West Wing TV Show - This Is The Dawning of the Age of Sagittarius - West Wing Photos & Videos, West Wing Reviews & West Wing Recaps | TWoP

Recapped by Deborah · Aired 05-08-2001

Previously on The West Wing: Something with Oliver Babish that I missed because my cable cut out for a moment; Leo wonders what kind of poll they can do that won't give the whole game away; Josh speaks to Joey about the poll they need her to do; C.J. tells FLOTUS that she once saw her giving POTUS an injection; a Justice Department rep asks Josh for more money to fight Big Tobacco; Josh worries that the public's reaction to Bartlet's news will mirror their reaction to the fraud perpetrated by the tobacco companies.

It's 1:20 AM. Jed and Leo are walking onto the patio outside the Oval Office. Jed's bugged about Joey Lucas knowing about the situation. He's worried about whether Josh explained it to her on the phone; Leo tells him Josh explained it at the airport, but got her to come out on the pretext that they wanted to do a poll on subsurface agriculture. Jed: "What the hell is that?" Jed must be preoccupied; it's just the sort of fact I would expect him to know. As they enter the office, Leo explains that it refers to vegetables that grow underground: "He told her she was coming out here to find out if Americans were eating more beets." (Thanks to the person who reminded us in the forums that this is a shout-out to Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury; all through last week's recap I was convinced I'd heard this line somewhere before but couldn't place it.) Jed wonders if this is a joke. Leo replies, "It was Josh, Mr. President. It was a job done well. You want to start not trusting Josh?" For some reason, "job done well" sounds so odd compared to "job well done." He then says, "Let's go." Jed asks where they're going. Apparently, Leo's arranged a meeting in the basement with senior staff. It's in the basement because he doesn't like the way it looks for the seven of them to be meeting in the middle of the night. With the hours they keep, who'd even notice? Jed asks, "You like the way it looks if we're meeting in the basement?" They take off for the basement.

An elevator opens in the basement (and for some reason, I feel like it's the first time I've seen an elevator in the White House on this show; can that be?) and Sam and Toby get out. Sam's complaining that Joey's numbers are going to be meaningless. Maybe a bit of wishful thinking, Sam? He gripes about the ruse of a "governor from an industrial state" and insists that the question is being asked of people with no education on the problem. He adds that there's no way to factor in the existing amount of trust people may have in Bartlet. Toby more or less agrees with Sam's points. As they reach the door of the meeting room, there's a Secret Service dude there. Toby says the password: "Sagittarius."

By Deborah

Josh, C.J., Joey, and Kenny are waiting inside for Toby and Sam. Toby asks whether Butch and Sundance are on their way; Josh says yes. I do a mental count of the people, realizing there are going to be eight instead of seven, and wonder what that's about until I realize Kenny doesn't count. I also reflect on the issue of calling a grown man "Kenny," even though my uncle, who's forty-eight, still gets called Kenny. But that's mainly to distinguish him from my father, whose name is Ken. Anyway, Kenny doesn't count. As Toby sits down, he asks Joey if her flight was all right. She's looking in another direction, though, so she doesn't realize he's speaking to her. For some reason Kenny's not on the ball here, and doesn't start interpreting until Toby reaches over to touch Joey on the sleeve to get her attention and repeats the question. Toby kind of uses his hand to make a gesture symbolizing a plane. I guess that's his attempt at sign language. Um, don't quit your day job. Sam says, "These numbers aren't going to mean anything, right?" He reiterates the mitigating issues and adds, "I'm saying, he's got numbers like Walter Cronkite." Joey weakly acknowledges this but adds, "I'm still happy to take huge wads of your money for doing this poll. Especially if it means getting to spend time with Joshua, Josh, Josh." No, of course she doesn't say that. Josh asks, "Is there anything in there that we're going to like?" Joey pauses and says, "We are, in fact, eating more beets."

Jed and Leo arrive and greet everyone. Josh reintroduces Joey and Kenny to POTUS; Leo looks at her piece of paper and asks, "Joey, did you make photocopies of that?" She has not. Leo's glad to hear it and suggests they get started. She begins, saying she polled 1,170 registered voters in the state of Michigan, giving their governor a hypothetical, concealed...POTUS cuts her off, asking, "How many people in this room know Kenny's last name?" I'm thinking it's Thurman. I could look it up in an old recap but I'm too lazy, and also I'm fairly certain I'm right. ["You are." -- Wing Chun] Everyone looks around in that way smart people do when they don't know the answer to an important question and hope that someone else answers before things get too awkward. Leo gets Jed's drift and says, "It's fine." Jed says, "I believe this operation is no longer covert." Joey's a pro, though; she doesn't take excessive umbrage, but simply says, "Kenny's been with me for eleven years. To trust me is to trust him." It must be a weird thing for interpreters to have to speak of themselves in the third person. Jed ponders this and says, "Josh?" Josh, standing behind him, says "Yeah." Joey continues, reporting the results to the following questions: "Do you agree that it's okay for the governor to lie about his health?" Seventeen percent agreed; eighty-three percent disagreed. I'm thinking the governor of Michigan is going to be pretty pissed when he or she gets wind of this little kick in the teeth. : "Would you be as likely or less likely to vote for the governor now that you know he has a degenerative illness?" Seventy-one percent say less likely. The largest block of likely voters were women over fifty-five. Seventy-eight percent of that block say they wouldn't vote for a candidate with MS. C.J. quietly says, "We just lost Florida." Joey says, "This may be the worst stat, sir; seventy-four percent believe MS to be fatal." Jed amiably says, "They may be right." She continues: "Sixty-two percent of Democrats aren't going to vote for you. Sixty-five percent of those describing themselves as liberal aren't going to vote for you because you lied." Everyone is taking in the gravity of her news. Jed nods slightly, smiles semi-sheepishly, and asks, "Joey, is there any good news in there at all?" Joey looks him right in the eye and says, "No, sir." And we're into the credits.

By Deborah

There's a meeting in the Oval Office with Jed and Leo and a bunch of military advisors. There's a crisis in Haiti; a big shot in uniform -- whom I will call...let's see...Cornelius -- tells Leo that the UN Observer Group, which consists of 400 technical advisors and observers and sixty-five unarmed security specialists are in Port-au-Prince right now. The OAS additionally has 200 observers. Another guy -- who reminds me of Tony Shalhoub a little, so I'm going to call him Tony -- says that Colonel Bazan's forces surrounded Carrefour Liberté (Liberty Square), citing improper permits for a victory rally mounted by supporters of President Dessaline. Some of the crowd refused to disperse, and shots were fired, killing two people. The newly designated minister of Justice, René Ducasse, was arrested, and the home of the Chief Justice is surrounded by soldiers. They claim it's to protect him from death threats, but Tony says that their intelligence is that he's under house arrest. Cornelius adds that there are personnel carriers with Haitian troops parked in front of every police station in Port-au-Prince, indicating that the army plans to take power from the Gendarme Nationale. Jed asks, "Where's the President-elect?" A third guy, Jake, says, "Sir, we can't find him." Jed and Leo are quite alarmed to hear that they can't find Dessaline. Jake explains that he never showed up for a 4 PM courtesy conference with Gilbert Tass, and that they can't reach him anywhere by phone. Armed Forces Radio is reporting that he's fled the country, but the Dominicans say that's not true. Leo asks what intelligence has to say about Dessaline's whereabouts, but Cornelius explains that they can't just call around, because it's "chaos down there." Leo and Jed consider all this. It strikes me that I can't remember the last time I saw a big smile on Leo's face. Not that I blame the guy. Leo suggests evacuating nonessential personnel from the embassy. Jake warns that such a move will be seen as a signal that the U.S. has no confidence in Dessaline's government. Jed points out, "At the moment, there is no Dessaline government. There is no Dessaline! And I just got done pulling nine dead bodies out of Colombia. Evacuate the nonessentials. Get some Marines at the embassy. And somebody brief Fitzwallace." The various advisors take off to do his bidding. Jed walks over to his desk, tosses his binder on the desk, and rubs his eyes.

By Deborah

Josh returns to the basement war room: "Sagittarius." Inside, Sam, Toby, and C.J. are strategizing how to break the news to the country. Sam suggests a ten- to fifteen-minute Presidential address: "I have this illness, I concealed it, I apologize. Let me tell you about it. Let me reduce your fears." C.J. says it's too cold. Sam says it's not. C.J. says he needs to be with FLOTUS. Sam retorts, "In some decorative room? Sitting with his wife weakens him." I think that's debatable. He continues, "Let's put him behind the Kennedy desk. Let's put him in the East Room. Let's put him in the Briefing Room..." C.J. interrupts: "Sam! He's going to go on TV and say he lied! I don't want him doing it behind the Seal of the President." Sam asks, "You think without the Seal, people are going to forget he's the President?" C.J. suggests a thirty-minute live special for one of the news magazines. Josh: "Live, live-to-tape, or tape?" C.J. says live, because she doesn't want a producer editing the President's words. Josh asks, "What if we want to edit what he says?" C.J.: "That's our tough luck." they figure out when to do it: Sam suggests Thursday night. C.J. says Wednesday night, because Thursday night is when the networks pay their bills: "It's going to be tough enough getting thirty minutes and not tell them why without cutting into their bread and butter during May sweeps!" Sam mutters, "Oh, who gives a damn about May sweeps?" ["I remember the days when I didn't have to give a damn about May sweeps. Vaguely." -- Wing Chun] C.J. says, "They do, Sam!" Toby has been listening to all of this with his head characteristically propped up on his hand. He finally says, "All right, thirty minutes, Dateline special, Wednesday night, night after tomorrow, President and First Lady in the Mural Room." ["Hee -- there is no Dateline Wednesday, but I suppose in the world of Bartlet's administration, NBC has a hole to fill that night." -- Wing Chun] C.J. says that they should follow that with a press conference, so that they control the story as long as possible: "Once he gets done with Russert or Diane or Stone Phillips or whoever the hell does this, I'm going to need every reporter in the Western Hemisphere in a room where I can see them!" Toby says that they can put a team of medical experts at the press conference; C.J. says they have forty-eight hours to find them. Sam: "Hang on...if we take him from the Mural Room to the press conference, isn't a smart reporter going to ask, 'Mr. President, are you planning on seeking re-election?'" The other three all look a little weary and C.J. says, "'A smart reporter'...Sam, Ted Baxter's gonna ask, 'Mr. President, are you planning on seeking re-election?'" Sam replies, "So we're gonna need an answer to that, too." They all have the look of people planning their own funerals.

Charlie and Mrs. Landingham burst through a set of doors together. Charlie asks her if she's getting the eight-speaker stereo. She is not, nor is she getting the six-speaker stereo. Charlie wants to know just how many speakers she's getting. Mrs. Landingham: "I have two ears. How many speakers do I need?" Charlie: "At least six and a sub-woofer." She's not getting a sub-woofer. He asks whether she's getting the tow package. She is not. Charlie wants to know how she's going to tow her boat. Well, since she doesn't have one, it's not much of a problem. He asks what she tows. Mrs. Landingham: "Groceries." Charlie: "You could probably put those in the trunk." Mrs. Landingham: "Yeah." Charlie moves on to haranguing her about tinted windows as Josh comes up to them. Charlie tells Josh that she's picking up her new car today. Mrs. Landingham tells Josh that she wishes she hadn't said anything: "Why do men think a woman can't buy a car without a man?" Josh gently says that it's an old stereotype, and then asks whether she got the extended service warranty. Mrs. Landingham: "No." Josh to Charlie: "Women." Mrs. Landingham asks what Josh wants. He says he got a message that Leo wanted to see him; Mrs. Landingham says he's in his office. Josh asks whether she got the tow package. Charlie: "See?" All I know is, we should have gotten the tow package on our car. Not that we have a boat or camper. Yet. We just occasionally could use a U-Haul. Wait, I just remembered why we didn't: Frink has some issue with things projecting off the car. He wants one of these hitches you can push in and hide, which probably cost twice as much. You think it's a picnic trying to select vehicles, machinery, tools, and appliances with an engineer, you should try it sometime. Anyway, Mrs.L. points and says, "He's in his office."

Leo is indeed in his office, reading bunches of files and looking with irritation at his watch. He yells, "Mar-grit!" She zooms in, her hair straightened as per last week. I knew it was her. ["Yeah, I was wrong. Sorry to doubt you, Deborah!" -- Wing Chun] Lots of people thought it looked so unlike her that it was a stand-in or something. It's funny, but although I am extremely partial to the blunt-cut-with-bangs look, I'm not sure it works on her. It's a very severe look on her for some reason. ["Ha, that's exactly what I said on the boards. She has such a long face already and the super-straight cut with bangs makes it look even longer." -- Wing Chun] Maybe she needs a layered cut. Don't listen to me though; I'm the sort who wears her hair the same way for about a decade at a time, and would be more likely to risk salmonella than something as terrifying as dyeing my hair. Anyway, I guess it's an improvement over the Laurie Petrie 'do. Leo asks her, "Where's Josh?" She says he's on his way. Leo asks, "He remembers where my office is, right?" Josh comes up behind Margaret saying, "Leo, calm down. I'm right here." Margaret helpfully says, "He's right here." Leo tells her: "Get out." She does. Leo's got a big bee in his bonnet: "This report is staggering!" Josh knows. Leo: "Justice has thirty-one lawyers and staff; tobacco has 1,893 lawyers and 2,783 paralegals. This isn't a typo, right?" No sirree, it sure isn't. Leo continues: "We've spent 8.7 million on outside counsel; they've spent 192 [million]. The 61.3 million they've spent on travel is twice as much as we've spent on our entire case." Josh knows. Leo asks who oversees the Justice Department budget. Josh replies, "The Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary." Leo finds out that the ranking minority member is Ritter, and orders Josh to talk to him and find out what the problem is. Josh will. Leo asks how things are going downstairs. Josh tells them what they've worked out so far, but mentions that any scenario is going to involve a firm position on re-election from the President. Leo assures him that they'll have an answer on that by the end of the day. Josh seems skeptical, but Leo says, "He just got Joey's numbers in the middle of the night! Give me the day." Josh thinks it would help if Bartlet had a discussion among the senior staff. Margaret comes in with a message and Leo immediately excuses himself, leaving Josh looking a little uneasy.

After the commercial break, Leo's waiting for Jed in the Oval Office. When Jed arrives with a few of the military advisors tagging along, he looks at Leo and barks, "What?" Leo tells him that two of Dessaline's bodyguards were shot, and they think Dessaline's headed to their embassy. Jed asks how they know this. Leo says that Peter Bratt got a message through; POTUS asks with annoyance what Bratt's doing down there. Leo replies, somewhat impatiently, "He went down for the inauguration! And he may well have Dessaline in the trunk of his car." Jed's amazed to hear this: "In the trunk of his car? Did we evacuate the nonessentials?" Leo says that they're on their way to waiting aircraft, and warns that if they don't take Dessaline in, he'll end up convicted in a twenty-minute trial and imprisoned for life, if not executed by the junta. Cornelius tells POTUS that they shouldn't take sides in an internal situation such as this. Leo: "Of course we're choosing sides! There was a free election! We saw to it that there was a free election, and Dessaline won." Cornelius says that if they grant asylum, they will officially be in a standoff with Bazan. Jake adds, "And the best way for Bazan to elevate his stature in Haiti is to stage a standoff with the U.S." Cornelius: "Plus Bazan can surround the embassy saying he's searching for a wanted criminal, and obviously he can take everyone in the embassy hostage!" Leo's turn: "Mr. President, there will never be real elections in Haiti if the military thinks it can simply kill the winner. Also, I'd like to point out, sir, that we encouraged Dessaline to run. In fact, we strongly encouraged it and now he's in the trunk of a car!" I always think that this must be one of the hardest parts of the President's job: being surrounded by trusted, intelligent people who are all at odds with each other, all of them making good points and cogent arguments, and it's on you to decide what to do and take responsibility for the results. I couldn't deal with that burden day in and day out. Some days it's all I can do to choose between Ancient White and Seed Pearl for the woodwork. Tony expectantly holds up the phone and says, "The car's at the gate. I got the gate right here." With little hesitation, Jed says, "Let him in." Cornelius tries to advance his viewpoint once again, but Jed cuts him off, ordering, "Let him in." Tony listens to the caller for a moment as the other four men watch him in anxious silence. Tony: "He's in." Everyone looks back at Jed, who gives a slight nod in Leo's general direction.

Back in the war room, Toby, C.J., and Sam are wondering if they should put Hoynes up at the press conference. Sam thinks that there's never been a more important time to emphasize the Vice-Presidency. C.J. feels that VPOTUS's presence underlines the President's health risk. Sam feels that it will emphasize that the President anticipated the problem and took that into account in his selection of VPOTUS; C.J. rightly points out that it will also underscore the fact that he anticipated the problem and didn't tell anyone about it. Sam argues that Hoynes was one of the first people to know, and that his presence would indicate that he "signed off on the President's health and joined the ticket." I'm not entirely sure that it's been made clear that Hoynes knew about Jed's health prior to the election. It's quite possible he didn't find out until afterward, although, since we know that Hoynes made Jed "beg" him to be his running mate, maybe the MS/one-term thing is how he finally got Hoynes to agree to that. C.J. counters that the press corps will bombard Hoynes with questions and impanel themselves as a grand jury. Sam's losing patience with C.J.'s arguing with his every proposal: "Then let 'em, C.J.! We did something wrong or we didn't." C.J. snipes, "Well, fan-tastic, Sam! I didn't realize it was that simple." She tosses her glasses into the air and they land on the table. Someone knocks and brings a message to C.J.; Toby hands C.J. her glasses so that she can read the message. It is a nicely intimate gesture, although I don't think, as some people seem to, that it indicates anything's going on between them. It's just a signal of their comfort and closeness and cohesiveness as co-workers. Hey, that was a cornucopia of alliteration. Okay, I'll stop. She read the message, announcing, "There's a situation developing in Port-au-Prince. I have to get ready to brief." She leaves. Toby stares at Sam. Sam stares at the table. Toby asks, "Sam? Can Josiah Bartlet function as President?" Sam replies, "I'm not a medical expert." Toby says, "Right." He gets up and paces a bit. Sam points out that there are responsibilities and obligations to the party, and that if Bartlet isn't going to run, he has to point to Hoynes and say, "This is our guy." Toby asks, "What if they ask Hoynes, 'In the meantime, can Bartlet function as President?'" Sam says he'll say yes. Toby asks, "What if he says, 'I'm not a medical expert'?"

We're outside on the sidewalk; it's a sunny day. It's an almost jarring contrast to the darkly and dramatically lit rooms and wee-hours meetings that have predominated for the last while. Josh is walking out of a building with someone (Ritter, I assume) who is incredulously asking about Dessaline's being taken to the embassy in a car trunk. Josh confirms it. Ritter replies, "I've lived too long." Josh tells him not to go anywhere, because he needs him. Josh is wearing some sunglasses that make him look pretty cool. No doubt his many fans are swooning. Ritter says, "I mean it, Lyman. This is going to get worse before it's gonna get better." Josh says maybe. He tells him that Haiti isn't what he wanted to talk to him about. Ritter asks, "Tobacco?" Josh says, "Yeah, Andy, the President wants to get behind a thirty-million-dollar appropriations bill the Justice Department's had in your committer for a few months now. They need the money to continue the case." Ritter knows, but indicates that the chairman's not going to schedule a vote: "Kalmbach's gonna dance with the girl that brung him." Josh asks, "How much tobacco money has he taken?" Ritter says that from the last campaign, Kalmbach took $460,000 in PACs. Josh asks, "Is there a nose count?" Ritter says it's eight to seven, against. And surprisingly, the divide is not along party lines; Ritter says they have two Republicans and the other side has two Democrats: Warren and Rossiter. Josh remarks, "Warren and Rossiter aren't even from the South." Ritter explains, "They have ideological problems with the case." Josh and Ritter stop walking and Josh says, "This is a phenomenally important case; it's historic. It has to be won, and we're fighting it with paper clips and a slingshot." Ritter claps him on the arm and says, "We were wondering when you guys were gonna notice." He walks off.

Toby comes into his office, where Donna is waiting for him. She's wearing red; she should wear it often, because it really makes her look good. Toby says, "Uh...I'm going to tell you something shocking, except we don't have time to be shocked. So I need you to just hear it and go back to work." Donna is wide-eyed and looks slightly nervous, but agrees. Toby: "Eight years ago, the President was diagnosed with MS. He concealed it during the election, but we're going public Wednesday night with a live network interview and a press conference. This is what Josh is going to be working on twenty-four hours and he's going to need your help and he's going to need you to know this, and so I'm telling you." Donna nods. Toby adds, "You're the first person on the assistant level to find out." Now, that has to be an ego boost for poor, insecure Donna. "Margaret doesn't know, Bonnie and Ginger don't know...Donna, Mrs. Landingham doesn't know." Donna asks, "Is the President in a lot of pain or discomfort right now?" Toby says no, and that he's in remission. Donna's clearly shocked and upset, but maintains her composure. She gets up and asks, "Is there anything else?" Toby emphasizes the importance of her keeping this to herself. She gets it. She leaves.

Over at the Oval Office, Charlie is still hassling Mrs. Landingham. He tells her that her mistake was to go to the dealership alone. No, her mistake was telling all you guys. She asks whether that was a mistake because the dealer would load her up with a lots of extras she doesn't need. Charlie says yes. Mrs. Landingham asks, "Like a tow package?" Burn. I notice there's a piece of art on the wall, probably made by a classroom of young kids: it's the U.S. flag, only instead of stars and stripes, the familiar pattern is formed from kids' handprints. I like it. Charlie asks how she's going to tow her camper. Mrs. Landingham says she's never been camping. I find that hard to believe; she is the very essence of a Girl Scout. She has to have gone camping. Charlie says, "Neither have I, and I was hoping you'd take me. I'd be sitting there fishing and listening to the Orioles on a transistor radio." A transistor radio? What year is it, anyway? I didn't think anyone Charlie's age would have even heard of a transistor radio. Mrs. Landingham asks, "What would I be doing?" Charlie: "Warding off bears, that sort of thing." He then learns, to his dismay, that she paid sticker price. He wants her to take him back to the dealership and let him help her. She insists that she wasn't duped; he feels she was. She explains that she's a government employee; he replies, "That doesn't necessarily mean you're a fool." No, but it's a damn good start. It turns out that her misguided sense of ethics dictates that she believes paying anything below sticker price means she is accepting gifts of a certain value, which is prohibited. Charlie says it's not a gift. Mrs. Landingham: "Of course it is: the price tag says one thing, and the dealer is giving it to me for something less." Charlie says that's what happens when you buy a car. Mrs. Landingham: "Not me." C.J. comes in looking for Leo; Charlie indicates that he's in the Situation Room. C.J., grimly: "That's usually a good sign."

In the Situation Room, Leo's trying to get some details. National Security Advisor Nancy McNally arrives. Leo says, "Nancy. The cavalry." Only it sounds more like "calvary." A lot of people do that, though; I'm not going to excoriate Leo for it. He's been having a bad...term. Nancy asks, "You guys need some adult supervision?" Leo replies, "No, we need the cavalry." This time it sounds more like "cavalry." Nancy's totally unruffled: "Nah. Jeff, what's the latest estimate?" Jeff says it's about 500 soldiers, maybe 300 of them with AR-15s. Leo asks, "We sold those to 'em, right?" Nancy casually says, "Well, until a few hours ago, they were on our side." Nancy points out that they not only have the AR-15s, but also two Bradleys with 120 mm cannons and a couple of artillery tubes." Leo asks, "What do we have?" Nancy: "Thirty-seven Marines with M-14s and Beretta sidearms." Leo asks what happens when the first shot is fired, but Nancy's busy firing orders: "Sally, get me hooked up to Operations." Nancy then answers Leo's question: "Embassy Marines aren't lawn jockeys. They're not decorative. They're trained in restraint, and trained well." Her whole air is that of kicking ass and taking numbers, but her manner is matter-of-fact. Leo's much more flustered than she is. (But, to cut him some more slack, he's got stuff on his mind about which she has no idea.) Operations is on the phone and Nancy takes the call, while Leo wonders how they'll know if the Embassy is taken: "Are they going to send some kind of note?" She looks up from her call and calmly says, "There's no note, Leo. They're taking the Embassy." She starts giving Fitz her point of view on the phone while Leo looks even more grim than is usual for him of late, if that's possible. Ah, it's half-time. Good thing, because I have to go deal with a stupid virus I just got while checking my mail. If you're reading this, though, it means all is well.

After the commercials, C.J.'s briefing the press on Haiti. Ships and aircraft are being dispatched; they'll get more details at the Pentagon briefing at 3 PM. One reporter asks, "Should we be reading anything into the fact that Pentagon's briefing and not State?" C.J. says that State will brief later. Another reporter asks whether recognizing the Bazan government is one option. C.J. firmly states that there is no Bazan government. He persists, and she tersely says, "You're not taking me there, Mark." A third reporter asks whether the U.S. is prepared to invade Haiti. C.J. replies, "It should be clear that we're talking about two separate issues. One is a democratically elected President whose people are being denied their leader by an armed militia; the other is the lives of the Americans in the Embassy and the American Marines who are guarding them." The reporter complains, "You didn't answer my question." C.J.: "How about that? I'll be back in a few hours." She leaves, ignoring their clamouring.

Out in the hall, C.J. runs into Carol, who hands her a message. C.J. asks, "Is he here?" Carol says he's in the Mural Room. C.J. takes off her glasses and kind of pushes her hair behind her ears. "Do I look all right?" Carol looks at her and replies, "You look pretty tired." C.J. comments, "That's what you're saying to me?"

In the mural Room, Bonnie is performing some task that appears to be a mixture of loitering and standing guard, while an older, bearded gentleman paces. Bonnie asks, "You're sure there's nothing I can get for you, Mr. Hacket?" He's fine. Now, this guy has to be a HITG! I recognize him, but can't place him, even though I'm sure I've seen him a lot, and recently, too. Damn useless brain. ["His name is Peter Michael Goetz. I know him best as the father-in-law from the Father of the Bride remake, but he also played Rory's biological grandfather on Gilmore Girls this year." -- Wing Chun] C.J. arrives and greets him as "Paul"; he greets her as "Claudia." C.J. asks Bonnie to stand guard outside the door. Bonnie's thinking, "I guess that's what I get for doing a liberal arts degree." Paul mentions that he was brought in through the basement; and that he's never had that happen in the two or three hundred times he's been there before. He asks, "Whattaya got in front?" C.J. replies, "The White House press corps." She explains, "I need thirty minutes, night after tomorrow." Paul: "C.J., what the hell are you guys planning for Haiti?" She says it's not Haiti, and also that she's not going to tell him. Paul wonders what he's supposed to tell his news director. C.J. suggests, "Tell him it's your network." Paul retorts, "It's not my network. It belongs to a company that belongs to stockholders. So what am I supposed to tell my news director?" C.J. suggests that Paul tell the news director that he needs thirty minutes Wednesday night: "On Wednesday morning, I'll tell you why. You pick the interviewer; they'll have ten hours to prepare." Paul: "Just the President?" C.J.: "The President and First Lady." Paul thinks for a moment and then says, "So, we just get the interviewer and the network logo?" C.J. nixes the network logo. She argues that she has to get two other networks and CNN to pick it up live, and it's bad enough that it won't be one of their own interviewers: "But they'll run an old Petticoat Junction before they put your network brand on their air!" Paul asks her to tell him, between friends, if the water is over her head. C.J. evenly replies, "No. The water's exactly at my head." Paul says he'll talk to Jeremy (the news director, I assume). C.J. stands and shakes his hand, saying, "Paul, we'll start to leak Wednesday morning to soften up the ground a little, but anything leaks before then and I'll take my business across the street." Paul gets it.

Josh is in a meeting with three other people. I assume two of them are Rossiter and Warren. He explains that he was surprised by Andy's nose count, because he wasn't aware that either of them had ties to tobacco. They both say they don't. One of the guys is played by Robert Walden, who also played Joe Rossi on Lou Grant. I used to have a bit of a crush on him when I was in high school. But I also had a crush on Animal (remember the photographer in that newsroom?), not to mention various and sundry obnoxious, long-haired rock stars, including Rod Stewart and David Lee Roth, so you can see that perhaps my judgment wasn't entirely, um, sound. ["My mom loved Animal!" -- Wing Chun] Good thing I'm all grown up and over [cough] Anthony Kiedis [cough] that. Anyway, I hope it's him that's playing Rossiter; I bet that's a little joke by Aaron Sorkin. The other guy points out that they're both former U.S. Attorneys, and that they find the suit itself troubling. It's nice to see Sorkin muddying the waters a bit here, and not making everybody who doesn't support the case automatically a puppet of Big Tobacco. That's not to say most of them aren't, though, just that I like it when things aren't always presented as black and white, good and evil. Warren would like to know exactly how the Justice Department plans to prove that the merchants of death have been engaged in a "broad conspiracy of lies" since the 1950s. Mind you, he doesn't call them "merchants of death"; that's my own colourful expression. If the shoe fits... Josh says, "Well, I'm not a litigator, and I don't work at the Justice Department, and there's a reason why both those things are true, but I wouldn't think it'd be that hard to prove that the tobacco companies have lied, since we already know they did." Rossiter says that every Sturgeon General since 1964 has warned the public about smoking, and that cigarette packages have had to carry warning labels since 1966: "Turning around now and saying we've been had is, frankly, ridiculous." Josh asks, "Are you saying that people who start smoking and get addicted to nicotine are too stupid to live?" Rossiter: "No. I'm saying they're too stupid to be protected by the courts." Now Josh is mad: "Too stupid to be...! Every day, the Justice Department uncovers evidence that cigarette companies knew far better than the rest of us that smoking causes death and disease, to say nothing of the CEOs being the last seven people to discover that nicotine was addictive." I'm trying to resist getting on a soapbox here, because the evils perpetrated by tobacco companies are one of my biggest issues, but I have to say, since Josh brought it up, that the testimony given by some of those real-life CEOs struck me as some of the most egregious instances of corruption, mendacity, and fraud ever to occur. In the history of the world. I don't know how those scumsucking bastards live with themselves. Okay. Calm blue ocean. Calm blue ocean. Back to the show. Warren says that the government wants to prosecute the case in order to score points at the expense of an industry that funds Republicans, and calls it "politically correct extortion." He says it's unlikely that the appropriations bill will make it out of the Subcommittee. Josh silently takes this in, and then glances at his watch: "It's almost three o'clock. By seven, 3,000 new people will have taken up smoking; 2,800 of them will be under eighteen." He lets that sink in, and then says, "Thanks," gets up, and leaves.

Two pairs of female legs are walking down a hallway. It turns out to be Abby and some staffer I don't think we've ever seen before. ["I thought perhaps she was Abby's Secret Service agent." -- Wing Chun] She's, like, a head taller than Stockard Channing, who must be pretty tiny, since they almost always have her in four-inch heels. They arrive at the door of the War Room and the assistant says, "Sagittarius."

Abby is shown in. Sam is waiting there for her. As she descends the stairs, she asks, "What do we use this place for when we're not...using it for this?" Sam says they used it to plan some of the millennium things, and I don't know if he means celebrations or Y2K disaster strategy. ["I assumed disaster; why would the celebrations be a big secret?" -- Wing Chun] Abby thinks it used to be the photo office. Sam doesn't know. She asks if he'd like to sit down. They both sit. She primly folds her hands and looks at him with kind of a sidelong glance as he arranges his papers. He begins quietly: "What we're talking about is thirty minutes with an interviewer. The questions will be entirely about the medical history; there will be no questions about the law." Abby asks, "C.J. got them to agree to that?" Sam says she will on Wednesday morning, when she tells them what it's all about. Abby wonders why they would agree to that. Sam: "'Cause if they don't, they'll lose the story." Abby says it's all right with her. Sam wants to go over her story to get a sense of what she's going to say. He's also going to run it past Babish and spend the couple of days going over it with her. Abby's flip: "That sounds fine, Sam, but you know, I'm kind of seeing someone right now, and it's not serious, but it could be, you know what I mean?" Sam's about as serious as a heart attack, though, and doesn't even chuckle: "Ma'am..." She begins recounting the story without further ado: "Ten years ago, he began experiencing fatigue, and signs of paraparesis of the anterior femoral muscles." Sam asks her to dumb it down. Abby: "He had a tingling pain in his thigh." The symptoms subsided. Two years later, he experienced neuropathy, and "presented symptoms of optic neuritis, with partial unilateral nerve paresis." Sam interjects, "Mrs. Bartlet..." She looks up and says somewhat sharply, "Dr. Bartlet." My eardrums crack from the deafening sound of MBTV fans everywhere screaming, "Shout-out!" Hell, I can hear Wing and Glark and they're about a hundred miles away. ["I think I actually said, 'Oh my God!' because I simply couldn't believe what I'd just heard. But, total shout-out. And as I've already said on the boards, even Glark agreed, and he's the biggest shout-out denier ever." -- Wing Chun] Sam accepts the correction and tries to continue, but Abby -- excuse me, Dr. Bartlet -- asks, "Why aren't the President and I doing this together?" Sam plays dumb. Abby knows someone must be shepherding Jed through this same process, and wants to know why she and Jed aren't doing it at the same time: "Is it so you can compare our stories?" Sam doesn't hesitate more than half a moment: "Yes." She just gazes at him without much change in her expression. She actually looks quite beautiful in this scene. He tries again: "The language you use..." She rephrases: "Two years later, he felt numbing and dizziness."

Charlie and Mrs. Landingham are sitting at their desks, opposite each other reading documents. Charlie doesn't look up, but I can tell he's not really reading. He's just waiting for his opportunity to kibitz Mrs. Landingham. He waits a few moments and then says, "Look..." But she's ready for him; the minute he opens his mouth, she cites chapter and verse of the regulation stating that employees of the Executive Branch may not solicit or accept gifts over twenty dollars in value. She concludes, "They want to give me a nineteen-dollar discount on my car, I'll take it." Just then Leo arrives to speak with Jed; Charlie shows him in.

Jed asks, "What happened?" Leo says they shot three Haitian soldiers on the runway. Jed: "They boarded the plane?" Leo: "Ground traffic control stopped the plane." Jed tears his glasses off and sighs heavily, but silently. Leo explains, "When the soldiers boarded it, they were told they'd illegally boarded a U.S. Air Force C-9. They were told to drop their weapons. They were told again. Two staff sergeants in the bulkhead had a clear shot and took 'em. They dumped the bodies on the tarmac and made an emergency takeoff." Jed starts walking out from behind his desk toward Leo, hollering, "That wasn't supposed to happen! I evacuated the nonessentials specifically so that wouldn't happen! I gave the order six hours ago! Six hours ago I gave the order! What the hell were they still doing on the runway?" He's right in Leo's face now. Leo replies -- with considerable restraint given that someone's yelling in his face, even if that person is the President of the United States, "They had to be collected, sir! They weren't all in one place!" Jed hollers: "We shot three men!" Leo: "That's what you do!" Jed: "We what?" Leo: "A foreign hostile puts his foot on an American military plane, that's an attack. And rules of engagement give us every right to repel." Jed yells, "And I'm sure these guys had their handbooks with them!" You know, everything about war and any kind of armed or violent conflict pretty much makes me sick, but since it is a reality, I can certainly understand at times why some people feel so strongly that a POTUS should have military service in his (or her) background. I think there's a certain toughness you have to bring to that particular job, and Jed has shown himself on a number of occasions to lack it. I admire him for his compassion, and for wanting to avoid casualties at all costs, even on the "other side," but I don't think it's always realistic. Moreover, imagine how a woman in the same job, taking the same approach, would be excoriated for it. Anyway, I digress, as usual. Leo replies, "These guys were there to keep the plane on the ground." Leo confirms for Jed that the plane is in the air. Jed asks what's happening on the ground. Leo indicates that they're communicating through diplomatic back channels: the Canadian ambassador and Dominican intelligence. Jed asks what Bazan wants. Leo says, "Dessaline." Jed: "On what charge?" Leo replies, "That as Treasury Minister, he embezzled eighteen million dollars earmarked for humanitarian aid." Jed rolls his eyes and makes a dismissive gesture, saying sarcastically, "I'm sold." Leo picks up the phone and asks Margaret to get him the Secretary of State. Jed stands by his desk, hands in his pockets. He says, "You're right, you know. I should be bringing them in on re-election. I should be talking to them." Leo: "Yeah." Jed: "I don't want to make the same mistakes over again." Leo, with his hand over the mouthpiece: "Yeah, not when there are so many new mistakes we can make." Jed suggests that they start tonight, around 9 PM. Leo tells the Secretary of State, "Scott, I'm with the President. We're going to need to invoke 1070 at OAS."

By Deborah

Abby is wearily recounting medical details to Sam. She's explaining how benign positional vertigo can be caused by the dislodging of small stones in the inner ear. Sam takes off his glasses, looking even wearier, and she asks, "You all right?" He says he is. "Sure you don't want some acetylsalicylic acid?" He looks at her blankly. Oh come on, now. Surely he knows that one. She elaborates: "Aspirin, my brother." Sam: "What a dumb major you had." She's laughing merrily as Oliver Babish comes in and greets them. She asks Oliver, "Do you know what peripheral neuropathy indicates?" Oliver: "No, but I don't really care that much. Sam, would you mind for a minute?" As Sam leaves, Abby says: "B-12 deficiency."

Oliver starts, "Mrs. Bartlet, I want to talk to you about..." She interjects: "Dr. Bartlet." Oliver says nothing as she asks, "When did I stop being 'Dr. Bartlet'? When in the campaign did I decide women were gonna like me more if I called myself 'Mrs.'? When did I decide that women were that stupid?" As the cries of "shout-out" thunder across the nation, I feel all the small stones in my inner ear becoming dislodged, and my own benign positional vertigo setting in. Oliver just lets that go, and tells her that he wants her to get her own lawyer. She says she has her own lawyer. Oliver says that Pat is a family lawyer, and that he wants her to have her own: "I'll give you eight names; you, Pat, and the President whittle it down to three; I'll pick the one." Abby asks whether they can do this after the Wednesday night broadcast. He wants her to do it now, because he doesn't think she should do the interview, because he doesn't think she should answer questions without a lawyer. Abby tells him that Sam said they won't get into legal issues. Oliver says that he doesn't know how they're going to avoid it. He asks, "Herman Vikram was the original specialist, right?" She confirms this. Oliver continues, "It was Vikram who put him on prednisone. Then almost four years ago, you put him on Interferon Beta 1-b. Betaseron." She agrees with all this. He tries to clarify that she did it, not Vikram. Abby says that it was in consultation with Vikram. But Oliver's point is that she wrote the prescription. She says that she thought it would be wrong to involve another doctor. She wrote these prescriptions to herself and had them filled at the Dunwich Women's Health Clinic. Oliver: "And then had them shipped to various locations?" She points out that they were campaigning. He mentions Phoenix and St. Louis specifically; she figures that she probably sent them to those locations. He says, "You violated the medical ethics rules of three state boards: New Hampshire, Arizona, and Missouri." Only three? I guess she ordered large amounts that lasted through several states' worth of campaigning at a time. He reads from a regulation book: "'The Board may take disciplinary action against any person who is engaged in dishonest or unprofessional conduct." Abby says, "They were extraordinary circumstances, Oliver. I gave my husband excellent medical care and I'll line up tenured professors who'll say so." He asks whether she kept medical records. She didn't. That was stupid. Oliver quotes the rest of the regulations: "'Or any person who has failed to maintain adequate medical records or documentation on diagnostic and therapeutic treatment.' The AMA's Code of Ethics pretty well spells out the egregiousness of treating your own family members." She replies, "We do it anyway. We write prescriptions for migraines, antibiotics..." He interrupts, "Can I ask you, as the President's physician, have you ever asked him if he's ever had any extramarital affairs?" She's getting angrier, but remains civil: "No." Oliver: "Isn't that a crucial question in the diagnosing of autoimmune diseases?" Abby just stares at him, and then says, "I'd like to be to my husband when he does this." Oliver tells her again, "I'd like you to get your own lawyer." She asks if there's anything else. Oliver says, "No. Thank you, Dr. Bartlet," as he shuts the AMA regulation book. I don't like Babish's manner, but he's right, and he really does have her best interests at heart. I used to work in the field of medical regulation, and she is definitely up to her ass in it. Unless the various state medical regulatory agency executives and disciplinary boards are composed exclusively of die-hard Democrats (highly unlikely), I think they're going to be gunning for her. For such a smart woman, she's taking a remarkably long time to get the ginormous implications of this.

Donna comes into Josh's extremely dark office, where he's sitting at his desk with his head propped on his hands. She opens a file on his desk and asks him whether he needs one of the pieces of paper in it. He comes out of his daze and says, "I didn't even see you there." She mentions that she hasn't seen him all day. He says he's been working on the tobacco problem. Donna mentions that the President wants him at a meeting tonight in the Residence, around nine o'clock. Josh looks caught off-guard and then lies, "I'll tell you what that is, that's the Blue Ribbon Commission on Reform. Let me tell you, I'm gonna be collecting benefits or, you know, not...by the time we get this Blue Ribbon thing up." Donna listens sympathetically and then hems and haws a bit, trying to tell him that she knows: "See, this is why I'll never have a career as a..." Josh: "Donna, what?" She quickly replies, "Sagittarius." Josh is taken aback, and quietly asks, "You all right?" She says she is, and adds, "There's an empty office to the conference room downstairs. I moved two couches in and there's some pillows and blankets." Josh: "C.J. putting the lid on?" Donna replies, "Right now. And Leo's ready for you now." Josh looks sad.

At the press briefing, C.J. tells reporters that the OAS has agreed to an emergency session tomorrow morning, but that they're still waiting for confirmation. One reporter asks, "Can you tell us exactly what you're going to say to them?" C.J.: "Yes, but first we're going to say it to them." Good answer. C.J. won't take any more questions but tells them that if there are any developments throughout the night, they'll be paged. On her way out, Carol tells C.J. that Leo's ready for her.

Toby's pacing around Leo's office. Leo comes in and Toby's first words are, "Leo, this is insane, plain and simple." Leo asks, "What is? Oh, never mind. What isn't?" Toby complains that they're strategizing to define the future of the Presidency and they don't even know whether this President is interested in the future. Toby says that they have to have a discussion, and that they need to have it tonight. Leo says that they're having a discussion tonight. Toby's relatively satisfied with that. Josh comes and greets them, and then asks Leo to excuse them for a moment. He asks Toby if he can talk to him outside.

In the hall, Josh says to Toby, with a trace of irritation, "You told Donna." Toby says, "Yeah." Josh asks why Toby didn't let Josh tell her. Toby simply says, "You hadn't yet." Josh accepts that and asks, "How'd she take it?" Toby replies, "If everybody out there takes it the way she took it, we may be okay. If a few more people in here took it the way she did, that'd be all right, too." ["Yeah, like you, Toby, you jerk. Toby's not my boyfriend anymore." -- Wing Chun] Toby walks toward Leo's office as Josh asks, "Was that for me?" Toby says, opening Leo's door: "That was for me."

As Toby and Josh re-enter, Leo sits down near the couch and says, "Tobacco." Josh explains that Kalmbach's not going to let it come to a vote, which is probably okay since they'd probably lose if the vote were taken right now. He mentions the eight-seven split, and Leo wonders whether that's along party lines. Josh says that they have Stacy and Miner, but that Warren and Rossiter have "ideological problems" with the case. Josh asks what Leo wants to do now. Leo: "Stick some dynamite up Warren and Rossiter's ass." Josh wonders about the wisdom of making an enemy of Rossiter, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, at this crucial time when the news about the President's illness is about to break. Leo firmly says, "Both of you, listen. We're not going to stop, soften, detour, postpone, circumvent, obfuscate, or trade a single one of our goals to allow for whatever extracurricular nonsense is coming our way in the few days, weeks, and months." C.J. quietly enters. Toby asks, with some consternation, "When did we decide this?" Leo replies, "Just now." He tells Josh, "Light 'em up." Leo turns to C.J. and asks whether she has a recommendation. She tells him the plan -- thirty minutes, live, Mural Room, etc. Toby confirms that it's followed by a press conference. She says, "There isn't another step we can take until we know what the President's intentions are. We need a discussion, and I hate to sound shrill, but it can't wait another night." They tell her that the discussion is happening tonight. Sam comes in. Leo asks, "Sam, what do you know?" Sam replies, "I know that fluid accumulating in the semicircular canals of the vestibular cochlear nerve is usually what'll account for dizziness." Sam then proceeds to start ranting about how they need to know what the President's intentions are, while Leo tries three times to tell him that they're having a meeting. Sam finally hears him and says that's great. Leo checks his watch and suggests that everybody go get something to eat, come back at nine, at which time they'll be called to come over to the Residence.

Leo asks Josh to walk out with him, and tells him, "I mean it: set one off under these guys." Josh suggests having C.J. make a statement at her briefing, and they work out the following wording: "The President calls on Congress to fund the Justice Department's tobacco lawsuit at the levels necessary to continue this litigation. The American people deserve their day in court, and this administration won't sit on the bench while well-fed members of the Appropriations Committee choke off funding for a lawsuit aimed at the perpetrators of hundreds of thousands of negligent homicides while filling their war chests." You go, boys! But couldn't you work in "merchants of death"? For me? Leo says, "Light 'em up!" Josh bangs the door frame affirmatively as he struts off in the other direction.

The shot is Charlie standing at his desk, holding the phone receiver and just looking at it. Leo walks up and says, "Charlie," kind of brusquely. Charlie slowly and evenly says, "Leo, there was an accident at 18th and Potomac. Mrs. Landingham was driving her car back here." Leo: "What happened?" Charlie continues, "There was a drunk driver and they ran the light at 18th and Potomac. They ran it at high speed." Leo asks, "Charlie, is she all right?" Charlie: "No. She's dead." The camera switches from having been on Charlie the whole time to show us Leo's reaction. It's more effective because we haven't seen Leo's face yet, and then the director has the creative fortitude to let the camera linger on John Spencer for a full twenty seconds before he even speaks. I was very impressed by that. Twenty seconds may not sound like much, but it's a long time to have a shot of a character saying nothing, and not doing anything particularly active. Especially during sweeps. We see him waver ever so slightly (John Spencer is brilliant with subtle, almost imperceptible body language) as he absorbs the impact of the terrible news. He finally asks Charlie, "Is he alone?" Charlie says he is. The camera cuts back to Charlie, who's more composed than I would have expected. He replaces the receiver in its cradle. Sadly, I guess he's all too used to loss now.

Leo walks out onto the patio, rather than directly into the Oval Office. Out on the patio, he walks slowly and heavily toward the doors of Jed's office, and stands there looking at Jed through the French doors. Jed's on the phone with someone, the receiver clutched up to his ear with his shoulder as he looks at a file. Leo stands on the patio, unnoticed by Jed, wondering how in God's name to deliver this dreadful news. I sit here being so mad at myself I could kick something, like maybe my own ass, for having carelessly read the spoiler topic, not suspecting it could contain anything this big that was going to get ruined for me. And it has been ruined; the impact was diminished by about ninety percent due to knowing beforehand. My own damn fault. I wish people could just enjoy television without having to know and disseminate major spoilers; what's the point in watching if you already know what's going to happen? Anyway. ["A hard lesson to learn, but now you know not to read the spoiler thread." -- Wing Chun] Leo finally moves toward the door; his face mildly distorted by the panes of wavy glass in the windows. (Minor nitpick: I would have thought the doors to the Oval Office would have the best bullet-proof glass, not quaint old wavy glass. I mean, my house is Victorian, and I appreciate wavy glass as much as anyone, but I'm just saying.) Jed notices Leo moving on the patio and waves him in. Leo enters, closing the door behind him. Jed hangs up the phone. We see, but do not hear, Leo delivering the news of Mrs. Landingham's tragic death. Jed's face grows more and more serious, and the camera moves in such a way as to exaggerate the blurriness of the wavy glass. We can barely make out the expression on Jed's face, and yet it, and his body language, speak volumes.

By Deborah

The camera comes up on the monitor near Mrs. Landingham's desk; it's CNN showing scenes of rioting in Haiti. Jed purposefully strides out of his office and says something to her that sounds like: "Bob Cratchit?" She replies, "Oh, sir, surely you have better things to do than annoy me." Jed: "Never. You bought a new car?" She confirms this. "And you paid sticker price?" he asks. She starts to recite the rules she quoted to Charlie earlier, but Jed interrupts, telling her, "You need to read the , subsection B, paragraph four, Mammy Yokum." "Mammy Yokum"? She replies, "You know, I could beat you up anytime I want, sir." Jed: "Secret Service'd have you down like a calf at a rodeo." He puts on his glasses and reads: "The definition of 'gift' excludes opportunities and benefits, including favourable rates and commercial discounts, available to the public at large." She says she did look at the . "And?" he intones. She waggles a finger at him, saying, "I work door to the Oval Office, sir. 'Caesar's wife must be above reproach.'" She probably wouldn't have made that particular remark if she knew the trouble Abby's in. Jed asks, "Is the reason you didn't tell me you were getting a new car...did you think I was gonna think it was an extravagance?" She looks slightly sheepish. Jed goes on, "You don't think I think you should have a new car? Dolores, have you ever had a new car?" I think this is the first time we've heard her first name (but if you really want to know, go use the fabulous new MBTV search engine and find out for yourself). She says she hasn't, and that her husband Henry would always go get a reliable second-hand car. Jed says, "How about you let me find out what you were supposed to pay and write you a cheque for the difference?" She replies, "Oh, no. Thank you, but I'm buying this car myself. This car is going to feel good." Hey, if she doesn't want it, I can use it. He asks if it's a nice one, as she puts on her coat. Mrs. Landingham: "It's a beauty. It's blue, it has air conditioning -- I told them I could just roll down the windows, but it comes with it anyway -- Consumer Reports rates it very high, it's very safe...and when you get inside, there's this..." Jed: "Smell?" She asks how he knew. Jed: "It's the smell of freedom...and the chemicals they treat the dashboard with." I'm glad he added that last part, or I would have had to. He asks her when she's picking it up; she says she's going to get it right now. He asks her to do him a favour, and come back to the White House afterward, because he'd like to talk to her about something. He instructs her to put the car in the driveway so that he can kick the tires. She asks why, as he's wandering back into the Oval Office. He calls out, "It's an expression, Fannie Mae! Go get your car." She grabs her purse and goes.

By Deborah

Oliver just lets that go, and tells her that he wants her to get her own lawyer. She says she has her own lawyer. Oliver says that Pat is a family lawyer, and that he wants her to have her own: "I'll give you eight names; you, Pat, and the President whittle it down to three; I'll pick the one." Abby asks whether they can do this after the Wednesday night broadcast. He wants her to do it now, because he doesn't think she should do the interview, because he doesn't think she should answer questions without a lawyer. Abby tells him that Sam said they won't get into legal issues. Oliver says that he doesn't know how they're going to avoid it. He asks, "Herman Vikram was the original specialist, right?" She confirms this. Oliver continues, "It was Vikram who put him on prednisone. Then almost four years ago, you put him on Interferon Beta 1-b. Betaseron." She agrees with all this. He tries to clarify that she did it, not Vikram. Abby says that it was in consultation with Vikram. But Oliver's point is that she wrote the prescription. She says that she thought it would be wrong to involve another doctor. She wrote these prescriptions to herself and had them filled at the Dunwich Women's Health Clinic. Oliver: "And then had them shipped to various locations?" She points out that they were campaigning. He mentions Phoenix and St. Louis specifically; she figures that she probably sent them to those locations. He says, "You violated the medical ethics rules of three state boards: New Hampshire, Arizona, and Missouri." Only three? I guess she ordered large amounts that lasted through several states' worth of campaigning at a time. He reads from a regulation book: "'The Board may take disciplinary action against any person who is engaged in dishonest or unprofessional conduct." Abby says, "They were extraordinary circumstances, Oliver. I gave my husband excellent medical care and I'll line up tenured professors who'll say so." He asks whether she kept medical records. She didn't. That was stupid. Oliver quotes the rest of the regulations: "'Or any person who has failed to maintain adequate medical records or documentation on diagnostic and therapeutic treatment.' The AMA's Code of Ethics pretty well spells out the egregiousness of treating your own family members." She replies, "We do it anyway. We write prescriptions for migraines, antibiotics..." He interrupts, "Can I ask you, as the President's physician, have you ever asked him if he's ever had any extramarital affairs?" She's getting angrier, but remains civil: "No." Oliver: "Isn't that a crucial question in the diagnosing of autoimmune diseases?" Abby just stares at him, and then says, "I'd like to be to my husband when he does this." Oliver tells her again, "I'd like you to get your own lawyer." She asks if there's anything else. Oliver says, "No. Thank you, Dr. Bartlet," as he shuts the AMA regulation book. I don't like Babish's manner, but he's right, and he really does have her best interests at heart. I used to work in the field of medical regulation, and she is definitely up to her ass in it. Unless the various state medical regulatory agency executives and disciplinary boards are composed exclusively of die-hard Democrats (highly unlikely), I think they're going to be gunning for her. For such a smart woman, she's taking a remarkably long time to get the ginormous implications of this.

By Deborah

West Wing TV Show - This Is The Dawning of the Age of Sagittarius - West Wing Photos &amp; Videos, West Wing Reviews &amp; West Wing Recaps | TWoP

West Wing TV Show - This Is The Dawning of the Age of Sagittarius - West Wing Photos & Videos, West Wing Reviews & West Wing Recaps | TWoP