THE WEST WING 5X02 - "THE DOGS OF WAR" WRITTEN BY JOHN WELLS DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER MISIANO TRANSCRIBED BY SOUNDMAN FOR TWIZ TV.COM. SEND FEEDBACK TO sparticus1611@hotmail.com. TEASER FADE IN: EXT. - PARKING GARAGE - NIGHT SUNDAY 11:34 PM A car is driving through a parking garage. After a few turns, it parks and LEO gets out. He walks over to another parked car where ANGELA BLAKE is waiting. ANGELA BLAKE I'm not unwittingly participating in the commission of a felony, am I? LEO How was your flight down from New York? BLAKE Mercifully short. LEO Sorry about the Foggy Bottom theatrics. BLAKE No, it takes me back to the illicit affairs of my misspent youth. LEO So, where are we? BLAKE Tomorrow's New York Times CNN poll has his approval rating up to 76%. LEO And in ten days? BLAKE His numbers are gonna crater. Not level off, crater, like a failed Mars probe. Today it's, "He lost his daughter. What a shame. We're pulling for him." and in two weeks, it'll be, "I don't want a President I have to pull for." LEO He did what was constitutionally appropriate. He upheld his oath. BLAKE If you want a constitutional debate, you should call the Dean of Columbian Law. Our guy quit when things got tough. Josh must be going nuts. LEO He thinks we need to put a poll in the field. BLAKE White House can't be caught putting a poll in the field. [pause] Okay. I'll call you when it's done. We need photos, Bartlet on the phone with world leaders, conferring with military advisors, looking resolute. LEO He won't do it. BLAKE You've been a good friend to him, Leo, but you have other responsibilities. The people need to believe that when he comes back he'll be able to govern effectively, even if he can't secure the safety of his own family. They need to know he's willing to sacrifice his own child's life for his country. LEO Would you be? BLAKE I wasn't stupid enough to run for President. Leo turns to leave and heads back to his own car. BLAKE Leo? He turns. BLAKE If she dies, his approval ratings will go through the roof. SMASH CUT TO: MAIN TITLES. END TEASER. * * * ACT ONE FADE IN: INT: LEO'S OFFICE - DAY MONDAY 6:00 AM HOUR 30 We see Leo sitting in his chair facing the window. He is teary-eyed but only slightly startled when Margaret opens the door and comes in. MARGARET Secretary Berryhill's here. LEO Two minutes, then bring in the Ambassador. Margaret returns to the door and indicates for SECRETARY OF STATE LEWIS BERRYHILL to come in. He does. LEO Good morning, Lou. BERRYHILL Leo. LEO You've been briefed? BERRYHILL When does it start? LEO I'm just waiting for word from Fitzwallace. BERRYHILL Doesn't it remind you a little of the Japanese on December 7th? LEO You wanted us to warn them we were coming so they could shoot back at us? BERRYHILL I didn't want us to do it in the first place. Margaret knocks on the door and shows in the QUMARI AMBASSADOR UMAR USEF. LEO Mr. Ambassador. Thank you for coming so early. He and Leo shake hands. USEF Thank you. LEO You know the Secretary of State. USEF Yes. He and Berryhill shake hands. BERRYHILL Good morning. Leo indicates for them to sit. LEO Please. They all sit around Leo's desk. USEF I want to express the Crown Princes outrage at the brutal assassination of his cousin and his sadness with the events of the last days. Please extend our sympathies to the President Bartlet and his family, and let him know that the prayers of all Qumaris are with him. LEO Oh, I don't think all Qumaris. USEF If any of our citizens are involved in this tragedy, I can assure you, we will do everything within our power to bring them to justice. LEO Including the mullahs? USEF If the United States has sufficient evidence to implicate... LEO Your government actively supports the Bahji. In addition to stoning adulterers and banning anything written after and including the Guttenberg Bible, they preach the overthrow of our government and violence against our citizens. USEF We are an Islamic nation. Our kingdom depends on the support of the Imam... LEO You allow Kazir training camps to operate within your borders... USEF We allow Kazir religious schools... LEO ...and you support radical fundamentalism throughout the Muslim world. USEF You don't have Christian missionaries trying to convert our youth? LEO Not government sponsored missionaries with explosives, manuals, and weapons training. Margaret knocks on the door, enters, and hands Leo a note. MARGARET Excuse me. BERRYHILL Mr. Ambassador, you can't expect us to stand idly by while so many of your citizens are intent on murdering our citizens. USEF It is difficult to listen to you characterize the assassination of a member of our royal family as standing idly by. LEO [standing up] We're bombing the Kazir training camps in Tamir and Lani. USEF When? LEO Now. And we're following it up with ground forces to detain and interrogate any suspected terrorists. USEF Thank you for informing us in such a timely manner. [leaving] We are one of the only friendly governments you have left in the region that is growing younger, poorer, and more radical every day. If you undermine us, who do you think will take our place? Please tell the President that I have a daughter, too. He leaves the office. CUT TO: INT. - WHITE HOUSE - STAFF LOUNGE - DAY We here a phone start ringing and we see that Josh is asleep on the couch in the staff lounge. He wakes up and grabs the phone. He opens and groggily answers it. JOSH Hello...No, I'm awake....I, uh, already read the papers, showered. I'm in the office. Can you hang on for one sec? He bends down, puts the phone on the table, and puts his shoes on. He sits, up, rubs his eyes, and then runs his hands through his hair several times. He picks the phone up again. JOSH Hey...No really, I already went for a run. He gets up and opens the door and we see Amy Gardner standing in front of the door talking on her cell phone, obviously to Josh. AMY [into phone] Nice track suit. They both hang up as she comes inside. AMY Could have said I woke you. I wouldn't have thought less of you. JOSH Sleeping is...I don't know, lacks a certain masculine...something. AMY Your virility is tied to exhaustion? JOSH You want coffee? He looks over and sees her pulling a coffee cup out of her bag. JOSH You brought coffee. AMY It's been awhile but I don't remember fatigue improving... JOSH You hungry? You want to head down to the mess, grab a... She pulls out a wrapped bagel. JOSH [cont.] ...couple bagels. You got a shower and a freshly ironed shirt in there? They both sit at the table. Josh grabs his coffee cup. JOSH Black? AMY That soy chai, or whatever you drink is affecting your already addled brain. She turns to see the TV that Josh is staring at. AMY Would you stop staring at the TV? JOSH Anything new on Zoey? AMY No. [pause] How long have you been in here? JOSH I don't know, since about 3:00. AMY Did you see the morning papers? We have a new Speaker. She shows him the paper. The Headline reads "HAFFLEY SEIZES THE HOUSE". JOSH Oh, God, Haffley? He'll be passing out pelts and slabs of bison in the cloakroom. AMY Roll Call has the GOP leadership resuming its committee schedule tomorrow whether Zoey's back or not. JOSH Aside from adding to our nation's greenhouse gas problem those committee hearings are meaningless. AMY Word on the street is, Atwood has Walken meeting with Republicans today without any Democrats. JOSH Yeah, they were over last night, too. ABBEY Were any of you there? Well they weren't talking site selection for the Republican National Convention. JOSH Damn it, Haffley? AMY They're gonna start legislating again, Josh. Partial birth, federal funding for family planning clinics... JOSH Walken does anything by executive order, we overturn it as soon as we get back. AMY A cheering thought to the women who's lives are ruined in the meantime. Do you even know when you'll be back? JOSH Not exactly. Damn it. AMY If Walken's holding partisan pep rallies in the West Wing, leak it. Her beeper starts going off. She picks it up while still talking to Josh. AMY Embarrass Atwood into backing off. [looking at her beeper] Oh, God. CUT TO: INT. - GEORGE WASHINGTON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - MATERNITY WARD - DAY We see Toby and Andy sitting in one corner of the lobby each with a twin in their arms. ANDY Hey. You look good with a baby in your arms. TOBY Actually, my arm's asleep. He gets up and starts walking with the baby still in his arms. ANDY I'm sorry about what I said on Saturday. It's a beautiful house. TOBY I want you to have it. ANDY No. TOBY For our kids. ANDY I can't. TOBY Well, I don't want it. ANDY Toby... TOBY You can't live in a one-bedroom condo with twins. ANDY I found a house on D Street. It's a three-minute walk to the Rayburn Building. [pause] Has something happened? They notice the news report on the television. Toby walks over, still carrying Huck in his arms, and we see that C.J. is giving a briefing. C.J. At approximately 11:10 Zulu time this morning, 12 F-14B Tomcats and 8 F-A18E Super Hornets flying off the U.S.S. George Washington in the Persian Gulf, bombed three strategic targets in Qumar. CUT TO: INT. - BRIEFING ROOM - CONTINUOUS C.J. is briefing the press. C.J. American intelligence confirmed that each of the sites was a Kazir terrorist training camp. President Walken ordered the attack yesterday evening and he was notified... CUT TO: INT. - RESIDENCE - CONTINUOUS Bartlet, Abbey, Ellie and Liz are watching the briefing on TV. C.J. [cont.] ...at 6:30 this morning that all 20 planes had successfully completed their missions and were on their way back to the George Washington. President Bartlet was notified after the mission was completed. He was in the White House Residence with Mrs. Bartlet where he will remain throughout the day... CUT TO: INT. - SITUATION ROOM - CONTINUOUS Several people, including Leo, Walken, and Fitzwallace, are in the room going over stuff after the bombing. C.J.'s briefing can be heard in the background. C.J. [cont.] ...tracking progress on the investigation of his daughter's disappearance. Mark? MARK Qumar is an American ally. Are they participating or assisting in this bombing campaign in any way? C.J. Ambassador Umar Usef was informed of the mission this morning but the Qumaris are not participating. Steve? CUT TO: INT. - RESIDENCE - CONTINUOUS STEVE Is there concern that the bombing may force the kidnappers to kill or in any way harm Zoey Bartlet? C.J. I don't speak on there behalf so I can't say what they will or won't do. Bob? Abbey gets up, tearfully, and leaves the room. Liz gets up and follows her. BOB Has there been any indication of resistance or retaliation from the Qumari people? C.J. No, not as of this time... Bartlet shuts off the TV. Ellie finally gets up and leaves as well, leaving Bartlet by himself. FADE OUT. END ACT ONE * * * ACT TWO FADE IN: INT. - JOSH'S BULLPEN AREA -DAY MONDAY 7:30AM HOUR 32 Josh walks up to Donna in her cubicle. JOSH You see? DONNA Yeah, I saw. You have 132 phone messages. JOSH Half of them want me to switch my long-distance carrier. DONNA There'd be at least as many faxes if we had a fax. JOSH We don't have a fax? DONNA The FBI boosted it for evidence. JOSH Okay, so we're not gonna return all of those. See if Leo's around, would you? Josh walks into his office and sees his new intern, RYAN PIERCE, sitting in a chair in front of his desk. JOSH Hi. RYAN PIERCE Hi. Josh looks at him for a minute and then walks back out. Donna is dialing her phone. JOSH There's that guy in my office. DONNA That's Ryan. Says he works for you. Did you forget to tell me something? JOSH He said he works for me? DONNA That's what his pass says, too. Josh walks back into his office. He shakes Ryan's hand as he comes around his desk. JOSH Hi. Josh Lyman. RYAN Ryan Pierce. I didn't know if I should come in, what with everything that's going on. JOSH Yeah, it's been pretty crazy here. RYAN I figured if there was a problem, somebody would have called or... JOSH Okay, who are you? RYAN Ryan Pierce. JOSH Right, no, I got that part. I mean, who are you? RYAN Leo didn't tell you? JOSH Leo McGarry. Wait here. He leaves his office and heads toward Leo's office. DONNA Leo's in his office. Am I being passed over? JOSH What? DONNA If your going to bring someone in over me, you can at least have the common courtesy... JOSH I don't even know who that guy is. He sees C.J. as he is going through the hall. JOSH C.J., you get the felling that we don't know what the hell's going on around here anymore? C.J. What? JOSH You hear anything about Steve Atwood trying to push a legislative agenda while Walken's in the Oval? C.J. No. JOSH Okay. He walks through the Communications office and into Toby's office. He begins monologue-ing to Toby, who stares at him while he does. JOSH Word is, the Republicans are coming back over today. Is Leo invited? Are you? I think they're planning to start legislating. Partial birth, school vouchers, maybe even Anwar. They've got the votes on the Hill, the only reason they haven't moved on Medicare again is because they know we'd veto. TOBY Did you get any sleep last night? Will walks in. WILL Haffley. Can you believe it? TOBY We can filibuster in the Senate. JOSH Not on partial birth or tax cuts. WILL What are we talking about? JOSH Getting our asses kicked. TOBY You going to Leo? Wait for me. As he's walking out of his office, he hands Will a writing pad. TOBY Will you read this. I'll be right back, okay? JOSH A once-in-a-lifetime chance to slam dunk your agenda and solidify your base? Plus, Walken's going to ride off into the sunset as the presumptive Republican nominee. You think Atwood wouldn't love to cinch that with partial birth? They walk through the Roosevelt Room and into Margaret's office. TOBY Three new Supreme Court Justices? A few new weapons systems? JOSH Ah, I'm not being paranoid. [to Margaret] Is he in there? With out waiting for her to answer, Josh goes to the door of Leo's office and knocks on the frame. JOSH You got a minute? LEO Not really. JOSH Rumor is the Republicans are going to start legislating. Pick issues where we can't sustain a filibuster and ram 'em through. LEO They won't. JOSH They're meeting secretly again to today. LEO It wasn't secret yesterday. They were in the Roosevelt Room. JOSH To plot a strategy. LEO This isn't the grassy knoll, Josh. Walken isn't going to take the offer... JOSH You've asked him? LEO [to Toby] You been drinking his Kool-Aid? JOSH We need to leak it to the press. The GOP are using the cover of a national crisis to impose a radical right-wing agenda. Leo turns to walk back to his desk. LEO Josh... JOSH The President needs to sign the second letter and take his office back. Then we nominate a strong VP. Once he's confirmed, if the President still needs to recuse himself, he can step aside. LEO Go through all this again? JOSH Please, we should at least take it to the pre... Leo has obviously had it listening to Josh ramble on. LEO Damn it, Josh! The man's child is missing, probably dead. He doesn't give a damn about politics right now. Leo again turns to leave his office. JOSH That's why we have to. LEO Where are we on the Vice President? JOSH I'm...working... LEO I want three names on my desk by 7 am tomorrow. Josh turns to leave, but turns back. LEO Toby? JOSH Leo. LEO I swear to God, Josh, if you... JOSH No, it's not about that. There's a guy in my office, says he works for me, knows you. Ryan... LEO Ryan Pierce, right. He's your new intern. JOSH I thought we decided I wasn't going to have to have interns anymore? LEO No, you decided. Margaret walks to the door and waits to speak to Leo. JOSH All right. Pierce is...? Is he a Pierce Pierce? LEO Yeah. Josh turns and leaves the office. MARGARET They're ready for you. LEO Okay. Leo heads out of his office and Toby goes with. They walk to the door of the Outer Oval Office as they talk. TOBY I know it's kind of crazy, but Josh may not be wrong about... LEO We did this to ourselves. Now we have to live with it. TOBY They're bombing Qumar? LEO We're bombing Qumar. How are you and Will coming on the speeches? TOBY We've started working. LEO The second one, for if Zoey doesn't...I don't want the President to know I ever asked you to... TOBY Yeah. No, of course. Hell, if I could even figure out how to write it. How's he doing? LEO Not so good. TOBY He knows if there's anything... LEO He knows. Leo turns and walks into the outer office. CUT TO: INT. - WILL'S OFFICE - DAY Will is at his desk reading and editing the speech that Toby gave him. The TV is on, but the volume is too low to understand what is being said. Through the window, we see Toby walking through the Communications bullpen. He walks into Will's office and over to his desk. He looks over at the TV. TOBY What's that? WILL Congress. TOBY What are they doing outside? WILL Praying for Zoey. TOBY So...what? Will reads from the pad he has been writing on. WILL [reading] 'Today we affirm this solemn truth, America is the strongest force for freedom the world has ever kno...' So strong, you can trigger a constitutional crisis by dosing the First Daughter's vodka gimlet. TOBY Give it back. WILL 'Anyone who dares invade the sanctity of America's house will be caught, prosecuted, and punished with all of America's might.' Meaning what, exactly? We're going to bomb their prison cells? You're treating Zoey like an abstraction. It needs to be a man, humbly supplicating himself... TOBY Supplicating? He's not going to stand in front of the cameras and rub gravel through his hair. We need a tone of defiant leadership, a return to Commander-in-Chief. What's the alternative? Admitting he was off licking his wounds, but now he's ready to come back and take the nuclear launch codes? Will hands him the paper he has been writing on. WILL I was just trying a few... Toby takes it and looks at it. TOBY [reading] 'I thank the Lord that Zoey is back in her mother's arms, yet our nation still grieves.' WILL Well, it's a new and difficult time. He needs to acknowledge that we've all been visited by our own mortality. TOBY 'I know I am not alone in think how fragile is the safety and security we all take for granted.' Your leading with failure. What kind of message is that? If we go two lines without using the phrase 'unimaginably large military arsenal', we're out of our minds. WILL You want me to start on the second one? TOBY You're already doing it. CUT TO: INT. - OVAL OFFICE - DAY President Walken is meeting with several people including Leo, Secretary Berryhill, Admiral Fitzwallace, Agent Casper, and Steve Atwood. H The Qumari have not issued a statement, yet. I'm sure they're trying to shape an appropriate response somewhere between a hunger strike and declaring war. MAN Good luck. WALKEN No writing yet on other Arab capitals? BERRYHILL It's early yet. LEO What about the UN? BERRYHILL China's onboard, but Syria is currently on the Security Counsel. They will need hand-holding. I'll go up this afternoon. WALKEN Admiral. FITZWALLACE C1-41s will have the entire regiment on the ground in about six hours. LEO Any casualties? FITZWALLACE A Marine CH-53 transport helicopter was hit by enemy RPG fire, leaving the landing zone a few minutes ago. Walken looks devastated at the news. FITZWALLACE Two pilots and four crew members are KIA. WALKEN Agent Casper? CASPER Still no communications from the kidnappers. We have detained and interrogated 51 members of the mosque the suspects had been attending. BERRYHILL The Saudis have agreed to assist us in interviewing the suspects' families in Saudi Arabia. CASPER They are not going to allow us to conduct the interrogations, be we can have someone present. STEVE It's better that they do it, anyway. BERRYHILL Why is that, Mr. Atwood? STEVE They're not as squeamish. LEO What about the five Bahji sleepers up in Portland? CASPER No. Nothing. A secretary knocks on and opens the door. She comes in and speaks to the President. SECRETARY Excuse me, Mr. President. Mr. Steinholtz is here. WALKEN Thank you, everybody. They all get up and leave except for Steve and Leo. Walken gets up and goes behind his desk. WALKEN Deficit projections don't look great. We're gonna need a stimulus package. LEO Or revenue enhancements. WALKEN Significant tax cuts. Reduction in discretionary spending. You have something on your mind, Leo? LEO So, now what? WALKEN You have a suggestion? LEO This office isn't always about doing something. Most of the time it's about not doing something. WALKEN Steve, give us a minute. Steve leaves. WALKEN What's your point? LEO You're meeting with Republican leadership again without any Democrats or Cabinet members present? WALKEN What are you accusing us of? LEO You weren't elected to this office. WALKEN Neither were you! LEO I have a responsibility to President Bartlet and... WALKEN Don't lecture me about the responsibilities of this office! LEO Then start acting like you understand them! WALKEN If you're uncomfortable serving as my Chief of Staff, Leo, then feel free to recuse yourself until I'm gone. LEO Thank you, sir. He walks away, into his office, and shuts the door. CUT TO: INT. - RESIDENCE - HALLWAY - DAY Leo is walking down the hallway toward the residence. He walk through the doors, past Charlie, and into the next room. BARTLET We started this, Leo. LEO This isn't about Shareef. BARTLET You're right; it's not. It's about our allowing situations in these countries to develop in the first place. LEO I'm not gonna let you do this. BARTLET We choose the order and certainty of petty desperates over the uncertainty and chaos of developing democracies. LEO Shareef ordered the assassination of women and children. He wasn't a nationalist or a fledgling Democrat. He was a cold-blooded murderer. BARTLET Six more American boys are dead. LEO And that doesn't make you angry? BARTLET [yelling] Of course that makes me angry! [pause] "The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral. Returning violence with violence only multiplies violence, add deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars." LEO Dr. King. BARTLET I'm part of that darkness now, Leo. When did that happen? LEO Dr. King wasn't wrong. He just didn't have your job. FADE OUT. END ACT TWO * * * ACT THREE FADE IN: INT. - JOSH'S OFFICE - DAY MONDAY 3:30 PM HOUR 39 Josh is sitting at his desk working on the VP. There is a bulletin board with several pictures tacked to it. Ryan is sitting across from Josh. RYAN Need any help? JOSH No. Ryan gets up and goes to the wall to look at Josh's stuff. RYAN Harvard, huh? JOSH Yeah. RYAN Cum laude. JOSH Don't be too impressed with that. Harvard gives those out like paper place mats. Summa's the hard one. I knew one person that got summa that year. She was my girlfriend. [pause] Where'd you go? RYAN Go? JOSH Uh, you graduated from college, right? RYAN Yeah...uh, Harvard. Donna walks in with some stuff in her hands. DONNA Josh, the vetting files on the... RYAN My dad went there, too, my sister...my Uncle Bunky. DONNA Bunky? RYAN Yeah. Ridiculous, huh? C.J. walks in with stuff in her arms. C.J. Atwood gave a quote to the Times. DONNA You're a Pierce? Pierce Bedroom in the Residence. That's you? RYAN My great-great-grandfather. JOSH Has Toby seen this? C.J. Found you first. C.J. turns to leave. Josh gets up after her. DONNA What's it say? Josh hands it to her as they walk toward Toby's office. RYAN [to Josh] Hey, you know a Elliot Cabot? He would have been there around your time. JOSH No, I don't think so. RYAN I knew his little sister, Perrin, pretty well in fact. JOSH Yeah, I'll bet you did. RYAN You know Hamilton Pew? Ham Pew? DONNA I don't get it. They walk through the Communications bullpen and to Toby's office. JOSH Where's Toby? BONNIE He went down to the mess. RYAN Ham's squash team was eight-and-0 in '89. All Ivy three years in a row. JOSH I wasn't much into squash. I was more of a Crimson guy. DONNA Crimson? JOSH The Campus newspaper. RYAN Yeah, that figures. JOSH What's that supposed to mean? RYAN Nothing. That's great. JOSH Are you implying that I didn't have a social life? RYAN You said you had a girlfriend, right? JOSH I had a lot of girlfriends. DONNA Really? RYAN You guys always walk so fast? He suddenly trips and falls. JOSH Yes. RYAN [getting up] I'm okay. JOSH Where'd you spend your free time, one of those finals clubs? Oh, let me guess, the Spee? Tasty Pudding? RYAN Pudding is not technically a final. They reach the mess and Josh spots Toby. JOSH Toby. Steve Atwood in the Times. It's already on the website. [to Ryan] It's perfect; you're one of those guys who used to harass me on the way to the library on Friday nights, drunk out of your minds, wearing those ridiculous red chinos. Toby sets the food tray he had in his hand down as he and Josh leave the mess. TOBY You and me. CUT TO: INT. - OUTER OVAL OFFICE - DAY A messenger comes in and hands an envelope to Debbie. DEBBIE Thanks. She opens it and sees what's inside. She gets up and goes to the door of the Oval Office. She knocks on the door and enters. Walken is on the phone. WALKEN Your son's sacrifice for his country, for the safety and security of us all, will not soon be forgotten, sir. ...I-I appreciate that, sir. You and your family will be in our prayers tonight. ...Thank you, sir. He hangs up the phone and pauses before speaking to Debbie. WALKEN How many more? She lays the file she got down on his desk. DEBBIE Two. WALKEN When do I get to the fun part of being President, Debbie? DEBBIE The fun part, sir? WALKEN Yeah. Flying around on Air Force One, getting a good tee time at the Hilton Head. DEBBIE I doubt you'll have much trouble getting good tee time, sir. WALKEN This is a weird-looking room. DEBBIE Truman called it the crown-jewel of the federal penal system. WALKEN You a Truman fan? DEBBIE Yes, sir. WALKEN Me, too. DEBBIE I would have taken you for an Eisenhower man, sir. WALKEN If Truman were alive today, he'd be a Republican. DEBBIE Oh, I doubt that very much. WALKEN You know, it's funny. This was never an ambition of mine. I never wanted to be President of the United States. DEBBIE Neither did Mr. Truman. [pause] I'll start another call, sir? He nods. WALKEN Thank you. Debbie turns and goes back into her office. Walken clears his throat as he picks up the file from his desk. CUT TO: INT. - WHITE HOUSE - HALLWAY - DAY Steve Atwood has left the Roosevelt Room and is walking through the hallway. Josh spots him and follows him into the bathroom. CUT TO: INT. - MEN'S RESTROOM - CONTINUOUS Atwood is standing at a urinal when Josh comes in. Josh looks around to see that no one else is in there. He walks over to the sink and begins reading from a piece of paper in his hand. JOSH [reading] 'This isn't about partisan politics. It's about what's best for the country. However long this crisis lasts we're fortunate to have President Walken here to lead us." That's a great quote. STEVE Thanks. JOSH "However long this crisis lasts..." That's a nice...turn of phrase. Of course, a more accurate description of that period of time would be "Till President Bartlet signs the second letter and boots Walken's fat ass out of our White House." STEVE What the hell are you going on about? JOSH You're campaigning in the middle of a national tragedy. Zoey Bartlet's out in the field, breathing through a straw; you're test driving sound bites for the next election? Straight answer, Steve, once in your life. What are you guys up to? Closed-door meetings, planting quotes in the Times... What's next? Spontaneous speeches on the House floor questioning President Bartlet's fitness to lead? STEVE You don't get it, do you? Republicans are in awe of Bartlet. He recused himself in the only way he could. In the way envisioned by the Constitution. JOSH None of the framers were afraid of the President's daughter being kidnapped at musket-point. STEVE The whole notion of the 25th Amendment is that the institution matters more than the man. Bartlet's decision was even more self-sacrificing because he willingly gave power to his opposition. JOSH The institution may matter more, but it's your guy protecting it, not ours. STEVE A truly self-sacrificing act usually involves some sacrifice. JOSH So now you're goin to nail us to the cross? STEVE No. You beat the terrorists at their own game. We're not stupid, Josh. We try to use this to our advantage, it'll blow up in our faces. We'd seem callous and unfeeling, in contrast to Bartlet's extraordinary gesture of courage and patriotism. And anyone who thinks otherwise, has a particularly craven way of looking at politics. He walks out of the restroom, leaving Josh alone. Josh leaves the restroom, and when he does he finds people hurrying through the hallways. He runs around the corner and into C.J.'s office. C.J., Carol, and two other people are in there watching the TV. JOSH What happened? C.J. Al Jazeera has a tape of Zoey. CUT TO: INT. - SITUATION ROOM - CONTINUOUS Walken, Leo, Casper, and a translator are standing around the TV watching the broadcast. CASPER They first broadcast it four minutes ago. WALKEN What's he saying? TRANSLATOR He's claiming responsibility for the kidnapping, in the name of the Bahji and Solomon de Mahmoud. WALKEN Who is that? CASPER One of the terrorists they want released from prison in Pakistan. WALKEN What-what is that she's holding? CASPER This morning's USA Today. TRANSLATOR They are again demanding the prisoners in Pakistan be released. WALKEN Is she even conscious? She looks drugged. FITZWALLACE Why is the quality so bad? CASPER We think it's a digital photograph, e-mailed to al Jazeera, probably over a modem. WALKEN We're sure that's her? LEO It's her. What else is he saying? TRANSLATOR He is denouncing the United States, The Kingdom of Qumar, and our attack on holy Moslem lands. And he says that if every American soldier is not out of Qumar in 24 hours, they are going to shoot her. FADE OUT. END ACT THREE * * * ACT FOUR FADE IN: EXT. - WHITE HOUSE - NIGHT TUESDAY 1:30 AM HOUR 50 CUT TO: INT. - WHITE HOUSE - ENTRANCE - CONTINUOUS Bartlet is walking through the hall of the White House. He has several Secret Service Agents accompanying him. He walks past the Communications bullpen window and sees Toby walk into his office. He walks into the Communications bullpen and into Toby's office. A man seated a desk out side Toby's office stands when he sees the President. Toby is just about to sit down when Bartlet walks in. BARTLET Toby. Toby stands back up. BARTLET I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. TOBY No, no, sir. I'm just surprised to see you down here, Mr. President. BARTLET They haven't revoked my pass yet. Please, sit. Toby does. TOBY Is there anything I can do for you, sir, anything? BARTLET Do you have a cigarette? Abbey doesn't let me smoke in the Residence. I usually keep a pack hidden in the office. TOBY I probably have a couple of cigars. He gets up to get them. BARTLET No, thanks. I just thought somebody on your staff... He walks around the room looking at different stuff. BARTLET What are you working on? TOBY The speech for when you come back. BARTLET How's it coming? TOBY Fine. Tough. BARTLET Mind if I have a look? Toby hands him the pad. Bartlet begins reading it. TOBY It's not finished yet. BARTLET That's fine. TOBY I'm still working on the ending. Bartlet continues to read the speech. BARTLET Where's the other one? TOBY What other one? BARTLET The other speech. TOBY We only wrote one. Bartlet stares at Toby for a second before Toby grabs the other speech off of his desk and hands it to Bartlet. Bartlet takes it and begins reading it. BARTLET You write this? TOBY No. Will. Bartlet becomes teary-eyed as he reads the speech. BARTLET [reading] 'The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away...' You mind if I take this with me? Toby shakes his head. BARTLET Maybe I can bum a smoke off one of the agents. Bartlet turns and begins to leave. TOBY You take care of yourself, Mr. President. Bartlet leaves. CUT TO: INT. - FBI COMMAND CENTER - NIGHT We see several people at work and on phones. We focus on one woman in particular. She is on the phone. As she is on the phone, she gets a look of concern on her face. WOMAN Can you hang on, officer? She puts the phone on her desk and gets up. She walks through a door and into the hallway. She walks around the corner into another office where Agent Casper and another man are bent over a table looking at something. WOMAN Excuse me, sir. We may have something. CUT TO: INT. - SITUATION ROOM - NIGHT Leo and Admiral Fitzwallace are talking. FITZWALLACE You been home since this thing started? LEO I'm all right. FITZWALLACE You guys any closer to naming my successor? LEO You were serious about that? I thought you were joking. FITZWALLACE I promised Laura a month on a boat, kicking around the Caribbean for our honeymoon. 32 years later, I think her patience is starting to finally wearing a bit thin. LEO You sail? ABBEY phone on the table starts ringing. Someone answers it as Fitzwallace and Leo keep talking. FITZWALLACE The last thing I captained weighed 7,000 tons. I should be able to figure out how to slip a 32-foot Catalina into a slip in Kingston. OFFICER [into phone] Yes, sir. Mr. McGarry is here. Yes, sir. [hanging up] Mr. McGarry, sir. Admiral, the FBI ares on their way over. They think they found Zoey Bartlet. CUT TO: INT. MARINE ONE HELICOPTER - NIGHT Marine One is flying above some trees with its light on. Abbey, Bartlet, Liz, Ellie, Leo, Charlie, and Agent Casper are inside. Casper is briefing the President. He can barely be heard above the roar of the helicopter. CASPER A Virginia state Trooper responded to a domestic disturbance call outside of Calverton. They both got drunk. He had let her out by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, so she called 911 on her cell. The trooper couldn't find her. She had wandered off somewhere to try to get out of the rain. Guy checked an old barn across the road from where she said she'd be. A white van... The chopper lands and the steps are lowered. They all hurry out, down the steps, and start across the field where they have landed. Many cars are parked in the field and many agents as well as local police are standing around talking. They are led over to an ambulance where Zoey is sitting in the back. Abbey runs over to her. ABBEY Zoey! We see Leo and Agent Casper talking to another agent. AGENT She's got a possible clavicle fracture, some irritation because of the tear gas, and some ringing in her ears because of the flashbangs. No sign of sexual assault, but she's still a bit out of it. They're going to run a tox screen... LEO They all dead? AGENT Sharpshooters got two using the spike-mike and thermal scanners. The other one was sleeping when we came in. Tried to grab a weapon. We found her locked in a closet in the back bedroom. Someone calls for Agent Casper. Leo is left alone looking thoughtful. We see Bartlet looking emotional and teary-eyed. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN: EXT. - WHITE HOUSE - WALKWAY - DAY We see Bartlet, dressed in a full suit, walking down the walkway. Josh and Toby are following behind him. They walk into the Oval Office where Leo, Steve Atwood, President Walken, C.J., and Will are waiting. Bartlet walks over behind the President's desk to speak to Walken. BARTLET Mr. President. WALKEN Good morning, sir. BARTLET You ready to do this? WALKEN Yes, sir. Leo comes over to the desk and gives Bartlet a piece of paper. Bartlet takes it and signs it. He hands the pen to Walken and then shakes his hand. BARTLET You going to run again? WALKEN I haven't decided. BARTLET If you do, let me know. I'll come campaign for you. WALKEN I'm not so sure that'd be a plus in my district, Mr. President. BARTLET You stick around for the press conference? WALKEN Thank you, sir, but I think the nation's best served by seeing only one President at a time. Walken turns to leave. Steve leaves in front of him. As he leaves, Walken shakes Leo's hand. BARTLET Glen? Walken turns around. BARTLET Thank you. Walken nods his head proudly and walks out of the office. TOBY I have the final version of your speech for your review, Mr. President. BARTLET I won't need it. I'm going to use the one from last night. He pulls the speech out of his inside coat pocket. TOBY Last night, sir? BARTLET I made a few changes, Will. I hope you won't mind. WILL No, sir. Of course not. BARTLET Thank you, everyone. Everyone except Leo turns to leave. TOBY Thank you, Mr. President. JOSH Thank you, sir. BARTLET How much time do we have C.J? C.J. They're gathering now. We told the networks to be ready in ten minutes. Excuse me, sir. Will the First Lady be joining you? BARTLET No. She's at Walter Reed with Zoey. C.J. Thank you, Mr. President. She turns, leaves, and closes the door on her way out. Bartlet hands Leo the piece of paper that he signed. Leo puts it in a blue folder. LEO Would you like us to get that up on the TelePrompTer for you, sir? BARTLET No. That won't be necessary. Leo turns and leaves. CUT TO: INT. - JOSH'S OFFICE - DAY Josh is sitting at his desk. The bulletin board now has only five pictures on it, with a picture of Lewis Berryhill in the center. Josh gets up, walks over to the board, and takes off one of the pictures. Steve Atwood walks to his door. STEVE So, who's the lucky winner? JOSH The President hasn't decided. STEVE You got a favorite? JOSH President hasn't decided. Donna walks up to the door. DONNA Josh, they're gathering. Donna leaves. STEVE Nice office. He smiles and leaves. Josh lays the picture down on his desk and walks out of the office and over to where Donna is standing. She looks at him and nods. He walks through the door as we hear the newscaster on the TV announcing the President's speech. CUT TO: INT. - OUTER OVAL OFFICE - DAY The senior staff is waiting along with Leo to walk with Bartlet out into the Rose Garden. WILL Did we ever find those five Bahji sleepers? LEO No. Bartlet comes out of the office and puts his speech paper into his inside coat pocket. LEO Mr. President. BARTLET Are they ready for us, C.J.? She nods. Bartlet indicates that he is ready, and she goes leaves. BARTLET Where are we on the Vice President? LEO We have several candidates, ready for your decision. We hear C.J. announcing the President. C.J. [OS] Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States. Bartlet exits through the same door C.J. exited and walks down the walkway toward the Rose Garden. The rest of the senior staff follows him. We hear Bartlet begin the speech. BARTLET [OS] 'The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.' CUT TO: INT. - ZOEY'S HOSPITAL ROOM - WALTER REED HOSPITAL - CONTINUOUS Zoey is lying in bed. Charlie, Liz, Doug, and Ellie are sitting around her bed watching Bartlet's speech. Abbey is standing at the window. BARTLET [on TV] Words I did not fully understand until our daughter was taken from us three days ago. But now we can rejoice and be glad, for that which was lost has been found. That my child is back in her mother's arms is serendipity and grace; a second chance that will not slip through our hands again. I wish I could tell you there's some new policy, some new weapons system - a silver bullet, perhaps - that could meet this moment; that could keep us safe from the terror that's now among us. But if I were to say that, I'd be lying. All I can promise is that I will fight with every fiber of my being, every weapon in our our arsenal, and with every ounce of God's grace... DISSOLVE TO: END TITLES. BARTLET [VO][cont.] ...to keep us strong and free and safe. FADE TO BLACK. THE END. * * * Episode 5.02 "The Dogs of War" Original Air Date 1 October, 2003.