Episode Summary:
Following a harrowing chapter in the nation’s history, the White House celebrates the Fourth of July. Bartlet endures the painful process of nominating a candidate for Vice President. But his first choice, Secretary of State Lewis Berryhill (William Devane), will have a difficult time getting approved. Meanwhile, while the reclusive first lady tends to personal matters, Amy (Mary-Louise Parker) champions Abbey’s violence prevention provisions for an upcoming bill. Josh and Amy share a romantic moment. And Donna is appalled by a new intern, Ryan (Jesse Bradford).
Script:
THE WEST WING 5x03 - "JEFFERSON LIVES" TELEPLAY BY CAROL FLINT STORY BY CAROL FLINT & DEBORAH CAHN DIRECTED BY ALEX GRAVES Transcribed by Soundman for twiztv.com. Send feedback to [email protected]. TEASER FADE IN: EXT. - MANCHESTER FARM - DREAM - DAY We open on a shot of an open field. We next see a horse galloping and that young Zoey Bartlet is riding it. Several flashes occur, in which the rider changes between older and younger Zoey. We hear Bartlet calling to Zoey as the horse begins to run faster. We see the young girl lean down on the horse's neck, trying to keep herself from falling off. CUT TO: INT. - RESIDENCE - BEDROOM - MORNING Bartlet rolls over, startled by the dream he was having. BARTLET Zoey? He realizes he was dreaming and sighs in exasperation. CUT TO: INT. - RESIDENCE - SITTING ROOM - MORNING We see Zoey laying on the couch with her head in her mother's lap. Zoey is awake but Abbey is not. We see Bartlet come into the room from the bedroom wearing his robe. He comes to stand behind the couch and he looks down at Zoey. She realizes he is there and looks up at him. ZOEY Dad. CUT TO: INT. - ROOSEVELT ROOM - DAY Josh and Leo are walking through the Roosevelt Room. They are talking as they walk towards Leo's office. JOSH That wasn't the worst. The worst was the M-80s at the ballpark. LEO Mm-hmm. JOSH Me and Tommy Ledden and the other guys pulled our ammo and, in a burst of patriotic pride, blew out the toilets behind the concession stand. Cute girls were there, in shorts. They have come into Leo's office. Margaret comes in from her office. MARGARET Is the Secretary of State supposed to be here? LEO Yeah. Is he? It was set last night. I put it on there where you said. Leo goes to the door to call Secretary Berryhill in. LEO Secretary Berryhill. BERRYHILL Leo. He comes in as Margaret goes back into her office. Josh shuts the door that he and Leo walked in. BERRYHILL Josh. JOSH Mr. Secretary. LEO Gentlemen, please. Berryhill sits down on the couch. Josh sits next to him. Leo sits across from him. BERRYHILL Did you read Birardi's resignation letter in the Post? LEO Eloquent. BERRYHILL A little old-fashioned. JOSH A little? Aaron Burr's call to the interview at Weehawkin was less stilted. BERRYHILL Birardi blunted his protest by making it a laundry list; the bombings, the assassination. I thought he was going to go after our neckties. LEO How are the Syrians? BERRYHILL Better; probably afraid they're next. LEO Anyone else making noise? He shakes his head. BERRYHILL Mostly shows of support; regards to the First Family from the Saudis and Cairo. LEO Your address to the U.N.; went a long way. JOSH You're polling in the high 60s. Only the President's doing better. BERRYHILL You're polling on me? You guys must be desperate for good news. LEO Getting the President back in the Oval Office was a start, but the message we need to send now is one of action. You want some coffee? BERRYHILL No, thanks. JOSH Our first priority is to name a Vice President. LEO The press is expecting us to lay out our timetable tomorrow, but we're thinking what if, instead, we announce? JOSH Say, "This is our guy: Vice President of the United States." LEO Sound like a good start? BERRYHILL Sounds about right. LEO So if your President asks, you'll serve? SMASH CUT TO: MAIN TITLES. END TEASER. * * * ACT ONE FADE IN: INT. - RESIDENCE - KITCHEN - DAY We see that Bartlet is pouring himself and espresso or some other fancy coffee. Zoey walks in. ZOEY Finally you join the 21st Century. BARTLET Can we keep this between us? ZOEY In the office? BARTLET I still take a plain, all-American cup of Joe. ZOEY Not like that. You doing okay, Dad? Abbey walks in. BARTLET Sure. ZOEY Just wondering, because it's the 4th of July and we've been up for, like, 20 minutes... BARTLET I'm saving the Founding Fathers until lunch. ZOEY Still on? BARTLET Only if you're up to it. ZOEY I am. ABBEY Good morning. BARTLET Good morning. ZOEY Smell the coffee? ABBEY I could hear it. Could that thing be any louder? ZOEY I'll be right back to make yours. ABBEY Keep the ice on it. Zoey leaves the kitchen. Abbey has begun making her breakfast. We see on one TV, a story about the VP vacancy. CUT TO: INT. - HALLWAY - NEAR COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE - DAY Josh, C.J., and Will are walking into the Communications Office. They are talking. C.J. You have no reservations? JOSH None. C.J. No qualms about DFCC travel or about working the rubber chicken circuit? JOSH He's on board. WILL So our message is stature. C.J. And national security. Toss some motherhood in the bag and dust fax it. JOSH With dignity. The guy's a war hero. He radiates Presidential. We don't need to oversell this one. TOBY We need a war room. Get me someone from the Counsel's Office, Legislative Affairs... JOSH Berryhill's already been through this as Secretary. TOBY He was confirmed by the Senate, not by the House. We've got 24 hours to make this happen. Right out of the gate, even a whiff of a whiff of a rumor, we're ready to bat it down. C.J. Smart offense. WILL Error-free ball. JOSH Knock yourselves out, but he's a slam-dunk. TOBY Okay, that's one to many sports metaphors. I want all of his public statements, his activity on behalf of the party, his financial disclosure forms, his video rentals, his post-its. C.J. I've got a brief. WILL You want me to start booking him? JOSH Actually... TOBY You're right. He's right. No interviews until we hear from the leadership that he's going to be confirmed. This will go quickly. C.J. Quick enough for him to do the Sunday shows? TOBY Two days? You bet. C.J. Can we... They begin walking toward the press room so that C.J. can be involved in the discussion. TOBY We don't leave a help wanted sign hanging on the country for another news cycle. C.J. We've got Zoey's pool spray to feed them today, but we won't stay ahead of this for long. WILL Zoey's okay to do it? C.J. She said she is. TOBY When do we get the Republicans over? JOSH Before lunch. We show our respect, Berryhill's confirmed on a voice vote by the middle of next week. CAROL C.J.? C.J. I know. Toby? TOBY Yeah. Toby, C.J., and Carol walk off. JOSH You like him, right? TOBY Berryhill? I'm over the moon. This is my over-the-moon face. He walks off. Will walks back into the Communications Office. CUT TO: INT. - C.J.'S OFFICE - DAY C.J., Toby, and Carol are walking into C.J.'s office and they are talking. C.J. You see Birardi's resignation? TOBY You ready for it? C.J. "The President appreciates his long service, respects his right to differ, and he will be missed." You look spiffy. TOBY You could look spiffy too if you ever went home. C.J. I'm clean. I showered. I wanted to ask, though, on the assassination... TOBY Avoid that word, for starters. C.J. Birardi's letter keeps it on the front page. The questions I keep getting asked are "Why not a trial or a tribunal? Why cover it up? Why didn't we simply detain him?". TOBY Stick to the script, you'll be fine. C.J. I tried to get more from the Pentagon, but they're keeping it classified. TOBY So send the questions to the Pentagon. Amy walks up. AMY Hey. It's about the pool spray. The First Lady wanted me to ask... C.J. We'll see Zoey walk with her dad, we say she can walk thank God, and it puts everyone's mind at rest. AMY Photos only? C.J. That's the beauty of a walk: you don't have to take questions. AMY And on the Truman Balcony tonight for the fireworks? C.J. Family photo. Just the White House photographer. We'll supply all the outlets but reassure First Lady any hesitation on Zoey's part and we cancel it. AMY Yeah. Amy walks off and C.J. walks into the briefing room. CUT TO: INT. - JOSH'S BULLPEN AREA - DAY We see Donna walking to her cubicle and she is talking to Ryan, who doesn't appear to hear anything because he's on the phone. DONNA Great. Ryan, you're here. I've got nine boxes that need to go over to the OEOB, room 180. They call it the old energy plan room. RYAN [into phone] Yeah, it is a holiday but we just survived a national crisis, which I guess you slept through, so there's a lot to do here. He pulls the phone away from his ear and speaks to Donna. RYAN Donna, can you explain to this loser why I can't go sailing? DONNA [into phone} Dude, Ryan's not on board because he's taking some boxes over to the OEOB for me. She hangs the phone up and hands it back to Ryan. DONNA It's those big ones. It'll take a few trips. They need them right away. Josh comes around the corner walking toward his office. Donna follows him. DONNA The new Speaker called again. JOSH Haffley? Now what? We already moved the meeting up so he could watch the green flag at Daytona. DONNA I think it was his son's t-ball game. JOSH Yeah, whatever. DONNA He has some questions about the agenda. JOSH I'll bet he did. Did you tell him it was about the VP selection? DONNA I think he wants to hear some names. JOSH Well, he better be at the meeting. Josh walks out of his office and Amy walks up to talk to him as he does. AMY Hey, Spanky. When was the last time you got a look at the CDC budget breakdown? JOSH Uh, everything before last Saturday is kind of fuzzy. AMY Ken Crupp heard HHS is reworking the whole thing. JOSH Uh, five days till markup, a lot of horse riding left to do. AMY Division of Violence Prevention; 65% cut. JOSH Really? First Lady pissed? AMY She's her... her attention is elsewhere. JOSH That's probably good. AMY Yeah, not really. JOSH She'd get worked up. I doubt she could do a whole lot about it. AMY She could do plenty. JOSH Then it's a damn shame. AMY There's a future for you in motivational speaking. JOSH So, take it to her. What do I know? Is she in the office today? AMY No. JOSH Monday? [pause] Let it go. You're going to have to breath through it for a while. AMY Not my forte; waiting. JOSH You have other fortes. AMY What's that supposed to mean? JOSH Nothing. I didn't mean that. AMY You absolutely meant that. JOSH Okay, maybe I did. AMY Careful what you start. She walks away. CUT TO: INT. - OUTER OVAL OFFICE - DAY We see C.J. answering some questions on the TV. KATIE [on TV] ... that the most practical reason for not engaging in the assassination of foreign leaders is that our own officials and their families are vulnerable to retaliation. C.J. [on TV] Abdul Shareef was not targeted as a foreign leader. He was stopped as a terrorist from blowing up the Golden Gate Bridge. We should wrap up here because Zoey Bartlet will be coming down soon and those of you in the pool will want to get in position. If I can remind you, this young lady had been through an ordeal. She's not going to take questions, so if you could show some basic human... you know, I almost said decency, but don't worry, I'm back. We pan into the Oval Office where Bartlet is meeting with several people including Leo, Ron Butterfield, an unnamed General, and an unnamed FBI agent. BARTLET What's next? GENERAL Norfolk is remaining at ThreatCon 5. The training manuals confiscated in Portland included blueprints for a radiological dispersion device and the guys we detained in Tanzania yesterday were packing Botchelinum toxin and cyanide. BARTLET But we can go ahead and light some sparklers in our own backyard? BUTTERFIELD Along with our people, the FBI, the Park Service, Capitol and local police, there'll be an extra 2,000 officers out. FBI AGENT And the Air Force has jets monitoring the airspace and there's a no-boating zone enforced on the Potomac between 14th street and the Memorial Bridge. BARTLET An invitation to party if I ever heard one. LEO Very few local events have been effected. BARTLET What has? FBI AGENT A reading of the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives got postponed because no one had cleared the fife and drum corps. And an overflow group of immigrants taking their citizenship oath had to cancel. The VFW hall they're using had a bomb scare. BARTLET Fine. Thank you all. They all get up and leave. Bartlet walks over to his desk. BARTLET When do I sit down with Berryhill? LEO 2:00. BARTLET Good. I've got a lunch I don't want to rush. LEO How's Zoey doing? BARTLET Really well, considering. CHARLIE They're on their way down. BARTLET Thanks. Charlie shuts the door. BARTLET What's with this bomb scare at an immigration ceremony? LEO Immigration has been encouraging more district and neighborhood ceremonies. Most of this group being sworn in are from Arab countries. BARTLET We're talking folks who have been interviewed and background-checked by two agencies, taking classes to learn our language, passed exams on our history and government, and been fingerprinted twice; these are the kinds of Arabs we're talking about? LEO Yes, sir. BARTLET Let's find them an auditorium where they can safely take their oath. LEO Yes, sir. Bartlet leaves the office. CUT TO: INT. - OUTER OVAL OFFICE - CONTINUOUS We see that Debbie has a large stack of papers at her desk. BARTLET Oh, man, I don't like the looks of all that. DEBBIE They call it nonessential for a reason, Mr. President. CHARLIE We'll send most of it down to the Auto-Pen. BARTLET The Auto-Pen couldn't do its thing while I was on hiatus? DEBBIE It raised some Constitutional issues we couldn't parse. She has a laminated photo in her hand that she has a question about. DEBBIE Here. C.J. needed you to approve this. It's from the archives. She said everyone will probably go with the firework shot, but this one is nice. It's sweet. CHARLIE No it's not, they were laughing at me. BARTLET Was this your first time up at the farm? It was, wasn't it? CHARLIE Yeah, I got on and I stayed on. Debbie's phone starts ringing. BARTLET You're a natural horseman, Charlie. DEBBIE Uh, Fiderer. ... Thank you. She hangs the phone up. DEBBIE She's ready. CUT TO: EXT. - SOUTH LAWN - PORCH - DAY We see that Abbey, Zoey, and C.J. are ready, waiting to do the press conference. Bartlet walks up. BARTLET Are you... ABBEY Uh... ZOEY Mom, I'm okay. Bartlet takes Zoey by the arm and leads her. C.J. follows them. Abbey leans against a pillar. C.J. Ready? You know how to do this. Just breathe and walk. You look great. C.J. stops at the edge of the porch and Bartlet and Zoey continue on. They are walking along a pathway. There are a lot of reporters and photographers on the other side of a rope. Suddenly, Zoey stops and waves to the crowd. Bartlet follows suit. CUT TO: INT. - ROOSEVELT ROOM - DAY Leo, Josh and Toby are meeting with members of the Republican Leadership, including Speaker of the House Haffley and Senate Majority Leader Royce. LEO Mr. Speaker, Mr. Leader, in the spirit of "Everyone wins," we wanted first to thank all of you and the Republican leadership. We can feel proud of how we criss-crossed the aisle in recent days. And second, we'd like to inform you of the President's choice for Vice President. ROYCE So, there's nothing to the rumor that he begged Walken to stay? JOSH They're just good friends. LEO It's going to be Lewis Berryhill. He'll step down as Secretary of State. ROYCE Well, we've already confirmed him once. You're looking for an expedited process? TOBY The country needs to move on. ROYCE He's an obvious choice: his military records, governmental service. HAFFLEY Frankly, I've got a problem. JOSH What kind of problem? HAFFLEY I don't have the votes. Not for Berryhill. JOSH The guy's a war hero. He's the most popular Secretary of State since... whoever Lincoln had. He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. HAFFLEY Seward. Lincoln had Seward, who was stabbed in his bed, and Berryhill wasn't confirmed by the House. JOSH No one's confirmed by the House. This is your one at bat. LEO We should let them have the room. HAFFLEY Leo, no, I don't need to be schooled by my Senate brethren. I get what my job is. JOSH Advice and consent, that's your job. Confirm the President's choice as qualified. TOBY No one can say that Lewis Berryhill isn't qualified. HAFFLEY But you don't want a fight. Berryhill's a fight. LEO Mr. Speaker, I know you haven't been through this before... HAFFLEY None of us has. Other administrations haven't lost their Vice President to a sex scandal. ROYCE Mr. Speaker. HAFFLEY Don't misunderstand me. I'm not here just to be a naysayer. I have suggestions. JOSH You have suggestions? HAFFLEY Here are a few names that could be easily confirmed. He pulls a slip of paper out of his inside jacket pocket and slides it to Leo. Leo looks at it and then shows it to Josh. JOSH This is your list? Haffley nods his head. They show the paper to Toby. ROYCE Do you mind? Toby hands the paper to Royce. LEO Senator? ROYCE I have no problem with this list. Haffley takes the paper from him and slides it back across the table. FADE OUT. END ACT ONE. * * * ACT TWO FADE IN: INT. - HALLWAY - DAY Leo, Toby, and Josh are walking away from the Roosevelt Room. JOSH What the hell just... As they walk by the Communications Office, Leo calls out to Will. LEO Will. In the Oval, and grab C.J. JOSH We just... we got tagged. They walk into the Outer Oval Office. JOSH Idiot thinks he tagged us. TOBY He did. CUT TO: INT. - OVAL OFFICE - DAY Bartlet is meeting with Leo, Josh, Toby, C.J., and Will. JOSH He's bluffing. WILL We don't blink. LEO What the hell is he thinking? Is he just in over his head? JOSH He's an idiot. And he's bluffing. WILL We put up Berryhill and we wait for the Republicans to self-destruct. C.J. If we have the time. JOSH He's an idiot, he's bluffing, and we're going to destroy him. LEO You worried about it leaking or are you worried about our numbers? C.J. Both. How long can we spin this so our numbers hold? If it drags on and gets ugly and people have time to worry... TOBY We've got a fight; with this list it's a joke. August Adar would bore the country into a stupor and Starkey is, forgive me, sir, more likely to keel over in the next three years than you are. JOSH That's what Haffley's counting on. The longer he drags this out, the longer he's next in line. WILL Diane Frost is a serious name. JOSH Diane is a serious loon of the left. TOBY I love Diane Frost. I'd marry Diane Frost if I were a member of her stated sexual preference, but Diane is the definition of unelectable. JOSH That's their agenda: sniper anyone who looks hard to beat next time around. C.J. I thought this choice wasn't about partisan politics. JOSH It is now. BARTLET Come on, guys, the door is closed. This has always been about partisan politics. One reason we were dancing on the tables this morning is because Berryhill looks good to take over in three years. TOBY He also looks good right now. WILL Who is Robert Russell? JOSH He's the Congressman from Western Colorado. And I don't mean the state, I mean the mining company. TOBY Bob Russell is not Presidential. JOSH Are we actually discussing the list? C.J. We're dissing the list. Wasn't Russell... is he "Bingo Bob"? TOBY That's Russell. JOSH Let's not even dis the list. BARTLET Okay, listen up. We're sticking with Berryhill. I want to announce tomorrow. LEO Let's check in with our friends, make sure they've got our backs. TOBY What about the list? LEO Get these folks in. You and Josh have some nice chats. JOSH You want to placate Haffley? LEO I want to try. If he thinks he's getting to advise, maybe he'll consent. And if you could say hello, too, sir. BARTLET Hello is about all they're going to get. LEO Whatever happens has to happen now. Time's not our friend here, Josh. JOSH I'm on it. Josh leaves. LEO C.J., can you...? BARTLET Toby, when's the briss? TOBY It was this morning, sir. C.J. This morning? You dog. TOBY We've been a little busy. C.J. I'll get you later. BARTLET Nice service? TOBY For me. I'm not sure Huck enjoyed it as much. BARTLET Quite a way to start the morning. TOBY It was. BARTLET And it's just the beginning. They leave. CUT TO: INT. - JOSH'S BULLPEN AREA - DAY Josh walks into the bullpen and comes over to Donna's desk. He hands her the list. JOSH Call 'em in; 20 minutes apiece. Make it clear this is not about the Vice Presidency. They are not candidates for jobs, you know, listed in the Constitution. DONNA Are they candidates? JOSH They are not. They are not. Repeat that. DONNA They are not. Josh walks into his office and shuts the door. CUT TO: INT. - LEO'S OFFICE - DAY Leo and C.J. are talking. C.J. They were becoming citizens? LEO Before the bomb scare they were. Margaret's checking into other venues. MARGARET GW's getting back to me about a hall. C.J. You want to release that the President's helping them find a site for their swearing in? LEO Wait until we're sure we've solved it. They start walking. LEO On the other thing... C.J. I'm fine. LEO Toby thought you were... C.J. Toby's wrong. I'm not. LEO Birardi's resignation letter was persuasive. C.J. It was, but I'm not... I don't know why Toby... LEO You know what? He stops. LEO I'm sorry, I gotta... C.J. Sure. As C.J. walks away we pan around to see Amy and Abbey walking into the building. AMY And Secretary Ralph sent some beautiful calilillies. ABBEY I'll give him a call. Anything else? AMY Ken Crupp called, a couple of times. ABBEY I've got his card. Thank him for me. [pause] What? AMY I think Ken's concerned about the HHS Appropriation. There were some changes in the CDC budget. The Committee's going to markup. Violence Prevention could lose 65%. ABBEY Sorry, what are you...? AMY I'm sorry. It was nothing. ABBEY Amy, you're going to have to handle things for me a little while longer. AMY I know. Do you want me to...? ABBEY I trust you. That's why I hired you. Abbey walks off and Amy leaves in the opposite direction. CUT TO: INT. - OUTER OVAL OFFICE - DAY Debbie is sitting at her desk when Abbey walks in. She stands. DEBBIE Ah, hello. He's just finishing a call with Congresswoman Frost. ABBEY I'm looking for my daughter. DEBBIE She's meeting with Will. But, I... he... don't you... he'd want me to... ABBEY No, no, no. No, don't bother. DEBBIE Uh, Mrs. Bartlet, I can't tell you how hard I prayed for you. Abbey looks as though she is genuinely touched at the sentiment. ABBEY I appreciate that. DEBBIE Well, you shouldn't. I'm not very religious, so there's the risk that my praying could be taken as insincere or even an affront, which, if it's a vengeful God, could have made matters worse. ABBEY Well, it didn't. So maybe there's a clue. Abbey turns to leave. CUT TO: INT. - RESIDENCE - SITTING ROOM - DAY Zoey and Charlie are sitting in front of the window and Zoey is looking at some of the mail that came in while she was kidnapped. ZOEY So, how many of these letters have come? CHARLIE At last count, 10,000. ZOEY Oh, here's another good one. "Dear Zoey, I hope they don't kill you. But if they do, then it'll be quick." CHARLIE Zoe. ZOEY She put a little smiley face at the end. Will walks in. CHARLIE You don't need to read them. ZOEY Sure I do. CHARLIE No, you don't. WILL Sorry. ZOEY No, you're busy. WILL Not at all. ZOEY Oh, is it okay if Charlie stays? He thinks he needs to babysit me. Will sits down across from Zoey. WILL Sure. How was lunch? ZOEY You know dad: "Jefferson Lives." CHARLIE Will hasn't been here. ZOEY Oh, my dad loves 4th of July stuff, like Jefferson and Adams dying on the same day. CHARLIE Adams thought Jefferson had survived him. "Jefferson Lives" were his last words. ZOEY It appeals to dad; you know, hope and irony. WILL With a little party politics thrown in. Shall we get busy? You want to draft a letter, a response to the country, is that right? Will takes out a pad of paper and gets ready to write some things down. ZOEY Yes. WILL So I'm going to ask you some questions and come up with a draft for you to review. ZOEY Okay. WILL We'll start with "How do you feel?". She looks as though she is not sure. WILL Don't worry about phrasing or brevity, I'll do that part. ZOEY I feel lucky. I feel happy to be back... and grateful. I feel a little bad that so much had to go into this. Saving me, and all. I wish I hadn't... that it didn't happen. WILL We all do. ZOEY And that I had to go... CHARLIE It wasn't fault. ZOEY Okay, so that's good, huh? WILL Uh-huh. ZOEY It wasn't...? She stands. WILL That was... yeah. I'll get back to you. ZOEY Cool. Thanks will. She leaves. CUT TO: INT. - MURAL ROOM - DAY Josh and Toby are meeting with SENATOR STARKEY, regarding the VP list given to them by Haffley. SENATOR STARKEY And, of course, there's the necessity to lessen the ceremonial burdens. TOBY Absolutely, Senator Starkey. STARKEY In ways, John Hoynes didn't... JOSH Let's not talk about that. STARKEY I'm saying the agenda could be strengthened if more of the President's ceremonial burden was removed. JOSH We don't disagree. STARKEY Good. TOBY Do you have a few minutes to say hello to the President? They get up. STARKEY I'm at his disposal. They lead Senator Starkey into the hallway and shut the door behind him. Josh sighs, as though he is tired of the charade. Toby goes to the door that leads in from the Outer Oval Office and opens it. CONGRESSMAN ROBERT "BOB" RUSSELL comes in. He and Toby shake hands. TOBY Congressman Russell. CONGRESSMAN ROBERT "BOB" RUSSELL Mr. Ziegler. He walks over to shake Josh's hand. RUSSELL Mr. Lyman. JOSH Josh. We met at the... RUSSELL Good memory. I wasn't sure you could pick me out of a crowd. JOSH Luckily, I didn't have to, Bob. We'd like to establish from the outset you can imagine what the press climate is around here and why we can't afford to, well, make decisions before we've made them. RUSSELL Sure. TOBY There's to be no discussion whatsoever in this meeting of any position in the federal government that may or may not be open. RUSSELL Understood. JOSH Which is not to say this meeting is about that. RUSSELL Okay. TOBY What are your thoughts on the President's and the Party's agenda for the next three years? CUT TO: INT. - OVAL OFFICE - DAY Bartlet is sitting with Berryhill and they are talking. BARTLET There hasn't been much about the last couple of weeks that I wouldn't rather erase, but this I'll keep. Lewis, I'm hoping to announce you as my new Vice President. BERRYHILL Our new Speaker balking? BARTLET Yeah. This could be rockier than we had hoped. BERRYHILL I can handle it. BARTLET Not just for us, but for the country. BERRYHILL Sir, as Secretary of State I've shown you my conciliatory side. But in my heart of hearts I'm spoiling for a fight. BARTLET Me, too. CUT TO: INT. - RESIDENCE - DAY Abbey is sitting down with Ron Butterfield. They are discussing Zoey's Secret Service detail. BUTTERFIELD We're going to double her detail; visible presence, in diamond formation, flanking her just like we do the President. ABBEY No more running out for yogurt? BUTTERFIELD We need three days advance notice for site sweeps and background checks on anyone she may come in contact with. ABBEY I'm going to need a little time to process this. BUTTERFIELD Of course. They stand. ABBEY I do have one question. We hear a knock at the door. Leo walks in. LEO Sorry, I didn't hear this was moved up. ABBEY We're just finishing. BUTTERFIELD There'll be a written report on the new protocols on your desk by COB. LEO Great. ABBEY Feel free to copy Leo, but I'd like the report delivered to me directly, Ron. BUTTERFIELD Fine. Ron turns to leave but then turns around. BUTTERFIELD Did you have a question? You were saying you had a question. ABBEY How would you compare the Residence with the Farm? BUTTERFIELD In terms of security? ABBEY Yes. LEO What are you thinking...? ABBEY I don't know yet. Ron? BUTTERFIELD Well, as you're aware we have the farm continually secured. It doesn't have bulletproof windows or a crash-proof gate. Here, we're in a fortress. On the other hand, the White House is a target; ground-zero. It's probably 6-to-1. ABBEY Thank you. Ron leaves. Leo sits down. LEO I hadn't heard you were thinking about New Hampshire. That might be the best... ABBEY I moved the meeting up because I didn't want you here. LEO In the meeting? ABBEY In the Residence. LEO Yeah. I've been trying to... I thought... you need some space. ABBEY She's back. She's safe. She's going to stay safe. LEO We all want what's best for Zoey. ABBEY You laid us open. You laid me and my daughters wide open. And God knows what else there is that I don't know about. LEO There is nothing else. ABBEY I swear to God, Leo, don't... 72 hours; the bruises aren't even... did you see her face? For God's sake, don't ask me to trust you. LEO I'm not. ABBEY And don't think you took the bullet. I blame Jed. He did this. She gets up and leaves. FADE OUT. END ACT TWO. * * * ACT THREE FADE IN: INT. - ROOSEVELT ROOM - DAY Josh and Toby are meeting with the Democratic leadership including House Minority Leader Sheila and Senate Minority Leader Wendall. WENDALL We understand the choice. He's a popular Secretary. But he runs State like a dictator. TOBY Come on. WENDALL I know, I'm overstating, but many Democrats see Berryhill as aloof. SHEILA And not only because he's never run for office, not even dogcatcher. He's not a team player. A minor flaw, maybe, but you're anointing the guy. WENDALL And once he's in the spotlight... SHEILA Especially if he's stuck in the spotlight while the Speaker grinds the government to a halt. TOBY So, you think Berryhill's warts are going to start to show? JOSH You're assuming the Republicans are going to follow through. Haffley's list of candidates was amateur hour. WENDALL There are some decent names on that list. SHEILA If you insist on Berryhill we'll go to the mat. But it'll only prove how impotent you've made up. TOBY How's that? SHEILA You guys knighted Haffley when you moved Walken out. Haffley's not bluffing. Haffley doesn't bluff. JOSH Okay. So, we fight for Berryhill. We only need a majority; four guys to break ranks and join with you. It's that simple. SHEILA Haffley knows he's got 'em on choke chains. And you won't get them; not in a day, not in a month. It's that simple. CUT TO: INT. - OVAL OFFICE - DAY Bartlet is meeting with SENATOR ADAR. Adar is talking about Jefferson and Adams, and his tone is nothing if not monotonous. SENATOR ADAR So, there he was, on his deathbed, 50 years to the day, 50 years since the signing of the Declaration, July 4th, Independence Day. There he is, on his deathbed... BARTLET Which one are you with now, Senator Adar? Jefferson? ADAR Adams. But of course both of them were dying on the same 4th of July, that's what's so amazing. BARTLET Ahh. ADAR 50 years since that day in Independence Hall, immortalized in Trumball's famous painting of the scene. Two great giants dying on their country's birthday, after years of friendship and feuding. [pause] As diplomats in Paris... BARTLET Excuse me. I'm sorry, Senator. He gets up and heads toward the door. BARTLET This will only take a second. He walks into the Outer Oval Office and over to Debbie's desk. BARTLET Debbie, you were supposed to interrupt after five minutes. DEBBIE It's only been three, sir. BARTLET Tell Leo I can't take any more of these. DEBBIE There's only a couple more. Bartlet stops at the door and takes a deep breath before going in. CUT TO: INT. - JOSH'S OFFICE - DAY Josh, Toby and Will walk into Josh's office. WILL Wait, the Democrats actually like the list? JOSH They aren't wild about Berryhill. Donna! TOBY Our esteemed Minority Leader thinks it's not a bluff and we won't win a battle in the House. JOSH Our esteemed Minority Leader is running for President in three years. Donna, get me Leo! Ryan sticks his head in the door. RYAN Donna went to the bathroom. JOSH She's not allowed to do that. Just get me Leo. RYAN Uh, Leo McGarry? JOSH Yes, Leo McGarry. C.J. comes to the door and bumps into Ryan as she is coming into the office. C.J. They leaked the list; the Starkey Russell list. WILL Is that bad? It makes Berryhill look even better. TOBY Guys, we can't confirm Berryhill. C.J. We can't? WILL We're having trouble with the Democrats. C.J. Wow. Along with the Republicans, that's kind of everyone. TOBY We've got to move on. JOSH Move on? We don't move on from our first post-Walken showdown. This is the single, most defining decision the President makes. TOBY No kidding. And time's running out and if we don't find someone they'll confirm by tomorrow... C.J. We had other names. Ryan comes back in. RYAN Hey, uh, sorry. Does anyone know Mr. McGarry's extension? CUT TO: INT. - OVAL OFFICE - DAY Bartlet is seated at his desk and is on the phone. Charlie knocks and comes in. BARTLET [into phone] Uh-huh. ... Uh-huh. Yeah. ... I'll let you get back to your catfish, Governor. ... No, I'm not much of a fisherman. ... Maybe we will. ... And a happy 4th to you. He hangs the phone up. CHARLIE Sir, do you have a moment? BARTLET You don't want to be Vice President, do you? CHARLIE No, sir. BARTLET Then you can stay. CHARLIE It's about Zoey. BARTLET Did something happen? CHARLIE She had trouble talking to Will. BARTLET Really? She was fearless with the press. CHARLIE Yes, sir. She does that. We see a flash, in which Zoey is riding the horse from Bartlet's dream. The horse jumps over a low fence. BARTLET You've said this before. CHARLIE Sir? CUT TO: EXT. - MANCHESTER FARM - FLASHBACK - DAY Bartlet, Charlie, and Abbey are standing along the side of the fence, and they are watching Zoey ride the horse. BARTLET Look at that. Fearless. CHARLIE She puts up a good front. BARTLET Name one thing, one thing, my little girl's afraid of. CUT TO: INT. - OVAL OFFICE - DAY Charlie is talking to Bartlet. CHARLIE She knows you like to see her strong. She thinks what happened was her fault. We see another flash of the horse now running faster and Zoey trying to stay on. CHARLIE I'm sorry, sir, but... BARTLET Her mother wants to take her back to New Hampshire for a while. What do you think? CHARLIE I think her momma's right. BARTLET Hmm. Charlie leaves. CUT TO: INT. - JOSH'S OFFICE - DAY Josh is sitting at his desk writing on a pad of paper. We see that the bulletin board is back with at least three pictures on it, one of which is Berryhill. Josh looks upset as though he has failed. Amy comes in and starts talking really fast and she is excited about what she has gotten accomplished. AMY I just got off the phone. I need you to call Dule. I know it isn't at the top of your to-do list, but I've got the Chairman on-board if he has a little cover which Dule will agree to if you ask... JOSH Amy... AMY I know, I know; smallpox and anthrax were front and center but we spent years getting violence recognized as a health threat... JOSH You've got to stop. AMY [cont.] ... and if women and children aren't safe in their own homes, who needs national security. JOSH Okay, I'm begging you, stop. S-stop talking... y-you're a machine; my head's going to explode. AMY You said if I got the First Lady... JOSH We don't have a Vice President! Get it? That's our first thing and I can't get it done. I can't get Berryhill confirmed. The one guy the President wants, and-and I can't get it done. So, could you, just... be quiet for one moment? AMY Sorry. B-Berryhill's perfect. JOSH I-I mean it, one minute, in silence. Can you manage that? AMY But, I... JOSH You can't do it, can you? Josh stands. AMY You... JOSH See? She looks at her watch. We see her take her shoes off and she sits on the windowsill. Josh comes back and sits down at his desk. He notices that Amy has her feet propped up on his desk. He laughs when he sees that she has her watch out and she is watching the seconds. He gets up and walks over to her. He takes the watch from her and then bends down to kiss her. After they kiss, she gets her shoes and walks out the door. CUT TO: INT. - RESIDENCE - BEDROOM - DAY Bartlet is seated while Zoey is packing some things into a suitcase. ZOEY I can't believe you're doing this. BARTLET We talked about going up to the farm for a long time. ZOEY Later on, all together. Abbey walks in. ZOEY You guys just ganged up on me. BARTLET That's right. Your mother and I are a united front, so don't bother. Abbey looks at him and says nothing. Bartlet gets up to help her pack. BARTLET Come on, this is going to be good. You'll have the orchard to walk in. Once that shoulder heals, you'll have Quince to ride. I'll be up as soon as I can. There's only one thing you have to do for me: give yourself time. Don't try to rush this. Abbey has been standing at the edge of the room listening to the conversation. She leaves. ZOEY There was an arm... grabbing me. When I start to fall asleep, it comes back. BARTLET We're going to help you. We're all going to help. He continues to help her pack her things. FADE OUT. END ACT THREE. * * * ACT FOUR FADE IN: INT. - OVAL OFFICE - DAY Bartlet and Leo come in from the portico. They are talking about Berryhill. BARTLET So the question now is how big a battle is Berryhill worth. LEO That sums it up, sir. Debbie knocks and comes in. BARTLET He's eager for it, by the way. LEO Berryhill? BARTLET Too eager, maybe. DEBBIE Congressman Russell is here, sir. BARTLET Who? DEBBIE [whispering] "Bingo Bob." CUT TO: INT. - C.J.'S OFFICE - DAY Toby and C.J. are looking at baby pictures. C.J. [laughing] Look at that. Oh, my God. TOBY He looks a little pissed in that one. C.J. You look kind of... TOBY Yeah, he hates me already. C.J. And Molly. TOBY Well, her brother got a Hebrew name so she had to have one. C.J. Where's Andy? Was she even there? TOBY You gonna step out for the fireworks. C.J. I don't know. I may go home. TOBY You should. You've been going all at it without a break. C.J. I'm okay. TOBY I went over the briefings from the last few days. There weren't many questions about the covert operation. C.J. There were questions. TOBY Why didn't Shareef have a trial or a tribunal? Who asked that? C.J. They're my questions, Toby. I'm asking. You read Birardi's resignation? "Violence is the last resort of civilized nations. Violence wrapped in secrecy is the choice of thugs." TOBY You think we're thugs? C.J. I don't know. TOBY You want to keep talking? She shakes her head. C.J. Huh-uh. TOBY Let me know. He leaves. CUT TO: INT. - OVAL OFFICE - DAY Bartlet is seated and talking with Congressman Russell. BARTLET I'm glad you were able to stop by. RUSSELL I wouldn't miss a chance to discuss the party's agenda, sir. BARTLET We can toss out the script. The list is out there now. RUSSELL Great. [pause] Great we can talk directly, not great that the list was leaked. BARTLET Were you surprised to find your name on that list, Robert? RUSSELL It's Bob. Robert's my dad. And, uh, yes, sir, I never thought I'd be sitting here today. BARTLET This place is full of surprises. RUSSELL If this is a courtesy to the Speaker, I won't waste your time with a long pitch. BARTLET No, please. RUSSELL I get along with people. They like me in the House because I don't ruffle feathers, and they like me back home because I honestly enjoy a good rubber chicken. Something to do with the cooking I grew up on. And it may look like I'm awful cozy with the mining industry, but West Co. employs five times as many of my constituents as anyone else in my district. BARTLET Are you a horseman, Bob? I'm looking at your boots. RUSSELL Oh, I love to ride. You? He shakes his head. BARTLET My youngest daughter is the one with the talent. RUSSELL Praise the good Lord for her safe return. BARTLET We do. RUSSELL No, I wear these boots, um... oh, I could give you some crap about remembering my roots, but I wear these because I have flat feet and they don't hurt my arches. BARTLET Well, thank you for coming by on such short notice. They stand. RUSSELL Uh, let me go on the record. If you were to offer the job, I would be honored. BARTLET Thank you. RUSSELL But I would need a couple of things. BARTLET Oh? RUSSELL I wasn't close enough to say for sure about your relationship with John Hoynes, but as your Vice President I would want more access. BARTLET Uh-huh. RUSSELL Direct access; weekly lunch, drinks; especially since we don't know each other. BARTLET Sounds like you'd be a Vice President who'd be looking to move up. RUSSELL I'm not trying to run out the clock on you, but I'm sure that my name came up because some see me as the bland candidate, nobody's nightmare, the triumph of mediocrity. If I were to take the job, I'd mean to confound those expectations. And I want you to know that. BARTLET Any other ways I can sweeten the offer for you, Bob? CUT TO: INT. - LEO'S OFFICE - EVENING Leo is seated, watching TV, when Bartlet knocks and enters. BARTLET I'm sending my girls home. LEO I heard. BARTLET You want to say goodbye? LEO Abbey and I spoke earlier. Bartlet indicates for Leo to sit. He does, and Bartlet comes to sit by him. BARTLET 227 years ago, a bunch of guys got together on the 4th of July and decided, because they didn't have any cherry bombs, they would declare some self-evident truths. LEO Fed up with democracy, are we? BARTLET I called Lewis Berryhill. I told him it wasn't going to work out. LEO You didn't want to fight? BARTLET I did want to fight but the country needs a President who's doing their work, and since they put their trust in a guy whose mortality is showing, they deserve a chain of command that's irrefutable. LEO So who is it? BARTLET Ben Franklin thought the only hope for democracy was if people respected each other enough to compromise. The folks in Western Colorado had four chances to change their mind about Bob Russell and they haven't. LEO Bob Russell? Really? BARTLET He ain't my choice, but hey, we hated the last guy, so let's start the vetting process. LEO You want to tell the gang? BARTLET You do it. I'm done for the day. LEO Actually, Mr. President, you have one more thing. CUT TO: INT. - AUDITORIUM - WHITE HOUSE - DAY A large group of Arab people are assembled to take their oath of citizenship. A federal judge is giving the oath. JUDGE ...that I will perform work of national importance... GROUP ...that I will perform work of national importance... JUDGE ...when required by law. GROUP ...when required by law. JUDGE And I take this obligation freely... Bartlet and Leo walk in to the room. GROUP And I take this obligation freely... JUDGE ...without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. GROUP ...without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. JUDGE So help me God. GROUP So help me God. BARTLET Thanks, Leo. JUDGE Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States. The group claps as Bartlet comes to the podium at the front of the room. BARTLET Thank you, your honor. Please... They all sit. BARTLET My fellow Americans, congratulations and welcome. I hear you had some trouble finding a safe place to take your oath today. Our Founding Fathers were in a similar predicament. In many ways our great Declaration of Independence was a work order issued under fire. One we still struggle to fulfill. Now, if you'll please stand, place your hand over your heart, and say with me... The group begins to recite the pledge. GROUP I pledge allegiance... CUT TO: EXT. - WHITE HOUSE - FRONT DOOR - NIGHT Abbey and Zoey are getting into a limo and they're getting ready to leave. Charlie is there to see them off. We can still hear the group reciting the pledge. GROUP [cont.] ... to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. CUT TO: EXT. - WHITE HOUSE - NIGHT We open on a shot of several magnificent fireworks going off in the sky against the backdrop of the Washington Monument. We see Josh and Ryan at the buffet getting several glasses of champagne. They bring them over to where Donna, Toby, Will, and Amy are standing. They watch the fireworks for several moments, and then Josh looks down to where Amy is standing. She looks back at him. She then decides to leave. She walks away. Josh turns to see her leave and follows her. CUT TO: INT. - C.J.'S OFFICE - NIGHT We see C.J. sitting at her desk. She is staring out the window, thinking. We see the fireworks lighting up the room. CUT TO: EXT. - TRUMAN BALCONY - NIGHT Bartlet is on his balcony, and he is watching the fireworks. CUT TO: INT. - LIMO - NIGHT Abbey and Zoey are riding along. Zoey has her down in her mother's lap. CUT TO: EXT. - WHITE HOUSE - NIGHT Toby, Will, Ryan, and Donna are watching the fireworks when Leo comes up to stand between Will and Toby. He speaks in Toby's ear and then in Will's. CUT TO: EXT. - TRUMAN BALCONY - NIGHT Bartlet is watching the fireworks. CUT TO: EXT. - MANCHESTER FARM - FLASHBACK - DAY We see the horse that Zoey is riding is moving fast and is about to buck Zoey off. She holds on and stays on. We next see Bartlet helping her off the horse. YOUNG ZOEY I wasn't scared, Daddy. It was fun. We see a shot from the walk that afternoon. CUT TO: INT. - LIMO - NIGHT Zoey has her head in Abbey's lap. CUT TO: EXT. - TRUMAN BALCONY - NIGHT Bartlet is thinking as he watches the fireworks. He looks as though he is sad. DISSOLVE TO: END TITLES. FADE TO BLACK. THE END. * * *