Synopsis of In the Shadow of Two Gunmen Part 1
Written by Rachel
Monday 9:37 p.m.
The prelude includes the last scene of the season finale with shots being fired and the members of the president's staff taking cover. We next see the motorcade crossing the Memorial bridge from Rosslyn. There are numerous police cars with sirens going and two limousines. The president is in the first car with Secret Service agent Butterfield. The agent tells Bartlet that Zoey was not hit, but the president wants them to get her on the radio, he wants to talk to her and make sure she's okay. Butterfield says they can't. The president presses him and the agent admits that Zoey is vomiting in the other limo. It's stress or shock. She's not hurt. He asks if Zoey's agent, Gina is with her. She isn't. Zoey has two other agents with her, but Gina had to stay at the scene. She's the agent who identified the shooters and she has to make her report to the ID agent. The president seems upset. He asks if anyone is dead back at the scene. Butterfield isn't sure. The president notices that Butterfield's hand is bloody. He was hit. The president orders the limo to go to the hospital. The agent over-rides him. Their primary objective is to get the president back to the White House...then he'll go to the hospital. As Bartlet continues to argue Butterfield notices that blood is coming out of the president's mouth. He checks him over. The president was shot as well, in the side. He immediately calls Code Blue. The limousine changes it's path...they're headed to George Washington Hospital.
Newseum
There is a great deal of chaos as the site of the shooting. The paramedics are checking CJ out. She says she's fine. She hit her head on the ground. Someone put her down when the shooting started. The paramedic asks her name and the date. She answers appropriately and he pronounces her fine, more shaken up than anything else. She asks if the president is dead. He doesn't know. CJ goes looking for the other staff members. She stops at the police car that was shot out near where she landed. She finds Sam and asks about the president. He reports that Bartlet is fine and on his way to the White House. They also put Leo in a car. Sam asks how she is. CJ repeats that someone put her down. Gina comes by and Sam tries to get some information from her, but she can't talk. The ID agent is there. He asks her about the shooters. She reports that the two shooters were killed in the office building, but that there was a signal on the ground. She knows that he was 20-25 years old, white male, about 5'10", but when the agent asks about the cap he was wearing, she can't remember anything specific about it. The immediately set a perimeter and close the airports. The agent calls for the harbor patrol and the state patrol to close all entrances and exits. Gina is clearly shaken by her inability to help more.
Toby is looking for Josh. He finds Charlie who assumes Josh went in the car with Leo, but Toby doesn't think he did. They continue to look. Toby sights Josh sitting on the ground, up a few steps away from the main chaos. He asks if Josh heard him calling. Josh looks up at him, silently. Toby sees that Josh has been shot in the chest. He calls for help. CJ and Sam come running as Josh falls over.
Credits: Rob Lowe, Dulé Hill, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, Bradley Whitford and Martin Sheen. Created by Aaron Sorkin.
George Washington Hospital
The ER is quiet as one of the nurses helps an expectant mother. She's been coming in every two weeks because she can't feel the baby kicking. The nurse thinks she should just tell the woman to be glad the child is quiet now because it won't be later. Her co-worker can't believe she actually said that. The first nurse admits that she didn't actually say it, she just wanted to. The phone rings. The nurse picks it up but there is no one there. She then realizes that the red phone is ringing. She picks it up and asks immediately if it's a drill. She's not in the mood for a drill that night. As she's still talking a large group of Secret Service agents burst through the door. She hangs the phone up and picks up the intercom. Blue! Blue! The agents quickly move all the low priority people out of the waiting room and into waiting vans to be moved to a different trauma center. The agents move to secure the rest of the trauma center. A doctor arrives as an agent announces that "Eagle" is two minutes away.
White House
Vice President Hoynes is at a ceremony honoring the NCAA Women's national championship basketball team. He jokes with them and accepts a jersey from the team. As he's relating a story about his college roommate the Secret Service bursts into the room. Without explanation they whisk the Vice President away.
Additional agents go to get Mrs. Bartlet. They give her his condition as she gets into a car. After being assured that Zoey is okay, she is quickly driven to the hospital.
ER
The president is wheeled into the emergency room. He was hit in the abdomen, with visible entrance and exit wounds. BP is 134 over 78, pulse 108, pulse ox 98. Dr. Keller, the chief of surgery comes in and reassures him that the exit wound is a good indication and his vital signs are very strong. Bartlet responds that if he doesn't talk to his daughter immediately he's going to attack someone. He also directs them to treat Butterfield's hand...or to at least get him an aspirin or something. He wants them to wait as long as they can to anesthetize him. He needs to talk to the chief of staff before he goes under. Butterfield says Leo is also on his way. The nurse needs to ask him some questions. Does he have any medical conditions? The president announces that he's been shot.
West Wing
Margaret runs into Mrs. Landingham and asks if the president is back yet. He isn't. Mrs. Landingham presumes he's schmoozing the rope line. He always says he's coming straight back, but he can never resist a rope line. He'll complain, but he can never resist it. Margaret stops as she looks up and sees a special report on News Channel 4. Mrs. Landingham continues to talk about an incident she remembers from the Governor's mansion when Margaret gets her attention. The anchor comes on to announce the shooting at the Newseum. Mrs. Landingham runs out.
ER
Zoey comes in as they continue to prep the president for surgery. She asks if he's okay, if he's in any pain. He says he isn't, they're just going to look around and make sure the bullet didn't hit anything. She asks if he's lying about the pain. He admits that he is, but he wants the doctors to tell the reporters that he was brave and joking around. She tells him that he was brave. She reports that her mom is on the way. The president thinks the first lady will be pretty pissed. Zoey agrees as Leo arrives. He's clearly shaken to see Bartlet in the trauma room. He asks Zoey how she's doing. As she says she's okay, the president comments that she "booted all of the back of her car." He knows that they are going to bill him for it. Leo agrees. The president asks her to step out. She tells him she'll go wait for Abby. He asks her to not let his wife scare any of the doctors. Zoey promises to try.
Bartlet asks Leo if anyone was killed. Leo reports that the shooters were taken out. Bartlet wants to know about the crowd. Only minor injuries, they're coming into the ER now. The president asks about his staff. Leo reports that CJ hit her head on the ground, but they're okay other than that. The president tells Leo to get the Cabinet together. Jerome should suspend trading on the stock market. He asks if they know who the shooters are. Leo says they don't. Bartlet comments that he's going to be under anesthesia for a few hours. Leo knows what he's talking about. Leo will talk to Abby. Bartlet asks Leo to come closer. He kisses Leo on the cheek and tells him that he'll be okay. Leo responds that he'll see him a couple of hours.
Abby arrives at the hospital and is relieved to see that Zoey is okay. Leo comes to get her, introducing her to Doctor Keller. They are going to do a laparoscopy to make sure the peritoneum is intact. Abby asks who the anesthesiologist is. Dr. Lee will be assisting. Abby excuses herself to find him. She tells Lee that 14 people in the world know this including the Vice President, the Chief of Staff and the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staffs. He's going to be the fifteenth. Seven years ago her husband was diagnosed with a relapsing/remitting form of MS. When this is all over, he can talk to the press or not talk to them...it's entirely up to him.
Leo comes to find Gina. He asks if she's alright. She says she is. He asks if there was someone on the ground. There was, but she couldn't give a description. Leo asks if they closed the airports. She says they did along with Union Station and troopers on the bridges. There are 300 field agents out there, but she couldn't give them a description, though, so they don't know what they were looking for. He reminds her that she got the president and Zoey in the car. It's right in front of her face. Their conversation is interrupted with sirens announcing another ambulance is arriving. It's a gunshot. Decreased breath sounds on the left, pulse ox 92 on 15 liters of oxygen. Leo runs out as CJ calls out that it's Josh. Toby, Sam, CJ and Leo all follow the gurney into the trauma center. Toby tells them that Josh was behind them, they didn't even find him right away. Sam calls out to Josh that he's there, but Josh is delirious, saying that he's on his way to New Hampshire. Leo asks what is happening, but the trauma team is focused on getting Josh stabilized. Sam tells him that he got to New Hampshire. He came and got Sam and they both went there together. The doctor tells Josh that the bullet collapsed his lung and they are going to put in a tube to help him breath. He keeps talking as Josh passes out.
Josh finds himself in a meeting with Senator John Hoynes and his campaign staff. They are debating social security. Hoynes thinks it's the black hole of politics and he doesn't want to campaign on it. Josh disagrees. It's thirteen weeks until the New Hampshire primary and Hoynes thinks it's the third rail. If he steps on it, he will die. Josh points out that out of 537 federal elected official, there are thirty that put their name of Social Security reform legislation. Hoynes is one of them. He should play that up. One of the other staffers, Mark, says that the senator will...just not now. Josh reminds him that at 400 billion dollars, Social Security represents 1/4 of the total federal budget and it's going to be bankrupt in about 17 years...just about the time Mark is going to check his mailbox for his check. Half of the elderly population will be living in poverty if they don't do something now. It qualifies as a priority. Running for president and not campaigning on Social Security is like running for the presidency of the Walt Disney Corporation and saying you're going to fix the rides at Epcot. Mark reminds him that it's a long campaign. Now they need to talk about tax cuts. One of the other staffers says that it's what they call "misdirection." Josh calls it bulls...Hoynes cuts him off. He has a vote. The rest of them should stay there and work on the ethanol tax credit. He asks Josh to walk with him. He doesn't think Josh is having a very good time. Josh didn't think that was the point. Hoynes points out he's been pissed off at every meeting they've had. Josh reminds him that he has a commanding lead on the Democratic nomination for the presidency, 58 million dollars in a war chest and no end in sight. Unfortunately, Josh has no idea what they're for or against except that they seem to be for winning and against anyone else winning. Hoynes tells him to just go along and when they get to the White House Josh will play a big role. In the meantime he needs to cheer up and get off Hoynes ass about Social Security.
Josh goes back into his office. Leo calls out to him. Josh is surprised to see him, calling him Mr. Secretary. Leo hopes he doesn't mind that he didn't make an appointment...he's trying to fly under the radar. Josh doesn't mind, but Leo just missed the senator. Leo comments that it's probably the annual vote to over-ride the veto on the legislation to ship nuclear waste to Nevada. It won't pass. Josh knows. Leo replies that he actually came to see Josh. Would he mind taking a walk? Josh agrees and they leave.
Outside the Capitol, Leo asks about Josh's father. He had surgery and they think they got "it" all. Leo asks if he's taking it easy. Josh says he isn't. He's still going into the office during the week and on the weekends cleans the gutters out and yells at the squirrels. Leo asks why he yells at the squirrels. They eat all the bird seed out of the feeder. Leo tells him there's a thing you can get. Josh knows, but his dad prefers to admonish them. Josh really needs to get back to his meeting. Leo asks him to please come to Nashua, New Hampshire to hear Jed Bartlet speak. Josh reminds Leo that he works for Hoynes. Leo knows. Josh tries to explain himself, again calling Leo "Mr. Secretary." Leo isn't in the Cabinet anymore, Josh can call him Leo. Josh goes on. Hoynes has the nomination sewn up, if Bartlet is hoping to be Treasury secretary or get a slot at the convention... Leo asks him to just come to Nashua on Thursday. It's what sons do for old friends of their father. Josh reminds him that the Democrats are not going to nominate another liberal academic former New England governor. They're dumb, but they're not that dumb. Leo thinks they're exactly that dumb. He turns and leaves. As Josh heads back into the Capitol he calls his secretary and asks her to arrange some train tickets.
Gage Whitney Page
Midtown Manhattan
Sam Seaborn is in a large meeting discussing how they are going to structure a deal for an oil company to buy a fleet of oil tankers. By borrowing the full price of the tankers, the company can protect itself against liability. There will be no assets available for litigation because the entire boat was mortgaged. The client corrects him. They're ships, not boats. Sam clarifies that he wants Sam to buy the boats, not be first mate, right? He has to run back to his office to get the tax figures.
Sam's assistant comes to find him in the hall. There's a man waiting in his office who says he's a friend of Sam. Sam asks who it is. Josh Lyman. Sam is surprised. He finds Josh in his office and they hug. Josh tells him he looks fit and asks if he's made partner. Next month. Sam thinks Josh looks hungry and asks if he wants to go get a hotdog or something. Josh points out that it's 9:30 in the morning. Sam points out that they'll be fresh.
Down on the street Josh admits that he was going to call before he showed up, but he couldn't remember the name of Sam's firm. Sam can't believe that Josh would forget Gage Whitney...the second largest firm in Manhattan. Josh does know the firm...he's just having a brain problem. Sam asks what he's doing in town. Josh reports he's going to Nashua. Sam asks what's there. A waste of time. Sam thinks Josh is there to try and get him to quit his job and come to work for Hoynes. Josh knows he's going to win. He wants Sam to come and do some writing so it will be a better campaign. Sam announces that he and Lisa are getting married in September. Josh is caught a bit off guard. He has to go. They both say it was good to see each other. As they turn to leave, Josh congratulates him on the partnership. Sam asks if Hoynes is the real thing. Josh tries to tell him, but Sam cuts him off. He asks what Josh is doing. Josh doesn't know. What is Sam doing? Protecting oil companies from litigation. They're clients. They don't lose their right to legal protection just because they make a lot of money. Josh doubts anyone ever wrote a folk song about it. Sam laughs. If Josh sees the real thing in Nashua, should he tell Sam about it? Sam says he won't have to...Josh has a very bad poker face. Josh tells him to take it easy and leaves. Sam turns and bumps into a woman...
It's the ER nurse. Sam excuses himself. He follows the hospital spokesman into the waiting room. The spokesman tells Abby that the president is fine. He's in recovery and she can see him in about two hours. There was no organ damage and blood loss was at a minimum. Dr. Keller was able to image the entire abdomen and was satisfied with the diagnostic ability of the laparoscopy. Abby asks about Josh. The bullet lacerated his pulmonary artery. She asks if they can use a Gore-Tex graph. No, they'll have to go in and try to repair the artery primarily. Abby thanks him and goes in to report to the rest of the staff.
Situation Room
Leo and one of the Joint Chiefs head into the Situation Room. Admiral Fitzwallace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs was on his way to Manila. They turned the plane around and he's on his way back to Washington. The room is rapidly filling with people. Leo asks where the National Security Advisor is. She's on her way as well as the Vice President. The NSA arrives and asks that someone call her office and get some clothes sent over for her, she looks like an idiot (she is in a ball gown). Leo asks if she's seen the KH10 pictures. She has. He asks if she knows what they mean. She wouldn't go that far. The Vice President arrives. Everyone stands up and salutes him. He seems uncomfortable and tells them all to sit. Leo asks Bobby for a domestic report. There isn't much. Air traffic control was down for 22 minutes at Logan, the computers were offline for little more than an hour at Citibank and the lights went out at the Delta Center for seven minutes. The Vice President asks if the shooters had any identification on them. They didn't. They knew the Secret Service would get them through the window. Hoynes states that if the third suspect isn't in custody in the next hour, he's going to federalize the Virginia and Maryland National Guard. The national security advisor points out that they don't know the locations of about a half dozen cell leaders, including Bin Ladin, but that's not her concern right now. Hoynes asks what is. She calls for the KH10s to be put up on the screen. Leo isn't worried about it. The NSA points out that the photos show a sudden build-up of frontline Republican Guards along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Leo reminds her that they do this every couple of months. She adds that they are moving south. Not 13 hours ago they shot down a F117 in the "no fly." The rescue mission invaded their airspace with armed war planes. Her recommendation would be that the president order Fitzwallace to put the 32nd Tactical on ready alert and take us to DefCon 4. Leo reports that the president is under general anesthesia for the next couple of hours. If he weren't Leo is sure he would be comforted by the fact that they could put Marines on the ground in 36 hours. The NSA isn't sure they have 36 hours. Leo doesn't think the Iraqi Republican guard could find their car keys in 36 hours. Nancy asks the Vice President to look at the pictures...she thinks they have found them. Hoynes looks at Leo, then around the table at all the other faces. They are waiting for him to make a decision. Hoynes decides to follow Leo's plan. Leo asks the best way to get a message to Iraq. One of the military representatives says the King of Jordan. Leo wants them to relay through the king that Iraq should not mess with them tonight. The VP nods.
ER
The hospital spokesperson comes back into the private waiting room where the rest of the president's staff is still waiting for news about Josh. He's sorry that they can't make them very comfortable there. Josh's surgery is going to take 12 - 14 hours, so... He's interrupted as Donna arrives. No one says anything. She asks if there's word on the president. CJ tells her that the president is going to be fine. Donna is very relieved. She got there as fast as she could, but it was hard for her to get in. She had to find an agent who knew her and she was shaking. Toby interrupts her. Josh was hit. She asks with what. He was shot. In the chest. CJ adds that he's in surgery right now. Donna doesn't understand. Is it serious. Toby says it's critical. The bullet collapsed a lung and damaged a major artery. The spokesperson continues again. They won't know anything until morning. He's sure they all have things they need to be attending to, so if they would like, the hospital can keep in touch with them at their homes or offices. He leaves. Donna can't believe what she's heard. She sits down and CJ runs a comforting hand across her back. Sam hands CJ a piece of paper. Leo is going to meet with the leadership in 10 minutes and after he's done, she'll meet with the press. Charlie announces that he's going back to the residence to get some things for the president. He and CJ leave, but no one else moves.
Press Room
CJ faces a crowded room of press with cameras flashing constantly. One of the reporters asks when they will get to hear from the medical team. Dr. Benjamin Keller, the president's surgeon and Admiral Jarvis, the president's personal physician will be made available at a briefing in a few hours. Danny asks if there's been any discussion of the 25th Amendment. CJ responds no. Why not? CJ reminds them that the president's wounds were largely superficial. He'll be out of surgery in the morning and he's expected to make a full and speedy recovery. Someone else asks if they have anything on the identity of the shooters. CJ says they have nothing yet. AP is reporting that there were two bodies taken out of the office building. CJ doesn't have anything on that for them. The reporter adds that AP says there is also a massive man-hunt on the ground for a possible third accomplice. CJ doesn't have anything on that. Another reporter wants to know why the AP knows more than CJ does. She doesn't believe that they know more than she does, they are just willing to tell the reporters more than she is. CJ calls for one more question. Arthur asks why in previous administrations the president always entered and exited a building under a canopy or covered walkway, but that precaution has not been taken for President Bartlet. It's policy not to comment on protective measures. He asks if she won't answer the most straightforward question of the night, if there is anything she can tell them. CJ is sorry. Is there anything she knows? Is there anything she can tell them? CJ looks upset. She'll be back for another briefing in an hour and a half. Danny looks on with concern as she leaves.
Carol, CJ's assistant follows her out. CJ wonders what that was supposed to mean, that she can't give them answers. Carol points out that she scratched her neck, on the side. CJ reaches up to touch it. Her necklace...it must have been come off. When? Somebody pushed her down. It must have happened then. Danny comes up to CJ. He needs to talk to her, but not as a reporter. She has to answer Danny's question. The president is under anesthesia, he's going to be on a morphine drip. Who's in charge? The Vice President, the Secretary of State, the National Security Advisor, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chief of Staff. Danny points out that she's just named 6 different people. Who is in charge? The Canadians...although he should understand she's talking about the hockey team. CJ asks him to give her a little time.
West Wing
Leo tells Nancy that Fitzwallace agrees with him. Any upgrade in their DefCon status and the whole world is going to wake up. Nancy thinks the world is awake. Has he not watched any of the news? There was more than one shooter and they think there was a guy on the ground. There could have been more than one. Someone had to get them into that office. This is not a lonely guy who lived with their cat, they should assume that the country is under attack. A man standing in back says if that's the case the Vice President should ready the 32nd Tactical and take the country to DefCon 4. The White House Counsel isn't sure he can. Toby asks why not. The president never signed the letter. Toby asks what letter. Nancy relates that customarily the president signs a letter turning over his authority to the Vice President if he's going to be under anesthesia. He has to sign a letter turning over his power? Absent a letter, there's nothing they can do. The 25th amendment only transfers power after the death of the president. Toby can't believe that the president is hemorrhaging and you have to draft a memo. CJ reports she's getting questions about it from Danny Concannon. The national security advisor says it gets more confusing if you've read section 202 of the National Security Act of 1947. CJ says she should assume that CJ hasn't. That act names the secretary of defense as the principal assistant to the president on matters of defense. CJ asks what that means. Nancy says that it doesn't specify. Toby thinks that's great because this is an area of federal law where you want as much ambiguity as possible. Toby excuses himself. CJ is going to head back to the hospital. Leo will be there in a little bit.
In the hallway Toby asks CJ to try and hold Danny off for a few hours until the Counsel's office tells them where they are. CJ tries to ask him something else when he notices that she scratched her neck. She knows. She tells him that they are also asking about the canopy the president used to use and why they didn't have it in Rosslyn. Toby wants to know who was asking. Arthur Leeds and a few other people stopped her later. Toby says okay. CJ reminds him that they don't comment on protective procedures, so she doesn't think they'll have to say anything. Toby says okay again and then says he'll see her at the hospital. CJ leaves.
Toby walks into his office. He needs section 202 of the National Security Act of 1947. He stops when he sees Ginger. He didn't know she was there. She just got there. She turned on the TV... He hugs her and tells her it's alright. She's sorry. He asks again if she's okay. She is. Is she ready to go to work? Yes. Toby hears a man ask him if he wants "another one of those." Ginger turns and asks him what he said.
Hank's Tavern
Nashua, New Hampshire
Toby is seated in a bar next to a woman. The bartender asks if he wants another drink. He takes it. The woman tells him that she didn't even Bartlet was running. Toby says they are trying to keep it a secret. He's speaking that night at the VFW hall...she should come. She's not very political. She asks if he's been a professional political operative his whole life. Well, there was a little period when he was in elementary school... She laughs. She asks if he's any good at it. Toby pauses. He's very good at it. She asks what his record is...how many elections he's one. All together...including city council races, congressional races, a Senate campaign, a gubernatorial campaign and a national campaign...none. She can't believe he's never won any of them. She should be impressed with his consistency. Instead she wants to know why he's drinking so much so early in the day. He's about to get fired. He stubs out his cigar and finishes his drink. It was good meeting her. He gets up and leaves.
VFW Hall
Nashua, NH
Bartlet is speaking to a half-filled hall. The people are eating a chicken dinner and not really listening to Bartlet as he goes on and on about some elaborate economic plan. One of the campaign staff comes over and asks Toby what he's going to say. Toby asks what question. The New England DFC. Toby doesn't know. Didn't he talk to him? Yes. Well, what's he going to say? Toby doesn't know. The staffer asks again. Toby has no new information since he asked the last time.
The focus turns back to Bartlet who is explaining the marriage penalty with income tax. Leo is looking on, Josh is in the back working on a crossword puzzle. The staffer thinks Toby went ahead and told Bartlet to go ahead and piss off the dairy farmers. If he's asked about the New England DFC, he should go ahead and piss off the dairy farmers. Toby asked him about his vote and Bartlet told him. He told Bartlet that if asked about it...and only because it's the easiest thing to remember...tell the truth. The staffer asks if Toby enjoys losing. Not really, but then again, he doesn't really have much to compare it to.
Bartlet finishes answering the woman's question. He asks if she understood any of it. A little. Him too. He calls on another person. The man asks about Bartlet's vote against the New England Dairy Farming Compact. He's a businessman and that vote hurt him, probably ten cents a gallon. He voted three times for Bartlet as a congressman and twice as governor and he is there to ask for an explanation. Bartlet pauses. Yeah, he screwed the guy on that one. He got hosed, and not just him, but a lot of other people too. They got rogered but good. Josh looks up, the crossword puzzle is put down. Bartlet continues.
"Today, for the first time in history the largest group of Americans living in poverty is children. One in five children live in the most abject, dangerous, hopeless, back-breaking, gut-wrenching poverty any of us could imagine. One in five and they're children. If fidelity to freedom and democracy is the code of our civic religion, then surely the code of our humanity is faithful service to that unwritten commandment that we give our children better than we ourselves received. Let me put it this way: I voted against the bill because I didn't want to make it harder for people to buy milk. I stopped some money from flowing into your pocket. If that angers you and you resent me, I completely respect that. But if you expect anything different from the President of the United States, you should vote for somebody else."
Bartlet concludes his comments and thanks the crowd for coming. He hopes they all enjoyed the chicken. The crowd applauds including Josh.
ER
Tuesday 1:45 a.m.
There are tons of people and press outside the hospital. Leo arrives to find Abby trying to get the president to lie still for a few hours. Bartlet wants to see Josh. He asks them to please help him to the door. Leo thinks he should stay in bed. Charlie brought the president some clothes. He wants to see him. Abby agrees, but just for a minute.
VFW Hall
Nashua, NH
Bartlet comes in after the speech and asks Leo "what's next." One of the staffers was just repeating what Cal was saying. Bartlet knows what Cal was saying, he was standing right next to him when Cal said it, but he's asking what's next. Cal wants Bartlet to stop referring to the competition by name. Instead he should call him "his opponent" or "the other guy." Bartlet can't believe that they want him to refer to John Hoynes, the senator from Texas who now has a 48 point lead in the bid for the Democratic nomination for the presidency as "the other guy?" They're not afraid it will make Bartlet look like he can't remember Hoynes' name. The staffers don't think so. Bartlet disagrees. He thinks it will and it's going to make him look dotty. Even if it didn't make him look that way, he thinks it's a stupid idea. What's next? Nothing? He gets up and leaves.
Leo asks what's next. Cal wants to talk about what happened that night. Leo thought it went well, although he'd like to see more of the seats filled. That isn't what Cal is talking about. What is he talking about? Toby thinks he's talking about the governor's answer that night, but he's just guessing...he's pretty drunk. That is what Cal is talking about. He's talking about the fact that every day...he can talk about this with Toby in the room or not, whatever would be more comfortable. Leo says that if the change has to be made, it has to be made. He fires Jerry, Cal, Max and Steve. Everyone is stunned. He wants Toby, but everyone else can go. They're done. The other men get up and leave. Leo tells Toby to not screw up.
Outside Leo finds Bartlet waiting. It's freezing cold and Leo doesn't know how people can live up there. Bartlet wants to know if Leo just fired Cal Mathis. He did. And Jerry and Max and Steve and the other guy. Bartlet wants to know if he kept anyone. He kept Toby Ziegler. Bartlet doesn't even know Toby. Leo tells him to take Toby home and get to know him. Bartlet can't believe he got rid of everyone that Bartlet knows. Those people were worthless. It's time to bring in what they need. Bartlet can't believe that Leo just made the decision on his own. He did because Bartlet is a crappy politician. He should know now that Leo will be making a lot of the decisions and should just get used to it. Bartlet was sent to Congress three times by the state of New Hampshire and he was elected governor twice, all without Leo's help. Leo thinks it's a real political accomplishment, especially considering Bartlet's family founded the state. Was he opposed in any of the elections? Bartlet asks why Leo is doing this. He's bigger in the party than Bartlet is. Hoynes would make him national chairman. This isn't one of the twelve steps is it? Yeah, right after acknowledging that there is a higher power and it can restore us to sanity. That's where Bartlet comes in. Leo is tired of it year after year, trying to make a decision between the lesser of two evils, of trying to get himself excited about a candidate just because he can speak in complete sentences, of setting the bar so low he can hardly see it. They say a good man can't get elected president. Leo doesn't think that's true. Does Bartlet? Bartlet asks if Leo thinks he's that man. Leo does. Does it matter that Bartlet isn't as sure? No. Act as ye have faith and faith shall be given to you. Put another way: fake it 'til you make it. This is the time of Jed Bartlet. They walk off together.
George Washington University Hospital
Press reports play as the President walks down the hallway to the surgical ward. The montage continues as Sam and Toby are shown waiting. One reporter comments that CJ has appeared shaken at her briefings. CJ looks in the mirror, touching the scratch on her neck. There are massive delays up and down the Eastern coast as the search for the third suspect continues. In other news, the 32nd Tactical has been put on heightened alert in the Persian Gulf. Donna waits with Mrs. Landingham while Josh is still in surgery. The President stands at the window and asks what happened.
Back to episode info