If we're going to walk into walls I want us running into them full speed. We're going to lose some of these battles, and we might even lose the White House, but we're not going to be threatened by issues. We're going to bring 'em front and center. We're going to raise the level of public debate in this country, and let that be our legacy.
There's a piece of paper floating around the pressroom, but no one seems to know what it is. Until, of course, Mandy steps forward and tells CJ she wrote a memo outlining a strategy to beat President Bartlet for
re-nomination. CJ discovers Danny Concannon is the one writing about the memo,
but Danny maintains that the memo is news, despite the fact that it's bad news
for the Bartlet Administration. Sam and Toby discuss Don't Ask, Don't Tell with mid-ranking military officers, while Josh investigates a way to change the nature of democracy by appointing reformers to the Federal Election Commission. When none of the
staffers make headway, Leo confronts the President about his timidity. [Working title: "Out Here in the Fields"]
Credits
Story by PETER PARNELL and PATRICK CADDELL
Directed by LAURA INNES
Starring:
ROB LOWE as Sam Seaborn
DULÉ HILL as Charlie Young
ALLISON JANNEY as C.J. Cregg
MOIRA KELLY as Mandy Hampton
RICHARD SCHIFF as Toby Ziegler
JOHN SPENCER as Leo McGarry
BRADLEY WHITFORD as Josh Lyman
and MARTIN SHEEN as President Josiah Bartlet
Guest Starring:
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Related Links:
Conduct Unbecoming: Sixth Annual Report on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue, Don’t Harass”
A Necessary Evil
Dialogue Excerpts:
Bartlet: There's nothing wrong with my mood.
Mrs. Landingham: It's your diet.
Bartlet: Would you get off me with that?
Mrs. Landingham: You don't get enough roughate in your diet, and you know I'm right about that.
Bartlet: I know I wanna beat you senseless with a head of cabbage, I know that for damn sure.
Mrs. Landingham: Once again you display an immaturity about vegetables that I think is not at all presidential.
Leo: Are you gonna concentrate on this now, or is your head gonna be in changing the nature of democracy?
Bartlet: No, I'm definitely going to be thinking about the trout fisherman, Leo, 'cause that's where my focus should be.
Leo: You were in a better mood an hour ago, sir.
Bartlet: I was in a better mood a year ago, Leo.
Donna: But you're going to change all that.
Josh: No, but I'm going to spend most of the week trying.
Donna: That's not the right spirit, Josh, you're trying to change the nature of democracy!
Josh: You're right. I'm gonna need a bagel.
Leo: We dropped five points in a week?
Toby: Yeah.
Leo: We didn't do anything last week.
Toby: I'll say.
Leo: Toby, when you start thinking about jumping ship, you'll let me know, right?
Bartlet: We've heard it all before, Leo. You drive me to the political safeground. It's not true.
Leo: I know it's not true.
Bartlet: Good.
Leo: You drive me there.
Bartlet: What the hell did you say?