Episode Summary:
As Margaret testifies before the Senate committee on the NASA leak (and as many other staffers receive subpoenas), a Palestinian leader backed by the U.S. is assassinated, and Bartlet is determined to attend the furneral, despite security concerns. Meanwhile, Santos gives a flip answer to a reporter’s question about intelligent design, and the resulting firestorm bothers Josh a lot more than it bothers either Lou (Janeane Garofalo) or Santos.
Script:
THE WEST WING 7x04 - "MR. FROST" WRITTEN BY ALEX GRAVES DIRECTED BY ANDREW BERNSTEIN Transcribed by Soundman for www.twiztv.com. Send feedback to [email protected]. TEASER FADE IN: INT. - SENATE HEARING ROOM - DAY 82 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY Margaret is testifying before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. CHAIRMAN Good morning. This is an inquiry by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. This is the 14th closed hearing by this committee as we conduct our joint inquiry into the disclosure of classified, national security information to the press. Will the witness please stand and raise your right hand to take the oath? Margaret stands. CHAIRMAN Do you solemnly swear that the testimony that you give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? MARGARET I do. CHAIRMAN Senator Dresden, you may proceed. She sits. SENATOR DRESDEN Ms. Hooper, good morning. Thank you for joining us. You are White House Chief of Staff Claudia Jean Cregg's Executive assistant; is that correct? MARGARET Yes, sir. DRESDEN And you are responsible for connecting all calls from both outside and inside the White House to the Chief of Staff through your office line? MARGARET Yes, sir. DRESDEN I assume you are aware of the White House archiving system known as ARMS? MARGARET I am. Dresden begins passing her several folders and documents. DRESDEN This committee has subpoenaed copies of the electronic material that passed through the office of Chief of Staff between December 30 and July 14 of this year. In total, the search included 19 segments of the ARMS database. Separate subpoenas were served to include the use of e-mails from both interoffice hard drives to the individual servers of Blackberry and various other devices of an electronic nature. Did you need a glass of water? MARGARET I'm fine. DRESDEN Can we get her a glass of water, please? AIDE Yes, sir. DRESDEN You're aware of an article in The New York Times on July 14 of this year, claiming the existence of a top secret military space shuttle? MARGARET Yes, sir, I am. DRESDEN And you're aware the reporter responsible for the article's contents is Greg Brock, who has been jailed for refusing to reveal his source of the information? The aide brings her some water. MARGARET Yes. DRESDEN Am I correct in noting that Mr. Brock appears on Ms. Cregg's interoffice phone log between 2 and 14 times a week in the six months before June 30? Does that sound accurate? MARGARET Yes, sir. DRESDEN On June 27, you received a call on your main office line from Mr. Brock's cell phone at 7:27 am. Is that correct? She looks through one of the files in front of her. MARGARET Yes, sir. DRESDEN What can you tell us about the nature of that call? MARGARET I wasn't in the room with Ms. Cregg at the time of call so I can't say what she and Mr. Brock spoke about. DRESDEN You can't say? MARGARET I mean, I don't know. DRESDEN Well, Mr. Brock called again at 1:29, and then again at 2:20 that same afternoon. On the first call, you then patched it through to Ms. Cregg on her Blackberry. Is that correct? MARGARET That's correct. DRESDEN Am I correct in noting that the calls that come through your phone can be monitored by the person manning your phone after they've been connected to their designated line? I would remind you that you're under oath. MARGARET Yes, sir. DRESDEN So you were capable of monitoring Ms. Cregg's phone calls, private and otherwise? MARGARET Yes, sir. DRESDEN So let me start by asking you, did you ever monitor any phone conversations between Ms. Cregg and Mr. Brock? SMASH CUT TO: MAIN TITLES. END TEASER. * * * ACT ONE FADE IN: EXT. - CAMPAIGN SITE - DAY UNNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA FRIDAY Santos is giving a stump speech. The crowd is cheering. Leo is among those seated on stage. SANTOS How long can we generate a third of this world's economic output if a third of our students don't even meet the most basic reading levels. How long can we stay number one in high-tech jobs if we are declining in the percentage of bachelor's degrees. Josh and Lou are off to the side and they are talking. Annabeth is on the phone. LOU So, what are you saying? JOSH They couldn't get Creationism into classrooms because it violates the separation of church and state. LOU They're going to run into the same roadblock with Intelligent Design. JOSH The local Board of Education just held hearings on why Intelligent Design should be taught in classrooms alongside evolution, so local reporters are going to want to talk about it. LOU So, the state Board of Education has a problem with the Constitution? JOSH The majority of the Board was taken over by Evangelical Christians in the last election. ANNABETH Vinick's on his way to Atlanta. He's still hammering us on border issues. Ned walks up and hands out some papers. NED It looks like the togetherness tour is working. ANNABETH Hmm. The Washington Post calls the Santos/McGarry road-show an effective blend of energy and experience. JOSH The L.A. Times said Leo actually looked lifelike. ANNABETH The Post Dispatch calls our "Education Week" "Boring Week." SANTOS When we are talking about education, we're talking about our most precious resource: our children. Ladies and gentlemen, we must find better ways... CUT TO: INT. - WHITE HOUSE - HALLWAY - DAY Toby and Charlie are walking. TOBY Good morning. CHARLIE You owe me money. TOBY I'm working. CHARLIE I'm just saying... TOBY We're talking about a guy with a career 2.37 ERA. CHARLIE I am. TOBY He had a 0.98 ERA going into the break; went 21 straight without blowing one save. CHARLIE And last night's game makes it an even 50 bucks. TOBY I'm working. CHARLIE So am I. C.J. was up all night. TOBY Any word from Margaret? CHARLIE She's up on the Hill testifying; she'll be back in about an hour. TOBY When do you go up? CHARLIE Tomorrow. You? TOBY Tuesday. C.J. walks up. C.J. Hi. What are you guys talking about? Toby and Charlie answer simultaneously. TOBY Nothing. CHARLIE Baseball. C.J. Get that coffee away from me. TOBY You were here all night again? C.J. Omnibus intellectual property bill; limited infringement benefits for good faith uses; third-party participation for patent exemptions; ain't we got fun? TOBY You're talking very fast. C.J. Don't you owe Charlie money? TOBY We're talking about a guy with a career 2.37 ERA. C.J. Shoo. TOBY Shooing. C.J. I need less coffee and more sleep. What's up? CHARLIE They were out of soy. I got the caramel thing with double whip. C.J. You know what I'm talking about. CHARLIE Toby got served yesterday. C.J. How many people around here have subpoenas? CHARLIE Lots. C.J. Lots. CHARLIE We've got trouble. C.J. Trouble with a capital "T," and that rhymes with "P," and that stands for pool. CHARLIE You need to go home and get some rest. C.J. I just need a little power nap. CHARLIE How about half an hour; no people, no calls? C.J. Oh, jeez. I forgot to call Leo. CHARLIE About what? C.J. Don't ask. CUT TO: EXT. - CAMPAIGN - DAY Santos is still speaking. SANTOS Our economy is changing. We are in an information revolution and nearly 60% of companies say that they face... We pan over to the side of the stage where Josh, Lou, Annabeth, and Ned are talking. LOU When are we going to DC? ANNABETH Two hours. Josh notices Leo looking at his watch. JOSH He's doing it again. ANNABETH I'm on it. SANTOS Should we just throw up our hands and do nothing? CROWD No! SANTOS I can't hear you! CROWD No! SANTOS Don't we want those jobs here, in America? CROWD Yes! SANTOS Do we really want them to go to India and China where they have the skills at a quarter of the cost? CROWD No! SANTOS What?! CROWD No! SANTOS Let this be a call to action to all of us today so that we can make sure that all students, all teachers, all schools have the support that they need to meet the highest possible standards for our children's brightest possible future. Thank you all for coming today. The crowd begins cheering and applauding. Leo is among the first to stand on the platform and applaud. JOSH Whoo! Santos walks off stage and Josh starts talking to him. JOSH Vinick's on his way to Atlanta for a lunch with the Chamber of Commerce. SANTOS Is he still hammering me on border issues? LOU Jack-hammering. JOSH Either way, it's Education Week. We stay on message. SANTOS I'm getting a lot of questions on Intelligent Design. JOSH That's a local issue. We stay on message, we stay in control. Santos walks off. We see Annabeth walk over to Leo. ANNABETH Give me your watch. LEO I wasn't... ANNABETH People don't think you like the speech. LEO I like the speech, but I'm getting it five times a day. ANNABETH We didn't put you up here for your own entertainment, Leo. LEO Is someone on the phone? ANNABETH C.J. LEO Give me the phone. ANNABETH Give me the watch. LEO Oh, for the love of... ANNABETH Give me the watch. He gives her the watch. LEO You're not a tall person. ANNABETH And I think you're fabulous. She gives him the phone. LEO Help me, God, please. CUT TO: INT. - C.J.'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS C.J. is on speakerphone with Leo. C.J. How's Education Week going? CUT TO: EXT. - CAMPAIGN - CONTINUOUS LEO "How long can we stay number one in high-tech jobs if we lag behind in the percentage of bachelor's degrees and graduate degrees in science?" CUT TO: INT. - C.J.'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Charlie comes in. C.J. Sounds like a real hoot. Listen, I got a call from the Vinick campaign. LEO About? C.J. Apparently he had an analyst go off on a situation in Kazakhstan in his daily CIA briefing. CUT TO: EXT. - CAMPAIGN - CONTINUOUS LEO Do we have a situation in Kazakhstan? CUT TO: INT. - C.J.'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS C.J. Nothing worth telling you guys about. CUT TO: EXT. - CAMPAIGN - CONTINUOUS LEO Have you asked Kate or Nancy about it? C.J. [VO] Vinick wants a new briefer. CUT TO: INT. - C.J.'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS C.J. [cont.] He says the guy wouldn't shut up. Have you or Santos had anything come up and your briefings? LEO [VO] Not that I'm aware of. CUT TO: EXT. - CAMPAIGN - CONTINUOUS LEO [cont.] I got served. CUT TO: INT. - C.J.'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS C.J. picks up the receiver of the phone. C.J. Out there? CUT TO: EXT. - CAMPAIGN - CONTINUOUS LEO What can I tell you? They're handing these things out at the Dairy Queen. CUT TO: INT. - C.J.'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS C.J. Leo, the press... CUT TO: EXT. - CAMPAIGN - CONTINUOUS LEO Yeah. C.J. They're going to have a field day. CUT TO: INT. - C.J.'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS C.J. Have you gotten a lawyer? LEO [VO] You don't need a lawyer... CUT TO: EXT. - CAMPAIGN - CONTINUOUS LEO [cont.] ... if you haven't done anything wrong. CUT TO: INT. - C.J.'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS C.J. Yeah. C.J.'s cell phone starts ringing. Charlie comes in. CHARLIE C.J., I have Kate Harper. C.J. What line? Kate comes in and grabs the remote off of C.J.'s desk. KATE We're getting fragmented reports, but they're confirming a suicide bombing. She turns the TV on to a report about a suicide bombing. REPORTER [on TV] Reports are still not clear on how close the bomber was to the Chairman, but we can confirm that Palestinian Leader Farad has been the victim of a suicide bombing. LEO [VO] C.J., you there? C.J. Leo. LEO [VO] Yeah? REPORTER [on TV] ... no word yet on whether Farad is dead or alive. C.J. Find a television. CUT TO: INT. - SITUATION ROOM - DAY Bartlet comes in and the people around the table come to attention. BARTLET Go ahead. Please. They sit as Kate begins. KATE At 9:33 Jerusalem time, Palestinian Chairman Farad was on his way back from speaking at a University in the West Bank when a vehicle charged his motorcade and exploded. Several students were killed and Farad was injured. He's been rushed to Augusta Victoria Hospital on the Mount of Olives. So far, we're unclear on the extent of his injuries, but we have confirmed that most of his security detail was killed. BARTLET Has anyone claimed responsibility? KATE Not yet. BARTLET Do we have Commander Perkins? C.J. On speaker. BARTLET Warren, have we heard from the Israelis? COMMANDER PERKINS Not yet, Mr. President. BARTLET Who sent the bomber? KATE It's too soon to tell. HUTCHINSON Smart money is on Hamas or Islamic Jihad. KATE Our real concern is whether this is part of a larger scheme, backed by Syria or Iran. SLATTERY Iran and Syria are interested in the status quo. KATE They don't want our peacekeeping mission to succeed. They need the Palestinian problem to keep their own people interested in the West. C.J. Who's in charge with Farad injured? KATE The Speaker of the Palestinian House of Representatives assumes the presidency. The constitution calls for an election in 60 days to fill the post. BARTLET Prime Minister Mukarat would win any popular election. C.J. Unless Hamas wants to exploit the situation. HUTCHINSON We don't want fighting to break out between Hamas and the Palestinian security forces. SLATTERY That could be a prelude to civil war. C.J. With our peacekeepers caught in the crossfire. Kate has gone to a phone on the wall. She hangs it up and comes back to the table. KATE Chairman Farad died five minutes ago. Bartlet stands and everyone else does too. BARTLET We need to do everything in our power to help the Palestinians hold this together. He heads out of the room. He gets to the door that would lead out into the basement but he turns, as if to head back into the Sit Room. Before getting there, he turns again and sits down in one of the chairs. Almost immediately after sitting, he gets up and walks out. He hits his fist on the door as he does. CUT TO: EXT. - BUILDING - DAY Santos is walking up to prepare for the next event. Josh comes to speak to him. Ned and Lou are with Santos. JOSH The press is waiting. Here's a draft of your Farad speech. SANTOS I know what I'm going to say, Josh. What do we know? LEO Farad's dead. Suicide bombing. SANTOS Mukarat? LEO The President's trying to rally support. SANTOS And the Israelis? LEO Zahavy will tighten security, close their checkpoints... SANTOS If the Israelis reenter those territories... JOSH There'll be a special briefing for both of you in about an hour. SANTOS Vinick's responding? JOSH In a couple of minutes. LOU This funeral's going to blow us out of the water. JOSH This wasn't exactly a popular guy. SANTOS Bartlet has to make this funeral a major event if he wants to hold the peace. LOU We've got about two or three days until the campaign shuts down. NED Maybe we should shut down tomorrow. LOU Are you out of your mind? NED Out of respect. LOU This is a national campaign, Ted. NED My name is... LOU Vinick's not going to take two minutes out of... JOSH Guys, come on. SANTOS I want to call the President; offer my condolences. I know that he and Farad we're close. LEO We'll make sure we have time for that after your statement to the press. JOSH This is a pit stop; no stray questions. SANTOS Got it. NED Can you take a call from headquarters? LOU Sure. I'll catch up. JOSH His name is Ned. LOU What? JOSH Ted. His name's actually Ned. LOU I don't like head. Hello. CUT TO: EXT. - WALKWAY - DAY The press is lined up and waiting to hear from Santos. REPORTER #1 Congressman, can you respond to Chairman Farad's death? SANTOS "Those souls are great who, dying, gave a gift of greater life to man. Death stands abashed before the brave. They own a life death cannot ban." My thoughts are with Chairman Farad's family and to all who share the dream of peace throughout the world. REPORTER #2 Congressman, will you be attending the funeral? SANTOS We've only just received the news. REPORTER #3 Congressman, you're aware that this state's Board of Education is questioning the teaching of evolution? SANTOS That's a state matter and I don't think this is the right time. Thank you. He turns to leave. REPORTER #3 Congressman, can you tell us if you believe in Intelligent Design. SANTOS I believe in God, and I like to think he's intelligent. REPORTER #2 Does that mean you think it should be taught in schools, Congressman? He leaves. REPORTER #2 Does that mean you don't believe in evolution? Josh, can we get a follow-up question, please? Josh and Lou look worried at what Santos has just said. ADE OUT. END ACT ONE. * * * ACT TWO FADE IN: EXT. - BUILDING - DAY Josh, Leo, and Lou, Annabeth, and Ned are walking back from the press event. JOSH It was a gaffe. LOU It was not. JOSH It was worse than that; it was a God Gaffe. LEO Can we please not call it that? JOSH He said he believed in Intelligent Design. LOU That's not what he said. JOSH Well, he didn't say he didn't. LOU He didn't say he did. JOSH It's Creationism with a Groucho mask. LOU It isn't. It deviates enough from the bible to say that the Earth is, indeed, over six thousand years. JOSH Zippity-do-dah. LOU And it doesn't say that God created everything, but perhaps an intelligent designer was behind it. JOSH When asked if he believes in Intelligent Design he says, "I believe in God." That sounds like a yes. It sounds like he wants the bible taught in biology class, which, of course... LOU He doesn't. JOSH He got pulled off message, which means that we are off message, which means that we're out of control. LOU You're right. JOSH Thank you. We have issue a clarifying statement. Ronna walks up. RONNA Josh, the phones are ringing off the hook at headquarters. LEO How many Congressional? RONNA 15. Half of our base is on the list; ACLU, NARAL, teacher's unions... LOU Hey, hey, hey. Were there any positive phone calls? RONNA A couple, but most of them think that he's either pandering or worse. JOSH Or that he believes in Intelligent Design. LEO Does anybody have the time? Josh and Ned both look at their watches. JOSH It's, uh, 10:20. ANNABETH Leo, we've got a plane to catch. Goodbye, everybody. LEO The woman stole my watch. You got a minute? They walk off to the side to talk. LEO I got served. They want me to appear on Monday. JOSH Before Congress? LEO Yeah. ANNABETH Leo. LEO I'll call you from the plane. Josh looks worried as Leo walks off. CUT TO: INT. - WHITE HOUSE - HALLWAY - DAY Kate and C.J. are walking. KATE What time is Prime Minister Zahavy calling? C.J. The President's waiting in the Oval now. Charlie is in the hall and speaks to her as she passes him. CHARLIE Vinick. C.J. Right. I got a call from the Vinick campaign about a CIA analyst going bonkers in his daily briefing. He wouldn't shut up about Uzbekistan. KATE Uzbekistan? C.J. Or was it Kazakhstan? One of the Stan's. KATE Did he remember the agents name? C.J. No. KATE I'll get into it. C.J. Thanks. Kate's beeper starts going off. C.J. Are you okay? KATE They're calling me. C.J. walks into her office and Kate walks away. Toby comes into the office. TOBY How are you doing? C.J. I'm on my last drop of adrenaline. How about you? Charlie walks in. CHARLIE That guy called again. C.J. Margaret often gives me a name. TOBY Margaret's not back yet? CHARLIE A Mr. Frost, Charles Frost. C.J. I don't know him. Charlie leaves. TOBY Have you heard about Santos and how smart God is? C.J. Sounds like "Education Week" is evolving into "Religion Week." TOBY I'm briefing in ten minutes. Has the President spoken to Zahavy? C.J. Any minute. We're in the Oval. TOBY Hey, I got subpoenaed. C.J. Congratulations. TOBY You? C.J. Nope. Last one to get a subpoena is a rotten egg. TOBY Last one to get a subpoena is the focus of the investigation. Do you have a lawyer? C.J. No, I do not. TOBY Get one. C.J. I don't need a lawyer if I haven't done anything wrong. CHARLIE The President's on with Zahavy. CUT TO: INT. - OVAL OFFICE - DAY Bartlet is on the phone with Prime Minister Zahavy. BARTLET I understand, Eli. I feel exactly the same way. C.J. and Toby come in from C.J.'s office. BARTLET I'm sure we all hope for that. ... Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. He hangs up. C.J. Anything? BARTLET No. He's nervous. C.J. Will Prime Minister Zahavy be attending the funeral? BARTLET He wouldn't commit. Dan. C.J. Palestinians are protesting, in Ramallah, in Bethlehem, claiming Israeli extremists were behind this. TOBY That's Hamas. C.J. Did Zahavy confirm the closing of his checkpoints? BARTLET Yes. And he agreed that he would like to see Mukarat win the election. C.J. If the Israelis reenter the territories... TOBY Mukarat goes down. C.J. You think we can hold everything together for 60 days? BARTLET If we can keep Mukarat alive for three, it'll be a miracle. Toby. TOBY First draft only, sir. Kate walks in. KATE Sir, we have an update on the bomber. His name is Asim bin Ahmed. He was a 23-year-old student at Al Quds University in Hebron. BARTLET A student? KATE He had friends on the Jihad Mosque soccer team. C.J. A jihad soccer team? KATE Several members of the team have carried out suicide bombings. Though the bomber had no formal ties to Hamas, his classmates say he spent hours at the mosque praying and studying. She hands him a folder. KATE Sir, our satellites are showing Israeli tank movement. BARTLET We need to announce our plans to attend the funeral. C.J. Sir? BARTLET We'll round up Zahavy, Prime Minister Grady, President D'Astier, and Chancellor Earhart. C.J. Have they said they're coming? BARTLET Not yet. KATE The Palestinians want to have the funeral in Israeli-controlled Jerusalem on the Dome of the Rock. BARTLET Jerusalem's beautiful this time of year. C.J. No one is going to be able to guarantee your security. Secret Service is going to go crazy. KATE Only world leaders with a death wish would go to this funeral. BARTLET Fine, then we'll send Congress. TOBY You should go, sir. The Palestinians need to see you there. They need to see how much you respected Farad, how committed you still are to the peace process. BARTLET I am going to attend this funeral and I want the leaders of the world to attend with me. Debbie walks in. BARTLET Let's get the leaders of Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt on the phone. DEBBIE It's almost 1:00 am in Cairo, sir. BARTLET Good. Let's wake some people up. Thank you everyone. They thank him and begin to leave. BARTLET Commander. Kate turns. BARTLET We're going to hold this peace together. KATE Yes, sir. CUT TO: EXT. - CAMPAIGN - DAY Santos is getting out of the Suburban to go to a meeting of some sort. He gets out to a booing crowd. Many people in the crowd are waving signs. Josh gets out on the other side. Ned and he talk. NED The Governor's waiting inside. He wants to use his photographers. JOSH Tell him we're using ours. And make sure there's no press sneaking into the parent-teacher round table. NED They'll be waiting outside. He runs off. Josh starts talking to Lou. JOSH After the round table we're going to have to put something out clarifying the Congressman's statement on Intelligent Design. LOU That says what, he thinks God's a moron? JOSH He's running for President, not preacher-in-chief. LOU He's not going to use Medicaid for communion wafers. He said he believes in God, as did Abe Lincoln and George Washington. JOSH We can't get sucked into these local issues. LOU Yes, except Republicans have nominated a pro-choice and, by all accounts, anti-God candidate in history. For the first time, we have a chance to reach into their base and win back religious voters, to tell a swath of the heartland that maybe, just maybe, we have a nominee who's not hostile to their cultural values. Santos walks up. SANTOS It looks like we got their attention. JOSH Which is why you're going to... what? SANTOS Stay on message. JOSH If someone asks you a question on Intelligent Design, you... what? SANTOS Answer it. Josh and Lou answer simultaneously. JOSH No. LOU Yes. SANTOS Okay. JOSH ACLU and the Anti-Defamation League have called for clarification on your God Gaffe. SANTOS My what? JOSH The Center for American Innovation and the Advancement of the American Way are basically going bananas. LOU So don't let anybody bait you into using any kind of... She gestures with her hand, looking for the appropriate word. JOSH Words. SANTOS Words? JOSH Yeah, words like... LOU Evolution. JOSH Genesis. LOU Monkey trial. JOSH Creationism. LOU School. JOSH Prayer. LOU Church. JOSH State. SANTOS Amen. CUT TO: INT. - HALLWAY - OUTSIDE THE OVAL OFFICE - DAY C.J. comes out of the Oval Office and Charlie is waiting on her. C.J. Hey. CHARLIE Margaret called. C.J. She's still not back? CHARLIE She said they had more questions for her after lunch. You want some coffee? C.J. I'm taking a nap. CHARLIE Okay. C.J. I just need half an hour. CHARLIE You've got it. C.J. I'm serious. I'm starting to see weird colors, so no people, no calls. They walk into her office and she shuts one of the doors. CHARLIE Charles Frost called again. C.J. Did he say what he wanted? CHARLIE He said he needed to talk today. She shuts the blinds. C.J. Try to find out who he is. CHARLIE No visitors, no calls? C.J. I just need a half an hour. CHARLIE Power nap? C.J. Yes. CHARLIE Sweet dreams. He leaves the office. C.J. Charlie. He turns around. C.J. Close the door. CHARLIE Right. He shuts the door. C.J. lays down on her couch to try to get some sleep. As she gets situated, Toby knocks and comes in the hallway door. TOBY You busy? C.J. Yes. TOBY You alone? C.J. I'm reading. TOBY I guess it's time for some reading glasses. C.J. What do you want? TOBY This meeting with Haffley on this education bill... C.J. Get Charlie to help you. TOBY Haffley's going to push us on private providers and he'll want the straight A provisions to nullify the school-based provisions of Title I. C.J. It's legislative back-and-forth. TOBY And I want you to reconsider getting a lawyer. She turns over to where she can look at him. C.J. Toby. TOBY Greg Brock... C.J. ... is in jail. She sits up. C.J. Charlie! TOBY Margaret's not back yet? C.J. Can't you see that I'm losing my mind? Charlie comes in from Margaret's office. C.J. And if I can't sleep, I need at least ten minutes of quiet time to myself. She gets up and puts her jacket on. C.J. Quiet time, my time. I'm going out to get coffee. I'm learning to free-base this stuff, but that's what it takes to keep this life livable; peace and quiet and an IV of caffeine. Can I get you anything? TOBY I'm good. C.J. Charlie? CHARLIE Let me get it. You take your nap. C.J. Really? CHARLIE It's either that or we pad the walls of your office. What do you have? C.J. I want a double shot, light on the soy, cinnamon-chai, light on the mocha-chino, no whip, sprinkles, and another shot on top. She has gotten money out for Charlie to go. He looks dumbfounded at her order. She hands him the money. C.J. I'll write it down. CUT TO: INT. - SANTOS PLANE - DAY Leo and Annabeth are getting ready to go. ANNABETH Can you help me with this? LEO Sure. He grabs her bag and hefts it up into the overhead compartment. LEO This is a lot, isn't it? ANNABETH I never know when I'll need an extra set of everything. She sits down and gets out a pill bottle. Leo sits down next to her, looking at the pill bottle. She takes two pills and throws her head back in order to swallow them. LEO Are you alright? ANNABETH Oh, I'm fine. It's just a little process I go through when I fly. LEO What process is that? ANNABETH I wash back two of these little anti-anxiety pills with a few flutes of champagne, and I'm fine. A flight attendant walks up carrying a tray that has two glasses of champagne. ANNABETH Thank you, Lauren. Annabeth downs the first glass very quickly. LEO You realize it's a short flight? She looks at him for a moment and then drinks the second one slower than she did the first. CUT TO: INT. - OVAL OFFICE - DAY Bartlet is seated in one of the chairs while he is reading something. Debbie comes to the door and knocks. DEBBIE Sir? BARTLET Has the Speaker called back yet? DEBBIE No, sir. I think he's on to the fact that you're inviting him to the funeral where there's a fifty-fifty chance he'll wind up dead. BARTLET Coward. DEBBIE I wanted to remind you that the reception for new board members at the Kennedy Center will be in the lobby at 8:00 pm. BARTLET Fine. She turns to leave. BARTLET Have a seat. DEBBIE Sir? BARTLET Sit with me a minute. She sits down on the couch closest to Bartlet. BARTLET Who's performing tonight? DEBBIE Oh, the Vlassenko Septet will be playing Mozart. BARTLET Did you know that Mozart's father believed his son to be a miracle from God? He was so convinced of this that he forced young Wolfgang to play all over Europe. His father felt it was his duty, in a world where no one believed in miracles anymore, to show them God's latest. Nancy comes in. NANCY Mr. McGarry's on the line for the President. Bartlet gets up to go to his desk. BARTLET Tahnk you. DEBBIE And how did young Wolfgang feel about being hauled around like a trained monkey? BARTLET It pretty much screwed him up for life. Bartlet picks up the phone and Debbie leaves. BARTLET Leo. LEO [VO] Mr. President. BARTLET When do you get in? LEO [VO] About an hour. BARTLET Really? Things must be slow on the campaign trail. LEO [VO] Mr. President, I've been served a subpoena to appear before Congress. CUT TO: INT. - SENATE HEARING ROOM - DAY Margaret is still testifying before the committee. Dresden is asking questions. DRESDEN At 7:23 on the morning of June 20th, Ms. Cregg called Mr. Brock on his cell phone. MARGARET Yes, sir. DRESDEN Were you on that call? MARGARET I don't believe I was. DRESDEN You don't believe you were? MARGARET No, because my first recollection of learning of this call was from Ms. Cregg. DRESDEN So you connected the call, but you did not monitor its content? MARGARET I don't believe I connected that call. DRESDEN Categorically, can you say that...? MARGARET That is my best recollection. DRESDEN So what're saying, that your best recollection is that you don't remember whether you connected that call or not? MARGARET My best recollection is that I did not connect that particular call. DRESDEN On the afternoon of the 29th, you received a call from Mr. Leo McGarry at 4:23 pm? MARGARET Yes. DRESDEN He was calling from his cell phone to discuss the New York Times' leak article with C.J. Cregg? MARGARET Yes, sir. He looks at her as though he has tricked her into saying what he wanted to hear. FADE OUT. END ACT TWO. * * * ACT THREE FADE IN: INT. - C.J.'S OFFICE - DAY C.J. is lying on the couch. She sits up. She looks up to try to find the time. She gets up and goes to the door to Margaret's office. She finds neither Charlie nor Margaret there. She leaves the door open as she goes to her windows to open the shades. When she does, she sees Mr. Frost's reflection in the window. She jumps in fright. FROST Ms. Cregg. C.J. You scared me. FROST Charles Frost; we met once at the Agency. C.J. You've been calling me. FROST I have information concerning the assassination of Chairman Farad. It's extremely sensitive. May I sit? C.J. You briefed Arnold Vinick? FROST I need five minutes with the President. C.J. No problem. FROST The assassination of Chairman Farad is not what they've been telling you. C.J. And what have they been telling me? FROST That the assassin was a student extremist with pockets full of TATP; that he was an individual acting on his own; this was a carefully organized act and there are more coming. C.J. Did you take this through channels? FROST I have been attempting to for weeks but no one has been taking the larger threat seriously. C.J. What larger threat? FROST The assassination of Chairman Farad is linked to another assassination that will be carried out within the next few days and another that will be carried out in weeks to come. The next target will be in Kazakhstan. Rushon Issetov. C.J. The President. FROST The strongest leader in the region. No one here will care that he is gone but the future of Kazakhstan will be thrown into chaos. The third assassination will be the regional Vice President of UNOCAL. I just need five minutes. CUT TO: INT. - SCHOOL HALLWAY - DAY Santos is having his picture taken by several press photographers. Josh and Lou are talking. LOU This could be the beginning. We could do a big speech on faith and public values. He could offer himself up as the buckle on the bible belt. JOSH 15% of our base are secular voters. Ned walks up. NED Josh. Leo. He hands him a phone. Josh takes it and walks away a few steps. JOSH Hey. CUT TO: INT. - SANTOS PLANE - CONTINUOUS Leo is in his seat. He is on the phone, talking to Josh. LEO You reminded him to stay off the Old Testament? JOSH [VO] I'm trying. How are you guys doing? LEO Make sure he doesn't take questions from the press. JOSH [VO] Yeah, I'm on it. We see that Annabeth is leaned over in her chair asleep. She has her head on a pillow and she is holding Leo's free hand with both of hers. LEO How's the rest of the day look? JOSH [VO] Same as always; photo op followed by round table followed by photo op. LEO Have you told the Congressman yet? JOSH [VO] I haven't had the chance. CUT TO: INT. - SCHOOL HALL - CONTINUOUS JOSH [cont.] Did you call the President? LEO [VO] I did. JOSH What'd he say? Ronna walks up behind Josh. LEO [VO] What do you think? CUT TO: INT. - SANTOS PLANE - CONTINUOUS LEO I'll call you after? CUT TO: INT. - SCHOOL HALL - CONTINUOUS RONNA The round table's starting. JOSH Listen, I've got to... LEO Go. JOSH Yeah, come on. Josh closes the phone and he and Ronna walk over to the room where the round table is taking place. CUT TO: INT. - HALLWAY - WHITE HOUSE - DAY Toby and Kate are talking. TOBY Any update on the funeral? KATE What time do you brief? TOBY 5:00. KATE I'll let you know. TOBY I have some Farad remarks for the President to make at tonight's recital. KATE Great. TOBY I was wondering if maybe you needed to look at them. KATE No, I think anything that I would notice C.J. would notice. TOBY Sure. KATE What are you digging for? He shakes his head. TOBY How'd your testimony go? KATE It's been postponed. Apparently, Margaret's still up there. Toby walks off and Charlie joins Kate. CHARLIE You got my message? KATE Yeah, I was on my way to you. CHARLIE I'll let her know you're here. They have walked into Margaret's office. Charlie picks up the phone and calls C.J. CHARLIE Kate Harper. He hangs up the phone. CHARLIE You can go in. She walks into C.J.'s office. C.J. We need to talk. KATE I got the name of the analyst who briefed Vinick. C.J. Charles Frost. I just spent 20 minutes with him. KATE Here? C.J. He said some things. KATE I'm gonna have his ass. C.J. Why are analysts under your purview coming to me, independently...? KATE I apologize and I assure you I'm going to have his paranoid ass. C.J. Are we sending lunatics to brief the Republicans? KATE It won't happen again. C.J. He said there was going to be another assassination. KATE In Kazakhstan. C.J. President Issetov. He said it was related to Farad. KATE We have no intelligence to support that theory. C.J. I feel so much better. KATE Frost is a good analyst. He knows the region better than anyone but he's also wrong as often as he is right. C.J. Is he still briefing Vinick? KATE Not after what happened yesterday. Let me take care of this. She turns to leave. C.J. gets up from her couch and walks over to the desk. C.J. He also said some VP of UNOCAL was going to be assassinated. KATE Yeah. She walks out into Margaret's office to use the phone. Charlie walks in with a messenger who is holding a piece of paper. CHARLIE C.J., this just came over from the Counsel's office. C.J. What is it? CHARLIE I'm pretty sure it's a subpoena. The messenger walks over to her and hands her the piece of paper. CUT TO: INT. - CLASSROOM - DAY Santos is talking with a classroom full of parents and teachers. Josh and Lou are at the back of the room watching it. SANTOS We are in an information age and we have a school system that is practically a relic of the agrarian age. The best teachers will tell you themselves, we have to raise standards for teachers. We have to. We should pay them like professionals. And, yes, we should hold them to higher professional standards as well. Everyone in the audience applauds. Several people raise their hands. Santos points to a woman. She stands. ROCHELLE BANKS Congressman Santos, do you believe in the theory of Intelligent Design? SANTOS What's your name? BANKS Rochelle Banks. I teach 10th grade science here at the school. SANTOS Well, Rochelle, as a Catholic who attends church every Sunday I do believe in God and my faith tells me that there was a designer behind it. JOSH It's time for us to leave. LOU The school? JOSH The state. Santos picks out another person who stands. SANTOS Yes, sir. Uh, what's your name? CLIFFORD REYNOLDS Clifford Reynolds. I teach English here at Leonard. SANTOS Nice to meet you, Clifford. REYNOLDS Thanks. May I ask you if you believe in the theory of evolution? SANTOS Well, I think it'd be very difficult to teach geology, anthropology, and zoology without evolution, so yes, I do. I don't believe it's contradictory to believe in science and believe in God. REYNOLDS Do you believe that the theory of Intelligent Design and the Theory of Evolution should be taught alongside each other in the public schools? SANTOS Absolutely not. One is based on science, the other is based on faith. Intelligent Design is not a scientific theory, it's a religious belief. And our Constitution does not allow for the teaching of religion in our public schools. REYNOLDS Many of us here would be more comfortable if our children were taught all points of view. SANTOS And I'm all for that. Evolution is not perfect. It doesn't answer every question but it is based on scientific facts; facts that can be predicted, tested, and proven. Intelligent Design asks theological questions. I'm sure that many of us would agree that at the beginning of all that begat-ing, something begun. The people laugh. SANTOS What was that something? REYNOLDS Congressman Santos, many of us want a version of science taught to our kids that's in accordance with our beliefs. SANTOS I understand. But can't we agree that the inclusion of non-scientific explanations into the science curriculum of our schools misrepresents the nature of science? And therefore compromises a central purpose in our public education which is the preparation of a scientifically literate workforce. If you have a problem with your child's education, get involved. If you have a problem with what the School Board wants to teach, run for School Board. We can never forget that the best way to preserve our democracy is to take part in it. Thanks for your question. Thank you all. Josh looks stunned as the room stands to applaud. SANTOS Thank you. JOSH I'll be damned. We follow Santos as he walks out into the hallway where the press is waiting for him. REPORTER #1 Congressman, do you apologize for your comments about separation of church and state? REPORTER #2 Congressman, as a Catholic, do you advocate the teaching of Intelligent Design to children attending Catholic school? SANTOS Just because I'm talking about my faith doesn't mean I don't believe in the separation of church and state. REPORTER #1 Congressman Santos, do you believe Senator Vinick believes in Intelligent Design? SANTOS Well, I don't know. You'd have to ask him that. Santos heads off down a flight of stairs. Josh, Lou, Ronna, and Ned follow him. LOU Did what I think just happened just happen? JOSH Ted. NED My name is Ned. JOSH Where's the nearest TV? CUT TO: INT. - LOUNGE - DAY Josh, Lou, and Ned are watching Vinick, who is on TV talking to the press. VINICK As you know, the Supreme Court does not allow the teaching of religion in public schools. LOU Come on. VINICK This is a local responsibility, not a federal one. LOU You can do better than that. REPORTER [on TV] Senator, some of the Christian right are still looking for a reason to vote for you. Can you afford to keep alienating them? VINICK Thank you. He walks away from the podium. LOU Ouch. NED That's when Vinick's people jumped in and ended the Q&A. He turns off the TV. JOSH Ended the Q&A! Ronna walks in. RONNA Josh, Meet the Press just called. They want to bump Leo and open the show with Santos and his views on religion and education. And nightline called about Monday's segment. JOSH Where's the Congressman? He, Lou, and Ned follow Ronna out. FADE OUT. END ACT THREE. * * * ACT FOUR FADE IN: INT. - OVAL OFFICE - DAY Bartlet is on the phone with Haffley. C.J. comes in from her office. BARTLET Yes, Mr. Speaker. ... I appreciate the support. ... Thank you. He hangs up. He goes about signing some things on his desk. BARTLET The Speaker's in. C.J. We're close to having a full house on Air Force One. BARTLET Any word from the Russian ambassador whether Chigorin's coming? C.J. No, but you can corner him at tonight's recital. BARTLET Yeah. C.J. Wheels-up for the funeral is 9:00 am tomorrow. Agent Butterfield will be briefing you security issues on the plane. BARTLET Fine. C.J. Santos seems to have turned the tables on Vinick. BARTLET Yes. C.J. I understand Leo called. BARTLET Yeah. He gets up to leave. C.J. Thank you, sir. He leaves through one door, C.J. through another. CUT TO: INT. - SANTOS HQ - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Leo is seated in the conference room. A lawyer named Barry comes in and shakes Leo's hand. They sit. LEO Barry! BARRY Mr. Vice President! LEO Please. BARRY I can't tell you how comforted we all are by your presence on the ticket. Awful about Farad. LEO How do we protect ourselves from a guy dressed in dynamite? I appreciate your taking the time to come by. BARRY LEO I've been served a subpoena to appear before the Intelligence Committee investigating the White House leak. BARRY You could claim executive privilege. LEO I wasn't Chief of Staff when the leak occurred. BARRY But you were still working inside the White House? LEO Executive privilege isn't going to work. The President's has order all White House personnel to cooperate. BARRY So you were working inside the White House, without a title, with the individual who's now become the primary focus of a criminal investigation? LEO Yes. BARRY So a candidate for the Vice Presidency with a history of alcoholism and heart disease was working inside the White House when a major of national security occurred and is now going to be dropped off at the press-infested Hart building with his lawyer to testify before a Republican Congressional committee investigating a Democratic administration's failure to competently protect the Presidency. LEO Any way I can protect the Santos campaign? BARRY When do you go before the Committee? LEO Monday. BARRY Well, we can talk about protecting you, but as far as the Santos campaign is concerned: you are just a guy dressed in dynamite. CUT TO: INT. - OVAL OFFICE - DAY Bartlet is seated on one of the couches and he is reading something. Debbie knocks and opens the door. She shows Toby in. TOBY Thank you. You wanted to see me, Mr. President. BARTLET Toby, come on in. Debbie leaves and shuts the door. TOBY You read my draft? BARTLET I made a few changes but... have a seat. Toby sits down in a chair. TOBY Thank you, sir. What changes? Bartlet says nothing. TOBY Do we know more about the bomber? BARTLET He was a student. A 23-year-old from an upper-middle class family. When he wasn't at school he spent hours at the mosque studying and praying. TOBY Churchill said, "A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." BARTLET I pushed him. TOBY Farad? BARTLET Farad didn't think the peace would work. I pushed him into doing it. [pause] Leo called. He's coming to town to do the Sunday morning shows. He's also coming to see his attorney. It seems he's been served a subpoena to testify. TOBY Leo can't pull up to the Hart building in a limo. The Vice Presidential candidate can't testify. It'll be the end of the Santos campaign. BARTLET The investigation into the leak is focused on C.J. TOBY They've got it wrong. BARTLET Apparently, they don't see it that way. Debbie knocks and reenters. DEBBIE You need to dress for the recital, sir. BARTLET Thank you. TOBY Thank you, Mr. President. He gets up and leaves. CUT TO: INT. - SANTOS HQ - HALLWAY - DAY Leo comes out of the conference room and Annabeth is waiting for him. ANNABETH How'd it go? He doesn't answer but walks a bit past her before she starts walking with him. ANNABETH Try to get some sleep. The motorcade's going to pick you up at 7:00 am sharp at your hotel. Now, once you wrap it up with Russert you have a thirty minute window to get to Face the Nation followed by a sit-down with the Post. They have come to an elevator and Leo pushes the button. LEO Don't you ever get tired? ANNABETH No. LEO And how is that? ANNABETH I graduated cum laude with a degree in art history and if you'd have told me I'd end up here... The elevator dings and the door opens. ANNABETH [cont.] Let's just say I love my job. They get in the elevator. LEO What time is it? She hands him his watch as he pushes the button. ANNABETH Headed back to your hotel? LEO Yeah. It's been a day. ANNABETH Hmm. LEO What are you up to? ANNABETH Heading back to me apartment and a nice, hot bath. LEO You feel like dinner? ANNABETH I do, but... LEO We'll get a bite. It's early. ANNABETH Thanks, but no. There is an awkward silence. ANNABETH I just think it's better while we're spending so much time together that we try and keep our distance whenever possible. LEO Keep our distance? ANNABETH Because of the tension. She gets off and Leo looks confused. LEO What tension? CUT TO: INT. - LIMO - NIGHT Josh, Santos, and Lou are in the limo on their way to the last stump of the day. LOU Last education stump of the day, and then back to the hotel. I'll let you know when they're ready. The limo stops in front of the building. LOU I'll see you inside. Thank you. She grabs her things and gets out. SANTOS You want to talk? JOSH How you doing? SANTOS I'm good. Good. JOSH Joey Lucas called; said there might be some movement in the polls. All the Sunday morning shows are going to make Matt Santos' Education Week the elite political story. SANTOS Imagine that. JOSH We came here to talk about education, and we spent the whole day getting people to talk about education. SANTOS Sometimes a little religion helps the medicine go down. JOSH Leo got subpoenaed. SANTOS When does he appear? JOSH Monday. Lou opens the door for them to get out. LOU Okay, ready. Santos climbs out. CUT TO: INT. - SITUATION ROOM - NIGHT A few people are gathered around the table when C.J. comes in. She walks over to where Kate and Slattery are standing. C.J. The President will be leaving for Jerusalem first thing in the morning. SLATTERY Will Zahavy be attending the funeral? C.J. He's afraid his presence will provoke a reaction from the Palestinian hard-liners. Kate goes over to a map. C.J. follows her. KATE In preparation for the funeral, we're deploying more of our own peacekeeping troops as a precaution here and here. C.J. How long until they're in position? KATE The regional commander said six hours. She looks over as she is talking to Kate and notices something on one of the other boards. C.J. Any other activity? KATE No. The Israelis have halted there tanks for now. C.J. What's that? SLATTERY We have what appears to be another assassination. C.J. Kazakhstan. KATE Who? SLATTERY The President. Standard turmoil in the region. C.J. Issetov? He looks stunned that she knew it. SLATTERY That's right. C.J. I want you to tell me everything you can about the assassin as soon as you possible. Somebody get our ambassador to Kazakhstan and I want the region office to UNOCAL on the phone now. Kate moves to make the call. CUT TO: INT. - LOBBY - WHITE HOUSE - NIGHT Bartlet is speaking at the reception. BARTLET Before we recognize tonight's Kennedy Center Board, I'd like to take a moment. Chairman Farad was my friend. Together, with Israeli Prime Minister Zahavy, we pursued the challenge of a brave and just peace. Our goal was a better future for the children. But old enemies die hard and last night hatred and fear took our friend in a senseless act of cowardice. How then should we respond to such violence and despair? I know that Chairman Farad would want us to take a moment to remember those innocent victims who perished with him. They were seven students studying at universities in Jerusalem. And their names are: Salim Saida, age 19, Palestinian; Akiva Eshkol, age 23, Israeli... CUT TO: INT. - CLASSROOM - NIGHT Santos is speaking to a group of young musicians and there is press and parents behind them. SANTOS To be a person of faith is to have the world challenge that faith. Was the universe designed by God? That's up to everyone in this country to decide for themselves because the framers of our Constitution believed that if the people were to be sovereign and belong to different religions at the same time then our official religion would have to be no religion at all. It was a bold experiment then, as it is now. It wasn't meant to make us comfortable. It was meant to make us free. CUT TO: INT. - LOBBY - WHITE HOUSE - NIGHT We hear the performers begin to play. CUT TO: INT. - CLASSROOM - NIGHT Santos is watching the young musicians play. CUT TO: INT. - LOBBY - WHITE HOUSE - NIGHT The elder, more experienced performers are playing. A contrast can be made between the older players playing in the White House and the younger, less experienced players in the classroom. CUT TO: INT. - HALLWAY - WHITE HOUSE - NIGHT We see Margaret walking down the hallway toward her office. She walks in and sets her purse down just as Kate walks in to talk to C.J. She goes into the office where C.J. is waiting. C.J. You got anything? KATE Nothing new. C.J. Have you talked to Agent Frost? KATE He's... no one's been able to track him down. C.J. He's missing? KATE I can't say that yet. He'll turn up by morning. C.J. You should go home. KATE We both should. C.J. I'm leaving soon. KATE I'll let you know if anything happens. She walks out and Toby walks in. C.J. Good evening. You would not believe the day I've had. I'd tell you about it if I could talk about it, but a bunch of stuff happened today that I can't talk about so I guess I should stop talking about it. She walks out into Margaret's office and hands a folder to Margaret. She seems surprised that Margaret is back. She walks back into her office. C.J. But the truth is I'm so strung out and wired on caffeine I can't even tell what room I'm in. TOBY C.J. She gets up and closes the doors. C.J. Let's open that bottle of champagne you gave me for my birthday. Maybe the alcohol will balance out the caffeine. TOBY C.J., the leak... She gets a bottle of champagne and two glasses out of her closet. She brings them over to her desk. C.J. Let's have a toast. One final toast before I leave the White House for my perp walk in leg irons. Here, you open it. I'll put your eye out. TOBY C.J. C.J. Fine, I'll open it. But just, uh, listen to what I have to say. Leo's in trouble. TOBY I know. C.J. You do? TOBY I got a lawyer. He comes and sits down next to her. C.J. What? TOBY I got a lawyer. She looks up as though she knows what he is going to say. He clears his throat. TOBY I did it. We see a close up shot of both their faces as they look at each other. DISSOLVE TO: END TITLES. FADE TO BLACK. THE END. * * * The West Wing episode 7.04 "Mr. Frost", original air date 16 October, 2005.