THE WEST WING
"WAYS AND MEANS"
TELEPLAY BY: AARON SORKIN
STORY BY: ELI ATTIE & GENE SPERLING
DIRECTED BY: ALEX GRAVES
TEASER
FADE IN: EXT. FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT, PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE - DAY
A black sedan pulls up in front of the building. A mass of press and reporters swarm
the vehicle, shouting. The car pulls up to the curb and two men exit. One of them is
CLEMENT ROLLINS.
REPORTER 1
Mr. Rollins. Mr. Rollins, can you tell us when subpoenas are going to be issued?
CLEMENT ROLLINS
No, I can’t.
REPORTER 2
Can you tell us if subpoenas are going to be issued at all?
ROLLINS
[smiling] No, I can’t.
CUT TO: INT. FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT, PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE LOBBY - CONTINUOUS
Oliver Babish is leaning on a pillar in the lobby. He checks his watch. Rollins enters
and walks across the lobby, past the spot where Oliver is standing. Oliver follows
Rollins. They walk together.
OLIVER
We’ve shown nothing but good faith.
ROLLINS
[slightly surprised] Mr. Babish!
OLIVER
Nothing but good faith, Clem.
ROLLINS
Do you want to speak privately?
They walk down a HALLWAY.
OLIVER
Why am I reading that subpoenas are about to be handed out?
ROLLINS
Oliver...
OLIVER
Look. First of all, your office is leaking like a rowboat.
ROLLINS
You’ve got a complaint?
OLIVER
Yes, I do. And I just filed it in the U.S. District Court, but that’s not what I’m here
to talk to you about.
ROLLINS
The leaks aren’t coming from the jurors. They don’t even know why they’re here.
OLIVER
You were able to impanel a grand jury without telling them what they were showing up for?
They enter A MEETING ROOM.
ROLLINS
The voir dire was entirely fair, if anything favored the subjects. What you’ve been
reading is the work of a few overzealous and... and irresponsible members of the
conservative press in minor media outlets...
Oliver throws a paper down.
OLIVER
[angry] It’s the Wall Street Journal! The White House has been cooperating fully. We’ll
voluntarily hand over everything a subpoena could cover! My staff is working around the
clock organizing documents!
ROLLINS
And if your staff feels something’s protected by executive privilege?
OLVIER
What if I told you the President was considering waiving executive privilege?
ROLLINS
Is he waiving attorney-client privilege? Spousal privilege?
OLIVER
I’m saying...
ROLLINS
How about doctor-patient privilege?
OLIVER
Clem, they have shown nothing but good faith.
ROLLINS
I can’t give out extra credit for that.
They stare at each other in silence. Rollins exits the office to the hallway.
ROLLINS
[to guy in the hall] Let’s go.
Rollins and staffers proceed to walk down the hall as Oliver exits the meeting room.
They walk past a sign reading "GRAND JURY: IN SESSION" and enter a CONFERENCE ROOM
through a set of large wooden doors. A table full of men and women are seated there,
waiting. Rollins enters and addresses them.
ROLLINS
[clears throat] Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Clement Rollins. I’m the
special prosecutor, appointed by the United States Attorney General, in the matter of
Docket CRSP 00101. This morning, with your permission and on your behalf, I would like
to issue the first round of subpoenas. These subpoenas compel both testimony and
production of documents by the individuals named herein. They are as follows:
We FOCUS in as Rollins produces a list and reads from it.
ROLLINS
Josiah Bartlet. Abigail Anne Bartlet. Elizabeth Bartlet-Westin. Eleanor Emily Bartlet.
Zoey Patricia Bartlet. Leo Thomas McGarry. Joshua Lyman. Claudia Jean Cregg. Samuel
Norman Seaborn. Toby Zachary Ziegler...
SMASH CUT TO: MAIN TITLES.
END TEASER
* * *
ACT ONE
MONDAY
FADE IN: INT. A STORAGE AREA IN THE OEOB - DAY
Donna is moving boxes from one place to another.
JOSH [OS]
Donna?
DONNA
[pen in her teeth] Yeah!
JOSH
What’s going on?
DONNA
Well, in one of these boxes are the President’s public schedules, and in one of these
boxes are his publicly issued schedules to see if there are inconsistencies between the
two.
JOSH
Were you here all night?
DONNA
Is it daytime?
JOSH
It’s 7:30.
DONNA
Usually when I stay up all night I’m able to pass a 19th century English literature
midterm. Josh...
JOSH
Yeah?
DONNA
I’m not going to have to take a 19th century English literature midterm, am I?
JOSH
No.
DONNA
‘Cause in one of these boxes are memos and handwritten notes pertaining to the
President’s 100,000 new teachers initiative, since it’s a major policy initiative
launched right after a suspected MS attack.
JOSH
Can I ask you something?
DONNA
I had a plan.
JOSH
When you say in one of these boxes...
DONNA
I had a plan! Each box was numbered. There is a piece of paper with a number and a
corresponding description of the contents of each box.
JOSH
Well, where is the piece of paper? [Donna glares at him.] It’s... in one of these boxes.
DONNA
I had a plan. [moves yet another box, angrily] I grew up on a farm.
JOSH
You grew up in a condo.
DONNA
I grew up near a farm. I was cute. And I was peppy. And I always did well on my 19th
century English literature midterms till you came along and sucked me into your life of
crime!
JOSH
Hey, I’m not the one...
DONNA
White collar crime boy. [gets another box] You know what they do to a girl like me on
that cellblock? I’ve seen those movies!
JOSH
Yeah, me too.
DONNA
I’ll bet you have!
JOSH
Look...
DONNA
Sell my farm-girl ass for a carton of Luckys.
JOSH
Hey, seriously, you need to sleep for a while.
DONNA
I can’t yet. ‘Cause in one of these boxes are FedEx receipts and mailroom records for
any gifts or packages sent to senior staff, [starts yelling] and in one of these boxes
is a piece of paper which says which box it’s in!
JOSH
[scared off] I’ll be in the office.
DONNA
Your office is down the corridor about 200 feet from here. Try not to commit any felonies
on the way.
JOSH
I’ll do my best. [leaves]
CUT TO: INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
Sam catches up with Josh.
SAM
Josh.
JOSH
Donna’s like two, three days from unspooling. It’s pretty fun to watch, but can you loan
me some senior assistants from Communications?
SAM
Yeah. So listen, there’s a fire in Yellowstone Park.
JOSH
Well, put it out.
SAM
Technically, I’m not a professional firefighter, though there was a time I wanted to be.
JOSH
When?
SAM
When I was four.
JOSH
When I was four, I wanted to be a ballerina.
SAM
Yeah?
JOSH
I don’t like to... talk about it.
SAM
There was a dry lightning strike in a lodgepole pine forest. Fire spread to 500 acres but
it’s all inside the resource benefit zone.
JOSH
Is it all under control?
SAM
Well, as a matter of fact, last night the park’s superintendent - in consultation with
Bill Horton and several deputies from the Department of the Interior decided to let it
run its course.
JOSH
They’re letting it burn?
SAM
It’s not necessarily our policy to put these things out.
They walk in JOSH'S BULLPEN AREA.
JOSH
Putting out fires isn’t necessarily our policy?
SAM
Fire’s good for the environment under certain circumstances. Forests have a natural cycle
that requires purging burns to reinvigorate growth.
JOSH
[pours himself coffee] Someone just said that to you, right?
SAM
Yeah.
JOSH
What do we need to do?
SAM
The President needs to talk on the phone with the governor.
JOSH
Why?
SAM
So that the President can say he talked on the phone with the governor.
JOSH
I’ll take care of it.
SAM
Ballerina?
JOSH
I’d kind of like that not to get around. [walks off]
SAM
Yeah, fat chance of that. [walks off]
A MOVING SHOT to C.J.'S OFFICE. Oliver and Ainsley are inside with C.J.
OLIVER
You can emphasize that it’s not like being served.
C.J.
How is it not like being served?
OLIVER
A subpoena is just a legal agreement to produce certain testimony and documents.
C.J.
Yeah, but isn’t it like the way a mugger uses a gun to produce your wallet?
OLIVER
You say we’ll cooperate fully. You say subpoenas don’t indicate otherwise. You say
they’re a commonly used legal tool to define the scope of the inquiry!
C.J.
Oliver, political reporters don’t care about the scope of the inquiry; they hear
‘subpoenas’...
OLIVER
Look...
C.J.
My trouble with your spin is that we’re not going to get anywhere putting on a calm face.
We need to pick a fight!
AINSLEY
Why?
C.J.
Because in politics, if you’re not on offense, you’re on defense.
OLIVER
Your problem there is that Clem Rollins doesn’t foam at the mouth. He’s a good guy and he
comes off as a good guy.
AINSLEY
Plus he was appointed by your own Attorney General which is going to make it tough to fit
him with a black hat.
C.J.
Let me think for just a second. [walks to the door] What do Republicans say about him?
AINSLEY
Well, we don’t all hang out at a little club...
C.J.
What do they say about him?
AINSLEY
He’s well-respected, he’s deliberate, he takes his duty seriously, he wants to get the
truth and he wants to avoid any appearance of impropriety or partisanship.
C.J.
Excuse me! [storms out of the office]
OLIVER
Where are you going?
C.J.
We need a different enemy. [leaves]
CUT TO: INT. LEO'S OFFICE - DAY
Josh and Leo are walking in.
LEO
When are you going to meet on the estate tax?
JOSH
Five minutes.
LEO
With Toby?
JOSH
Yeah.
LEO
Just remember it’s a compromise, Josh, it’s done. You may not like it, but...
JOSH
It’s a compromise.
LEO
[gets his briefcase] I’m saying the two of you, when you don’t like something, have a
tendency to...
JOSH
Show our displeasure?
LEO
Piss people off!
JOSH
That’s a bad rep. I’m sweet as pecan pie.
LEO
[puts on his coat] Yeah?
JOSH
I hate these people, Leo. And when this thing is done, I’m going to personally screw them
with their pants on!
C.J.
[comes in] Excuse me.
LEO
Hey, C.J..
C.J.
Leo. [to Josh] Giselle.
JOSH
Yeah, I’m outta here. [leaves]
C.J.
You have a second?
LEO
Yeah. Walk with me.
C.J. follows Leo out into the HALLWAY.
C.J.
Oliver Babish and Ainsley Hayes were just in my office.
LEO
On spin?
C.J.
Yeah.
LEO
What have you got?
C.J.
Nothing. You know why?
LEO
Rollins likes us.
C.J.
I don’t know if he likes us but he doesn’t hate us.
LEO
Well, that’s just because he doesn’t know us.
Leo walks on, but C.J. grabs his arm and swings him into an empty office.
C.J.
Leo, 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?
LEO
Well, they’ll get around to it sooner or later.
C.J.
So let’s make it sooner. Let’s make it now. Rollins is driving them slow, he won’t talk
to the press, they’re ready to jump ... I swear to god, Leo, I think we can move the show!
LEO
[beat] You got a briefing now?
C.J.
Yeah.
LEO
Show me what you’re starting with.
C.J.
Yeah.
They walk off in different directions.
CUT TO: INT. TOBY'S OFFICE - DAY
Toby is in his coat, picking up documents from his desk.
TOBY
I’m leaving now!
BONNIE [OS]
You need this. [hands him a blue folder]
TOBY
I’m leaving for this meeting.
BONNIE
[takes a blue folder away from him] You don’t need this.
TOBY
This meeting when I will compromise!
BONNIE
Do you have 10-60?
TOBY
Yes, I do. Why do we compromise? [chuckles] Because we are ordered to, because
compromising on the estate tax prevents Republicans from going for an even bigger
tax cut which would help rest the White House from our compromising little hands...
so I go to this meeting...
GINGER
You need this. [hands him a pink folder]
TOBY
The estate tax which Republicans have cleverly dubbed the Death Tax there’s nothing
that... heh, the Republicans do better than naming things... So I go to this meeting...
[walks out of the area, then comes back] because I agree with Republicans and Congress!
America is about self-sufficiency, about lifting yourself up by the bootstraps just as
long as your children’s children never have to work a day in their lives. [gets a scarf
from Ginger] So I go to this meeting...
BONNIE
Toby...
GINGER
He’s rolling.
TOBY
Oh, I go to this meeting, Ginger, and though I compromise, I draw a line in the sand,
I’m there to insure that only multi-millionaires and not billionaires are exempt from
the estate tax.
BONNIE
[from Toby’s office] Toby!
TOBY
[walking out] Reelect the President, Bonnie. He’s on the side of millionaires and not
billionaires!
BONNIE
[shouting] Toby, they cancelled the meeting!
TOBY
[turns around] What do you mean?
BONNIE
It’s the chairman’s office. They’re canceling the meeting.
Josh, wearing his coat, comes in.
JOSH
They cancelled the meeting.
TOBY
Bonnie’s got them on the phone; what’s going on?
JOSH
They say it’s his daughter’s wedding.
TOBY
His daughter’s wedding is on Saturday.
JOSH
They say he wants to leave early.
TOBY
They’re lying.
JOSH
[sits] I know.
TOBY
[walks behind his desk] What’s going on?
JOSH
[sighs] I think they want to take it off the table.
TOBY
And do what?
JOSH
The White House is weak. What would you do?
TOBY
You think they want to repeal the estate tax? [beat, sits]
CUT TO: INT. THE BRIEFING ROOM - DAY
C.J. is on the TV screen.
C.J.
Good morning!
REPORTER
C.J., is the White House concerned about the subpoenas?
C.J.
No, in fact we’ve already sent over 80 cartons of documents to Clem. [clamor] I’m sorry,
to Mr. Rollins. Eighty cartons of documents that weren’t even subpoenaed and we intend to
continue cooperating with him fully. Bobbi?
BOBBI
Why are the subpoenas necessary?
C.J.
They’re a commonly used legal tool to define the scope of the inquiry. Steve?
STEVE
What about the Congressional hearings?
C.J.
Well, obviously we don’t think they’re necessary, but that’s not for us to say...
STEVE
Do you...
C.J.
... and we take a different view than Congressional Republicans do of this Special
Prosecutor’s performance thus far: we believe he’s running a thorough and impartial
investigation and he should be allowed to finish his work.
STEVE
I’m sorry, C.J., you say ‘a different view.’ Is Congress unhappy with the Special
Prosecutor?
C.J.
You’d have to ask Congress that. Mark?
We PAN to Leo in the back of the room, looking at C.J. with pride.
MARK
C.J., can you comment on the contents of the 80 cartons already sent to the Special
Prosecutor...
FADE OUT.
END ACT ONE
* * *
ACT TWO
FADE IN: INT. MARGARET'S OFFICE - DAY
TUESDAY
Margaret is at her desk. Margaret is looking at Bruno, who is standing hear a file
cabinet. She gets up, walks over to the cabinet and fishes a piece of paper out of the
top drawer.
MARGARET
You still don’t know my name, do you?
BRUNO
It’s Gertrude.
MARGARET
It’s not. [returns to her desk]
LEO
[walks in] Calls?
Margaret hands him notes.
BRUNO
I need to talk to you.
Leo and Bruno walk into LEO'S OFFICE.
LEO
This estate tax repeal out of committee is gonna be a thing.
BRUNO
I’ve got another thing.
LEO
Bruno, they cancelled the meeting yesterday! We think the House Republicans are going to
try to repeal the estate tax.
BRUNO
The Pacers played last night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
LEO
Really?
BRUNO
Yeah.
LEO
[indifferently] Who won?
BRUNO
Indiana, by 5 in double overtime.
LEO
Well, now the repeal of the estate tax seems somehow insignificant.
BRUNO
[holds up a videotape] Can I stick this in?
LEO
Yeah.
BRUNO
[places the tape in the VCR and picks up the remote] You paying attention?
LEO
[looking at papers] Yeah.
BRUNO
[works the remote] Does this thing work?
LEO
No.
BRUNO
Okay... if it did, what you’d see is Victor Campos sitting courtside with Buckland.
LEO
Campos took some courtside seats.
BRUNO
Campos traveled from Los Angeles to Indianapolis to watch Cleveland and Indiana. They
don’t travel from Cleveland to Indianapolis to watch Cleveland and Indiana, I don’t care
if they gave Campos a jersey and let him play point guard.
LEO
He loves the President. He got the California primary for him!
BRUNO
He’s dating Buckland now.
LEO
Because they went to a basketball game?
BRUNO
The President’s Community Empowerment board?
LEO
Yes.
BRUNO
The board helps run the President’s initiative to steer private investment job to inner
cities?
LEO
Yes.
BRUNO
This commission is his dream come true.
LEO
And we gave him a seat on it.
BRUNO
And he turned you down. He turned you down.
LEO
When?
BRUNO
Shortly after....
LEO
...the game ended in double overtime! Ah, dammit! Margaret! [walks out of the office]
BRUNO [to himself]
Margaret... Margaret!
CUT TO: INT. SAM'S OFFICE - DAY
A television shows a forest on fire.
SAM
[into phone] Yeah. Okay.
Leo and Bruno come in.
SAM
[into phone] Okay, Jamie, I have to get off, thanks. [hangs up] The fire’s in 1500 acres.
LEO
Sam. Victor Campos had a meeting last night with Jack Buckland, then he passed on the
Community Empowerment Board.
SAM
Really?
LEO
Yeah. What do you think he’s doing?
SAM
Can you set up a meeting for me?
LEO
Yeah.
BRUNO
I want one of my people there with him.
LEO
At the meeting?
BRUNO
Yeah.
LEO
Why?
BRUNO
‘Cause I do.
LEO
Sam can do this.
BRUNO
I’m not saying he can’t, but I want one of my people there to make sure I get the story
straight.
LEO
Sam will have the meeting and report back.
BRUNO
Sam will have the meeting and one of my people will be there and they will report back.
It’s time to distinguish between the White House and the campaign.
LEO
Sam does this for us.
BRUNO
Does he do it right?
LEO
Oftentimes.
SAM
You guys know I’m sitting right here, right?
LEO
We’re gonna set up a meeting [walks out with Bruno]
SAM
Right. And we might want to think about putting this fire out!
CUT TO: INT. STORAGE AREA IN THE OEOB - DAY
Ainsley is walking in.
AINSLEY
Donna?
DONNA
[pointing from atop a ladder] Don’t touch that stack over there!
AINSLEY
I heard you need help.
DONNA
That stack is the Secret Service logs of all visitors who came into the building to see
Charlie. [climbs down]
AINSLEY
You feel like being fixed up with a hot guy?
DONNA
As opposed to this stack which is the Secret Service logs for... what did you say?
AINSLEY
His name is Cliff Calley, we went to law school together, and he broke up with his
girlfriend.
DONNA
[smiles] Where does he work?
AINSLEY
He is cute as hell.
DONNA
Where does he work?
AINSLEY
On the hill. House Ways and Means.
DONNA
He works for the Minority counsel’s office.
AINSLEY
Not exactly.
DONNA
Where does he work?
AINSLEY
Well, let me say this. He works with the Minority counsel’s office.
DONNA
Ainsley...
AINSLEY
He works for the Majority counsel’s office.
DONNA
He’s a Republican.
AINSLEY
We are the majority.
DONNA
Look...
AINSLEY
By a very small margin.
DONNA
He works for the Majority counsel’s office in Ways and Means?
AINSLEY
Yes.
DONNA
Josh’s in a 12-round fight with Ways and Means!
AINSLEY
If you’re not comfortable with this...
DONNA
Josh, who picked me out of nowhere, who works day and night and is under more pressure
than ever and who hates these people. [beat] I don't know, is he funny?
AINSLEY
Yeah. Should I tell him to call you?
DONNA
Let him call if he wants, but I'm just, you know... phone rings, I answer it - could be
anybody! [walks off into the room]
AINSLEY
Okay.
DONNA
[pointing] Don't touch that stack!
CUT TO: INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
C.J. catches up with Ainsley.
C.J.
I was just coming to see you.
AINSLEY
What do you need?
They walk up the stairs.
C.J.
I'm putting you on Capital Beat tonight.
AINSLEY
The subpoenas?
C.J.
"Clem Rollins is running ..." Listen to me. "Clem Rollins is running a thorough, fair,
and impartial investigation, he's a man of great integrity."
AINSLEY
"We're willing to cooperate with the Special Prosecutor."
C.J.
"We're eager to cooperate with the Special Prosecutor." Don't oversell it.
In the JOSH'S BULLPEN AREA, Ainsley walks off. Bruno approaches C.J., and they walk out.
BRUNO
I need to bring Victor Campos out here, what do you got?
C.J.
They're going to introduce racial profiling. 15-minute op in the Rose Garden.
BRUNO
Campos has 48 pictures in the Rose Garden.
C.J.
Senate hearings on trade agreements between the US and Brazil. Campos can discuss his
objections to the President’s position.
BRUNO
Yeah, I don’t want to remind people that Campos objects to his position. What else?
C.J.
I don’t... Hey, you know what? The unveiling of the HELP initiative.
BRUNO
HELP?
C.J.
Hispanic Education Longevity Program. It lowers the dropout rate for Latino high school
students.
BRUNO
Man, you have got a killer body, you know that?
C.J.
In fact, I do.
C.J. walks into THE BRIEFING ROOM.
C.J.
Good morning!
REPORTERS
Good morning.
C.J.
Before I forget Victor Campos has been added to the guest list for the unveiling of the
Hispanic Education Longevity Program. That’s Thursday, day after tomorrow. Mark?
MARK
C.J., is the White House filing any complaints over the leaks coming from the Special
Prosecutor’s office? [clamor]
C.J.
I can tell you that Oliver Babish and Mr Rollins had several productive conversations
about that.
STEVE
Do they speak often?
C.J.
Well, they’re old friends.
CUT TO: INT. THE ROOSEVELT ROOM - DAY
Doug, Toby, and Connie are inside.
CONNIE
What was the compromise that was on the table?
DOUG
Right now, if your estate’s worth less than a million dollars, you’re exempt. The
Republicans wanted five million, they settled on two and a half.
CONNIE
Seems reasonable!
TOBY
[pacing behind her] It wasn’t reasonable.
DOUG
Look...
TOBY
It wasn’t in driving distance of reasonable.
DOUG
These people have paid taxes on this money already. They paid it in income tax, they
paid it in property tax, capital gains, they gotta pay...
TOBY
Don’t say it...
DOUG
A death tax?
TOBY
98% of estates pay no taxes at all. We’re talking about people who are loaded!
DOUG
You think just because people can afford a tax, they should be levied?
TOBY
I think if we’re going to spend millions of dollars on tax breaks, we should consider
spending it on people who don’t have millions of dollars.
DOUG
[sarcastically] A million dollars isn’t what it used to be.
TOBY
And they don’t make good yachts anymore. [Josh walks in.] What’d they say?
JOSH
The... meeting is not going to be rescheduled.
TOBY
How do they know?
JOSH
Legislative Affairs has it from three rural House Democrats that Ways and Means is
trolling for votes.
TOBY
On a complete repeal?
JOSH
Yeah.
TOBY
[sighs] Screw it. We went from a million to two-five, what if we throw in another...
JOSH
No.
TOBY
I’m saying... Maybe we expand the compromise...
JOSH
They’re not going to reschedule the meeting!
TOBY
Well, how do we know until we...
CONNIE
Because it’s not about the estate tax. They want what they want and they can get what
they want now, right?
JOSH
The meeting is not going to be rescheduled. [to Doug] What do you think?
TOBY
I can tell you what he thinks. He thinks we roll with it. He thinks a president can’t be
against tax cuts in an election year, he thinks since our key districts have farms that
are going to be inherited, we have to... He thinks we roll with it.
DOUG
I think he should take out the A-bomb. I think he’s got to do something he’s never done
even once before. "You think I’m weak? How about I shove Article 1, section 7 up your
ass?" Screw the compromise! I think he’s got to veto.
JOSH
[beat] Toby, I just... don’t know on how many fronts we can fight a war. You want to find out?
TOBY
Yeah.
Toby and Josh walk outside.
FADE OUT.
END ACT TWO
* * *
ACT THREE
FADE IN: EXT. PARK IN WASHINGTON D.C. - DAY
WEDNESDAY
Two men approach C.J.
MAN 1
C.J.! [C.J. turns.] We had a meeting at the OEOB. We were going to come by and see you.
There’s been some concern on the Hill.
C.J.
About what?
MAN 1
Over the last couple of days, the press has been real soft on Rollins.
MAN 2
Particularly with regard to his relationship to the White House.
C.J.
And there’s concern on the Hill?
MAN1
Democrats are worried Republicans will use this as an excuse to start their own hearings
earlier than expected...
MAN 2
We’re just saying if the White House could seem a little less eager to cooperate, a
little less confident about the guy’s integrity...
C.J.
Yeah.
MAN 1
I mean, if you could downplay his friendship with Babish... Have a good night.
C.J.
You, too.
The men go back to the Capitol Hill, C.J. smiles and returns to the White House.
CUT TO: INT: HALLWAY - DAY
Sam runs up to C.J..
SAM
C.J..
C.J.
How’d the call with the Governor go?
SAM
It didn’t go that well.
C.J.
Why not?
SAM
He’s demanding we put the fire out. The President tried to calm him down but he kept
accusing us of advocating fringe environmental policies.
C.J.
Are we?
SAM
It’s not clear. But, for the moment, the President and Governor had a productive
conversation, he’s monitoring the situation with the Secretary of the Interior.
AINSLEY
[from behind] Excuse me!
SAM
Hey!
AINSLEY
You need a haircut.
SAM
Shouldn’t you be someplace keeping me out of jail?
AINSLEY
I’m taking a break.
SAM
Okay. [heads off]
Ainsley follows C.J. into C.J.'S OFFICE.
AINSLEY
You wanted to see me?
C.J.
You did well last night on Capital Beat. [closes the door]
AINSLEY
Thanks.
C.J.
Babish and Rollins wrote a paper together for the Yale Law Review.
AINSLEY
You should get it out there.
C.J.
Yeah, the problem is I can’t just make photocopies and distribute it.
AINSLEY
What do you need?
C.J.
I want you to get with one of your friends in the pressroom from a conservative paper.
AINSLEY
You really think we have a secret handshake, don’t you?
C.J.
Do you?
AINSLEY
Yes.
C.J.
Get alone with one of those guys, go off record, and say you can’t believe how the
President can be claiming to waive Executive Privileges yet still reserve the right to
withhold certain documents. Can you do that?
AINSLEY
I can’t believe how the President can be claiming to waive Executive Privileges yet still
reserve the right to withhold certain documents.
C.J.
Yeah, do it quietly and kind of shake your head in disbelief.
AINSLEY
[shakes her head dutifully all the while speaking] I can’t believe how the President can
be claiming to waive Executive Privileges yet still...
C.J.
[follows her motions with her own head] You don’t have to keep shaking your head, just a little in the beginning.
AINSLEY
[shakes her head a little] I can’t believe how the President can...
C.J.
Yeah, but think about...
AINSLEY
Okay, I’ve got it.
C.J.
Thank you.
Both smile, and Ainsley leaves.
CUT TO: INT. THE OVAL OFFICE - DAY
Bartlet is sitting at his desk, searching for a pen in his jacket’s pockets.
BARTLET
Charlie!
CHARLIE [VO]
[comes in] Yes, sir.
BARTLET
Are we out of pens?
Charlie pulls a pen out of the penholder on Bartlet’s table and hands it to him.
BARTLET
That’s a good pen, I need an everyday pen.
CHARLIE
I’ve got pens. [starts off to his desk]
BARTLET
You’ve got crappy pens, with a plastic top. I need a solid pen that feels good in my
hand, but it’s not so formal I feel like a dandy.
CHARLIE
I’m making some trips to the pen store, aren’t I, Mr. President?
BARTLET
I used to have the perfect pens. Every day right here, in my pocket. I loved those pens!
Balance, great action, paper soaked up the ink what the hell happened to those pens? Do
they not make them anymore? I kept that company in business.
CHARLIE
Sir, when do you think you might begin interviewing candidates to replace Mrs. Landingham?
BARTLET
You know, I just haven’t gotten to it.
CHARLIE
Obviously, the office would set up the meeting...
BARTLET
It’s just been busy.
CHARLIE
Maybe we’d bring in somebody like a headhunter to do it...
BARTLET
Is there a rush on this? [stands up]
CHARLIE
You need a secretary, sir.
Charlie follows BARTLET out to the PORTICO.
BARTLET
I have five secretaries, to say nothing of the Secretaries of State, Defense, Treasury,
and Education.
CHARLIE
Sir?
BARTLET
Yeah?
CHARLIE
Things are getting missed. It’s nobody’s fault, and everyone’s been trying to cover them,
but things are getting missed.
BARTLET
Things have been fine. I’m gonna have dinner and I’ll be back in the office after, okay?
CHARLIE
Yes, sir. [stays in his place while Bartlet heads off to the residence]
BARTLET
Are you having dinner?
CHARLIE
Down at the mess.
BARTLET
I’ll see you later [walks away]
CHARLIE
Mr President?
BARTLET
[stops and turns] Yeah.
CHARLIE
She put the pen in your pocket every morning. She slipped it in there.
Bartlet turns slowly and walks away.
CUT TO: INT. SAM'S OFFICE - DAY
Sam is reading and eating, Connie comes in and sits across from him.
CONNIE
How you doing?
SAM
Good, how about you?
CONNIE
Good. [beat] So the thing about me...
SAM
Yeah?
CONNIE
Is I’m a brilliant political mind.
SAM
Yeah?
CONNIE
Ph.D. in Political Economy from Oxford, that’s not an easy get.
SAM
No.
CONNIE
Bruno and Doug knows that I can handle the tough meetings, that’s why they’re sending me
with you to meet Victor Campos.
SAM
Yeah.
CONNIE
I have an exceptional mind.
SAM
But?
CONNIE
I don’t know who Victor Campos is.
SAM
[smiles a little] Yeah.
CONNIE
Look, pal, I went to Oxford, okay? Which is in England!
SAM
Hey, you weren’t kidding about that exceptional mind.
CONNIE
Sam?
SAM
England’s in Europe, right?
CONNIE
Sam?
SAM
[stands up to get a binder from the shelf] He’s the head of the AFSE - American
Federation of Service Employees, Local 1262. [sits down again]
CONNIE
He’s the head of a Local?
SAM
Yeah.
CONNIE
And he rates a meeting with a senior staffer?
SAM
A democrat can’t get elected to anything in California without him. He can pick up the
phone and have 5,000 people at your rally in an hour. He’s got a state-of-the art vote
mobilizing operation in place, a massive room with computer banks tracking voter
registration. With his endorsement comes 350 thousand calls, callbacks, mailings and
e-mails.
CONNIE
Is there anything in particular I should do at this meeting?
SAM
[gets up] Don’t get in my way. [leaves]
CUT TO: EXT. THE FARRAGUT GRILL - NIGHT
A taxi cab stops at the Farragut Grill. Donna gets out, tries to count the money to give
the driver, finally gives him everything she has and walks to the entrance, putting
lipstick on. She fixes her hair in the glass door, while CLIFF CALLEY walks out.
CLIFF
[hails the cab] Taxi!
The cab leaves. Cliff turns around.
CLIFF
Arghh. [beat, looks at Donna] Excuse me, are you Donna Moss, by any chance?
DONNA
Yeah.
CLIFF
I’m Cliff Calley.
DONNA
I’m sorry I’m late. [They shake hands.]
CLIFF
No, that’s all right.
DONNA
Were you waiting long?
CLIFF
No, no, like... It was like an hour and a half or something.
DONNA
There are these boxes...
CLIFF
I’m sorry?
DONNA
There are these boxes that I... Doesn’t matter. You were leaving.
CLIFF
No, I just came out to stretch my legs.
DONNA
You shouted for a cab.
CLIFF
I like to test them.
DONNA
[laughs] I usually look a lot better than this. I mean, I can look good.
CLIFF
I don’t have any trouble believing that. But listen, it sounds like maybe you’re having
some problems with boxes, and I know how that can be, so if you’d rather do this...
DONNA
Will you buy me a drink?
CLIFF
Sure!
They head back into the restaurant.
CUT TO: INT. THE BRIEFING ROOM - NIGHT
BOBBI
C.J., can you clear up whether the Special Prosecutor can compel the President’s staff to
disclose conversations he’s had regarding his MS?
C.J.
Well, Executive Privilege protects all communications that are necessary to enable a
President to do his job, but as I said the President’s waiving Executive Privilege. Mark?
MARK
Can you tell us if...
BOBBI
Excuse me, Mark. I need to follow up on that. How can Bartlet be claiming to waive
Executive Privileges yet still reserve the right to withhold certain documents? Isn’t he
just trying to protect himself?
C.J.
Actually, he's trying to protect the office of the presidency. Information pertaining to
national security, for instance.
BOBBI
Stop being coy, C.J..
C.J.
I was born this way.
BOBBI
You don't think Clement Rollins will be angry, and with every reason to be, if the White
House leaves out certain documents?
C.J.
I think if you want to know what Clement Rollins thinks, you should read some of his
writings on the subject. He was a University of Chicago Law School professor and I'm not
sure, you can check me on this but I think he was editor of the Yale Law Review.
The reporters write her words down. C.J. looks satisfied.
C.J.
That's a full lid, everybody, have a good night.
She heads off the podium and closes the door to the HALLWAY, and a piece of paper she
throws across the hall lands directly in the waste basket.
CAROL
C.J.? Governor of Wyoming has been on TV. [comes up]
C.J.
Is he mad at us?
CAROL
He's pretty irate.
C.J.
Good irate, or...
CAROL
He's irate.
C.J.
All right. Circulate a memo to anyone who's going to see a microphone.
They walk down the hall, Carol is taking notes.
C.J.
The National Fire Plan is based on Recommendations from five Federal agencies. It clearly
states that 80 years of fire suppression hasn't worked; for centuries, wildfires have
been a natural part of the evolution of the forest ecosystems.
CAROL
When something catches on fire, it's no longer out policy to put it out?
C.J.
That's the kind of thing they shouldn't say. Put that in the memo with a circle and a
line through it.
C.J. walks into her OFFICE, where Oliver is standing.
OLIVER
C.J....
C.J.
Oliver.
OLIVER
Thank god for Lexis-Nexis, huh?
C.J.
I'll say.
OLIVER
How long did it take to find the paper I wrote with Rollins?
C.J.
About an hour. They'll make their deadlines.
OLIVER
You know...
C.J.
Yeah?
OLIVER
[beat] I was going to say, you took a beating the last few months...
C.J.
Yeah.
OLIVER
And I was wondering if you were trying to get back in the game with one swing.
C.J.
Is that what you were wondering?
OLIVER
Yeah.
C.J.
Anything else?
OLIVER
No. [smiles and leaves]
CUT TO: INT. LEO'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Josh and Toby walk in wearing coats.
LEO [VO]
What do you know?
JOSH
We spent the last few hours with the Minority whip and some deputies. [sits down]
LEO
They have the votes for a repeal?
JOSH
They have 218 without breaking a sweat.
TOBY
[sits] It's 290 to override.
LEO
Where are they getting them?
JOSH
The Republicans are calling an 'all-hands,' we're assuming they'll get the full 226 plus
Fayette, Genesee and Trent. California...
TOBY
A state I begged you to let secede from the Union.
JOSH
The... entire California delegation wants a compromise. If they don't get one, they vote
to repeal.
TOBY
We lose about another 13 votes from rural districts. Maybe 3 of them will switch back to
us if it was close but they'd get killed next November and I wouldn’t ask them to do it.
LEO
That's 283. Where are the other 7 votes against us?
JOSH
That's the thing.
TOBY
It's from inside the Black Caucus. That's where the 7 votes are.
LEO
I want you two to see Mark Richardson first thing in the morning.
JOSH
We already set it up.
LEO
When you're done, we'll make a recommendation to the President, he'll make his decision
to fight or live to fight and that'll be that. [Everyone stands.]
JOSH
These are members of the Congressional Black Caucus... can you think of any reason why
they'd oppose the estate tax?
LEO
Sure.
JOSH
What?
LEO
First generation of black millionnaires is about to die.
MARGARET
[comes in] Leo?
LEO
Is he back?
MARGARET
Yeah.
LEO
Thanks.
Josh and Toby leave.
CUT TO: INT. OUTER OVAL OFFICE - NIGHT
Bartlet comes in.
BARTLET
Charlie.
CHARLIE
Yes, sir.
BARTLET
I'm expecting a call from Bill Horton and I left the National Fire Plan in the dining
room.
CHARLIE
I'll run over and get it.
BARTLET
Thanks.
Charlie leaves, Bartlet reads from inside the folder. As soon as the door closes, Bartlet
turns to Mrs. Landingham's empty desk, looks at it, slides his hand over it. Leo comes by.
LEO
Good evening.
BARTLET
The governor of Wyoming was an inch an a half away from calling me a pyromaniac tonight.
LEO
That's surprising 'cause we really had respect from him before.
BARTLET
I'm saying somewhere out there is a registered voter who's thinking, 'You know, I thought
I really liked this Bartlet fellow, but now that I see he's in favor of fire...'
LEO
He thinks it's gonna adversely affect tourism.
BARTLET
It's the end of the season and the fire isn't anywhere near tourists. Letting this fire
burn is good for the environment. You know how I know?
LEO
How?
BARTLET
Because smart people told me. Please god, Leo, let them be right.
LEO
When are you talking to Horton?
BARTLET
Any minute.
LEO
You want me to handle the call?
BARTLET
Yeah.
LEO
I'll be in my office.
Leo leaves. Bartlet looks at the empty desk again, and sits behind it. He opens the
drawer and finds a box with pens in it. He takes one of the pens, holds it a while, then
puts it in his pocket, closes the box and returns it to the drawer.
FADE OUT.
END ACT THREE
* * *
ACT FOUR
FADE IN: EXT. DOWNTOWN STREET AND PARK - NIGHT
Cliff and Donna are slowly walking through the park, talking.
DONNA
Why are you a Republican?
CLIFF
I’m sorry?
DONNA
Why are you a Republican?
CLIFF
Because I hate poor people. I hate them, Donna. They're all so...poor. And many of them
talk funny, and don't have proper table manners. My father slaved away at the Fortune
500 company he inherited so I could go to Choate, Brown, and Harvard, and see that this
country isn't overrun by poor people and lesbians.
Donna smiles.
CLIFF
No, I-I'm a Republican because I believe in smaller government. This country was founded
on the principle of freedom, and freedom stands opposed to constraints, and the bigger
the government, the more the constraints.
DONNA
Wow.
CLIFF
[a little surprised] You agree with that?
DONNA
No, it's crap, but you're really cute.
CLIFF
Yeah, I know. [chuckles softly]
DONNA
I had a hunch you did.
CLIFF
Oh.
DONNA
Listen, you know who my boss is, right?
CLIFF
I do.
DONNA
And that he's one of the point men in this fight with Ways and Mean over the estate tax?
CLIFF
The death tax.
DONNA
He doesn't like to call it that.
CLIFF
We've been ordered to. There was a memo.
DONNA
[smiles] Right... Anyway and not to editorialize but since we're fighting for the
betterment of ordinary people while you're voraciously protecting the grotesque wealth
of the few, I wasn't sure if this was awkward for you.
CLIFF
Listen, Robin Hood...
DONNA
You don't think it's a good tax?
CLIFF
It was, in 1916, when this country's wealth was concentrated and we wanted to prevent
the emergence of an aristocratic class, however...
DONNA
Says Choate, Brown, and Harvard.
CLIFF
The wealth is now spread among farmers, small business owners, farmers, merchants, and
did I mention farmers?
DONNA
So a second date wouldn't be awkward for you?
CLIFF
[chuckles] Uh... This is my last week working for Ways and Means.
DONNA
Really?
CLIFF
I’ve been traded.
DONNA
To where?
CLIFF
House Government Oversight.
DONNA
What'd they trade you for?
CLIFF
Some toner, I think.
DONNA
[smiling] No, I mean why?
CLIFF
I don't know. We got a call from the Majority Leader's office. They wanted another
litigator at Government Oversight and they didn't... they didn't say why...
He looks concerned, as he suddenly realizes why he was traded.
DONNA
Maybe it was just an oversight.
Cliff doesn't react. He just stares at the ground.
DONNA
Oh, come on! "Maybe it was just an oversight"? I don't even get a courtesy laugh?
CLIFF
[with regret in his voice, shaking his head] The boxes.
DONNA
[still smiling] What about 'em?
CLIFF
I have to say goodnight now.
He shakes his head a little and walks away. Her face falls and she looks bewildered.
The Capitol is lit up in the background.
THURSDAY
CUT TO: INT. THE MURAL ROOM - DAY
Sam and Connie are sitting next to each other on a sofa. VICTOR CAMPOS is seated across
from them. A staffer brings in glasses of water, then leaves.
VICTOR CAMPOS
You didn't bring me out from L.A. to talk about the Hispanic Educational Longevity Program.
SAM
Victor, I was wondering why you passed on the Commission?
CAMPOS
[chuckles bitterly] You didn’t bring me out here to talk about H.E.L.P and you didn’t
bring me out here to talk about the Commission.
SAM
And you didn't go to Indiana to watch a basketball game.
CAMPOS
[leans forward, takes a glass of water] It was a good game.
SAM
Don't get cute with me.
CAMPOS
Watch your mouth.
SAM
No, I don't think I will, Victor. We fought a war together. What the hell happened to
loyalty?
CAMPOS
[sets the water glass down on the table] You tell me.
SAM
You know what? The President promised to ban permanent striker replacement workers, and
he did it.
CAMPOS
Thank you. So the jobs he isn't shipping overseas will be safe and secure.
SAM
Who else was talking about prenatal care for illegal immigrants in Davenport, Iowa?
CAMPOS
That isn't where it needs to be talked about.
SAM
He put an empowerment zone in Pacoima and no one has worked harder to raise the minimum
wage.
CAMPOS
¡Mi gente ganan más que el mínimo sueldo!
[My people earn more than the minimum wage!]
SAM
¡Te subió al podio en la maldita convención, Victor!
[You were up on the podium at the damn convention, Victor!]
CAMPOS
¡Porque necesitaban una cara morena!
[Because they needed a brown face!]
SAM
¡Estas equivocado!
[You're wrong!]
CAMPOS
No lo estoy.
[No, I'm not.]
SAM
The lowest Latino unemployment in history, more small business loans for Hispanic
entrepreneurs, and the biggest drop in Latino poverty in two decades!
CAMPOS
That's what I got in the last election. What do I get in this one?
Sam stares at Campos for a few moments.
SAM
[leans back, quieter] What happened to loyalty?
CAMPOS
You can't deposit it in a savings account. [beat] What do I get?
SAM
What do you want?
CAMPOS
The high school dropout rate among Hispanics is higher than it is for African-Americans.
SAM
We’re gonna double the funding for the National High School Initiative. What else?
CAMPOS
Children who came to the United States after welfare reform -
SAM
There's gonna be a major push on the Hispanic Children's Health Act.
CAMPOS
[warily] What’s a "major push"?
SAM
He’s gonna mention it in the State of the Union. What else?
CAMPOS
Complete amnesty...
SAM
[shaking his head] No way.
CAMPOS
Complete amnesty...
SAM
Victor...
CAMPOS
[pointing his finger, raising his voice] Complete amnesty for all undocumented immigrants
from the Americas. Mexico, Chile, El Salvador...
SAM
Look...
CAMPOS
The Legal Amnesty Fairness Act is in the Senate right now!
SAM
We can't back a bill that treats Hispanic immigrants any differently than...
CAMPOS
Sam...
SAM
There's no way we can do it.
CONNIE
Sure we can.
SAM
[without looking at her] I'm sorry?
CONNIE
We can do it.
SAM
We really can't.
CONNIE
We really can.
SAM
[to Campos] Would you excuse us just a second?
Connie and Sam stand up and walk out into the HALLWAY.
CONNIE
[whispering] Hi.
SAM
When I said, "Stay out of my way," did you think I meant...
CONNIE
It's a bold stroke that'll cost you some independents, but I...
SAM
Just so he can expand his union membership?
CONNIE
It’ll also expand the Democratic Party. Millions of illegal immigrants could come out of
hiding. That’s millions of potential voters who are going to vote for you. Three million
voters in California that's 13% of the vote. 19% in Arizona. You know as well as I do the
Republican Party is gonna try to outflank us on this. You know it's the right thing to
take to the President, so why are you giving him a hard time?
SAM
He’s giving me a hard time.
CONNIE
He’s doing what he’s supposed to do. Recognize you're weaker than you were three years
ago, have a little humility, suck it up, and give him what he wants, which is gonna help
you in the long run anyway!
Sam considers her comment for a brief moment. Then he turns back toward the room, where
Campos is pacing.
SAM
Victor.
Campos slowly walks over to where Sam is standing in the doorway.
SAM
What do we get?
CAMPOS
Excuse me?
SAM
If I take this to the President, what do we get?
CAMPOS
California and its 435 delegates.
SAM
I shouldn't have blown up at you before.
CAMPOS
Nobody'll know.
SAM
Yeah?
Campos nods and walks away with a half a smile.
CAMPOS
Loyalty.
CUT TO INT. THE ROOSEVELT ROOM - DAY
Josh and Congressman Mark Richardson are seated at one end of the table. Toby is pacing
behind Josh.
RICHARDSON
Josh, you think the Black Caucus votes as a block, and that they only care about the
cities.
JOSH
Surely, Congressman, the African-American community can think of better ways to spend
twenty-eight billion dollars than a tax break that’ll benefit fewer than a thousand
African-American families.
RICHARDSON
You’re doing it again.
JOSH
Mark...
RICHARDSON
The African-American community doesn't think one way about anything. We’re talking about
a few members of the Caucus.
JOSH
That was pretty surprising.
RICHARDSON
A few members who feel that African-American homeownership is at it’s highest level ever.
That more African-Americans are opening small businesses than ever before. And if they
can’t pass it on, how will they build up power and clout and self-sufficiency as a
community?
JOSH
You think a few black millionaires justifies a multi-billion-dollar boondoggle?
RICHARDSON
Well, as long as there's a Congress, there are going to be multi-billion-dollar
boondoggles. We'd just like to share in them a little bit, please.
TOBY
We're bleeding here, Mark.
RICHARDSON
What?
TOBY
We're bleeding here, for God's sake. You can work with us or you can be ignored by a
Republican President, but those are your choices.
RICHARDSON
How bad is it?
TOBY
Buckland's coming after us. He’s been meeting with Victor Campos. [sits]
RICHARDSON
And while you guys are defending yourselves against special prosecutors and Jack
Buckland, what happens to the people who got you here?
TOBY
Who are you talking to, Mark? We're not gonna forget about failing schools in central
cities. [raises his voice and pounds the table with his fist] We're not gonna forget
about after-school care, health care for uninsured kids. We're not gonna forget about
drug treatment, or urban redevelopment, or community policing!
RICHARDSON
Yeah?
TOBY
You gotta not forget that we're bleeding!
RICHARDSON
The Black Caucus doesn't vote as one mind. I can't promise anything.
JOSH
The veto's an awfully big risk to take... if you can't promise anything.
RICHARDSON
Then the veto's an awfully big risk to take.
Toby and Josh look at each other, silently. Toby stands up.
CUT TO: INT. HALLWAY - DAY
Leo and Bartlet walk by with HORTON. Bartlet is leading the way. They make their way to
the Oval Office as they talk.
LEO
Has the fire abated at all?
HORTON
Not yet.
LEO
How far has it spread?
HORTON
6500 acres.
BARTLET
So it's starting to close in on the boundary?
HORTON
Yes, sir, Mr. President...It’s not too late to reverse your decision.
LEO
Do you think he should?
HORTON
No.
LEO
Why?
As they walk into THE OVAL OFFICE, Charlie hands Bartlet some papers in a file folder.
HORTON
There’s a cold front moving down in from Alberta with a 50% chance of showers.
Temperatures in the area have already started to drop and if the rain reaches Yellowstone
by tonight, it’ll be enough to quell the fire.
Bartlet is reading the documents as Leo and Horton keep talking.
LEO
And if it doesn't, we put it out, and the President looks like an idiot for waiting this
long.
BARTLET
[removes his glasses, gestures toward Horton] Yeah, but we're gonna make sure he looks
like an idiot, too, right?
LEO
Yeah.
BARTLET
[smiling, to Horton] Wyoming is just going to have to have some faith that the Department
of the Interior knows what it’s doing.
HORTON
Yes, sir.
BARTLET
Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
HORTON
Thank you, Mr. President.
Bartlet shakes his hand. Horton nods and leaves. Josh is standing at the door to the
office, along with Toby and Doug. Bartlet notices them as they walk in.
BARTLET
Josh.
JOSH
Yes, sir?
BARTLET
A ballerina?
Bartlet walks around to his desk chair, puts his glasses on again, and sits down. He
starts going through some papers. Leo remains standing on the other side of the desk.
JOSH
Yeah, I... I didn't... know... what it was at the time. I-I-I liked the word...
BARTLET
We'll go with that for now.
TOBY
Mr. President, we’re here to recommend that you threaten to veto any repeal of the
estate tax.
BARTLET
[takes off his glasses, looks up] Really?
TOBY
Yes, sir.
LEO
What happened with Richardson?
JOSH
No guarantees. He wants to see what we’re gonna do next.
Leo and Bartlet absorb this information. They both look very serious.
TOBY
Let's make the threat.
BARTLET
[to Doug, pointing] You like this?
DOUG
[emphatically] Yes, sir.
BARTLET
I thought you don't oppose a tax cut in an election year?
DOUG
Well, let’s be clear. We’re not talking about opposing a tax cut. We’re talking about
vetoing one. Your first veto ever. That's... shooting the moon.
Toby rubs his head as Doug speaks.
BARTLET
[nods] I’ll say.
DOUG
I like the bold gesture. I think you gotta get out the stamp.
JOSH
[with a slight smirk at Doug] You sign it. You don't do it with a stamp.
DOUG
I thought it was a stamp.
BARTLET
Actually, you stamp it, then sign it.
TOBY
Who gives a damn, sir? This is a tax cut that benefits only 4500 families.
BARTLET
It doesn't matter if most voters don't benefit. They all believe that someday they will.
That's the problem with the American dream. It makes everyone concerned for the day
they're gonna be rich... The governors of Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, and Utah, along with
the Senate Majority Leader and Speaker of the House, are calling me a "fringe"
environmentalist, 'cause I'm listening to the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary
of Agriculture, along with the U.S. Forest Service, the Chief Ranger, and the Parks
Superintendent.
Bartlet is looking through his desk drawers. He finally finds a square wooden box and
places it on his desk.
BARTLET
They say letting the fire burn is good for the environment. And I'm betting on a weather
report, of all things. It's just one of those times.
Bartlet opens the box, takes out an inkpad and a rubber stamp, and sets them out on his
desk. Leo, Josh, Toby and Doug watch him, solemnly. Bartlet takes the pen out of his
jacket pocket, looks at it for a long moment, places it on top of the inkpad, and closes
the box.
CUT TO: INT. COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE - NIGHT
Staffers, including Carol and Bonnie, are milling about and walking through the Bullpen.
C.J. is holding a bottle of beer and looking in various desk drawers for a bottle opener.
Oliver walks in.
C.J.
You don’t have a bottle opener, do you?
OLIVER
No.
C.J.
I know some men carry those...
OLIVER
I don’t.
C.J.
...pocket knives.
OLIVER
You screwed around with an independent legal proceeding, and you used one of my deputies
to do it.
C.J.
I worked the press.
They’re standing next to each other, looking up at a television monitor that’s mounted on
the wall.
OLIVER
You know, there was an irony in that Clem Rollins was the right man for the job.
C.J.
You think I care less about irony?
OLIVER
You think just because the White House feels more comfortable when they're in an ugly
political fight, that means we're gonna win it?
C.J.
[starts to walk away] Anybody have a bottle opener?
Josh walks in, looking distracted. Donna spots him and walks after him.
DONNA
Josh?
JOSH
[turning slightly, still walking] Yeah?
DONNA
Which Committee had jurisdiction?
JOSH
For the hearings?
DONNA
Is it Judiciary?
Leo walks in to the Bullpen and starts talking to C.J., who’s standing in the doorway to
Sam’s office. Sam walks past them out into the bullpen. Josh and Donna are standing under
the television monitor.
JOSH
You’d think so, but Thomas's committee wanted it, so the Majority Leader...
DONNA
Thomas's committee’s?
JOSH
House Government Reform and Oversight.
Donna looks deflated and shocked. Sam walks up behind Donna, bumping her slightly,
then steps to one side of her so he can see the television.
SAM
Volume!
Bonnie turns up the volume with the remote control. The Bullpen has been filling up with
staffers who are focusing their attention on a press conference, which is being broadcast
via C-SPAN. The speaker is Congressman Randall Thomas [R-Michigan]. He’s standing outside
at a podium with several people behind him.
RANDALL THOMAS [on T.V.]
This is an election year, and in some states the voting starts in a few months. People
deserve answers now, and not at the snail's pace of Jed Bartlet's hand-picked
prosecutor... I am announcing that the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee
will be gaveled to session to conduct immediate hearings...
C.J. opens her beer. She’s standing shoulder to shoulder with Sam, Josh, Connie, Doug,
Carol, Toby, Ginger, Leo, Donna, Bonnie, and many other members of the West Wing staff
all of them staring up at the television, looking determined. Oliver leans against a
doorframe in the back of the room, his hands in his pockets, watching the press
conference.
THOMAS [on T.V.]
...into the possible use of taxpayer resources...
C.J.
[quietly, staring up at the screen] Come and get us.
THOMAS [on T.V.]
...to defraud the public.
C.J. takes a sip of beer. They all stare at the television as Thomas continues to speak.
THOMAS [on T.V.]
It is time to put an end to this White House's abuse of power. It is time for this White
House to answer to the American people.
DISSOLVE TO: END TITLES.
FADE TO BLACK.
THE END
* * *
The West Wing and all its characters are properties of Aaron Sorkin, John Wells
Production, Warner Brothers Television, and NBC. No copyright infringement is intended.
Episode 3.3 -- “Ways and Means”
Original Airdate: October 24, 2001, 9:00 EST
Transcribed by: Lindy, Irene and Amanda
December 17, 2001