Episode 2.4 -- “In This White House”

THE WEST WING
"IN THIS WHITE HOUSE"
TELEPLAY BY: AARON SORKIN 
STORY BY: PETER PARNELL & ALLISON ABNER 
DIRECTED BY: KEN OLIN 


TEASER

AIDE [VO] 
Ten minutes to air. 

MARK GOTTFRIED [VO] 
Hey, Sam! 

SAM [VO] 
Hey, Mark. 

MARK [VO]
You done? 

SAM [VO]
Yeah. 

FADE IN: INT. BACKSTAGE, CAPITAL BEAT STUDIO - DAY
Sam gets up from the make-up chair and walks along with MARK GOTTFRIED, 
host of Capital Beat. 

MARK 
It's not gonna be Wengland. 

SAM 
What happened? 

MARK 
He's stuck in Denver. 

SAM 
I wanted Wengland. 

MARK 
Yeah. 

SAM 
Did you get Stackhouse? 

MARK 
Couldn't get Stackhouse, couldn't get Santana, couldn't get Munroe... 

SAM 
Who'd you get? 

MARK 
A woman - named Ainsley Hayes... 

SAM 
Aimsley? 

MARK 
Ainsley, with an 'n'. 

SAM 
I don't know her. 

MARK 
Me neither, but I've got a producer, he brought her in...

SAM 
Mark, tell me she's not one of these...

MARK 
She is. 

SAM 
I thought that was over? 

MARK 
No, no, it's not. She's got blonde hair, long legs and she's a Republican, so she's...

SAM 
She's in show business. 

MARK 
Yeah. 

SAM 
A young, blonde, leggy Republican. 

MARK 
Yeah. 

SAM 
I thought it turned out they didn't know anything? 

MARK 
They don't. 

An aide with a headset comes up, holding a clipboard. 

AIDE 
Sam. 

SAM 
Yeah. 

Mark pats him on the shoulder and moves away.

CUT TO: INT. CAPITAL BEAT STUDIO - CONTINUOUS
AINSLEY HAYES is seated. She stands as Mark approaches. 

MARK 
Ainsley? 

AINSLEY HAYES
[brightly] Yes. 

MARK 
Mark Gottfried. 

AINSLEY 
Ainsley Hayes. 

MARK 
[looking at his watch] So, we'll be starting here in about a minute. I understand you've 
never done T.V. before? 

AINSLEY 
No, no, not as such, no. 

MARK 
Not as such? What does that mean? 

AINSLEY 
It means no, I haven't done T.V. before. 

MARK 
Okay. Well, can I give you a little friendly advice? 

AINSLEY 
Yes, I would appreciate it. 

MARK 
Don't overreach. 

AINSLEY 
Don't overreach? 

MARK 
Don't try to do too much. Don't try to know more than you do. My show is not the place 
for you to become a star. 

AINSLEY 
Okay. 

MARK 
You'll be opposite Sam Seaborn. He's done the show a couple dozen times; the White House 
wouldn't keep sending him if he didn't keep wiping the floor with whoever's in your chair. 

AINSLEY 
I've seen him. 

MARK 
[pointing at her] Don't be scared. 

AINSLEY 
[smiling] I'll try. 

Mark comes around the desk to sit down, and Ainsley sits too. 

MARK
I'll step in, and I'll take some of the punches for you if it gets out of hand, but if 
you don't get too far from the talking points I'm sure that somebody will give you. Okay?

AINSLEY 
[speaking over him] Yeah. 

MARK 
You'll be fine. 

DIRECTOR [OS] 
Thirty seconds. 

MARK 
Are we starting with the education package? 

MAN 
Yeah. 

Sam comes in and points to somebody off-screen. 

SAM 
George! You owe me twenty bucks on the Skins. 

GEORGE [OS] 
In the Green Room, man. 

Sam shakes hands with Ainsley. 

SAM 
I'm Sam Seaborn. 

AINSLEY 
Ainsley Hayes. 

DIRECTOR [OS] 
Twenty seconds. 

MARK 
You bet with George on the Skins? 

SAM 
[moving across to take his seat] Over under. 

MARK 
How's Josh? 

SAM 
He's good. 

DIRECTOR [OS]
Ten seconds. 

MARK 
Here we go. [to Ainsley] Remember what I said. 

AINSLEY 
Yeah. 

DIRECTOR [OS]
In five, four, three...

Lights dim, and the director continues the count silently on his fingers. A T.V. screen 
lights up with the Capital Beat logo. 

ANNOUNCER [VO] 
Capital Beat with Mark Gottfried. Tonight from the right, Republican political analyst 
Ainsley Hayes, and from the left, White House Senior Advisor Sam Seaborn. With Chris 
Eisen at the Pentagon, and Marjorie Clarke in New York. [Lights go on.]

MARK 
Good evening. Before we get to Chris and Marjorie tonight on the Capital Beat, the House 
is expected to vote next week on President Bartlet's one point five billion dollar 
education package. Sam Seaborn: Why is this bill better than its Republican counterpart 
that the President vetoed last year? 

Ainsley takes up a pen ready to take notes. 

SAM 
Because it buys things the teachers need. Like textbooks. In a fairly comprehensive study 
that was done, an alarmingly high number of teachers - forty percent of teachers in 
Kirkwood, Oregon, for instance, and Kirkwood, Oregon being a fair model for public school 
districts across the country - forty percent of the teachers in Kirkwood, Oregon report 
not having sufficient textbooks for their students. [Ainsley is taking notes.] 
The package offered by the Republican controlled Congress offered a grand total of zero 
dollars for new textbooks. 

MARK 
Ainsley Hayes? Is that true? 

AINSLEY 
[still writing] No, it's not. 

MARK 
Is Sam Seaborn lying? 

AINSLEY 
Lying's an awfully strong word... 

MARK 
Do you...?

AINSLEY 
[finally looking up] Yes, he's lying. 

SAM 
I don't...

AINSLEY 
[talking over him] And we should tell the truth about education. 

SAM 
Well, if you're gonna call... 

AINSLEY 
The bill contained plenty of money for new textbooks. Also computer literacy, school 
safety, physical plants. The difference is we wanted to give the money directly to 
communities, and let them decide how best to spend it, on the off-chance that the 
needs of Lincoln High in Dayton are different from the needs of Crenshaw High in 
South Central L.A. 

MARK 
Sam, why did the President veto the bill? 

SAM 
There are...

AINSLEY 
[talking over him] Because it guaranteed by law that ninety-five percent of the money go 
directly into the classroom and bypassed the pork-barrel buffet, which is troubling to 
this President because he doesn't work for the students...

SAM 
[quietly] Well that's just...

AINSLEY 
...and he doesn't work for the parents of the students. He works for the teacher's union. 

SAM 
The difference with the old...

He and Mark exchange wry smiles as Ainsley interrupts again. 

AINSLEY 
The bill contains plenty of money for textbooks, Mark, and anyone who says otherwise is 
flat-out lying. And we should tell the truth about textbooks. Textbooks are important, if 
for no other reason than they'd accurately place the town of Kirkwood in California and 
not in Oregon. 

MARK 
[to the camera] And we're in business. We'll be back with more Capital Beat after this. 

DIRECTOR [VO] 
Out. 

The T.V. screen goes black and displays the words PLACE COMMERCIAL HERE. 

AINSLEY 
I'm sorry, did I overreach? 

Mark chuckles and gets up, leaning over Sam. 

MARK 
Hey, Sam. 

SAM 
Yeah. 

MARK 
This one might know something. 

SAM 
[quietly] Yeah. [to himself] Please, oh, please, let them not be watching. 

CUT TO: INT. TOBY'S OFFICE - DAY

JOSH 
[in the doorway] Toby. Come quick! Sam's getting his ass kicked by a girl! 

He scurries away and Toby leaps to his feet. 

TOBY 
Ginger, get the popcorn! 

He dashes after Josh. 

SMASH CUT TO: MAIN TITLES. 
END TEASER
* * *

ACT ONE 

FADE IN: EXT. THE WHITE HOUSE - DAY 
TUESDAY

C.J. [VO] 
There'll be a photo op in the Mural Room...

CUT TO: INT. PRESS ROOM - CONTINUOUS

C.J.
...in a half hour with President Bartlet and President Nimbala of the Republic of 
Equatorial Kuhndu who's representing the African nations. 

REPORTER 
[standing] Um, C.J., is it the goal of the summit to get the drug companies to lower 
their prices, or is the goal to get the African countries to honour U.S. patents? 

C.J. 
The goal of the summit is to get a step closer to solving twenty-six million African AIDS 
victims. [Toby watches in the background.] We're counting on the drug companies, we're 
counting on the African nations, we're counting on the global health community and 
they're counting on the White House to help broker a solution. 

REPORTER 
Is the White House prepared to declare war on the drug companies? 

C.J. 
Well, it sounds like you already have, so if we need a button man, we'll call you. 
Thank you, everybody, half hour in the Mural Room. 

Carol approaches from the side. 

C.J.
[to Carol] Tell them they need to be in three groups. 

CAROL 
Yeah. 

They both exit the Press Room, and Toby joins C.J. as they walk in the HALLWAYS.

TOBY 
You know what you might have mentioned? 

C.J. 
It was a 14 minute briefing, I'm really gonna get reviews? 

TOBY 
You might have mentioned that the same drug that costs ten dollars and eighty cents in 
Norway, where nobody needs it, costs ninety dollars in Burundi, where everybody needs it. 

C.J. 
There is nothing keeping these people here but good will, Toby! They can charge what they 
want for their products. 

TOBY 
It sounds to me like we intend to be soft on the drug companies. 

C.J. 
Toby, I don't think anybody expects this White House to be anything but tough on American 
companies showing a profit. 

TOBY
Damn right. 

Toby comes to a stop in the doorway of C.J.'S OFFICE. Sam comes up behind Toby. 

SAM 
Where was the 1992 World Copyright Conference? 

TOBY 
Geneva. 

SAM 
Thank you. [turns to go]

C.J. 
[calling after him] Sam! I've really gotta admire the way you came into work this 
morning, head held high. 

SAM 
And I appreciate your being the one person who's managed to abstain from heckling me. 

C.J. 
No problem. [as he turns to go] There's a whole bunch of women over there. Why don't you 
ask them whether Geneva's in Switzerland or Oregon? 

SAM 
[angry] Okay! 

TOBY 
[to Sam] Go to my office. 

SAM 
Me and you, twenty questions, short answer, general knowledge test, right now! 

TOBY 
Go to my office. 

SAM 
I'll spot you two questions. 

C.J. 
How much money? 

TOBY 
Go to my office. 

SAM 
I'm going to his office. 

C.J. starts making chicken noises. Sam pauses in the doorway and turns to look at Toby.

SAM
She's making the chicken sound now. 

TOBY 
Go to my office. 

Sam looks back at C.J. and then departs.

TOBY
[to C.J.] That drug they've gotta buy from us for four dollars a unit, they can get 
generic from Pakistan for forty cents. 

C.J. 
[walking past him] That's not the only bargain in Pakistan, Toby. My girlfriends and I go 
for the spring fashions. 

TOBY 
It shows. 

C.J. turns to give him a look and he goes off down a side corridor. A young reporter, 
Bill, comes up behind her. 

BILL 
C.J.. 

C.J. 
[pointing in the direction Toby went] He just made a little dig about my clothes, and 
that's what's gonna be with me the rest of the day. 

BILL 
C.J., I wanted to introduce myself, I'm Bill Kelley from the Cleveland Courier? 

C.J. 
[shaking his hand] Hi.

BILL 
They're breaking me in to cover for Tom Johnson, I've been sitting in the back. 

C.J. 
Welcome. 

BILL 
Can I ask you something? 

C.J. 
That's what I'm here for.

BILL 
Do you know anything about Bonamo Energy selling drilling equipment to Iraq? 

C.J. 
I'm not gonna wave you off the story, but I can't tell you anything about it. 

BILL 
[stopping her] If they were selling the Iraqis drilling equipment, that would be in 
violation of sanctions, wouldn't it? 

C.J. 
Grand jury investigations are secret, Bill. I can't tell you any more about it. 

BILL 
I understand. Nice meeting you. 

C.J. 
Nice meeting you. 

She walks on and then freezes in sudden realization. She turns.

C.J.
Bill! 

BILL 
Yeah? 

C.J. 
Nothing. Just... nothing. 

BILL 
Okay. 

C.J. looks concerned for a minute, then walks off. 

BARTLET [VO] 
Then you've got guys like Mbeki who turn around and say...

CUT TO: INT. PORTICO - DAY 
Bartlet and Leo are walking along. 

BARTLET [cont'd] 
...that AIDS isn't linked to HIV, it's linked to poverty. 

LEO 
It is linked to poverty. 

BARTLET 
Would you like me to show you the list of dead millionaires? 

LEO 
He was saying that prostitutes, migrant laborers, the ill-educated, and victims of sexual 
abuse are more likely...

BARTLET 
Leo, AIDS is caused by HIV. You just named a group of people that have a higher mortality 
rate across the board. Morning, Charlie. 

CHARLIE 
Good morning, Mr. President. 

BARTLET 
Where are we? 

CHARLIE 
We're all set, sir, whenever you're ready. 

BARTLET 
Thank you. 

Bartlet and Leo walk inside THE OVAL OFFICE.

LEO
It was the Health Minister trying to clear up his comments. 

BARTLET
They have a Health Minister who doesn't think AIDS is connected to HIV! 

LEO 
He was clearing up the comments. 

BARTLET 
[stopping at his desk] Hey, did you see Sam get puréed last night on Capital Beat? 
[puts on his glasses]

LEO
[amused] I didn't see it, but I have heard tell. 

BARTLET
He got diced and sliced by a woman named Ainsley Hayes. 

LEO
She's been writing some columns. 

BARTLET
I know, I had Charlie pull 'em for me. Where's she been? 

LEO
She was clerking for Dreifort. 

BARTLET
We should hire her. 

LEO
That'd be funny! 

BARTLET
No, I mean it. 

LEO
Mean what? 

BARTLET
We should hire her. 

LEO 
What, you mean as a joke on Sam? 

BARTLET 
No, not as a joke, I mean we should hire her as a reality. We should hire her. 

LEO 
She's a Republican. 

BARTLET 
So are half the people in this country. 

LEO 
Well, that half lost, so...

BARTLET 
She's smart, she's not just carping. She feels a sense of something. 

LEO 
Of what? 

CHARLIE 
[entering the room] Mr. President. 

BARTLET 
Yeah. [to Leo] Of duty. Of civic duty. 

LEO 
[as they leave the room] How many pieces by her did you read? 

BARTLET 
Three. 

LEO 
And you're certain of her sense of civic duty? 

BARTLET 
I can sense civic duty a mile away. 

MRS. LANDINGHAM 
Good morning, Mr. President. 

BARTLET 
Morning. 

The press are gathered in THE MURAL ROOM. Bartlet enters.

BARTLET
Good morning. 

CROWD 
Good morning, Mr. President. 

BARTLET 
Morning everybody. 

CROWD 
Good morning, Mr. President. 

Bartlet approaches PRESIDENT NIMBALA. 

BARTLET 
Good morning, Mr. President. 

NIMBALA 
Good morning, sir. They shake hands. 

BARTLET 
[to the press] You can tell your caption editors that Bartlet's the third guy from the 
right. 

C.J. 
Thank you, sir. [to the press] Presidents Bartlet and Nimbala will take just a few 
questions. 

KATIE 
President Bartlet. 

BARTLET 
Katie.

KATIE 
This is a summit among leaders of American pharmaceutical companies and the AIDS-ravaged 
African nations that President Nimbala is representing here. 

The translator whispers to Nimbala.

KATIE [cont.]
Is there a political upside to only having President Nimbala at this photo op and not the 
pharmaceutical companies? 

BARTLET 
[sarcastic] Yes, Katie, I'm trying to shore up the sub-Saharan vote. 

REPORTER 
Um, Mr. President, are you considering asking Congress to forgive existing debts? 

BARTLET 
It's an international health crisis; there's nothing I'm not considering. 

C.J. 
[pointing] Arthur? 

ARTHUR 
President Nimbala, what's the best you can hope to come away with from this summit? 

The translator whispers.

ARTHUR [cont.]
What's a home run? 

NIMBALA 
A miracle. 

TRANSLATOR [as Nimbala speaks] 
There are people who make miracles in the world. One of them lives right here in the U.S. 
He realized that vital elements could be harvested from the stalk of the wheat. In his 
hands, India, which at the time had been ravaged by drought and overpopulation - in his 
hands, the wheat crop increased from 11 million tons to 60 million tons annually. 

BARTLET 
[nodding] That's right. His name is Norman Borlaug, by the way, and he won the Nobel 
Peace Prize in 1970. 

C.J. 
Thank you, Mr. President, President Nimbala. Thank you everyone. The press start to 
disperse. 

BARTLET 
[to Nimbala] I think you're absolutely right about the kind of miracle we need. I think 
we're gonna make a lot of progress in the next few days. 

NIMBALA 
I hope so, Mr. President. My country's dying. 

Bartlet looks down for a moment, then nods in acknowlegement and turns to leave. 
Leo catches up with him as he walks back to THE OVAL OFFICE. 

BARTLET 
It was called dwarf wheat, which produces heavy yields without its stalk falling over 
from the weight of the rain. 

LEO 
Was it a hybrid? 

BARTLET 
What am I, Farmer Bob? It was wheat, and there was more than there used to be. 

LEO 
Okay! 

BARTLET 
And hire that girl. 

LEO 
What girl? 

BARTLET 
Ainsley Hayes. 

LEO 
No. 

BARTLET 
Why? 

LEO 
'Cause this is one of those things you're excited about after breakfast that you forget 
you told me to do by lunch. 

BARTLET 
[waggling a finger at him] Not one of those. 

LEO 
It's one of those. 

BARTLET 
Leo, as hard as you might try, the Republican Party isn't going anywhere. 

LEO 
You don't know that for sure, sir, they could all end up moving to Vancouver. 

BARTLET 
I don't think so. 

LEO 
Me neither, but being in power means everybody else can take a seat for four years. 

Charlie comes in and hands Bartlet a mug as he sits at his desk. 

BARTLET 
Charlie, I want to hire a woman whose voice I think would fit in nicely around here, 
she's a conservative Republican. Do you think I should do it? 

CHARLIE 
Absolutely, Mr. President. 'Cause I'm told that theirs is the party of inclusion. 

Bartlet gives him a look as he moves away. 

LEO 
[gesturing over his shoulder at him] See? Charlie just made a joke to you in the Oval 
Office. That's how bad an idea it is. 

BARTLET 
Leo. 

LEO 
Seriously, Mr. President, if you want to do this, it's not an uninteresting notion, 
let's just do it in a more high-profile place. Put a Republican in the cabinet. 

BARTLET 
We might do that, Leo. A hundred million Republicans; we might hire as many as two of 
them. But for now, hire this girl. 

LEO 
To do what? 

BARTLET 
[shrugging] I don't know. She's a lawyer. Put her in the counsel's office. 

LEO 
You really want me to do this? 

BARTLET 
Yes. 

LEO 
What if she doesn't want to work here? 

BARTLET 
Appeal to her sense of duty. And smooth it over with the staff. Really, I don't want to 
hear from them. 

LEO 
She can always have my job, you know. 

BARTLET 
Yes, she can. 

LEO 
Thank you, Mr. President. 

BARTLET 
Thank you. 

Leo leaves.

BARTLET
Charlie. 

CHARLIE 
Yes, sir. 

BARTLET 
When they close the book on me and you, it will say that at this moment you were not 
there for me, and for that, obviously, there'll be some kind of punishment. 

CHARLIE 
Well, you could sing Puccini for me again, Mr. President. We'll call it even. 

CUT TO: EXT. CITYSCAPE - NIGHT 

AINSLEY [VO] 
And anyone who says otherwise is flat-out lying. 

BRUCE [VO] 
Here it comes. 

CUT TO: INT. AINSLEY'S FRONT ROOM 
Ainsley's friends BRUCE and HARRIET are watching her on the T.V. Ainsley is in the back 
fiddling with her telephone. 

AINSLEY 
Listen, does anybody here know how to...?

BRUCE 
Shh! 

AINSLEY [on T.V.] 
Textbooks are important, if for no other reason than they'd accurately place the town of 
Kirkwood in California and not in Oregon. 

BRUCE 
[stops the video, grinning] Oh! I could watch that a hundred times. 

AINSLEY 
Does anybody know how to work caller-ID? 

HARRIET 
Oh, how can you not know how to use a telephone? 

AINSLEY 
I've been paying attention to other things. 

HARRIET 
Well, pay attention to that because Bruce's friend is gonna call you. 

AINSLEY 
The agent? 

BRUCE 
Yep. 

AINSLEY 
I don't need an agent, I need a caller-ID tutorial. 

HARRIET 
You need an agent, Ainsley, you're gonna be a star. 

AINSLEY 
Used to be, you had to sing and dance. 

BRUCE 
You're gonna get a lot of work ripping these people to shreds, and lookin' good doing it. 

AINSLEY 
That's an actual job now? 

The phone begins to ring.

BRUCE 
That's him. 

AINSLEY 
[consulting leaflet] Let's see, I push... this button... And the number appears. 

HARRIET 
Ainsley? 

AINSLEY 
[softly] 202-456-1414. 

HARRIET 
Is that the agent? 

AINSLEY 
It's the White House. 

FADE OUT. 
END ACT ONE 
* * *

ACT TWO 

FADE IN: INT. JOSH'S OFFICE - DAY
WEDNESDAY
Donna emerges from the office carrying a file and walks past Sam in the corridor. 

DONNA 
Hey, Sam. 

SAM 
[stops and turns] Excuse me? 

DONNA 
What? 

SAM 
Did you say something to me? 

DONNA 
I, I said 'hey, Sam'...? 

SAM 
Really. 

DONNA 
Yeah. 

SAM 
'Cause it sounded like maybe you might have made a wisecrack about Oregon... California. 

DONNA 
Sorry, out of luck. [turns to walk off and passes C.J.] Hey, C.J.. 

C.J. 
[seeming harrassed] Hi, Donna. [marches past Sam, looking distracted]

SAM 
[following] This is late for you. 

C.J. 
I got lost. 

SAM 
Where? 

C.J. 
On the way to work. 

SAM 
When? 

C.J. 
Now, this morning. 

SAM 
You got lost on your way to work? 

C.J. sighs. They pass Carol on the way into C.J.'s office. 

C.J. 
Good morning, Carol. 

SAM 
Morning, Carol. 

CAROL 
Good morning, Sam. [frowning at C.J.] It's eight fifteen. 

C.J. 
We'll do messages in a minute. 

SAM 
You got lost on your way to work. 

C.J. 
[warningly] Don't make fun of me. 

SAM 
I wouldn't worry about that. 

C.J. 
[rubbing her face] I didn't sleep much last night. 

SAM 
How much did you sleep? 

C.J. 
None, not at all. 

SAM 
You slept none, not at all. 

C.J. 
Sam! 

SAM 
I am, today, particularly excited about you being the spokesperson for the President. 

C.J. 
[calling after him as he turns to go] Let me ask you something. I was talking, yesterday, 
to a reporter who's new in the room, and he asked me a question, and in my answer... 
[long pause] Let me ask you something. 

She is silent for another long moment.

SAM 
C.J.? 

C.J. 
Yeah. 

SAM 
You know you haven't asked me anything yet, right? 

C.J. 
Yeah. [collecting herself after a moment] Yeah. Listen, never mind. 

SAM 
C.J.? 

C.J. 
Seriously, forget about it. 

SAM 
What was your question? 

LEO 
[arriving in the doorway] The two of you, come take a walk with me. 

CUT TO: INT. JOSH'S BULLPEN AREA - CONTINUOUS 

SAM 
What's going on? 

LEO 
[turning to face them] I wanted to tell you this out where there were people so you 
wouldn't scream about it. 

C.J. 
Scream about what? 

LEO 
The woman who was on Capital Beat with Sam Sunday night. 

SAM 
What about her? 

LEO 
I'm offering her a job. 

SAM 
[sharply] Where? 

LEO 
Here. 

C.J. 
Are you kidding? 

LEO 
No. 

C.J. 
Are you kidding? 

LEO 
[more firmly] No. 

C.J. 
[getting louder] Are you kidding? 

LEO 
No. 

C.J. 
[shrieking] Well, what the hell made you think I wouldn't scream where there are people?!

Everyone turns to stare. 

LEO 
I took a shot. 

SAM and C.J. 
[shrieking in unison] Leo! 

LEO 
[quietly] Come this way. 

He motions for them both to follow him and moves off.

CUT TO: INT - JOSH'S BULLPEN AREA - DAY
Donna enters and approaches Josh. 

DONNA 
I don't feel that I've homed in on this. 

JOSH 
There are a lot of people in Africa with HIV. 

DONNA 
Right. 

JOSH 
American companies hold the patents on the medicines they need. 

DONNA 
Yes. 

JOSH 
Most people in most African countries can't afford to buy the drugs at these prices, so 
they buy them on the black market. 

DONNA 
In violation of the U.S. patents and international treaties. 

JOSH 
Yes. 

DONNA 
How prohibitively priced are the drugs? 

JOSH 
They cost about a hundred and fifty bucks a week. 

DONNA 
Well, that's not totally off the charts. 

JOSH 
A police officer in Kenya makes forty-three dollars a month. 

He straightens his jacket outside the meeting room and Donna hands him a folder. 

DONNA 
Do good in there. 

Josh sighs and pushes open the door to THE ROOSEVELT ROOM.

ALAN 
This isn't about profit...

NIMBALA 
[pointedly] Sir!

ALAN 
[after a moment] This isn't about profit...

NIMBALA 
Sir, you have interrupted me again. 

ALAN 
My apologies, Mr. President. 

Nimbala begins to talk, as Josh quietly rounds the table and takes a seat. 

TRANSLATOR [NIMBALA]
How can you tell us this isn't about profit maximisation? Why do you sell Amprex for half 
the price in Norway than you do in my country? 

SPOKESMAN 2 
I don't think that's the issue. 

TOBY 
[abruptly] Let's make it the issue. 

ALAN 
Toby! 

TOBY 
Let's make it the issue for the moment, please.

ALAN 
You can't compare prices worldwide, Toby. 

NIMBALA 
Sir, excuse me, sir. 

ALAN 
[exasperated] Yes? 

TRANSLATOR [NIMBALA]
I am the one who asked you the question. I'd appreciate it if you directed your answer 
to me.

ALAN 
President Nimbala. When you sell to small pharmacies, as we do in Norway, a different 
price is set. 

TRANSLATOR [NIMBALA]
Norway, ten dollars per unit U.S.; my country, twenty-three dollars per unit U.S. 

ALAN 
Retail mark-up, taxes, pharmacy discounts... these things vary widely. 

SPOKESMAN 2 
Not to mention the fact that we don't even know if the drugs are getting to your citizens. 

TRANSLATOR [NIMBALA] 
You're implying corruption and incompetence. 

SPOKESMAN 2 
[leaning forward] We do have reports of that, Mr. President. 

TRANSLATOR [NIMBALA] 
You talk to me about corruption. What are your annual sales of Fluconazole alone? 

NIMBALA 
A billion dollars. 

ALAN 
I don't understand your point, sir. 

TOBY 
I think President Nimbala's saying that there's more money in giving a white guy an 
erection than curing a black guy of AIDS. 

ALAN 
Sir, my company has given away over a hundred and twenty million dollars worth of free 
drugs a year. Including free doses of Zyclocint, which is one of two drugs in your 
country curing eye infection right now. 

TOBY 
They're not dying from eye infections, Alan. 

ALAN 
Well, they're not dying 'cause of me either, Toby. And I'd like not to be talked to 
this way. 

TOBY 
Alan, if it was 26 million Europeans dying, we'd have had a solution yesterday. 

Josh leans back in his chair and rubs his face. 

JOSH 
How much would it cost for you to provide free drugs to the Sahelise Republic, Kenya, and 
the Republic of Equatorial Kuhndu?

ALAN 
[shrugging] I have no idea. 

JOSH 
Why not? We're talking about a hundred and thirty thousand patients, two hundred 
milligram pills, three times a day every day. What's the X-factor? 

ALAN 
We don't know how long they'll live. 

TOBY 
[after a moment] We're nowhere. Let's take a break. 

He gets up and leaves the room, and the others start to follow. 

FADE OUT.

FADE IN: INT. LEO'S OFFICE - DAY
THURSDAY

MARGARET 
[entering] Leo. 

LEO 
Yeah. 

MARGARET 
She's here. 

LEO 
Good.

MARGARET 
Should I send her in? 

LEO 
Yeah. 

MARGARET 
Want me to stay here? 

LEO 
Why? 

MARGARET 
In case something should happen. 

LEO 
What would that be, exactly? 

MARGARET 
[leaving] I'll bring her in. 

LEO 
Thank you. 

He gets up and walks to the door, shaking hands with Ainsley as she arrives.

LEO
Ainsley. 

AINSLEY 
Mr. McGarry. 

LEO 
Leo's fine. 

AINSLEY 
Yeah. 

LEO 
[closes the door] Were you offered coffee or something to drink? 

AINSLEY 
Yes, the woman who works out there, who I imagine is your secretary, offered me coffee 
or something. 

LEO 
Okay. 

AINSLEY 
She was also kind enough to ask for my coat. 

LEO 
Excellent, and...

AINSLEY 
She seems to be a very good secretary. 

LEO 
She'll be happy to hear that, she's standing right outside the door. 

He thumps his hand on the door. 

MARGARET [VO]
Ow. 

LEO 
[returning to his desk] So, I have to tell you, I've never seen Sam Seaborn get beat the 
way you beat him on Monday. 

AINSLEY 
[sitting] Yes, well, Mr. McGarry...

LEO 
Leo. 

AINSLEY 
Yes, sir. I've been thinking about that ever since your office called me on Tuesday, 
and I have something to say on my own behalf, if you'll permit me a moment to say it, 
and I understand if you won't, but I would really appreciate it if you did. 

LEO 
I... didn't really follow that, but whatever. 

AINSLEY 
I think that it is wrong for a man in your position to summon someone to the White 
House to reprimand them for voicing opposition. I think that that is wrong, and it 
is inappropriate. It's inappropriate, and I'll tell you what else. 

LEO 
[nodding slightly] It's wrong? 

AINSLEY 
Yes. 

LEO 
That's fine, except you weren't summoned here to be reprimanded. 

AINSLEY 
Well, then, if you'll permit me, why was I summoned? 

LEO 
You have an interesting conversational style, do you know that? 

AINSLEY 
It's a nervous condition. 

LEO 
I used to have a nervous condition. 

AINSLEY 
How did yours manifest itself? 

LEO 
I drank a lot of scotch. 

AINSLEY 
I get sick when I drink too much. 

LEO 
I get drunk when I drink too much. 

AINSLEY 
Well, Mr. McGarry...

LEO 
Leo. 

AINSLEY 
Yes, sir. I'll ask again: for what purpose was I brought here today? 

LEO 
So I could offer you a job. 

AINSLEY 
I'm asking because I do not think that it is fair that I be expected to play the role of 
the mouse to the White House's cat in the game of, well, you know the game. 

LEO 
Cat and mouse? 

AINSLEY 
Yes. And it's not like I'm not, you know... the fact that I may not look like some of 
the other Republicans who have crossed your path does not mean I am any less inclined 
towards... [comes to a sudden stop]

LEO 
Here it comes. 

AINSLEY 
Did you say offer me a job? 

LEO 
Yes. Associate White House counsel. You'd report to the Deputy White House Counsel, who 
reports to the White House Counsel, who reports to me. 

AINSLEY 
I'm sorry... A job in this White House? 

LEO 
You want a glass of scotch? 

AINSLEY 
Yes, please. 

CUT TO: INT. C.J.'S OFFICE - DAY
Sam looks through the window and sees C.J. lying on her couch with a cloth over her eyes. 

SAM 
C.J.? 

C.J. 
Yeah? 

Sam comes in and stops in the doorway. 

SAM 
C.J., see a sleep doctor. Take a pill. Do something. 

C.J. 
I rode the Lifecycle this morning for an hour and a half. If it was a real cycle, I'd be 
in Belgium by now. 

SAM 
[sitting down] C.J., what did you want to ask me the other day? 

C.J. 
Sam, if I talked to you about it, you could be subpoenaed. 

SAM 
Don't worry about it. 

C.J. 
It could cost you...

SAM 
[more firmly] Don't worry about it. 

C.J. 
[sitting up] I do worry about it! [brushes back her hair] There's no problem. I just need 
some sleep. What can I bring into the room about the conference? 

SAM 
The sessions are productive. Progress is being made. These kinds of things take time. 
All the parties are optimistic. 

C.J. 
Are any of the parties optimistic? 

SAM 
No. 

C.J. 
[quietly] Okay. 

CAROL
C.J.? 

C.J. looks up, and Carol makes a 'get moving' gesture. 

C.J. 
Yeah. [leaves] 

Sam looks up at Carol and frowns. 

SAM 
Did you say something to me? 

CAROL 
No. 

SAM 
'Cause I thought you might have said something. 

Carol gives him an odd look, and leaves.

CUT TO: INT. LEO'S OFFICE - DAY

AINSLEY 
I have always been a Republican. My father is a Republican. His father was State Chairman 
of the North Carolina Republican Party. 

LEO 
Yes. 

AINSLEY 
When I was young, I was a Young Republican. 

LEO 
[sitting up] Yeah, Ainsley, even if you hadn't already told me all of this, you know, 
many, many times, I would know it anyway, 'cause I have this FBI file. 

AINSLEY 
You have my FBI file? 

LEO 
Yes. 

AINSLEY 
I can't believe that! You have my FBI file? 

LEO 
Yes. 

AINSLEY 
I have an FBI file? 

LEO 
Ainsley...

AINSLEY 
Mr. McGarry, I loathe almost everything you believe in. [stands up]

LEO 
Where are you going?

AINSLEY 
I'm not going anywhere, I'm standing up, which is how one speaks in opposition in a 
civilized world. 

LEO 
Well, you go, girl. 

AINSLEY 
I find this administration smug and patronizing, and under the impression that those who 
disagree with them are less than they are, and with colder hearts. 

LEO 
I don't think that's true. 

AINSLEY 
How many people on your staff assumed that I was ambitious, mean, and stupid? 

LEO 
[firmly] None. [after a moment] C.J. Cregg thinks you kill your pets. You don't do that, 
do you? 

AINSLEY 
No, I don't kill my pets. I don't have any pets. I was thinking about getting a pet, 
but-- that doesn't matter. The point is...

LEO 
Ainsley. 

AINSLEY 
Yes, sir. 

LEO 
Don't you want to work in the White House? 

AINSLEY 
Oh, only since I was two. 

LEO 
[shrugging] Okay. 

AINSLEY 
It has to be this White House? 

LEO 
Ainsley...

AINSLEY 
Mr. McGarry. 

LEO 
The President likes smart people who disagree with him. He wants to hear from you. 
The President's asking you to serve. And everything else is crap. 

He gets up and goes to open the door for her.

LEO
Think about it overnight. Come back here at six tomorrow and give me your answer. 
[shouting] Margaret! 

Margaret jumps, standing right in the doorway as he yanks it open.

LEO
How you doin'? [gives her a wry smile] Show Ms. Hayes out, would you, please? 

MARGARET 
This way. 

CUT TO: INT. HALLWAY - DAY
Toby pushes through a door, carrying a drink with a wrapped-up danish on top of it. 
Josh follows behind him, eating a banana. 

JOSH 
You're listening to me, but you're not understanding me. 

TOBY 
No, I'm disagreeing with you. That doesn't mean I'm not listening to you, or 
understanding what you're saying. I'm doing all three at the same time. 

JOSH 
You gotta get out of their face, Toby, they can get up any time they want. We don't have 
anything they need. [tosses his banana skin in a trash can as they walk past]

TOBY 
They need patent treaties to be enforced. 

JOSH 
And they are gonna be enforced. The pharmaceutical companies got half the House of 
Representatives elected. Congress is gonna get serious about this. 

TOBY 
The pills cost 'em four cents a unit to make. 

JOSH 
You know that's not true. The second pill cost 'em four cents; the first pill cost 'em 
four hundred million dollars. 

TOBY 
They also enjoy unprecedented tax breaks, foreign tax credits, research and 
experimentation exemptions, and expensing of research expenditures. To say nothing 
of the fact that business is pretty good, so they're gonna cover their butt. 

Toby pushes through the door of the COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE and hands the wrapped danish 
to Ginger. 

JOSH 
Tell me about Nimbala. 

He walks on past as Toby stops to talk to Ginger. 

TOBY 
They didn't have cheese. 

GINGER 
What is it? 

TOBY 
It's boysenberry. 

GINGER 
A boysenberry danish? 

TOBY 
[walking away] It's new. 

Josh is sitting waiting for him in TOBY'S OFFICE. 

JOSH 
Tell me about Nimbala. 

TOBY 
He's a good President, Josh. He was a great soldier, a brilliant commander, he led his 
people for 28 years, he can't get ahead of the curve. He's cursed by geography. You know 
what, if the ground won't grow anything, you don't have an economy. Still, he stands in 
a room and he talks about Norman Borlaug. He came here himself, Josh, he didn't send 
delegates. I think it's 'cause he doesn't have any. I think he's holding his country 
together with both hands. 

JOSH 
Then let's make sure we send him back with something, is my point.

Ginger appears in the doorway.

GINGER 
Fellas? 

TOBY 
Yeah.

GINGER 
They're ready. 

Josh gets up to leave. 

TOBY 
[quietly] Yeah. 

CUT TO: INT. PRESS ROOM - DAY

CAROL [OS] 
Folks, please take your seats. 

C.J. 
Good afternoon. Guess what? The aduit figures released yesterday by the Senate Finance 
comfirmed earlier reports released by the Congressional Budget Office regarding the 
increased budget projections. 

CUT TO: INT. BACK OF PRESS ROOM - CONTINUOUS 
Ainsley wanders in. 

C.J. [OS] 
The CBO's projection actually increased the surplus amount from two trillion over the 
next ten years to 2.2 trillion 

We see C.J. on a monitor as Ainsley comes up beside Bill.

C.J.
This exceeds even the most optimistic estimates published last year by the White House 
budget office of 300 billion and the CBO's projection last quarter of 900 billion. 

BILL 
Are you new too? 

AINSLEY 
[leaning closer] Excuse me? 

BILL 
Are you new too? It's my fourth day. 

AINSLEY 
Uh no, no. 

BILL 
Maybe you can help me, then. I'm trying to get somewhere with drilling equipment that 
might have been sold by Bonamo Energy to the Iraqis, in violation of sanctions. I asked 
C.J. about it, and she said there's a grand jury investigation, and she's not allowed to 
talk. If you ask he she was acting a little bit-- [shrugs] Ah, I don't know. But I hear 
she hasn't been able to sleep, and maybe that's because... 

AINSLEY 
She told you there was a grand jury investigation? 

BILL 
Yeah.

Margaret comes up behind them. 

MARGARET 
Miss Hayes. 

AINSLEY 
Yeah. 

MARGARET 
This way. 

They leave and Bill watches them go. 

C.J. [OS] 
...a large portion of the surplus to debt reduction. 

REPORTER [OS] 
Is there an updated assumption-? 

REPORTERS [OS] 
C.J.! C.J.! 

C.J. [OS]
With regard to the progress made here at the White House summit for African AIDS relief, 
all parties are optimistic that an agreement will be reached.
 
We PAN across to view C.J. on a monitor.

FADE OUT. 
END ACT TWO 
* * *

ACT THREE 

FADE IN: EXT. WHITE HOUSE - DAY 
FRIDAY

CUT TO: INT. THE ROOSEVELT ROOM - CONTINUOUS

ALAN 
I think there's a more fundamental problem than marginal costs. We've been at this for 
four days and I still think we haven't talked about the fundamental misunderstanding in 
Africa over the basic facts of AIDS. 

TRANSLATOR [NIMBALA]
I don't think there's a misunderstanding. 

ALAN 
A week ago you people stood up and said that AIDS has only a casual relationship to HIV. 

TRANSLATOR [NIMBALA]
I'm not sure to whom you are referring when you say, 'you people', but it was President 
Mbeki of South Africa who said that, and not anyone in this room. 

SPOKESMAN 2 
I think Mr. Damson has brought up a hard truth that should faced. 

JOSH 
What's that? 

ALAN 
If tomorrow we made AIDS medication free to every patient in your country, as much as 
they needed for as long as they needed it, it would likely make very little difference 
in the spread of the epidemic. 

JOSH 
Why? 

SPOKESMAN 2 
Anti-HIV drugs are a triple cocktail. It's a complicated regimen that requires ten pills 
to be taken every day at precise times. Two protease inhibitors every eight hours, two 
combination RTI pills every twelve hours. 

JOSH 
What's the problem? 

There is a brief silence. Toby sighs. 

TOBY 
They don't own wristwatches. They can't tell time. 

Josh rubs his temples, looking tired. There is another brief silence. 

ALAN 
We agree that something must be done. But we don't think we're culprits, and we don't 
think there is an easy or obvious solution. And we think you should be aware of the 
dangers involved in some of the proposals made here today. 

Toby sighs again. 

TOBY 
Mr. President, may we speak with you alone, please? 

CUT TO: INT. HALLWAY - DAY
Margaret and Ainsley are walking along together. Ainsley stops, spotting C.J. exercising 
on the Lifecycle in her office. 

MARGARET 
Ainsley? 

AINSLEY 
Could-could you give me just a moment? 

Margaret checks her watch.

MARGARET 
Sure. 

AINSLEY 
Thank you. 

Ainsley walks and enters C.J.'S OFFICE.

AINSLEY
Excuse me. I was going to see Leo McGarry. He asked me to come back and see him again at 
the end of the day. I'm Ainsley Hayes. 

C.J. 
It's good to meet you. 

AINSLEY 
I'm not taking the job, C.J.

C.J. 
Well... [shrugging] okay. 

AINSLEY 
I just wanted to... okay. 

Ainsley turns to go as C.J. takes a swig of water, then she turns back.

AINSLEY
C.J., rule 6[e] of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure says you can be prosecuted 
for even confirming that a grand jury's been impaneled. 

C.J. 
How'd you know? 

AINSLEY 
A reporter in your press room, who hasn't read the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. 

C.J. 
Well, someone's gonna tell him eventually. 

AINSLEY 
Who told you? 

C.J. 
One of the witnesses who was called. What could happen? 

AINSLEY 
Eighteen months, medium security. [C.J. abruptly stops pedalling.] C.J., I'm kidding. 
You didn't break the law. Attorneys and jurors are under a gag order. Witnesses are free 
to say whatever they want, and anyone is free to repeat what they've said. You know, I'm 
not sure that laying low and hoping nobody noticed was the best strategy here. Next time, 
you should really run it by someone in the Counsel's Office. Anyway, I should go see Leo. 

C.J. 
Yeah. 

CUT TO: INT. THE MURAL ROOM - DAY
Nimbala is watching the rain against the window. Josh and Toby enter the room behind him. 

TOBY 
President Nimbala? 

Nimbala walks over to the seats and sits down.

TOBY
I'm gonna put a deal together, and I want you to agree to it. 

NIMBALA 
What am I agreeing to? 

TOBY 
I can get them to lower their prices - but you have to commit your military, your customs 
bureau, and your Ministry of Health. You have to commit them to stopping the influx of 
black market HIV drugs from Korea and Pakistan, and from wherever else they're coming. 

TRANSLATOR [NIMBALA]
35.8 percent of our adult population is infected. 60 percent of our hospital beds are 
occupied by people who are HIV-positive. Our Institute of Policy Analysis says in the 
coming decade, 50 percent of all households in our country will have at least one member 
infected with HIV. To think I would care about International Patent Law at a time like 
this is unrealistic. 

JOSH 
Mr. President. The U.S. Department of Commerce will put your country on a watch list. 
That's the first step towards trade sanctions. Our Congress could end all aid to your 
country. 

TOBY 
Or you can agree to what we're saying. In exchange for which we believe we can get 
Congress to forgive the debt, and all your past development loans, and we believe the 
Export-Import Bank will offer a billion dollars in loans to finance the purchase of 
American AIDS medication. 

NIMBALA 
[disbelieving] Congress won't approve the loan! 

JOSH 
Congress won't have to, sir. The Treasury and the State Department will review it, but 
if we spread the loans out over several countries in your region on a case-by-case basis, 
and if none of the loans exceed a hundred million dollars, we don't need Congressional 
approval. That law might change soon. 

The translator finishes relaying and Nimbala is silent for a moment. 

NIMBALA 
It's a terrible thing to beg for your life. Terrible. My father- [slips back into his 
own language]

TRANSLATOR 
[to Nimbala] A proud man. 

NIMBALA 
Proud? Ah. My father was a proud man. He built homes. He wouldn't like what I came here 
to do. 

TOBY 
Yes he would, Mr. President. I swear to God, he would. 

NIMBALA 
[after a long silence] Thank you, sir. 

TOBY 
[to Josh] Go tell Leo. 

Josh gets up and leaves. 

CUT TO: INT. OUTSIDE LEO'S OFFICE - DAY
Ainsley is studying a picture on the wall. Sam walks past carrying a folder. He pokes 
his head through Leo's door, sees he's not there, and then turns back and notices her. 

SAM 
Hi. 

AINSLEY 
[turning] Hi. 

Sam looks at his watch and fiddles awkwardly with his tie. He opens his folder to look 
at it. After a moment, Ainsley turns back to the picture. 

SAM 
[abruptly] You know, something you forgot to mention about the 95 percent of the money 
going straight into the classroom and past the pork-barrel buffet is that the school only 
got the money if they agreed not to distribute condoms. 

AINSLEY 
Well that's a reason to veto it, because the thing our public schools need more than 
anything else right now are free condoms. I'd... definitely make that priority one. 

JOSH 
[walking past into Leo's office] Hey, Sam. 

SAM 
Hey. 

JOSH 
[emerging] Where's Leo? 

AINSLEY 
He's not here. 

Josh pauses for a moment in the doorway. 

JOSH 
You look familiar to me. [realizing] You're Ainsley Hayes! 

AINSLEY 
Ainsley, uh, with an 'n'. 

SAM 
She works here now. 

JOSH 
What? 

SAM 
Leo hired her. 

JOSH 
What're you talking about? 

SAM 
Leo hired her. He told me and C.J., he was waiting to tell you and Toby. 

JOSH 
What was he waiting for? 

SAM 
[exasperated] How the hell do I know, Josh? 

AINSLEY 
Waiting until he hired me, which he hasn't done, 'cause I'm not taking the job. 

JOSH 
You're not taking the job? 

AINSLEY 
No. But thank you for talking to me, instead of about me. 

JOSH 
Hey, I'm still back on he offered you the job... but you're not taking the job? 

SAM 
No, man, why participate in the process when you can get a job commenting on it? 

AINSLEY 
You think because I don't want to work here it's because I can get a better gig on 
Geraldo? Gosh, let's see if there could possibly be any other reason why I wouldn't want 
to work in this White House? This White House that feels that government is better for 
children than parents are. That looks at forty years of degrading and humiliating free 
lunches handed out in a spectacularly failed effort to level the playing field and says, 
'Let's try forty more.' This White House that says of anyone that points that out to 
them, that they are cold and mean and racist, and then accuses Republicans of using the 
politics of fear. This White House that loves the Bill of Rights, all of them - except 
the second one. 

SAM 
[looks at Josh nervously] This is the wrong place to talk about guns right now. I thought 
your column was idiotic. 

AINSLEY 
Imagine my surprise. 

SAM 
[getting steadily more emotional] But for a brilliant surgical team and two centimeters 
of a miracle, this guy's dead right now. From bullets fired from a gun bought legally. 
They bought guns, they loaded them, they drove from Wheeling to Rosslyn, and until they 
pulled the trigger they had yet to commit a crime. I am so off-the-charts tired of the 
gun lobby tossing around words like 'personal freedom' and no one calling 'em on it. 
[Josh moves away uncomfortably.] It's not about personal freedom, and it certainly has 
nothing to do with public safety. It's just that some people like guns. 

AINSLEY 
Yes, they do. But you know what's more insidious than that? Your gun control position 
doesn't have anything to do with public safety, and it's certainly not about personal 
freedom. It's about you don't like people who do like guns. You don't like the people. 
Think about that, the next time you make a joke about the South. 

TOBY 
[coming in] Where's Leo? 

SAM 
[still focused on Ainsley] What? 

TOBY 
Where's Leo? 

JOSH 
We don't know. 

Charlie appears briefly in the doorway to hand a piece of paper to Toby.

JOSH
Charlie, you seen Leo? 

Toby hands the paper to Josh and leaves. Josh reads it and then hands it to Sam, and 
they both go off in different directions.

CUT TO: INT. THE OVAL OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Josh opens the door from Leo's office and goes in. Bartlet and Leo are at the desk 
while various other people bustle about. A military man hands Bartlet some papers. 

BARTLET 
600? 

MILITARY GUY 1
Yes, sir. 

BARTLET 
Television and radio? 

MILITARY GUY 2 
They've got 'em. 

BARTLET 
When do I see pictures, and who's gonna tell me what I'm looking for? 

AIDE 
Ten minutes in the Situation Room. 

BARTLET 
[looking at his watch] I want Fitzwallace and Nancy. 

The aide nods and leaves. 

MILITARY GUY 1
We're getting in the early CIC reports. 

Toby enters. 

TOBY 
[approaching Donna] Donna, tell C.J. it's an open lid? 

DONNA 
She knows. They're coming back. 

Another aide opens the door for Nimbala. 

BARTLET 
[nodding towards him] Leo. 

LEO 
[to the military advisors] Excuse us. [louder] Excuse me, everybody, could we have the 
room a moment please? 

The various aides and advisors clear out. Sam enters behind Nimbala. 

LEO
Sam. 

Sam closes the door behind him. Bartlet slips on his suit jacket and looks grave as he 
turns to face Nimbala. 

BARTLET 
Mr. President, three hours ago there was a coup in your country. The AFRC has taken the 
capital. 

TRANSLATOR [NIMBALA]
Where are my children? 

BARTLET 
We're finding out. The information's coming very quickly now from our people in Angola 
and Sudan. Mr. President, I think you should sit. 

NIMBALA 
No, thank you. I'll go now. 

BARTLET 
No, no, sir! My State Department is offering you asylum in the U.S. 

NIMBALA 
Thank you, Mr. President, but I have to go home! 

BARTLET 
You can't go home. You can't go home! 

NIMBALA 
I'm their leader. 

BARTLET 
They have the capital, they have the radio station, they have the television station. 

TRANSLATOR [NIMBALA]
Are there Americans on the ground? 

BARTLET 
I'm evacuating the embassy. 

TRANSLATOR [NIMBALA] 
Have they closed the airports? 

BARTLET 
Yes. 

TRANSLATOR [NIMBALA] 
They'll want to arrest me. They will want to put me on trial. You should trade my return 
for the safe departure of the Americans. 

BARTLET 
I don't need to trade you! If they won't give me the Americans, we'll go and get 'em 
ourselves, and they know that, and they'll let 'em go. 

Ainsley approaches from Leo's office and sees them talking through the door. 

NIMBALA 
[firmly] I'd like to call my embassy. 

TOBY 
Your embassy is in exile, Mr. President. 

BARTLET 
They will shoot you the moment you step off the plane.

Another aide comes in and hands Bartlet a message.

TRANSLATOR [NIMBALA] 
Please tell me what is in that message. 

Bartlet puts on his glasses and reads for a moment, then looks up. 

BARTLET 
We think your brother and your two sons are already dead. We think your wife is being 
hidden in Kenya. You understand, don't you, why I can't offer military assistance? 

NIMBALA 
Yes. 

Margaret comes up to where Ainsley is standing and leads her away. 

BARTLET 
Sit down, sir. 

Margaret closes the door.
 
CUT TO: EXT. CITYSCAPE - NIGHT 
CUT TO: INT. RESTAURANT - CONTINUOUS
Bruce and Harriet are sitting together. 

HARRIET 
And you know they just wanted to hire her so they could say they did. 

BRUCE 
Yes. Look at us! We hired a Republican! Look at how bipartisan we are! We didn't even 
notice that she looks like a Gap dancer! 

Ainsley approaches and joins them. 

HARRIET 
Ainsley! 

BRUCE 
Hey. 

HARRIET 
Bruce was just telling me. 

BRUCE 
I couldn't resist. 

HARRIET 
He said they tried to hire you. 

BRUCE 
[eagerly] Tell me about the look on McGarry's face. 

AINSLEY 
What? 

BRUCE 
When you said no. 

AINSLEY 
I, um, couldn't see him. He had to- he was called in to- 

HARRIET 
What's wrong? 

AINSLEY 
[shaking her head] Nothing. He had to- Something happened. 

BRUCE 
Uh, damn. I wanted you to say it to his face. I wanted to see...

HARRIET 
I hate these people. 

BRUCE 
Did you meet anyone there who isn't worthless? 

AINSLEY 
[quietly] Don't say that. 

BRUCE 
Did you meet anyone there who has any-? 

AINSLEY 
[more firmly] I said don't say that. Say they're smug and superior, say their approach 
to public policy makes you want to tear your hair out. Say they like high taxes and 
spending your money. Say they want to take your guns and open your borders, but don't 
call them worthless. At least don't do it in front of me. 

Bruce and Harriet exchange a look.

AINSLEY
The people that I have met have been extraordinarily qualified, their intent is good. 
Their commitment is true, they are righteous, and they are patriots. 
[after a moment, with tears in her eyes] And I'm their lawyer. 

She gets up and walks out. 

CUT TO: EXT. THE WHITE HOUSE - DAY 
SATURDAY 

BARTLET [VO] 
You ever read Paul Erlich's book? 

TOBY [VO] 
"The Population Bomb"? 

BARTLET [VO] 
Yeah. He wrote it in 1968. Erlich said it was a fantasy that India would ever feed itself. 

CUT TO: INT. TOBY'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Josh, Toby and Bartlet are gathered together, all in casual clothes. 

BARTLET [cont.] 
Then Norman Borlaug comes along. See the problem was wheat is top-heavy. It was falling 
over on itself and it took up too much space. The dwarf wheat... guys, it was an 
agricultural revolution that was credited with saving one billion lives. 

Charlie approaches and hands Bartlet a small slip of paper. He looks up at him for a 
moment, then puts on his glasses and takes the message. He unfolds it and looks grave. 

TOBY 
It happened. 

BARTLET 
They executed him in the airport parking lot. 

There is a solemn silence, and Bartlet takes off his glasses and sighs.

BARTLET
Okay. I'll see you Monday. He gets up and leaves the office. 

A staffer stands as he walks past and then sits down. Josh leaves the office and goes 
in the opposite direction, while Toby just stands in silence. 

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 2.04 -- “In This White House”
Original Airdate: October 25, 2000, 9:00 PM EST

Transcript by: Nomad