeat in the ring, he's going down.

If it was anybody other than Heffinger.

Yeah.

Let's talk about you coming to work for me.

Sir, I'm-I'm so flattered that you'd even consider it,

but Josh is going to do a terrific job as Chief of Staff.

Of course he is.

And I'll be available to answer questions on the phone anytime.

You don't need to create an emeritus position

just to keep me as a resource.

Who said anything about an emeritus position?

Sir, you're a true gentleman, and I appreciate...

C.J., this isn't a courtesy call, this is an offer.

Seriously?

Institutional memory

is an invaluable commodity.

I'm not dumb enough to think

that we should be reinventing the wheel here.

Your name comes up at the top of every "must hire" list we've made.

We are going to take office in the middle

of a military incursion that you helped launch.

We don't just want you, we need you.

The Russians are much more willing to talk now

than they were before the election.

Between Josh and your Secretary of State,

the situation will be well-supervised.

I don't think you have anything to worry about.

My Secretary of State is going to be Arnold Vinick.

What?

I'm waiting a couple days to announce it,

but he's on board. Arnold Vinick?

He'll be a huge help

with Central Asia, but it's a big job,

and I don't want it taking over my presidency.

We've got a Cabinet to break in,

we've got a legislative program to sell...

Sir, I really never entertained the notion

I'd stay in the White House.

I've been here a long, long time. Give me two years, C.J.

Just until we get things settled.

Special Counselor to the President?

Sir, I-I wish that I could...

I'm sorry, we've got to...

Uh... I'd love to talk to you more about this,

but, uh, they've kind of got me on a sprint today,

so I see I'm going to have to make this fast and dirty.

I'm the President-Elect of the United States,

and I'm asking you to help your country,

so I'm probably not gonna take no for an answer,

so you go home, and you think about it,

and call me back with a yes.

Thanks for coming in, C.J.

Hey, there you are. Yes.

You know how I asked you to be on the phone

with the Chinese Defense Minister? Yeah.

Looks like we're going to need you to make the call. Okay.

Signal will put it through, but the Defense Minister

wants to feel like we're approaching him...

So don't say anything like "Thanks for calling." Got it.

Transition memos. These are all of them?

So far. There's supposed to be 30, this is three.

More to come. Is yours in this pile?

Not yet. Soon.

What exactly is the problem?!

You may be asked to stay on, you may not.

You may get promoted.

Other people are coming in.

They need to know where to find the pencils,

they need to know what your staff was up to,

or finishing, or starting.

They need to know how to do what you do.

This is an important part of governing.

We're still governing.

Why is this like pulling teeth?

You'll have it by the end of the day.

Thank you.

Are you okay?

I think I just got an offer I can't refuse

from Matt Santos.

That's great.

That's not great?

You've been here two years,

it looks different on the far side of eight.

Still.

Nice to get the offer.

They'll be approaching you soon, I'm sure.

Sure.

Um... what do you think happens...

if I ask the President

to commute Toby Ziegler's sentence?

Are you going to ask him? I don't know.

Really?

I'm asking for your opinion.

My opinion is he compromised

a crucial Defense Department program.

He undermined the President's authority.

He committed a federal offense... He goes to jail.

He's got young children who, for the next five years,

are going to have to look at him

in an orange jumpsuit across an aluminum picnic table.

And don't get me wrong, I'm furious at him...

I want to kick him in the stomach a few times...

But I don't want him to rot in the federal pokey.

Well, it's not your decision, it's the President's.

If he wants to pardon him, he will.

So you think I don't even bring it up.

If you want to bring it up, bring it up,

but I don't think this one slipped the President's mind.

Yeah.

Did Toby apply? No.

He may not want to put the President

in the position of saying yes or no.

Oh, I'm sure he doesn't.

Still...

You should talk to him at least.

No matter what you do, give him a call.

Yeah.

Have you spoken?

To Toby? Uh... no.

Not since he left.

Hi. Hi.

Bye.

Yes. Yeah.

Got a few minutes?

Right now?

Yeah, can I kidnap you? Quick lunch?

It's a little late for lunch. You eat already?

I didn't... See? You got to eat.

Come on. I have a packed day.

We'll make it quick; very snappy.

Come on, I want to...

It's important.

Got a minute?

Of course.

The Santos people offered

National Security Advisor to Glen.

Really? Yeah.

And he's saying yes? Yeah.

Damn.

I know. I knew it was a long shot

and I'm young for it,

but still... You wanted it.

Well.

They'll offer you

something else.

Not under Glen; he can't stand me.

He's probably scared of you.

Whatever. He's not giving me a job.

That sucks.

Sucks a lot.

How'd it go at D-triple-C?

Nice offer, but could be a little crazy-making.

It's already monopolized my whole day...

I got stuck on this one race that

they think can't be won, and I do.

Which one? Oregon 4th.

I thought if I could find them the right guy

maybe they'd get behind the idea,

but as it turns out,

there's a real dearth of ballsy Oregonians.

Open it up. Find somebody good.

They can always establish residency in Oregon, right?

Sure. They buy a house 180 days before the primary

and they're in, but then we're running a carpetbagger

against a 15-year incumbent.

Yeah, but it's better than nothing.

I mean, what are you looking for,

if Oregon weren't a factor?

Place needs a fresh face.

Somebody smart, but not so wonky

that you can't put him in front of a TV camera.

No, don't worry about that, find someone you like.

You can always coach them through talking on the camera.

I mean, after the Press Secretary stint,

you pretty much have that down. More or less.

And, God knows, you know all there is to know

about policy and campaigning.

I mean, you could probably push a monkey through the process.

Between your Washington experience

and your local politics experience...

No.

That doesn't make any sense.

Yeah, it does. It doesn't.

I'm not moving to Oregon, for one thing.

Of course you are.

No, I'm not. We're...

We're what?

You'll win.

You should run. No, I won't, and...

It's the right thing to do. No, seriously...

You'll win.

You could...

What? Move to Oregon?

I don't know. I'm not moving to Oregon.

This is stupid... I'm not moving to Oregon, either.

No, I think you are.

You cold?

I'm fine. You're racing there,

you want to slow down? I'm sorry.

I just want to get to the place

so we have time to eat and get back.

Well, there's no place, this is it.

There's a vendor up the block,

we'll have a hot dog.

Great.

So, what was so important? What?

You said it was important.

It's this: the walk, the day. That's it?

You're locked up in that building all day long,

it was gorgeous out here,

I thought you should see it.

I have a packed day.

That's really sweet,

but today is not the time for it.

Okay. Sorry. No, it's okay.

I thought it might do us good

to see each other in the daylight.

We're together from 11:00 to midnight,

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

We're both half asleep.

Leads to a lot of tension

that I think is probably unnecessary...

Like this morning, for example.

I thought it might be a healthy 20 minutes.

You could tell me about your day.

My day. Yeah.

Franklin Hollis showed up in my office

with the most attractive offer I think I've ever heard,

which I believe I'll have to turn down

because I had a meeting with the President-Elect,

and it looks like I'm going to work in the White House

a couple more years.

I don't see a guy with a hot dog.

Did you say yes?

To Santos?

Not yet. Probably tomorrow.

That's great.

Just... Wow.

What?

Did you consider talking to me about it?

Are you serious? Yeah, I'm serious.

No, I didn't.

That's great.

We don't have that kind of relationship yet.

Apparently.

What made you think you should be making

decisions about my career?

One, I'm not trying to make them,

I'm trying to be a part of a conversation about them,

and, two, if we don't have that kind of relationship,

what kind do we have?

I don't...

I don't want to answer that question right now.

We agreed to discuss this after the inauguration.

Not if you're working for Matt Santos we're not.

You know what?

First hundred days, agenda setting.

His first State of the Union.

"Talk to me after we release the budget."

Summit at Tashkent.

What else? Okay.

We keep shoving this conversation downstream.

At some point, you have to choose to have a relationship.

We're not 25 anymore! At our age,

you can't date a little, and screw a little,

and wait around to see if you get sentimental at Christmas.

You have to decide you're going to make

another person a part of your life.

A partner.

I don't have time for this right now. Yes, you do!

I called Margaret before I came by... I'm not a moron.

I called, and you have 20 minutes.

Hell, you have an hour.

You're not the busiest girl in America.

That's not your life anymore.

Look...

I'm not trying to turn you into Doris Day.

I know if we have a future together,

I'd be Mr. C.J. Cregg... That's fine.

But you don't even see me in the picture, do you?

Thank you.

That's useful information.

President-Elect needs to speak to you.

Right now is not the best time.

I tried to push it, but he's already in the building.

Fine.

Sorry. It's fine.

But I have to go through the federal budget

with a lice comb, it'll take hours.

That's why we left room in the schedule.

This is not a quiet day... it's a full day.

He's here.

Mr. President-Elect.

Walk with me to the Situation Room.

Fifty cents on a gallon?

You read our budget.

It's supposed to be a placeholder document.

Paperweight, yes.

You're proposing a tax

that would hammer the working poor

and make Democrats look like Norwegian socialists.

It'll cut the deficit, improve air quality,

reduce greenhouse gases,

curb our addiction to Middle East oil...

You don't think there's a way to sell an upside?

Of course there is,

but Senate Republicans are going to set their hair on fire.

The President wanted to present the country

with a road map for reasonable governing.

A road map, huh? For the country or me?

It's exactly what he would've done

if he didn't have to mud-wrestle Congress

over every line of... Congress isn't going anywhere.

It opens a dialogue.

C.J., now is not the time to...

Now is exactly the time.

We're hemorrhaging money into Kazakhstan,

the Republican Congress

spent us into a bottomless hole. I noticed.

You've got a hundred days to corral House Democrats

and launch a legislative program

that brings the budget back to balance,

or you're going to spend the next four years

living in the shadow of our failures.

Look, I'm not arguing on limits on deductions,

and you've got $100 billion in spending cuts

that I'm all for, but come on...

Congress will reject your first budget out of hand...

Unless the Bartlet version is so inflammatory

yours can't help but look reasoned and measured.

Why not go after, uh, capital gains?

Or up the income ceiling on Social Security taxes,

if you want to raise a ruckus?

The President's been talking about that for five years.

Yes, but... He's never even considered a gas tax before.

Was this even his idea?

The President supports... "Yes" or "no."

If we propose a 50-cent gas tax,

it's a non-event if you propose a five-cent tax.

Jed Bartlet just saved you $30 billion.

You mean you just saved me $30 billion.

Well... You're not wrong, it's a good idea.

How long did it take you to talk him into it?

More than five minutes, less than 20.

If your staff can't get you onboard faster than that,

they don't know what they're talking about.

Yeah, that's a good rule of thumb.

We're not trying to leave a dead cat on your doorstep.

A gas tax increase may the single best thing

that could ever happen to this country. Yeah.

Tell the President I'd appreciate it

if he pulled it from his budget.

You think it's worth doing?

Come work for me; we'll do it together.

Good evening, sir. Mind if I take a quick look?

All clear. Thank you.

Thanks. It's not a gift.

I need a drink.

Would you like to sit?

I sit all day.

Should I be feeding you, or just the booze?

Booze is fine; I can't eat today.

You sure? I made a chicken. No.

So, how are you?

Oh, groovy.

When do you go?

The 26th.

What have you been doing?

Well, cooking this chicken took some time.

I read a lot.

I've read, really, all the books at this point.

Anything good? I'll make you a list.

I read the Constitution... I think I found a typo.

In the Constitution? Yeah.

Did you call the publisher?

I think it's a typo in the original.

Constitution? Yeah.

Sounds unlikely.

I read two versions, because I have time,

and there is an inconsistent comma.

No. So I looked at every

English language publication that exists.

Half of them have the comma, half of them don't.

Really?

Yeah, so I called the National Archives

and had some woman look at the original.

She said she wasn't sure if it was a comma or a smudge.

There's a smudge?

Yeah, a smudge of law. Does it change the...

It changes the meaning of the takings clause.

Seriously? I'm sure it doesn't.

I called Tom Merrill; he thinks it does. Really?

Should we... do something?

I'm going to write it up.

I have a window in the calendar.

It's Petersburg, right? Yeah.

Low security, which certainly outshines the alternatives,

but still... Yeah.

Bunks, ten in a room.

Like camp.

Exactly, like camp.

I'm sorry.

Maybe we should try to do something.

Dig a tunnel?

Andy came by.

She mentioned the idea of a pardon.

She and I apparently need to have a conversation

about who talks to whom concerning my future.

She's worried about the twins.

For a moment, I actually thought you came here

'cause you gave a crap and wanted to see how I was doing!

I gave a crap enough to inquire if you wanted a pardon,

despite the fact that you walked out on me

and walked out on the President

while we still had a job to do.

You don't need a pardon,

you need a frying pan to the side of your head.

I don't want a pardon.

Well, that simplifies matters. Thanks.

You don't want to consider what this will do to Molly and Huck?

You think I haven't?

Okay.

And you?

They must be flocking.

Yeah.

Well, that's got to feel pretty good.

Frank Hollis made me an offer.

Yeah? But so did Matt Santos.

Well, he has to.

No, it's a serious offer.

He made me an offer.

He made Arnold Vinick an offer.

Secretary of State.

He did not. He did.

Wow.

That might be the smartest thing he's ever done.

Impressive, huh?

Well, you'd be a get, too.

Are you going to do it? Mm.

Probably. I...

I don't know; it's complicated.

Why?

Danny Concanon.

Yeah, I heard something about that.

We've been spending time together,

which is perfectly nice,

but he's getting way ahead of himself.

I mean, I'm not ready to shape my life

around a guy I've been with for a month.

It doesn't make sense. You didn't pick him up

at a bar last Thursday.

You've been close for eight years.

That doesn't mean it magically falls into place

once we take the leap.

What? I'm not resisting.

You're not?

I'm not one of those women who can't handle a good thing

when it's standing in front of them.

Good. Why don't you sound convinced?

You spend your whole life working for powerful,

demanding men 24-7.

That's a lot of testosterone in your world.

Which has what to do with anything?

Well, maybe you didn't need to date.

You got Josh and Sam and me and 180 reporters flirting with you

day in and day out. Come on.

It's a lot of positive male attention.

Now you're slotting in Matt Santos, maybe Frank Hollis.

So, what, you think this is all

some sort of Freudian temper tantrum?

You showed up here at 8:00 at night with a bottle of wine

asking me about a pardon

we both know is out of the question,

telling me about a man who's crowding you.

I think a lot of things.

You think I came here to take advantage of you

before they cart you off to the big house?

I think you don't know why you came here.

You're a woman with a lot of options.

You're acting like the world's backing you into a corner,

bouncing from one thing to the next,

from Bartlet to Santos to Danny to me.

Maybe you should stop bouncing, pick something.

What do you want?

I don't know.

I'd like to learn how to make a chicken like that.

Stick a lemon up it and throw on some rosemary.

Yeah? Yeah. Little salt.

I'd like to learn how to ski.

I think that would be soothing, be a ski bum,

operate the ski chair for six months,

clear my head.

It's a chair lift.

Well, first, I'd learn the lingo.

Take it from there.

I missed you.

Yeah.

We had it good there, for a while.

Yeah, we did.

You should go.

You kicking me out?

Yeah.

Okay.

Thanks for asking about the pardon.

Of course. No, not "of course."

You didn't have to.

♪ ♪

Where to?

Good evening, sir.

Thank you, sir. Thank you.

I missed the window.

That's what's going on here.

I... missed the window to figure out how to do this.

How to... Share my life with another person.

How to be a partner or whatever condescending way

you put it this afternoon...

Oh, I wasn't trying... I don't know how to do it.

Maybe at one point I did, maybe I never did,

but it's over now; it's too late.

This and skiing, it's too late,

It's not gonna happen.

C.J... You said yourself,

it's not an accident that this hasn't come together.

This is who I am.

I'm good at my job, Danny.

I'm good at working.

I'm not good at this.

You're right, you suck at it.

You're going to need a tremendous amount of training.

You're not going to... I am, actually.

Train me!

I'll call it something else... That sounds bad...

But we'll deal with it.

I don't need training.

No, of course not. That's not funny.

No, it isn't... You're gonna get good at it.

We're going to get good at new things.

You don't know that. I do.

Don't make it sound like it's nothing.

You didn't miss it. What if I did?

You didn't miss it. What if we can't...

We'll figure it out, all of it.

You can be scared.

That's okay.

But you're not gonna walk away from me because you're scared.

I'm not that scary.

So, uh, do you want me to take...

one of the board of directors jobs?

It's only a couple hours a month.

Where the hell did that come from?!

I'm trying.

You want to be involved, I'm...

I want you to do what you want.

Take the job at the White House.

I just want you to talk to me about it,

I want us to talk about what it'll mean

and how we'll make it work.

I want us to talk like we're going to figure it out together.

I want us to talk,

because I like the sound of your voice.

I just want to talk.

Franklin Hollis wants me to take $10 billion

and go and fix the world.

That sounds like fun.

Does that sound like fun to you?

Do you want to work at the White House?

There's a typo in the Constitution.

Well, someone should look into that.

Toby's going to deal with it.

Okay.

What else?