|
||||
The Prez's group and the White House staff finally meet up and join forces. Sam gives the Prez a copy of the speech, and mentions that "there are some nice anecdotes in there about trout fishing." Josh joins the herd and gives the Prez a quick briefing: "The CBO is gonna revise its outyear projections, two commissioners resigned from the FEC this morning, and the NGA endorsed trigger locks." The CBO is the Congressional Budget Office. The FEC is the Federal Election Commission. The NGA is, I suspect, the National Gun Association, playing the part of the National Rifle Association so that Charlton Heston won't yell at the network. After a moment, the Prez stops to question Josh about the FEC resignations. Leo says, "This is not the best time to go off on a flight of idealistic --" before the Prez cuts him off. Leo says that the Senate will fill the vacant slots, but the Prez wants to put in "our guys." Leo insists that they'll lose, but the Prez insists, "We can dangle our feet in the water." He becomes very attached to this metaphor, repeating it again and again during the rest of the conversation. The Prez directs Josh to find two candidates who favor aggressive campaign finance reform, and finally begins marching in to meet the fisherman. C.J. takes this opportunity to ask the rest of the staff about that mysterious floating piece of paper, but no one has heard about it. The Prez asks, "C.J., are you taller than you usually are?" but she replies, "No sir, I'm my usual height." She does seem to be towering over him, but then we don't usually see them in a frame together. The Prez goes into the auditorium, muttering that he "couldn't pick a trout out of a police lineup," while Josh gets excited about the opportunity to reshape the FEC. ["Re the trout: I think Sorkin's forgotten that Jed's been to all fifty-four national parks and possesses an 'encyclopedic knowledge of the ridiculous and the dork-like,' which should include trout. Shouldn't it?" - deborah] Leo tells Josh he's dead in the water, and Josh snaps, "That's what I thought, too, but after your little pep talk just now --" before going into the room. Toby, Sam, and Leo lurk in the doorway, and we can hear the Prez greeting the crowd over a loudspeaker. Toby suddenly says, "Sam?" and Sam responds, "Damn it!" Leo is bewildered, and Sam brushes it off by saying, "I forgot to do something." We hear the Prez say, "As I look out over this magnificent vista...." Toby's head droops. Credits. What I want to know is, where was this Trout Fisherman speech originally going to take place? It must have been somewhere nearby, and while both the White House lawn and the Mall are pretty, I wouldn't describe them as "magnificent vistas."
Donna, the designated spokesman for the viewers (whether we like it or not), wants to know about the FEC. Josh explains: "Six commissioners are appointed for a six-year term." Donna confirms that the terms overlap, so that two people are appointed every other year. Josh tells her that this is the first time that two of the commissioners have resigned on the same day. Donna asks, "So the President has the opportunity to stack the FEC with our people and make a measurable impact on campaign finance reform?" When Josh confirms this, Donna chirps, "Well do it, baby." Josh confirms that Donna referred to him as "baby," and then explains that while the President technically makes the appointments, the appointees are always chosen by leaders of both parties. Donna encourages him to "change the nature of democracy," and Josh decides he'll need a bagel first.