The President, Toby, Sam, CJ, and Charlie are on a long, nighttime plane ride, and Bartlet allows his imagination to take flight. CJ, who dissed Notre Dame just before a big game, is forced to wear an ND hat and lead the press corps in the fight song. She's understandably disappointed to learn that Air Force One has no escape hatch. Sam is having serious trouble writing, and he and Toby start over on the speech while arguing over 100,000 new teachers and Chairman Mao. Charlie weighs in with an innovative suggestion, and it falls to Toby to rein the President in. Meanwhile back in Washington, Margaret worries that Leo will fall off the wagon when his divorce papers arrive, and Josh insults a date-bound Donna, then debates a homophobic bill -- and party affiliations -- with gay Republican Senator Matt Skinner.

2000 DGA Award Nominee:
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series Night

Starring:

ROB LOWE as Sam Seaborn
DULÉ HILL as Charlie Young
ALLISON JANNEY as C.J. Cregg
JANEL MOLONEY as Donna Moss
RICHARD SCHIFF as Toby Ziegler
JOHN SPENCER as Leo McGarry
BRADLEY WHITFORD as Josh Lyman
and MARTIN SHEEN as President Josiah Bartlet

CJ:  I am now going on the trip.

Danny:  Are you being punished?

CJ:  I'm not being punished, I'm going on the trip.

Danny:  If the whole bus goes off the record, will you tell us why you're going on the trip?

CJ:  I made fun of Notre Dame.

Josh:  Did you steal that dress?

Donna:  I bought this dress.

Josh:  But you're returning it tomorrow.

Donna:  Yes, I am.

Josh:  That's stealing.

Donna:  I'm giving it back.

Josh:  After wearing it once.

Donna:  There's a word for this.

Josh:  It's stealing!

Donna:  I'm a girl on a budget, Josh.  I'm being thrifty.

Josh: And felonious.

Skinner:  Our polling numbers are the same as yours.  Sixty percent of Americans oppose legally sanctioned gay marriage.  The people want the bill.  Congress wants the bill.  The President needs to sign the bill.

Josh:  Public opinion can be wrong, Matt.  The public opposed interracial marriage and school integration.  You want me to reach back into the nostalgia file?

Skinner:  That's entirely different.

Josh:  How's it different?

Skinner:  The government has a responsibility to protect the rights of minorities, but it can't impose the minority's values on the majority.

Josh:  Freedom of choice isn't a minority value just because the majority doesn't agree with the minority's choice.

Josh:  The Constitutional argument--

Bartlet:  I don't care about the Constitutional argument.  It's gay bashing.  It's legislative gay bashing.  How do I put my name on it?

Josh:  I wouldn't, sir.  I'd put it away.

Bartlet:  Pocket veto's a politician's way out.

Josh:  They'll send the bill again when they're in session.  Meanwhile, we focus on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Bartlet:  If I'm going to sign it in January, why am I vetoing it now?

Josh:  As a symbolic gesture to the gay community.

Bartlet:  I'm sure the gay community can't wait to thank me.

CJ:  You were accepted at Harvard, Yale, and Williams.  Why did you go to Notre Dame?

Bartlet:  Because I was thinking about becoming a priest.

CJ:  Really?

Bartlet:  Yeah.

CJ:  What happened?

Bartlet:  I met Abbey.

CJ:  Why don't you ever give me answers like that when we're running for something?

Bartlet:  Because I like to bother you.