By Deborah
Previously on The West Wing: Hard to say, because my VCR was slow off the mark when I taped it on CTV, and when I tried to catch it again on NBC, these scenes were abruptly cut off for some reason. All I caught was that the staff came to POTUS to recommend he veto the repeal of the estate tax.
Some guy in a grey trench coat, followed by a uniformed security guard, walks down to an office through empty halls. He's carrying what looks like a large, very shallow rectangular box; it's dark blue and has silver embossing on the lid. Without knocking, he and the security guard -- whom we shall call Silent Bob -- enter a door marked Office of the Executive Clerk. The room is even darker than the Situation Room usually is. A baby-faced staffer greets Trenchcoat, who asks if the staffer is Dolan. Babyface is. Trenchcoat is Kovolesky. Babyface says they spoke on the phone, and that he's the only one there now, but that there are usually seven of them. Trenchcoat doesn't care. Babyface says he's new, and it's the end of his second week. Dude, I guess that's why you're working late on Friday night and everyone else is knocking back beverages containing "colourless volatile inflammable liquids forming intoxicating elements" somewhere else. Trenchcoat wonders whether Babyface knows what to do. He does; he's supposed to phone the Deputy Chief of Staff (Josh, for those of you who were late coming to the party. We'll embrace the fact that you showed up at all). Trenchcoat tells him to tell Josh that the Clerk of the House has delivered a bill, and then he's supposed to bring it to POTUS for his signature or veto. Babyface has got it. Trenchcoat and Silent Bob leave. Babyface phones Josh's office.
Upstairs...Red Alert! Red Alert! Major 'shipper moment. Donna is tying a bow tie around Josh's neck; he's in a tuxedo. Woo: spousally suggestive caretaking in close physical proximity. I think we're going to need a drool mop-up in Aisle Seven. Donna wants to know why Josh doesn't just wear a pre-tied tie. Well, how about because those are dweeby? Josh agrees with me; it's not the same. Donna claims it looks the same. Josh says, "The end of the night, you want to be able to pull it open like Tony Bennett." Donna: "You think the tie's the only thing standing between you and Tony Bennett?" Josh: "He's also shorter than I am." And Italian. Donna asks when he's bringing Buckland back to the office; Josh was going to do it before the entree. Donna suggests that doing it after the entree would be more polite. Josh wonders whether there's etiquette for this. She's still tying his tie during all this, by the way, for those of you who won't be able to see this episode for a while but can't resist spoiling yourselves by reading the recaps. Yeah, I'm looking at you over there in West Wollongong. She says there isn't; he asks, "Then why are you bothering me?" Now the tie is more or less tied, but Donna seems to be fussing with it to prolong the moment. Josh's phone starts ringing as she tells him that she needs to talk to him about something. Josh points out that his phone is ringing. She ignores it while she asks again whether they can talk sometime that night, maybe after the cheese course? At the mention of a cheese course, I imagine Wing shouting a mighty "Word!" to that. He doesn't really answer her, but just prompts her to get the phone, already. She does; the bill has arrived. Josh has donned his jacket, and he leaves, telling her to call around.
The scene opens with a shot of C.J. wrestling her feet into a pair of dressy shoes with four-inch heels. She's ordering Toby, "Quiz me." He's leaning against her door, hands in pockets, looking vaguely uncomfortable -- or, in other words, pretty much like he always does. He is not in a tux; I guess he won't be going to this soirée. He says, "I don't think I will." We see a shot of C.J. wearing a stunning one-shouldered red dress and a sparkly necklace. She looks divine, of course. She insists, "Quiz me." Toby replies, "You're a lively conversationalist. You won't have any problem --" "Quiz me!" C.J. orders. He asks who she's sitting to; she replies, "Dr. Kary B. Mullis, the recipient of the 1993 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, born 1944 in North Carolina. He earned his Bachelor's degree from Georgia Tech and his Ph.D in Biochemistry from my alma mater, UC Berkeley." She gets up and walks around behind her desk. Toby says that if Dr. Mullis only wants to talk about where he's from and where he went to school, C.J. will be fine. Carol appears to tell them the bill is there. Toby takes off immediately; C.J. says she'll meet him over there.
Out in the hall, Toby runs into Sam (in shirtsleeves; not invited to the ball either), who says that the Social Office called to tell him that seven Republicans who had indicated they would attend the dinner are not showing up now. They pedeconference as Toby says they knew that might happen. They talk about whether they should put off the veto. Toby says that both POTUS and C.J. have announced that the President's going to veto the bill, and he's going to do it.
Leo and Jed are walking along the portico outside the Oval Office. They are wearing matching penguin suits. Leo tells Jed there's an emergency meeting of the Republican leadership. That can't be good. Jed wonders what Leo thinks they're going to talk about. Leo: "I think they're planning a surprise party." Jed suggests they could have left after the entree. So he and Donna are on the same wavelength. He says they're going to miss "hot pumpkin soup with a cheese gnocchi and a chèvre brioche." Leo dutifully mutters, "Yeah." Jed continues: "That's a pretty big price to pay just to override my veto."
Jed and Leo enter the Oval Office. Leo muses, "Maybe they think they've got the votes..." Jed: "What are you saying?" Leo thinks something might have shifted in the last couple of hours. Leo says they just sent the bill up five minutes ago; he wonders why they'd schedule a meeting for right now? Jed says, "So I'd think twice about vetoing." Leo thought so, too. Jed: "And now?"
Before Leo can say any more, Josh arrives. He says the bill is on its way. Jed asks whether Josh knows what they're starting with tonight. He doesn't; Jed elaborates; "Hot pumpkin soup with a cheese gnocchi and a chèvre brioche." Josh: "Was anything you just said food?" Toby and Sam arrive; Sam is all about the Republican problem. Leo keeps insisting that they already know. Jed says they could have waited until after the entree; Josh suggests, "Maybe they didn't know about the chèvre brioche." Sam tries to suggest the idea of waiting. Toby doesn't want to wait. Sam reminds Toby, "The Constitution gives them ten days." Toby says he's familiar with it, adding, "If it's a show of strength and resolve, you don't wait to think about it." Sam argues, "And if they override the veto, it's neither strong nor resolute!" Toby says they don't have the votes to override. Sam: "Says you." Toby: "Says me, Josh, the Office of Political Liaison, Legislative Liaison, and the Minority Whip!" Jed, sitting at his desk: "Sometimes it's like I don't even need to be here." C.J. arrives. POTUS tells her she looks very nice. She asks whether the bill is there; Leo says it's on its way. No one speaks; everyone waits in vague discomfort and impatience. Jed checks his watch. C.J. makes small talk: "I've been seated to a chemist tonight." Jed: "Mullis?" C.J. continues: "Twenty-three Nobel Prize winners in the East Room, and I couldn't get Literature, or I don't know...Peace, or something?" Take heart, C.J. Maybe Mullis will be cute and single. Leo wonders, "What's her problem?" Toby volunteers, "She thinks she won't be able to make conversation with the guy, but she's wrong 'cause she knows what year he was born and his name." Wouldn't C.J. maybe have some pull with the people doing the seating arrangements? Seems plausible. C.J.: "You gotta be a cryptographer to talk to these guys. They speak in combinations of letters that don't spell anything but end up meaning 'table salt.'" Yup. NaCl. You know why I know that? Not because I took chemistry, because I didn't. To Frink's everlasting dismay, I dropped high school science like a maggoty hamburger the first chance I had. I know it because our everyday placemats have the Periodic Table of the Elements printed on them, and around the edges, there are little pictures of common foods with their formulae, or the compounds they contain. We got them from the Exploratorium in San Francisco on our honeymoon. Yes, we are the sort of people who, among other things, go to science museums on a honeymoon. Frink teaches me chemistry factoids and we quiz each other on stuff. No peeking at the placemats allowed. Yeah, you think you just learned about the height of our geekiness, but we haven't even scratched the surface here.
Finally Babyface arrives to present the bill. He hangs back at the door. Jed asks him what his name is; Babyface gives his name, rank, and serial number. Sam makes a last valiant attempt: he doesn't think it's a bluff. Leo doesn't think they're bluffing. Toby asks, "You think they're holding an override vote tonight?" Leo is certain. Toby asks why they would hold a vote if they weren't sure they could override. Jed stands up and says, "They wouldn't." He has his special wooden box containing his veto stamp out on his desk. He asks Babyface, who's still back at the door, "What do [sic] you got in the box, Mr. Dolan?" Jed gestures for Babyface to come in. Babyface walks forward holding the box out in front of him, giving the official song and dance that goes with the presentation of the bill. When he's done, Toby kind of steps in, asking whether Leo thinks they lost some votes they don't know about. Leo thinks they're about to find out. Josh says, "If the House successfully overrides the veto, we're going to look weak." Jed, stamping it and signing it, replies, "If the House successfully overrides the veto, we are weak." He then says, "N-a-C-l, C.J." C.J.'s all, "I'm sorry, sir?" He says, "Table salt." That should get her through seven courses with Mullis. ["Okay, like the fireweed thing last week, NaCl is an easy one. That's come up in countless cramming episodes of countless sitcoms. Sorkin's getting a little lazy with the obscure factoids this year, in my opinion; there's no way first-season POTUS would have impressed anyone with NaCl." -- Wing Chun] POTUS hands the box to Babyface. "Send it back." And we go to the credits.
C.J. is briefing the press about the veto of the estate tax. She's in her ball gown. Danny "Missing Inaction" Concannon, where are you? Never mind. She tells them that, fifteen minutes ago, Bartlet vetoed the estate tax. She mentions that opponents sometimes call it the "death tax" or the "we're-coming-to-get-your-children tax." She states that they think of it as a tax on fewer than 2% of American estates valued at over a million dollars, the revenue from which helps fund frivolous Democratic spending programs such as literacy and health care, and adds that it is Bartlet's first veto since taking office thirty-three months ago. A reporter asks whether there'll be a vote to override; C.J. says she doesn't know. Another one asks whether she knows why the Republican leadership is having an emergency meeting tonight; she doesn't. A third asks whether they would have done that if they didn't think they could override the veto; C.J. tells the reporter he'd have to ask the Republicans. A reporter we haven't seen before, who reminds me of Sydney Biddle Barrows (the Mayflower Madam) ["and is played by Mary Mara, also known as Loretta the Tragic Prostitute on a dozen or so episodes of ER; she must have a new agent because I also just saw her playing Jeff Bridges's sister in K-PAX" -- Wing Chun] asks, "Can you tell us what you're wearing?" C.J., tersely: "It's a dress." (I would have said, "It's a toga.") SBB whines, "C.J." C.J. curtly says, "Diane Cook." She tells the room that she'll pop in throughout the night for briefings, and that she will try not to keep them too late.
As she leaves the room, C.J. asks Carol, "What's Sherri Wexler doing here?" Carol says it's Friday night. C.J. objects that Sherri's an entertainment reporter. Carol points out that she's covering the Nobel dinner for local news. C.J. complains, "Yeah, but now she's gotta cover the veto override in the House, and I'm saying this is a girl who can barely cover the Easter Egg Hunt." Carol wonders whether C.J.'s worried that Wexler will misspell "Diane Cook." C.J. says she has to get back to dinner, and asks Carol, "Do you happen to have a copy of the Periodic Table of Elements?" Carol does not. We, however, have several, including one in Frink's wallet. I'd be happy to help you out there, C.J. Carol splits.
Toby comes back to his office; Sam's just getting off the phone with someone at the Minority Leader's office: they've scheduled a vote in ninety minutes, allowing an hour for debate and twenty minutes to vote. Sam asks how they lost votes since yesterday. Toby replies, "A low-in-the-polls President tells chicken-ass Democrats to vote against a tax cut in an election cycle: what could possibly have gone wrong?" He then calls out to Ginger to get ten phone lines in the Roosevelt Room, and to round up some people from Legislative Affairs. Sam says they need the whip count; Toby says they need a new one. Sam says that will take a while. Toby: "They're all sitting there. Tell them to raise their hands." Toby charges out of the office; Sam follows him, instructing Bonnie as he goes to get back any Democratic members who've gone to National, and to page several major airlines: "Nobody gets on a plane."
Toby and Sam meet up with Larry and Ed in the Roosevelt Room. They reiterate most of the information in the last scene. Toby hollers to Ginger for the phones, bodies and an open line to the whip's office. We can hear her voice saying it's all coming. He adds that she should get Leo out of the dinner.
Sam sees Charlie in the hall, and excuses himself. In response to a question from Sam, Charlie says that the dinner's going fine. Charlie's not in a tux this time, although he often is when Jed is. Wonder what's up with that. Sam says they should talk about the immunity deal Charlie will be offered. Charlie says he's not allowed to talk about it. Sam -- who should know as much -- relents. Charlie takes off.
Heading back to the Roosevelt Room, Sam runs into Donna. He tells her they're waiting for a new whip count. He asks Donna how ready Josh is on the environment; she says he's been studying. Sam doesn't think he'll be able to do the Buckland meeting with Josh because of the override problem. Donna is confident that Josh will be fine. Sam reminds her that Josh needs to look at the latest EPA stats on child asthma. As Donna departs, she says he's got them.
Sam goes back to the Roosevelt Room where Larry (God help me, I think it's Larry) tells him they think Kimball flipped. Sam asserts that if it was Kimball, he'd have taken half his committee with him. Ginger tells Toby he has a call. Sam goes on rambling about whether it might be Newhouse. Leo arrives and asks what's happening. Sam tells him, adding that he doesn't think it's Kimball or Newhouse. Toby says it's Kimball. Sam keeps arguing, but Toby just holds up the phone with his hand over the mouthpiece, saying, "He's on the phone right now." Leo deliberates briefly, then takes the phone and says: "Congressman? This is Leo McGarry. Please come to the White House right away." He hangs up immediately.
Josh comes bursting through the doors nears Donna's cubicle. He complains that his tie has come untied. She's got the fake one at the ready. Josh is peeved: "It's not gonna be..." Donna: "It's not going to be Tom Jones tonight." He corrects her: "Tony Bennett." Now I have visions of Josh singing "What's New, Pussycat?" at some cheesy karaoke bar. As Donna puts the fake-o bowtie on Josh, all the 'shippers get a second chance to swoon. This time, it's not as sweet and tender as the first one; it's more like a mother doing up her kid's shoelace for the third time that day. She tells Josh that Sam can't do the Buckland meeting with him, and reminds Josh about the asthma stats. She asks him again whether she can talk to him about something personal. He says he has to return to the dinner (probably ran out on his hot pumpkin soup), and asks if it can wait a bit. It can. As he dashes off, he stops, holding the sides of his bow tie and asks how it looks. She smiles and says, "Good." As he disappears, the smile quickly fades to a look of concern.
Over near Toby's office, Leo, Sam, and Toby are trying to figure out what Kimball is going to ask for. Sam thinks that maybe he wants to bring back the estate-tax compromise. Toby doesn't think so. Sam states, "He's ready to settle for a $10 million exemption instead of a $5 million." Toby replies: "Compromising with a $10 million exemption: here's a conversation my father never had." Margaret arrives to summon Leo. As he leaves, he tells Sam and Toby they're going to have to give away something, but advises them not to "give away the store."
Out in the hall, Margaret tells Leo that Nancy's in his office. Margaret only knows that something has happened, but not what. Leo arrives in his office, where Nancy tells him, "A bomb went off outside a café on Ben Yehuda in Jerusalem. It was a suicide bomber. He detonated explosives stuck to his body." Leo asks, "How bad is it?" Nancy explains, "Ten people were killed right away. It looks [like] about 125 injured, mostly young adults. Leo, two of the dead were American students. We think they may have been targeted." Leo takes this in and says, "All right." Nancy follows him out on his way to the Situation Room.
After the commercials, they're in the Situation Room with the usual suspects, but sadly, no Fitz. Nancy hangs up a phone and tells Leo, "The INP thinks they have traces of C-4." Leo's surprised: "C-4? Did this guy have a car strapped to his chest?" C-4 is a plastic explosive which, among other things, has detonation rate of some 26,400 feet per second which, according to my research, is among the higher rates of detonation for explosives. POTUS arrives, asking immediately, "Have the parents been notified?" They have. POTUS asks whether anyone has claimed responsibility. Leo says, "Not yet." Nancy says, "In the hour, everyone will claim responsibility." Everybody sits down. Jed asks, "Nancy, hasn't State issued travel warnings since Bekaa?" Nancy says the students were there for a soccer match. Jed wants to know whether the Americans were targeted. One of the suits says that initial reports are that the bomber was on his way into a nightclub, and that he stopped and turned when he saw the two guys wearing U.S. delegation sweatshirts with insignias and flags. They were brothers: Ariel and Noah Levy. The first guy adds that the bomber walked up to them and detonated. Jed wonders whether they know this for a fact. Nancy says that the embassy RSO at the scene has provided this information. Leo tells Jed about the C-4 traces. POTUS asks Leo, "You think there's an Afghan connection?" Leo replies, "Or even Iran. We'll know more when the FBI attaché gives a forensic analysis." They should have that within an hour. Jed gets up to leave, saying, "I'm going to want some temperature-cooling options." Speaking of which, bet his hot pumpkin soup is cold by now.
C.J. is talking to Margaret outside Leo's office. "'Na' is sodium. 'Sodium' comes from the English word 'soda.' So wouldn't it make sense for the periodic symbol to be related to that? No! Because 'Na' comes from the Latin word natrium." Margaret dutifully asks, "What does natrium mean?" C.J.: "It means 'sodium.'" Leo arrives and brings C.J. into his office. She says she's pretty well-briefed; he asks whether it's on the news yet. She says it is. He says that the two American victims were brothers, and that they were there for a soccer match. C.J. wonders whether she can say they were intentional targets. Leo says they can't, nor can their names be released. C.J. says, "The Levys just lost their sons. I'll take the heat for a few hours. The President'll call them?" He will. C.J. asks whether she can tell the press that POTUS has been in touch with the Prime Minister. Leo says she can, but not to give them a read: "The Israelis are gonna do what they're gonna do, so ratchet down expectations." There's nothing else, so she's on her way.
On her way out, C.J. runs into Charlie and tries to talk to him. Before she can even get the words out, he knows what she's trying to do, and he cuts her off, "I can't talk about it." She grabs him by the arm, pulling him down the hallway in her direction, and says, "We'll talk hypothetically." He has little choice but to comply. "Say a guy your age was offered a 'get out of jail free' card." Charlie says that nobody's going to jail. That remains to be seen, but I, too, doubt it. Donna's "farm-girl ass" is probably safe. C.J. points out that everybody's getting called and getting lawyers and if Charlie took immunity...Charlie cuts her off: "I'd still need a lawyer." C.J. says, "For a few hours. Not a hundred hours." They've reached her office. She says she knows what he's thinking. He reiterates that he can't talk about it. She pauses and says, "Okay. I'm going to change my clothes." Charlie replies, "Okay. I'll watch." She kind of turns and gives him an indignant look. He says under his breath, "No." He takes off. I suppose that was vaguely amusing, mainly because it was sort of unexpected. But it still seemed gratuitous (and rather out of character for Charlie). Even though the changing of C.J.'s clothes becomes an issue later in the episode, there's really no reason for her to have announced it now, other than to set up this line. I mean, we do have eyes. I think we'll notice she's not in this knockout red dress anymore. I'm sure some viewers will, in fact, be sobbing in their beer over that.
Josh checks on things in the Roosevelt Room. Sam says they're down four votes. Josh thought it was one; Sam says that three of their guys are deliberately out of reach on airplanes. Sam also says that Kimball is on his way. Donna appears to summon Josh to his meeting with Governor Buckland and his people in the Mural Room.
Josh greets Buckland, and even though I saw actor Kevin Tighe's name on the credits, it takes me a minute to place him as Governor Buckland. I haven't seen the guy for almost thirty years. Kevin Tighe played paramedic Roy DeSoto on the 1970s television series Emergency! which was one of my brother's favourite TV shows when we were little and I sort of also liked it, although it was mostly because I had a crush on Tighe's co-star, Randy Mantooth (I kid you not, about the name or the crush) who played paramedic John Gage. Ah, good times. ["More recently, Tighe played Nick Andopolis's mean dad on Freaks and Geeks." -- Wing Chun] Accompanying Buckland are Pam Wachtel and Jonathan, who doesn't rate a mention of his last name. Josh seems to be familiar with them. Drinks are offered but no one wants any. Everyone sits and Josh launches with, "So, Governor -- the President's a tree-hugger?" Actually, he seems more inclined toward sudden arboreal stops than spontaneous arboreal affection, but whatever. Buckland says he never said that. Josh says, "'If you want to save a spotted owl, vote for Bartlet. If you want to save a job, vote for someone else'?" Buckland claims he never said that, either. Josh points at Pam and says, "No, she did. In the Indianapolis Post-Dispatch." Which apparently is not a real newspaper, but maybe we can avoid a repeat of the ongoing fuss over last week's mention of theYale Law Review and Indianapolites (Indianapolisians? Indianapolese?) can just be happy for a wee shout-out. Josh asks Pam, "You weren't misquoted, right?" She was not. Josh is fidgeting with his right ear a lot. He says, "Okay, listen. I wouldn't know a spotted owl if he walked up and introduced himself. But I do know the President's a pro-business pragmatist who has created 3.8 million new jobs." Pam retorts, "Well, you ought to tell that to an unemployed steelworker in Indiana, 'cause he's working three of those jobs the President created just to pay the mortgage." Josh claims that the decline in manufacturing isn't due to environmental initiatives. Jonathan begs to differ: "When the President raised standards for smog and soot emissions, he raised the cost of business and closed down industrial plants across the Midwest." Josh is pretty irritated: "You want to see a study that says that if we hadn't passed the Clean Air Act, about two million more people would have suffered from heart disease, bronchitis, respiratory illness...?" Jonathan: "You want to see a study that says how many healthy people we've got on the unemployment line?" Josh starts in on the child-asthma stats when Buckland interrupts and says he doesn't want to talk about child asthma. He tells Pam and Jonathan, "Neither does Josh." He asks them to excuse him and Josh. They leave.
Josh sighs and keeps on: "It doesn't destroy jobs, Jack. It creates them. There's a $400 billion worldwide market in creating technologies that are environmentally safe." Buckland asks, "You think a fifty-five-year-old steelworker's going to get a job building hybrid engines?" Josh expels a sound that's half-sigh, half-laugh. Buckland says, "Ask me what you want to know." They just kind of look at each other for a moment. Josh finally says, "You invited Victor Campos to Indiana...Pam's quote in the Post-Dispatch...Jack, are you gonna challenge the President in the primary?" Buckland suggests they have a drink now.
Toby's waiting out front when Kimball's car drives up: "Took you long enough." Kimball says he was held up. Like most of the politicians on this show, Kimball's probably a HITG! But I don't recognize him from anything I've seen. Wing? ["I think that's Cliff De Young. If it is, he was in Relativity with Richard Schiff." -- Wing Chun] He says he was held up. As they pedeconference, Toby informs him: "And I'm not about to be." Kimball: "Yeah?" Toby says they can win it without him. Perhaps, but it sure doesn't look that way at the moment. Kimball says he's got four proxies in his pocket, so Toby can't do anything without him. He pats Toby on the back and says, "Don't worry about it. I came with a shopping list." I'll bet. Toby asks, "How does a Democrat from Tennessee farm country, where we championed electrification, the Tennessee Valley Authority, farm safety nets, the..." He cuts himself off. "How do you do this to a Democratic President?" Kimball says, "Estate tax costs sixty-five cents on the dollar." Toby: "That's not my point." Kimball: "Why would anyone want to build up a..." Toby repeats his statement. Kimball asks, "Well, then, what's the point?" Toby stops and says, "You were with us, yesterday, and now you're holding us hostage!" Kimball says he's got some things to talk about and feels that he is in a fairly strong negotiating position. Turns out he wants to talk about grazing fees. Toby seems somewhat incredulous. He says, "Let's go. We're running out of time."
C.J. has changed into a suit to brief about the bombing in Israel, and the world is a bleaker place for both actions. She says she can't confirm the names of any Americans who were killed. A reporter named Arthur asks whether the U.S. is ready to call the ceasefire a failure. C.J. replies, "The parties themselves negotiated the terms of the ceasefire, and the United States remains committed to the peace process." Sherri Wexler pipes up with a question, but before she can spit very much of it out, C.J. firmly says, "I like to call on people, Sherri." Sherri kind of acknowledges this with a facial gesture and states her question: "What do you have to say to the people of Dallas who've just lost two of their native sons to this tragedy?" C.J. repeats that, as she's already said, they can't confirm or deny the identities of any of the victims. Sherri replies, "Well, how is it that the United States Government, supported by the citizens of Dallas, knows less than CNN, AP, and Israeli TV?" "Knows less"? What a tool. She is so going to be spread out all over the Briefing Room floor before the hour is up. C.J. is, of course, completely unruffled by this silly little sprout: "I think the citizens of Dallas will understand that the 1974 Privacy Act precludes me from discussing those details until the family gives its consent." Sherri shuts her piehole. C.J. takes a another question, about whether the U.S. is considering retaliating, since two Americans were killed. She gives him a line to the effect that they're still investigating, and in the meantime they urge all parties to show restraint.
Out on the portico, POTUS arrives to talk to Leo, who tells him, "It was a Palestinian splinter group, called the Palestine Freedom Front." Jed: "Agency and FBI concur?" They do. Jed: "And we shouldn't be looking outside the box?" Leo replies, "Hutchinson talked with the Israeli Foreign minister and the Interior Minister. It was an isolated incident." Jed: "Retaliation for Bekaa?" Leo confirms this. Jed leans against a pillar. "If that's the case, I want to hear it from Arafat's mouth. I want to hear it from him. A denunciation of violence. I want to see security cooperation with the Israelis." I was surprised to hear a real-world politician's name; Sorkin usually avoids such references, although he mentioned bin Laden in the Season Two opener. Leo says they'll have the U.N. Secretary General "put the screws to the Chairman, and Scorza can be at the Prime Minister's office. Maybe, maybe, maybe we can get Israel to hold their fire tonight." Jed: "Would you?" Leo: "No." Jed returns to the dinner.
Ah, commercials. Thank God, I'm hungry. And I'd just like to say, since it applies to the whole episode and there's no one obvious place to put it, that this episode was very well directed (by Christopher Misiano), and featured incredibly smooth camerawork and physical choreography. Great work, and a real pleasure to watch.
Toby and Sam are talking to Kimball in Toby's office. Kimball's talking about the farmers who raise their livestock on federal lands. Sam says they do it for about one tenth of market value, based on what he calls an "archaic formula" created by Congress thirty years ago. Kimball says, "There was cattle thirty years ago." Sam: "We're not trying to stick it to ranchers. We want to raise grazing fees and use the money to restore streams, watersheds, fish and wildlife, habitats that have been destroyed by --" Kimball asks how ranchers are supposed to put food on their tables: "And yours, for that matter?" Sam claims that it's cheaper to graze cattle on federal lands than to feed a young basset hound. Kimball retorts, "And it's easier to sell out the western states, where you're not going to win anyway, than to help the cattlemen whose prices are plummeting. If you look at the range land..." Toby says he doesn't want to look at the range land anymore. He offers a one-year moratorium before the President will try to raise the fees. Toby tells him to go vote. Kimball says, "No. I've got more." Toby: "Really." Kimball: "A GAO review of the deficiencies in the Freedom to Farm Act, and the need for a stronger farm safety net." He also wants administration support for an increase in production flexibility contracts.
Sam checks his watch, and leaves without a word to speak with Donna, who's waiting outside the Mural Room reading a newspaper. He tells her to let Josh know they're going to need more time. Donna interrupts the meeting with apologies, and quietly tells Josh by the door that Sam needs time. Josh instructs her, "Tell him to call the Minority Leader's office. Tell him we need to stage an exhibition." Donna asks whether Sam will know how that works. Josh says, "There's a rule against exhibitions on the House floor. He'll have one of our members bring a poster on the floor. Another one of our members will object, and the Chair has to rule, followed by a vote of the full House and that'll buy twenty minutes."
Donna leaves, and Josh closes the door. He turns to Buckland and says, "You're polling at slightly less than 5% in Iowa. After hearing your issue profile, that number actually goes down. Thirty-nine percent of caucus-goers say they wouldn't even consider voting for you. 'Shares our values'? Eighteen percent. Did you know that?" Buckland says he didn't. He retains the slightly bemused smile he's had on his puss for pretty well the entire meeting. Josh continues: "In New Hampshire, you got 3%. 'Shares our values?' Fourteen percent. After hearing your profile, 41% think you're a Republican. Did you know that?" Buckland didn't, but he's still smiling. Josh: "South Dakota: 3%. Georgia: 8%. New York: 7%. Did you know any of that?" He did not. Josh concludes, "The reason why you didn't know, Jack, is that you don't even have the money do out-of-state polling right now." Jack points at him and says jovially, "So you helped me out." Josh: "I did. Now, with those kinds of numbers, and no kind of money, how can you expect to run a campaign?" Buckland asks where the President's numbers were, and what kind of money he had, when he got into the race. Josh hollers, "He wasn't challenging a sitting President! And nobody challenges a sitting President in a primary by going to his right! This isn't a serious challenge you're contemplating, so tell me what it is?" Buckland replies, "Well, if it isn't a serious challenge, what are you doing in this room?" Now he's not smiling. Josh bursts out: "Your health!" He kind of hesitates, and sits on the arm of a sofa. "We don't like your health." Buckland looks puzzled. "You're a Heisman trophy-winning football player, a U.S. Olympian, you still run the New York marathon...and every time we see B-roll of you tossing a ball around at the local Boys' Club, it makes people think the President's gotta campaign in an oxygen tent." He kind of sputters a chuckle. Buckland's back to bemused: "Well, it sounds like a bit of a serious challenge. It sounds like I need to be listened to. You want to see me do some push-ups?" I do. Josh, sarcastically: "Yeah. That's what I want."
Situation Room. Leo comes in and asks Nancy, "What do we know?" She reports, "Keyhole sees twelve Israeli F-15s on the tarmac at Hatzerim Air Base." Leo: "What are they armed with?" Nancy: "Eight AIM sidewinders. Pilots are in the cockpits, we see heat plumes." A dude in uniform adds, "We also got ten Douglas A.H. Apache Longbows airborne from Betzet. They're armed with Hellfires." Leo inquires as to whether there's any chance it's a training exercise. Nancy: "It's always a training exercise." Yeah. Leo's told by one of the suits that they think the targets are the Abu Sneni Bab and Al-Sheik neighbourhoods in Hebron, a police station in Ramallah, and Al-Watan, the Hamas newspaper. He adds, "But we could be wrong about all of that." Leo asks about Arab reaction. Another suit says that Egypt will call for an immediate Arab summit if Israel retaliates. Leo: "Nancy, what about the C-4?" Nancy replies, "Good, 'cause this is what's interesting. The Agency indicates that the bomber had ties to Abdul Mujib." May I just say, props for getting this Arabic name right? Sometimes TV shows and movies take it upon themselves to make up Arabic names which for various reasons are really unlikely to exist. Abdul is a combination of the Arabic words abd ("servant" or "slave") and the preposition ul (sometimes rendered al or el), "of." And according to Islamic concepts, it should only be coupled with certain words, most of which are known as the Ninety-Nine Names of God, words that describe the attributes of God. You're not supposed to simply name a child after one of these attributes alone, e.g., Mujib ("The Answerer") or Jabbar ("The Compeller"); that is considered extremely disrespectful, practically equivalent to naming your kid "God" in English (urban legends about Grace Slick notwithstanding). Such a name should always be prefaced with Abdul, which is why you hear so many Muslim names that include that combination. (And Abdullah simply means "Servant of God.") And obviously, it's important to avoid coupling "Abdul" with the name of anything other than God. Now, of course, not all Arabic names correspond to a Muslim person. However, people on TV shows with Arabic names are rarely supposed to be anything but Muslim. I think it's safe to assume in this case that the bomber is to be understood to be Muslim. Anyway, this viewer appreciates them getting it right. Leo: "Really? Well, that may be our way out." He seems hopeful. He turns to a woman in uniform and says, "Sally, I need to see the President." He leaves.
Carol comes to C.J.'s door and says the networks want to take her live the time she briefs: "Is that okay?" It is. Carol informs her that Sherri Wexler's about to do her stand-up. C.J. asks, "The station can't send somebody over who knows what she's doing?" Carol: "She thinks she knows what she's doing." Carol sits down. C.J. asks, "I have to watch this?" Carol supportively says, "I thought you showed great restraint in there before." C.J. replies, "'Walk softly...' and do something else." Carol: "'Carry a big stick.'" C.J.: "Yeah. Walk softly. Walk around." Carol turns up the TV. Wexler concludes her little blurb about the bombing and the veto by saying, "It's a tense night here, Alan, as staffers and press burn the midnight oil." Alan, the anchor, inquires, "Sherri, going back to the suicide bomber, you say the White House can't confirm whether Americans were involved, yet other news outlets..." Sherri interjects, "Yes, I should say the press secretary, C.J. Cregg, can't confirm if Americans were involved. It's not clear the extent to which C.J. is in the loop on this." Shot of Carol looking concerned and glancing sidelong at C.J., who looks mildly irritated. Sherri prattles on, "I can tell you, she's changed her clothes several times throughout the evening." C.J. looks at Carol. The anchor, naturally not expecting this superficial trajectory of prattle, asks her to say that again; he doesn't seem to have caught it. Sherri cattily says, "I say, C.J. Cregg's known to be a bit of a clotheshorse, and perhaps she's missed some information during one of her wardrobe changes." Did I already use the word "tool"? C.J. doesn't say anything; she just looks disgusted. She snaps off the TV and says, "Well. Turns out she did know what she was doing." Carol's like a bulldog: "You want me to take care of it?" C.J. says quite placidly: "I'll take care of it."
Sam and Toby approach Margaret's desk. She tells them that Leo will be back in a moment. Toby spots someone and says he'll be right back. Yup. It's Toby's turn to lobby Charlie. Before Toby even opens his mouth, Charlie says, "I can't talk about it." Toby objects, "You didn't know what I was going to say!" Charlie: "Immunity?" Toby, dismayed: "Yeah." Charlie restates his position. Toby mutters, "Coulda been talking about a flu vaccine." Charlie says, "That's immunization."
Leo's back and calls Toby toward his office. In his office, he asks Sam and Toby what's happening. Toby sighs, and tells him they've given Kimball a one-year moratorium on an increase in grazing fees, support for an increase in the production flexibility contracts, and a promise not to lower agricultural export subsidies. "We're up to a tougher FDA crackdown on the illegal use of antibiotics in milk." Josh shows up. Leo's incredulous: "Are you kid--" "Swear to God," replies Toby. Leo asks Josh about Buckland. Josh confirms that Buckland definitely wants a seat at the table. Well, with hot pumpkin soup with cheese gnocchi and a chèvre brioche on the menu, who among us would not? Toby asks, "How far do we go with these guys?" Josh asks, "Can I offer Buckland...?" Leo: "No." Josh: "Well, he's gonna keep mouthing off..." Leo cries, "I don't care! Take him out!" He's fed up. "Enough's enough! First Victor Campos, then Kimball and his band of four, then Buckland? Let him know we're going to put it out that he tried to blackmail the President unless he caved to industry on clean air, clean water, climate control...and worker safety. Emphasize work safety -- that'll get him in good with the unions." Josh objects, "Everyone'll know the leak came from us." Leo: "Yeah." He seems pleased, but the guys seem uncertain about this course of action. Time for a Leo parable to reassure everybody. He begins, "You know what? Bill Russell was getting eaten alive 'cause they could never get him to throw an elbow. He didn't want to do it. So Red Auerbach told him to do it one time. 'Throw an elbow in a nationally televised game. You'll never have to do it again.' You bet your ass they'll know the leak came from us. Toby, whatever's on the table in there, take it or leave it." Fortunately, while I didn't know who Bill Russell and Red Auerbach are/were, or even what sport was being referenced, I got the moral of the story. They all thank him and leave.
Outside in the hall, Sam has an idea: "What's on the table...don't you...grazing fees, farm nets, milk subsidies...what's on the table? Aren't they the same things a farm-district Republican would want?" Toby says yeah and rubs his head, but doesn't see where Sam's going. Sam: "Let's offer it to them." Toby: "Offer it to who?" Sam: "Republicans. Royce. He'll carry six Republicans. That'll be seven votes. First off, when Kimball and his four see we're going to win, they'll hop on board, so we've got a bigger margin. Second, C.J. can make a big deal out of bipartisanship. But mostly..." Toby: "We threw an elbow." Sam: "On national TV."
Toby's gears are grinding. He heads for his office to kick Kimball to the curb. Kimball's ready to pick up where they left off, but Toby simply says "No." Kimball patronizes him, warning, "Well, I wouldn't be so quick to say no." Toby: "I think I will." Kimball: "No to the FDA crackdown?" Toby: "No to...everything." Kimball's confused. Toby starts enumerating all the things he's rejecting: everything they've discussed. Kimball looks peeved but says nothing. Toby politely says, "We're going to need the room. Would you mind, Congressman?" Kimball starts to say something, but Sam interjects, "Congressman? We're a little pressed for time." Kimball leaves with a semi-dirty look. Kimball says, "Good luck." Sam thanks him. Toby asks Ginger to get Pennsylvania Congressman Robert Royce on the phone. Sam says, "Okay, well...now this really needs to work." Toby sits down, looking fairly unconvinced.
Jed drops in on Abby, who's sick in bed. She's reading. I wish I could see what the book is. I always want to know what people on my favourite shows are reading. ["I thought I saw something that looked like 'Harry S. Truman.'" -- Wing Chun] Abby warns Jed to stay away: "I'm like a petri dish over here." Stockard Channing recently broke her ankle, but I don't know if she had done so by the time this was shot. If so, I guess that's at least partly why she's laid up in bed. Someone in the forums suggested that perhaps Jed's meant to catch her cold and become sick himself, prompting concerns about his health, but given the enormous number of people with whom the President comes into physical contact each day, I can't imagine that there's no other way for him to contract a cold. He agrees that she's "pretty gross." But he says it in such a way that you know he doesn't mean it at all. She asks how the dinner is; he says it's good. He tells her about the bombing. She asks how old the Levys were; they were nineteen and twenty-one. Jed wonders whether she's spoken with Zoey today. Abby replies that she hasn't. Jed says, "I thought the deal was, she calls once a day?" "She calls most days," Abby replies. Jed wants her to call every day. Abby agrees. Where is Zoey, anyway? She seems to have gone the way of Mandy, Danny, Mallory...but I don't really miss any of them. I kind of miss Zoey, especially since she made Charlie happy. Jed gets up, kisses Abby on the top of her head, and asks whether she needs anything. She says she doesn't. And it's time for the third commercial break.
Back on the portico, Leo is waiting to talk to POTUS about what to do. Leo tells him, "We can connect the bomber to Abdul Mujib." Jed asks how. Leo explains, "Traces of C-4 and other chemicals that are tagged." They both perch on a low window sill. Jed asks, "So you think I get on the phone with the Chairman and..." Leo says, "I think you get on the phone with the Chairman and I think you tell him to hand Abdul Mujib over to the Israelis. You remind him Israeli secret police are going to kill him anyway." Jed says it will take more than that. Leo says, "If it does, you tell him..." Jed: "Congress?" Leo: "Yeah." Jed: "We'll withhold the $100 million in NGO aid if they don't hand him over?" Leo: "Yeah." Jed asks whether Leo thinks that handing him over puts the pin back in the grenade. Leo: "For a day." Jed: "For a day?" Leo: "Yeah." Jed accepts this and tells him to set up the call. He returns to the dinner.
Back in the Mural Room. Josh and Jack seem to be in a lively argument, each telling the other to hang on. Jack wins, saying, "No, you hang on, Josh. I'm the Governor of Indiana. You hang on. You're saying I should get out of the race because I'm too healthy, and you're telling me I'm making a flaky argument?" Josh tries to object, but Buckland persists, asking, "How am I supposed to keep advocating the issues that I care about if I don't get into the race for a while?" Suddenly Donna interrupts, apologizing.
Out in the hall, Donna tells Josh that Sam still needs more time. He advises her to get Sam to have a Democrat call for a journal vote; which will require the full House to approve the day's floor activity. After that, he suggests having a member attach an amendment to the override vote. Donna asks, "What kind of amendment?" Josh: "Doesn't matter. 'To qualify for the estate tax repeal, the estates have to have Astroturf™.'" Donna: "And still it's hard to figure why Congress can't get anything done."
Josh returns to Mr. Healthy, saying, "I'm sorry." Buckland understands: "There's a lot going on here tonight." Josh says, as humbly as he can manage, "No, I meant...I'm sorry. You came through for us in Indiana. Really, the whole Midwest. You would have been great in the #2 spot. And it was me as much as anyone pushing Hoynes." Buckland knows they couldn't have won without Hoynes. He adds, "I'm term-limited, Josh, and I still have things I want to say." Josh admits, "I have instructions to...you know...." Buckland: "To bust me." Josh: "Yeah." He pauses. "If I could convince Leo to put you on the short list...think you could say what you want to say?" Buckland responds, "You can't offer me quid pro quo; it's against the law." Josh knows: "But I can tell you that Carl Reed wants to accept a position at Shearson, and he'll be leaving in about three months." Buckland inquires, "You guys are that afraid of my health, huh?" Josh, in his disarming way, confesses (with a little wheeze of a laugh), "Well, we're afraid of everything." He pauses again. "But no kidding, Jack, I think you'd make an interesting nominee for Labor Secretary. So if I could convince Leo..." Buckland extends his hand, saying, "I'm going to go see if there's any dessert left." Well, there might be if Ainsley's not in the vicinity. Josh shakes his hand.
In his office, Leo tells Charlie, "Take the immunity." Charlie: "I'm not allowed..." Leo: "Take it." Charlie asks, "Is anyone else taking it?" Leo tells him it's not being offered to anyone else. Charlie asks, "Would they take it if they were?" Leo responds, "Charlie, who the hell knows what's going to happen with this prosecution? It's a partisan prosecution. You could go broke! You could be barred from law school!" Charlie looks concerned. He asks, "Doesn't immunity imply guilt?" Leo says, "Not necessarily." Charlie continues, "And if someone in my position took a deal to protect himself, what would that person be saying to his employer?" Who, in this case, also happens to be his girlfriend's father. "That they were wrong to trust him." Leo's annoyed: "Don't be a hero." Charlie: "Why not? I'll stay with my team. People should stop trying to get me not to do that." Ah, God love ya, Charlie. You've got all the integrity in the world but it ain't gonna pay the rent. It's going to get you eaten alive in Washington. But you're so my boyfriend. Margaret knocks and enters. Charlie says, as he leaves, "Anyway, I'm not supposed to talk about it." Nancy comes in to tell Leo that Palestinian police arrested Abdul Mujib at his residence in Gaza. Leo seems relieved. He hollers for Margaret; she comes in, and he asks her to get C.J. on the phone. He adds, "And see if there's still any food over there." Poor Leo. Has he ever once gotten through a fancy dinner party without an international crisis to handle?
Josh returns from the dinner, and stops by Donna's desk as he's taking off his tie, saying, "I got away with this thing, but you should really learn how to tie a bow tie." Donna says, without much oopmh, "Or you could." Josh admits, "Yeah, but that doesn't seem that likely, right?" No, it doesn't. He says she can go home. She says she'll stick around. He suddenly remembers that she wanted to talk to him about something earlier. She says, with a smile that seems forced, "Listen...I was fixed up on a blind date a few nights ago." Boy, does she have Josh's full attention: "When?" he asks. He seems to be trying to keep his expression somewhat neutral, but he makes these very subtle gestures with his shoulder and jaw that convey his sense of unease. She just says that it was a few nights ago, and that Ainsley fixed them up: "He's a Republican lawyer working for Ways and Means but he was being transferred. And it turns out now that he's on Government Oversight..." Josh doesn't waste a moment in declaring, "You can't see him anymore." Donna knows that. He repeats, "You can't see him anymore." She repeats, "I know that." He asks, "It was just that night?" She says, "Yeah." Somehow I've had the feeling since the beginning of this show that it wasn't. She hesitates and then confesses, "No...we got together the night again. We shouldn't have." Josh doesn't look at her; his eyes are lowered as he propels as much frustration he's willing to show into struggling with the top button on his shirt. He says, "Yeah." Donna, "Look, when we got together the first time..." Finally getting his collar open and looking at Donna, Josh says, "You just thought he was on Ways and Means who I was battling on the estate tax." He seems really disappointed in her; he seems to feel really betrayed. It does seem that any personal jealousy he might be feeling is taking a back seat to his professional concerns. She says, "I'm sorry..." Josh: "Did any reporters see you?" Donna: "No." Josh: "The second night?" Donna: "No." But how can you ever be sure? ["If they were in...you know, her apartment. Not to cast aspersions on Ms. Moss's character, but that's what I thought." -- Wing Chun] Josh gives Donna a cold stare. "All right. You can go home." Donna indicates that the President wants to see Josh in five minutes. He says, "Thanks," and goes into his office. He doesn't slam the door, but he does close it pretty firmly.
C.J. has a last press briefing about the apprehension of Abdul Mujib. A reporter asks whether POTUS urged the Chairman to hand over Abdul Mujib; C.J. replies that POTUS urged the parties to honour the terms of the cease-fire, and reiterated the United States's commitment to the peace process. Katie asks whether it's true that the President threatened to withhold $100 million in aid to Palestinian NGOs unless Abdul Mujib was handed over. C.J. says that there will be more on the details of the diplomatic exchange tomorrow. She mentions that the House is getting ready to vote on the override of the President's veto, and she knows they'll all want to report on that: "Since this is the President's first veto, I thought it might be helpful if we brushed up on the rules. Sherri, can you tell us how many votes it takes to override a veto?" Sherri seems surprised: "I'm sorry?" C.J. repeats the question, and Sherri quickly says, "A majority." C.J. says, "Actually, it takes two thirds." Sherri pleasantly says, "Yes, a two-thirds majority." C.J.: "Yeah, 290. And how many votes does it take to sustain?" Sherri attempts not to look like a dumb-ass caught in the headlights, and gives C.J. a quizzical look. C.J. says, "That should be easy. You just subtract 290 from the total number of members in the House, and add one." Sherri nods compliantly. "How many people sit in the House of Representatives, Sherri?" C.J. asks. The other reporters glance at Sherri, in the exact way that we all did in high school when someone was being excoriated by a teacher and we knew the kid didn't have a clue or a hope. Sherri is silent and tries to keep her composure. It's 435 by the way; even as a Canadian I knew that. ["I didn't, but I knew NaCl!" -- Wing Chun] C.J. concludes, "Okay, maybe you can get the notes from a classmate." Dissed and dismissed. Quite entertaining, but way too easy for someone of C.J.'s calibre; it's fish in a barrel, man! C.J. ate twits like Sherri for breakfast when she was twelve years old. C.J. ends the briefing.
Out in the hall, Carol scurries up behind C.J. to tell her that the staff is meeting in the Oval Office. Sherri comes out of the Briefing Room and confronts C.J.: "That was totally uncalled for." C.J. keeps walking. "Yeah?" Sherri: "My competitors are going to show that tape. Every local station..." C.J. interjects: "What? Are you crazy? That thing's going out to 154 affiliates! I changed my clothes because I didn't think it was appropriate to talk about the death of two teenagers while wearing a ball gown, and you knew that. Because you're stupid, but you're not stupid, you know what I'm saying? Security's going to take your press credentials. You'll call my office every day and I'll decide if you get into the room. I'm taking your spot on Pebble Beach. You can do your stand-ups from Lafayette Park." Sherri, "Who the hell..." C.J.: "One more word out of your mouth and every local station in town but yours gets an exclusive with the President. Hunting season on me is over." Sherri gives her a stink-eye and leaves. C.J. quietly adds, "And the chemical abbreviation for table salt is NaCl."
We get an establishing shot that seems to indicate dawn on Saturday morning. Very long night, indeed. Jed, Leo, Josh, Sam, and Toby are in the Oval Office sitting on the sofas and side chairs. They all look pretty tired. It still looks dark outside through the Oval Office windows, though. Sam suggests, "You could say...you could say, 'On behalf of Abby and myself, please accept our deepest condolences.'" Lord, I hate constructions like that. Why not simply, "Abby and I want to express our deepest condolences"? Way less stuffy. Sam continues, "'Your sons' lives were not lost in vain.'" Josh says, "They were lost in vain." Sam tries again: "What I meant was that this calls national attention to the peace process." C.J. arrives. Sam carries on composing a message of sympathy: "'Though tragic, this tragedy further calls national attention to this...alarming, escalating conflict.'" Toby asks, "Is there anything to, 'They went there in the spirit of peace'?" C.J. says, "The spirit of peace, at a soccer match? Hope of Israeli and Palestinian children playing together..." Josh adds, "Studying together, discovering each other's worlds..." Everyone looks at Jed, who has to make this call soon. Jed says, "This guy at the dinner, he told me something I didn't know: on Yom Kippur, you ask forgiveness for sins against God. But on the day before, you ask forgiveness for sins against people. Did you know that?" Toby says, "Yeah." Pretty basic stuff for any observant Jew, such as Toby. He says, "It's called, uh..." He glances toward Josh, the only other Jew in the room: "Can't remember..." Josh says, "It's Erev." Toby says, "Erev Yom Kippur." Mini-religion tutorial: Rosh Hashanah begins the ten-day period prior to Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"), known as the Ten Days of Penitence (also known as the Days of Awe). These ten days are a period of repentance, prayer, and charity, prior to the passing of the Lord's judgment on the last day, Yom Kippur. My understanding from my reading is that during the entire ten-day period prior to Yom Kippur, not just the day before, Jews are urged to seek this forgiveness from those they may have wronged. Anyway, Jed nods, saying, "You can't ask forgiveness of God until you've asked forgiveness of people on the day before." I've also heard it explained, to my utter fascination, that according to Jewish precepts, only people, not God, can forgive the sins other people have committed against them. And that's the point of this particular story. Charlie knocks on the door to let Jed know his phone call is waiting. Jed says, "Yeah, I'm going to do this alone. Have a good night, everybody." Everyone leaves. Jed goes to his desk, pausing for a few moments before he picks up the phone and sadly says, "Mr. and Mrs. Levy, this is Jed Bartlet. I have three children. I really don't know what to say."