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


TEASER

AIDE [VO]
Ten minutes to air.

MARK GOTTFRIED [VO]
Hey, Sam!

SAM [VO]
Hey, Mark.

MARK [VO]
You done?

SAM [VO]
Yeah.

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

MARK
It's not gonna be Wengland.

SAM
What happened?

MARK
He's stuck in Denver.

SAM
I wanted Wengland.

MARK
Yeah.

SAM
Did you get Stackhouse?

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

SAM
Who'd you get?

MARK
A woman - named Ainsley Hayes...

SAM
Aimsley?

MARK
Ainsley, with an 'n'.

SAM
I don't know her.

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

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

MARK
She is.

SAM
I thought that was over?

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

SAM
She's in show business.

MARK
Yeah.

SAM
A young, blonde, leggy Republican.

MARK
Yeah.

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

MARK
They don't.

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

AIDE
Sam.

SAM
Yeah.

Mark pats him on the shoulder and moves away.

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

MARK
Ainsley?

AINSLEY HAYES
[brightly] Yes.

MARK
Mark Gottfried.

AINSLEY
Ainsley Hayes.

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

AINSLEY
No, no, not as such, no.

MARK
Not as such? What does that mean?

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

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

AINSLEY
Yes, I would appreciate it.

MARK
Don't overreach.

AINSLEY
Don't overreach?

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

AINSLEY
Okay.

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

AINSLEY
I've seen him.

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

AINSLEY
[smiling] I'll try.

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

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

AINSLEY
[speaking over him] Yeah.

MARK
You'll be fine.

DIRECTOR [OS]
Thirty seconds.

MARK
Are we starting with the education package?

MAN
Yeah.

Sam comes in and points to somebody off-screen.

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

GEORGE [OS]
In the Green Room, man.

Sam shakes hands with Ainsley.

SAM
I'm Sam Seaborn.

AINSLEY
Ainsley Hayes.

DIRECTOR [OS]
Twenty seconds.

MARK
You bet with George on the Skins?

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

MARK
How's Josh?

SAM
He's good.

DIRECTOR [OS]
Ten seconds.

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

AINSLEY
Yeah.

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

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

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

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

Ainsley takes up a pen ready to take notes.

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

MARK
Ainsley Hayes? Is that true?

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

MARK
Is Sam Seaborn lying?

AINSLEY
Lying's an awfully strong word...

MARK
Do you...?

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

SAM
I don't...

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

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

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

MARK
Sam, why did the President veto the bill?

SAM
There are...

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

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

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

SAM
The difference with the old...

He and Mark exchange wry smiles as Ainsley interrupts again.

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

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

DIRECTOR [VO]
Out.

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

AINSLEY
I'm sorry, did I overreach?

Mark chuckles and gets up, leaning over Sam.

MARK
Hey, Sam.

SAM
Yeah.

MARK
This one might know something.

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

CUT TO: INT. TOBY'S OFFICE - DAY

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

He scurries away and Toby leaps to his feet.

TOBY
Ginger, get the popcorn!

He dashes after Josh.

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

ACT ONE

FADE IN: EXT. THE WHITE HOUSE - DAY
TUESDAY

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

CUT TO: INT. PRESS ROOM - CONTINUOUS

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

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

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

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

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

Carol approaches from the side.

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

CAROL
Yeah.

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

TOBY
You know what you might have mentioned?

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

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

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

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

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

TOBY
Damn right.

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

SAM
Where was the 1992 World Copyright Conference?

TOBY
Geneva.

SAM
Thank you. [turns to go]

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

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

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

SAM
[angry] Okay!

TOBY
[to Sam] Go to my office.

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

TOBY
Go to my office.

SAM
I'll spot you two questions.

C.J.
How much money?

TOBY
Go to my office.

SAM
I'm going to his office.

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

SAM
She's making the chicken sound now.

TOBY
Go to my office.

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

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

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

TOBY
It shows.

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

BILL
C.J..

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

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

C.J.
[shaking his hand] Hi.

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

C.J.
Welcome.

BILL
Can I ask you something?

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

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

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

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

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

BILL
I understand. Nice meeting you.

C.J.
Nice meeting you.

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

C.J.
Bill!

BILL
Yeah?

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

BILL
Okay.

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

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

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

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

LEO
It is linked to poverty.

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

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

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

CHARLIE
Good morning, Mr. President.

BARTLET
Where are we?

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

BARTLET
Thank you.

Bartlet and Leo walk inside THE OVAL OFFICE.

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

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

LEO
He was clearing up the comments.

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

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

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

LEO
She's been writing some columns.

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

LEO
She was clerking for Dreifort.

BARTLET
We should hire her.

LEO
That'd be funny!

BARTLET
No, I mean it.

LEO
Mean what?

BARTLET
We should hire her.

LEO
What, you mean as a joke on Sam?

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

LEO
She's a Republican.

BARTLET
So are half the people in this country.

LEO
Well, that half lost, so...

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

LEO
Of what?

CHARLIE
[entering the room] Mr. President.

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

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

BARTLET
Three.

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

BARTLET
I can sense civic duty a mile away.

MRS. LANDINGHAM
Good morning, Mr. President.

BARTLET
Morning.

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

BARTLET
Good morning.

CROWD
Good morning, Mr. President.

BARTLET
Morning everybody.

CROWD
Good morning, Mr. President.

Bartlet approaches PRESIDENT NIMBALA.

BARTLET
Good morning, Mr. President.

NIMBALA
Good morning, sir. They shake hands.

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

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

KATIE
President Bartlet.

BARTLET
Katie.

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

The translator whispers to Nimbala.

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

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

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

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

C.J.
[pointing] Arthur?

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

The translator whispers.

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

NIMBALA
A miracle.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LEO
Was it a hybrid?

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

LEO
Okay!

BARTLET
And hire that girl.

LEO
What girl?

BARTLET
Ainsley Hayes.

LEO
No.

BARTLET
Why?

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

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

LEO
It's one of those.

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

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

BARTLET
I don't think so.

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

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

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

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

Bartlet gives him a look as he moves away.

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

BARTLET
Leo.

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

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

LEO
To do what?

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

LEO
You really want me to do this?

BARTLET
Yes.

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

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

LEO
She can always have my job, you know.

BARTLET
Yes, she can.

LEO
Thank you, Mr. President.

BARTLET
Thank you.

Leo leaves.

BARTLET
Charlie.

CHARLIE
Yes, sir.

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

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

CUT TO: EXT. CITYSCAPE - NIGHT

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

BRUCE [VO]
Here it comes.

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

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

BRUCE
Shh!

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

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

AINSLEY
Does anybody know how to work caller-ID?

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

AINSLEY
I've been paying attention to other things.

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

AINSLEY
The agent?

BRUCE
Yep.

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

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

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

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

AINSLEY
That's an actual job now?

The phone begins to ring.

BRUCE
That's him.

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

HARRIET
Ainsley?

AINSLEY
[softly] 202-456-1414.

HARRIET
Is that the agent?

AINSLEY
It's the White House.

FADE OUT.
END ACT ONE
* * *

ACT TWO

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

DONNA
Hey, Sam.

SAM
[stops and turns] Excuse me?

DONNA
What?

SAM
Did you say something to me?

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

SAM
Really.

DONNA
Yeah.

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

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

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

SAM
[following] This is late for you.

C.J.
I got lost.

SAM
Where?

C.J.
On the way to work.

SAM
When?

C.J.
Now, this morning.

SAM
You got lost on your way to work?

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

C.J.
Good morning, Carol.

SAM
Morning, Carol.

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

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

SAM
You got lost on your way to work.

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

SAM
I wouldn't worry about that.

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

SAM
How much did you sleep?

C.J.
None, not at all.

SAM
You slept none, not at all.

C.J.
Sam!

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

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

She is silent for another long moment.

SAM
C.J.?

C.J.
Yeah.

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

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

SAM
C.J.?

C.J.
Seriously, forget about it.

SAM
What was your question?

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

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

SAM
What's going on?

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

C.J.
Scream about what?

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

SAM
What about her?

LEO
I'm offering her a job.

SAM
[sharply] Where?

LEO
Here.

C.J.
Are you kidding?

LEO
No.

C.J.
Are you kidding?

LEO
[more firmly] No.

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

LEO
No.

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

Everyone turns to stare.

LEO
I took a shot.

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

LEO
[quietly] Come this way.

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

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

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

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

DONNA
Right.

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

DONNA
Yes.

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

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

JOSH
Yes.

DONNA
How prohibitively priced are the drugs?

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

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

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

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

DONNA
Do good in there.

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

ALAN
This isn't about profit...

NIMBALA
[pointedly] Sir!

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

NIMBALA
Sir, you have interrupted me again.

ALAN
My apologies, Mr. President.

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

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

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

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

ALAN
Toby!

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

ALAN
You can't compare prices worldwide, Toby.

NIMBALA
Sir, excuse me, sir.

ALAN
[exasperated] Yes?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NIMBALA
A billion dollars.

ALAN
I don't understand your point, sir.

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

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

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

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

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

Josh leans back in his chair and rubs his face.

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

ALAN
[shrugging] I have no idea.

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

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

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

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

FADE OUT.

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

MARGARET
[entering] Leo.

LEO
Yeah.

MARGARET
She's here.

LEO
Good.

MARGARET
Should I send her in?

LEO
Yeah.

MARGARET
Want me to stay here?

LEO
Why?

MARGARET
In case something should happen.

LEO
What would that be, exactly?

MARGARET
[leaving] I'll bring her in.

LEO
Thank you.

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

LEO
Ainsley.

AINSLEY
Mr. McGarry.

LEO
Leo's fine.

AINSLEY
Yeah.

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

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

LEO
Okay.

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

LEO
Excellent, and...

AINSLEY
She seems to be a very good secretary.

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

He thumps his hand on the door.

MARGARET [VO]
Ow.

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

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

LEO
Leo.

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

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

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

LEO
[nodding slightly] It's wrong?

AINSLEY
Yes.

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

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

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

AINSLEY
It's a nervous condition.

LEO
I used to have a nervous condition.

AINSLEY
How did yours manifest itself?

LEO
I drank a lot of scotch.

AINSLEY
I get sick when I drink too much.

LEO
I get drunk when I drink too much.

AINSLEY
Well, Mr. McGarry...

LEO
Leo.

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

LEO
So I could offer you a job.

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

LEO
Cat and mouse?

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

LEO
Here it comes.

AINSLEY
Did you say offer me a job?

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

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

LEO
You want a glass of scotch?

AINSLEY
Yes, please.

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

SAM
C.J.?

C.J.
Yeah?

Sam comes in and stops in the doorway.

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

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

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

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

SAM
Don't worry about it.

C.J.
It could cost you...

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

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

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

C.J.
Are any of the parties optimistic?

SAM
No.

C.J.
[quietly] Okay.

CAROL
C.J.?

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

C.J.
Yeah. [leaves]

Sam looks up at Carol and frowns.

SAM
Did you say something to me?

CAROL
No.

SAM
'Cause I thought you might have said something.

Carol gives him an odd look, and leaves.

CUT TO: INT. LEO'S OFFICE - DAY

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

LEO
Yes.

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

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

AINSLEY
You have my FBI file?

LEO
Yes.

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

LEO
Yes.

AINSLEY
I have an FBI file?

LEO
Ainsley...

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

LEO
Where are you going?

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

LEO
Well, you go, girl.

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

LEO
I don't think that's true.

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

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

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

LEO
Ainsley.

AINSLEY
Yes, sir.

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

AINSLEY
Oh, only since I was two.

LEO
[shrugging] Okay.

AINSLEY
It has to be this White House?

LEO
Ainsley...

AINSLEY
Mr. McGarry.

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

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

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

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

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

MARGARET
This way.

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

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

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

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

TOBY
They need patent treaties to be enforced.

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

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

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

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

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

JOSH
Tell me about Nimbala.

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

TOBY
They didn't have cheese.

GINGER
What is it?

TOBY
It's boysenberry.

GINGER
A boysenberry danish?

TOBY
[walking away] It's new.

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

JOSH
Tell me about Nimbala.

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

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

Ginger appears in the doorway.

GINGER
Fellas?

TOBY
Yeah.

GINGER
They're ready.

Josh gets up to leave.

TOBY
[quietly] Yeah.

CUT TO: INT. PRESS ROOM - DAY

CAROL [OS]
Folks, please take your seats.

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

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

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

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

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

BILL
Are you new too?

AINSLEY
[leaning closer] Excuse me?

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

AINSLEY
Uh no, no.

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

AINSLEY
She told you there was a grand jury investigation?

BILL
Yeah.

Margaret comes up behind them.

MARGARET
Miss Hayes.

AINSLEY
Yeah.

MARGARET
This way.

They leave and Bill watches them go.

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

REPORTER [OS]
Is there an updated assumption-?

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

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

We PAN across to view C.J. on a monitor.

FADE OUT.
END ACT TWO
* * *

ACT THREE

FADE IN: EXT. WHITE HOUSE - DAY
FRIDAY

CUT TO: INT. THE ROOSEVELT ROOM - CONTINUOUS

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

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

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

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

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

JOSH
What's that?

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

JOSH
Why?

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

JOSH
What's the problem?

There is a brief silence. Toby sighs.

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

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

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

Toby sighs again.

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

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

MARGARET
Ainsley?

AINSLEY
Could-could you give me just a moment?

Margaret checks her watch.

MARGARET
Sure.

AINSLEY
Thank you.

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

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

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

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

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

AINSLEY
I just wanted to... okay.

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

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

C.J.
How'd you know?

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

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

AINSLEY
Who told you?

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

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

C.J.
Yeah.

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

TOBY
President Nimbala?

Nimbala walks over to the seats and sits down.

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

NIMBALA
What am I agreeing to?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TRANSLATOR
[to Nimbala] A proud man.

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

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

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

TOBY
[to Josh] Go tell Leo.

Josh gets up and leaves.

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

SAM
Hi.

AINSLEY
[turning] Hi.

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

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

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

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

SAM
Hey.

JOSH
[emerging] Where's Leo?

AINSLEY
He's not here.

Josh pauses for a moment in the doorway.

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

AINSLEY
Ainsley, uh, with an 'n'.

SAM
She works here now.

JOSH
What?

SAM
Leo hired her.

JOSH
What're you talking about?

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

JOSH
What was he waiting for?

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

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

JOSH
You're not taking the job?

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

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

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

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

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

AINSLEY
Imagine my surprise.

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

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

TOBY
[coming in] Where's Leo?

SAM
[still focused on Ainsley] What?

TOBY
Where's Leo?

JOSH
We don't know.

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

JOSH
Charlie, you seen Leo?

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

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

BARTLET
600?

MILITARY GUY 1
Yes, sir.

BARTLET
Television and radio?

MILITARY GUY 2
They've got 'em.

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

AIDE
Ten minutes in the Situation Room.

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

The aide nods and leaves.

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

Toby enters.

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

DONNA
She knows. They're coming back.

Another aide opens the door for Nimbala.

BARTLET
[nodding towards him] Leo.

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

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

LEO
Sam.

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

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

TRANSLATOR [NIMBALA]
Where are my children?

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

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

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

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

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

NIMBALA
I'm their leader.

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

TRANSLATOR [NIMBALA]
Are there Americans on the ground?

BARTLET
I'm evacuating the embassy.

TRANSLATOR [NIMBALA]
Have they closed the airports?

BARTLET
Yes.

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

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

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

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

TOBY
Your embassy is in exile, Mr. President.

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

Another aide comes in and hands Bartlet a message.

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

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

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

NIMBALA
Yes.

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

BARTLET
Sit down, sir.

Margaret closes the door.

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

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

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

Ainsley approaches and joins them.

HARRIET
Ainsley!

BRUCE
Hey.

HARRIET
Bruce was just telling me.

BRUCE
I couldn't resist.

HARRIET
He said they tried to hire you.

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

AINSLEY
What?

BRUCE
When you said no.

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

HARRIET
What's wrong?

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

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

HARRIET
I hate these people.

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

AINSLEY
[quietly] Don't say that.

BRUCE
Did you meet anyone there who has any-?

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

Bruce and Harriet exchange a look.

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

She gets up and walks out.

CUT TO: EXT. THE WHITE HOUSE - DAY
SATURDAY

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

TOBY [VO]
"The Population Bomb"?

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

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

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

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

TOBY
It happened.

BARTLET
They executed him in the airport parking lot.

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

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

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

DISSOLVE TO: END TITLES.
FADE TO BLACK.
THE END
* * *

The West Wing and all its characters are properties of Aaron Sorkin, John
Wells
Production, Warner Brothers Television, and NBC. No copyright infringement
is intended.

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

Transcript by: Nomad