Ellie

Previously on The West Wing: the President announced a Blue Ribbon Commission to study the long-term future of entitlement programs; we met Toby's ex-wife, Congresswoman Andrea Wyatt; during a press briefing, Danny didn't miss a chance to take a cheap shot at C.J. about drug policy.

The camera pans across a desk filled with framed pictures of a woman with her child, receiving some sort of plaque from POTUS, wearing a lab coat and standing by a patient's bedside, etc. We hear someone reading questions about marijuana use. We see a table at which three people sit, two with laptops. One staffer is reading questions to the woman featured in the photos and the other staffer is typing in her responses. It's the Surgeon General, played by Mary Kay Place, and she's hosting an online chat. It's Wednesday night. She's wearing a Stanford sweatshirt and looking quite casual and comfortable. She answers a question about whether marijuana use affects fertility and the reproductive systems. One chat participant ("Pixeladd") asks about the relationship between marijuana use and cancer. She states that there are no conclusive studies, but that there does seem to be strong evidence that pot smoke can be a factor in acquiring respiratory illness. She says, with a chuckle, "If Pixeladd wants to be able to walk up a flight of stairs without throwing up, he should put the bong back in the closet behind the Allman Brothers albums, where it belongs."

The camera moves behind the guy pitching the questions, and the screen goes dark for a moment and comes back up on a different computer monitor. We hear Donna calling out to Josh, and muttering to herself, "What the hell kind of name is Pixeladd?" (I predict we will have someone posting with this name on TWW forums sooner rather than later.) Josh wanders over and says, "I'm done?" She says he is. He announces, "Efficiency, Donna! Efficiency and professionalism and we're out of here at 9:00 on a Wednesday night!" A little shout-out from Aaron Sorkin to himself. Donna points out, "It doesn't hurt the President's in Tokyo." Well, let's wait and hear what Tokyo has to say about that. Josh replies, "Yeah, well, there does seems to be a little less work to do when he's in a different hemisphere, but nonetheless..." Donna says, "Efficiency and professionalism." Josh adds, "With a healthy dollop of leadership skills. The well-placed, well-worded memo. Nobody goes off the reservation. Everybody does their job. Turn off your computer. Let's go." Donna's still reading the chat and not really looking at Josh, but handing him stuff anyway. She says she wants to stay and watch this, and that she thinks maybe he should, too. Josh asks what it is; Donna explains that the Surgeon General is doing an online chat, and that she's currently talking about decriminalizing marijuana. Josh, with his coat already on, walks off-screen saying, "See you tomorrow." Donna keeps reading the screen. It only takes a moment before Josh comes back and sticks his head in, saying, "What's she talking about?" Donna reads the last question, "'Do you favour the decriminalization of marijuana?'" Josh leans over to Donna and reads the answer, "'It's not for me to say. I can tell you marijuana poses no greater public-health risk than nicotine or alcohol....'" Donna continues, "'...And doesn't show the same addictive properties as heroin or LSD.'" Josh: "'Yet bizarrely to many of us in the health-care profession, the law categorizes it as a Schedule One narcotic, while putting a government seal on a pack of cigarettes.'" Josh's voice is choked as he reads the last bit of that sentence. Donna pauses a second and turns to Josh, "Yeah, somebody didn't get your memo." Cue the credits.

Josh comes over to C.J.'s office, where she's packing stuff into her briefcase. He wants her to look at the transcript of Surgeon General Millicent Griffith's online chat. He directs her to page eight. While C.J.'s reading, Donna comes up and tells Josh that Toby's headed to his office and that Sam's on the phone. Josh says that he can't talk to him right now; Donna says he (I'm assuming Sam) says it's important. Josh says he'll be there in a minute; Donna trots off. C.J. says, "The Allman Brothers?" Josh says, "It gets a lot worse." C.J. repeats fragments of the sentences Josh read above, concluding, "And...I quit!" Josh says, "Let's go."

As C.J. follows Josh, she asks, "Is she kidding me with this?" Gosh, I hope not. I couldn't agree with the Surgeon General more. As they pedeconference, Josh tells C.J. that she just finished the chat five minutes ago, and asks C.J. to talk him through "the twelve hours." C.J. says, "Well, these people got a story. I guarantee they called AP already." As they breeze past Carol, C.J. asks her to get her the wires. C.J. rushes along, thinking out loud, "It's too late for the [New York] Times and the [Washington] Post, but L.A. and San Francisco will have it, and it will be above the fold. The Today show will lead with it. Russert's gonna do a segment..." Just then they see Toby and Josh hails him. Toby says, "Guys...I'm in the Blue Ribbon meeting, I got Labour yelling at me. I got a real situation developing over there." Josh indicates that they've got a situation of their own. C.J. shows Toby page eight and they walk off together as Toby reads and C.J. asks Josh why he didn't call her while it was happening. Josh asks, "So you could do what?"

Toby, Josh, and C.J. end up in the assistants' area outside Toby's and Sam's offices. Toby asks when it happened. Josh says Griffith finished five or ten minutes ago. Toby asks, "You saw it happen?" Josh asks what Toby would have done; Toby says he would have ended the interview. Josh asks, "How?" Toby, in his invincible Klingon logic, states, "By ending it!" Sam walks up. His hair has been cut, and it's a not-entirely-successful compromise between long, blow-dried, early-'80s hair and the short, snappy intensity of last year's 'do. I guess I'll have to take what I can get, but as shout-outs go, it's not the best one I ever got. Still, the hair is some improvement. Anyway, Sam quietly says, "Listen, something's happened." C.J. says, "We know." Sam asks how they know. Toby says Josh was watching it in real time. Josh protests, "I'm not going to belay into the computer screen, Toby." Sam asks what they're talking about; Josh says, "The Surgeon General. What are you talking about?" Sam replies, "Never mind. What'd Griffith do?" Toby says, "She reversed our position on marijuana." Josh rubs his eyes and says, "Okay, first things first: what time is it in Tokyo?" Toby says that they're fourteen hours ahead; Josh thought it was thirteen. Toby says, "Eastern Daylight [Savings Time]." Josh says, okay, they're fourteen hours ahead. "Are we sure it's ahead and not behind?" C.J., rolling her eyes about halfway, points out, "Guys, there are clocks on the wall," gesturing to the various clocks showing worldwide times. Josh looks at the clock and says, "Okay, so it's almost 11:00 in Tokyo." Toby tells Ginger to get Larry and Ed. C.J. adds, "And anybody left in my office." Toby says that he'll be in the Roosevelt Room.

Toby and C.J. have started walking out. Josh and Sam follow. Josh asks, "I'm sorry, eleven in the morning, eleven in the afternoon...?" Sam's reading the transcript. C.J. says, "It's 11 AM." They're all in the Roosevelt Room now. Sam says, "'The Allman Brothers?'" Josh tells him to keep reading, and continues, "So if it's not a story until tomorrow morning then they're not gonna have it until tomorrow night, so we bought a day." C.J. says that they bought two days. Toby asks how. Sam says, "Plane ride." Josh asks when POTUS leaves. C.J. says, "7 PM Thursday." Josh: "Tomorrow?" C.J.: "Yes." Josh: "Local time?" C.J.: "Which local? Theirs, or ours?" Toby says wearily, "It will be 7 PM Thursday in Japan when he leaves." Josh asks, "And he lands here when?" Silence and blank stares. Sam: "Okay, the flight is thirteen hours long..." C.J. puts her hands up to her face and says, "This isn't happening..." Sam continues, "He's gonna travel eastward from Tokyo leaving at 7 PM, so when he crosses the International Date Line..." Toby interjects, "He'll have travelled back in time to what?" Sam confidently says, "3 AM." C.J. says, "Which puts him down in Washington 6 PM Thursday." Josh: "He's going to land in Washington an hour before he took off?" Sam: "Yeah." Josh is incredulous. "And that's not a story that beats the Surgeon General?" Frink is especially amused by all this. I'm fully confused at this point, but find it highly entertaining nonetheless. Donna shows up and tells Toby that the Blue Ribbon Commission is calling for him. Toby leaves, saying, "I'm gonna go get yelled some more. Josh, you need to get Leo." Josh tells Donna, "Call Tokyo." Donna says yeah and tells C.J. that Carol's got the wires. C.J. leaves. Josh tells Sam, "Those clocks should be in military time." Frink heartily agrees. He doesn't actually say so, but I know it. Sam says, "Yeah...'cause that's less confusing." Josh complains, "The man's gone a hundred and fifty hours! How can it be Thursday the whole time?" Sam says, "Listen, Japan is nine hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time..." Josh: "Don't." Josh asks what Sam was talking about before. Sam explains, "I've just been told by someone I believe that a full-page ad taken out by the Family Values Leadership Council is going to appear in twenty-two newspapers tomorrow. It lists many prominent people and congratulates them for denouncing the movie, Prince of New York." Josh asks, "So what's the problem?" Sam tells him, "The President is one of the prominent people they congratulate." Josh asks, "The President denounced the movie?" Sam says he didn't. Josh wonders how they can run such an ad. Sam has no idea, and adds, "But I don't like who we're being congratulated by." Donna hands Josh the phone. Josh says, "Yeah, Leo? We got a couple of problems here."

It's Thursday morning. Sam is trying to work in his office, but something keeps being whapped against the glass partition between his office and Toby's. He gets up and goes to Toby's office. Toby is wearing a blue and red baseball cap and holding a rubber ball in each hand. Sam patiently says, "I'm here." Toby says, "Thanks." Sam inquires, "We're doing this again?" Toby says, "Yeah." Sam: "'Cause I just got you off that little bellman's thing." He makes the gesture of someone pushing down the button on one of those bells like the ones they have on the counter at the dry cleaner. Sam has the patience of the saint, putting up with being summoned by Toby in various demeaning ways. I had a supervisor at my last job (prior to the glory of self-employment) whose cubicle was to mine, and he would occasionally throw balls of wadded-up paper and paper airplanes over the top of my cubicle to get my attention. I was annoyed at first, but then I learned to ignore him until he was forced to climb up on his filing cabinet and peek over the top to see if I was actually there, and then I could hurl something back at him. Usually he had something really important to share, like his latest tongue piercing or something. Sam plops down on Toby's couch as Toby takes off his hat and says, "Here's my problem." He goes on to explain that the AARP wants Seth Gillette on the Blue Ribbon Commission, as does the AFL-CIO. They both agree that Seth's presence on the Commission neutralizes him; obviously it's harder for Gillette to attack the Commission if he's on it. Toby thinks that's why Gillette would refuse if they ask him to be on the Commission. Sam's not sure whether Gillette will refuse, but Toby says they can't risk it. They need him on the Commission, politically, and if he's not on it, it can't be because he turned them down. Sam summarizes, "So either we get him on the Commission or, if we don't, we make sure it's 'cause we never asked him." An assistant walks in (I think it's Ginger, but we only see her blurry torso), and tells Sam someone's on the phone for him. Sam gets up and says, "Yeah, I don't know the answer to that." Toby says, "Okay." He thanks Sam for stopping by.

As Sam goes into his office to take the call, Toby hurls another ball at the glass. He must be pretty damn sure of the strength of that glass, because he's really hurling the ball. Sam's on the phone with Charlie, who's on the flight back from Tokyo. Charlie greets Sam with a few words of Japanese. Sam says, "Yeah, listen...did you have a phone conversation with a movie producer named Morgan Ross?" Charlie apparently spoke with him last week; they wanted to screen Prince of New York at the White House. Charlie had looked at the print the week before and passed on it, because he didn't think the President would care for it. The President was not involved in the decision at all; turns out he lets Charlie choose the movies. Charlie picked Dial M for Murder instead. Sam says okay. Charlie says, "Domo arigato." Sam sings, "Mr. Roboto..." Not really. What a missed opportunity! But Sam's not in one of his frisky, crime-fighting-Pilgrims kind of moods.

Josh is on the phone with somebody, saying, "Well, there'd be fallout from women voters, and I'm pretty sure, the AMA, to say nothing of the First Lady..." C.J. wanders in and asks, "Leo?" Josh covers the mouthpiece and tells her he's on a conference call with about nine people who are at several points of longitude. He asks when her first briefing is; she says it's in an hour. He asks whether she thinks she's able to show support for the Surgeon General without supporting for her policy. Actually, the Surgeon General didn't state or formulate any policy; she merely expressed her opinion on the blatant hypocrisy about substance use in this society. But that's neither here nor there, I suppose. C.J. says yeah. Josh says, "Show me." C.J. says, "Try me." Josh: "'C.J., did you know that Dr. Griffith was going to criticize the Administration's drug policy last night?'" C.J. replies, "I don't agree with your characterization of her comments. I think she expressed her opinion about the health effects of certain illegal drugs." Josh: "'Well, she basically called for the legalization of marijuana. Does the President agree with her?'" C.J.: "Wrong again, and I'd refer you to the Surgeon General's comments. When asked if marijuana should be legalized, she said, and I'm quoting, 'It's not for me to say.' And she's right, and it's important that people understand this: the Surgeon General is not a lawmaker. She doesn't set drug policy; the President does, and the President is 100% against legalizing drugs, including marijuana." She's ready to kick ass. As usual. Josh says yeah and goes back to the phone to say to Leo, "I can take it to the step." Josh ends his call and says "okay" a couple of times, sighing in between. He gets up. C.J. asks, "Leo wants me to show her support?" Josh says "Yeah," as he grabs his coat. C.J. asks, "Josh? While I'm showing her support, what are you showing her?" Josh replies as he puts on his coat and walks out of the office, "The door." ["Before Josh answered, Djb and I yelled, 'My ass!'" -- Wing Chun]

After some commercials, we're at a press briefing. We can hear lots of reporters' voices clamouring for C.J.'s attention. We see C.J. on a monitor answering the expected questions with the rehearsed answers. Josh is watching this as he waits outside someone's office, presumably that of the Surgeon General. Some people leave Dr. Griffith's office, and she calls Josh into her large and impressive office.

Inside, Griffith's office is practically the size of the Oval Office. She asks Josh how he's been feeling; he says he's fine. She asks if they've been checking his blood pressure weekly; he tells her it's 130/87. She says that's a little high, and asks about his right leg and arm. He says there's a little stiffness. She states that the guys at GW did a fantastic job: "It's a beautiful scar." Josh, slightly puzzled, asks, "When have you seen my scar?" She says, "At the hospital." Josh says that he doesn't remember. She casually informs him, "You were unconscious. How's your back?" Josh: "There's some pain." Dr. Griffith: "It's in your head." Josh: "Along with all manner of things." She says, "Well, you know, Josh, just because the white supremacists didn't kill you doesn't mean that crap you eat isn't going to." Josh: "I eat fine." She replies, "You eat like you're still in college." Josh, mildly defensive: "I was in great shape in college." She states, "You were nineteen in college. You could eat Tupperware™ and your system would deal with it." I give Frink an "I-told-you-so" kind of look, since we periodically have this argument about the various ways in which he can or cannot get away with abusing his body. He pretends to ignore me. I'm liking the Surgeon General more and more every minute. Josh has had enough chitchat about his health and habits and cuts to the chase: "Millicent, what were you thinking about?" She responds,. "I was asked a question, Josh." He says, "I understand, but your answers..." Dr. Griffith: "My answers were correct! Is anyone challenging me on the facts?" Josh admits that no one is...yet. She asserts, "Well, they won't! As a doctor, I have an obligation to tell the truth. Come to think of it, as a person I have that obligation, as well." Josh says, "The truth is different if you're a GP or a member of the Stanford Faculty Club than if you're the country's chief medical practitioner." It is? The good doctor replies, "Well, no, I think truth is pretty much truth across the board, never more so than if you're the country's chief medical practitioner." Josh asks whether she knows that 69% of Americans oppose legalization, and only 23% support it. She states that the number gets a lot higher (wee pun there) if you ask people under thirty. Josh: "Well, that's a shock. Did you know the number gets even higher than that if you limit the polling sample to Bob Marley and the Wailers?" Hee! She's laughing on the inside, the way Toby would. She replies, "I mention that particular age group because an awful lot of them seem to be in prison." Josh asks, "Is that what this is about?" She says it isn't. Josh starts lecturing her that the criminal justice system is nowhere near her jurisdiction; she points out she wasn't commenting on the criminal justice system, but on medicine. Josh says he's had three conversations with Leo McGarry in the last twelve hours. He starts to explain the reason he's come to see her, but she interrupts: "Josh, I'm not a politician, but it's not like I haven't lived here for the past two years." Josh says, "C.J.'s up there right now giving you our support. I'm sorry, but we need you to resign." She doesn't hesitate for long before saying, "No." Josh: "Dr. Griffith, I say this with all possible respect, but: you serve at the pleasure of the President." She stands up and calmly declares, "And I will continue to right up until the moment he fires me." Josh looks like he wasn't bargaining for this. He takes it in stride, though, and says, "Okay." He pauses and then says, "Thank you, ma'am." He walks toward the door. She reaches for something on her desk and says, "Josh?" He turns and she says, "See the doctor, get a lollipop." She tosses him one and he catches it. As Josh passes the monitor again on his way out, C.J. is telling reporters, "And the fact that the President disagrees with her doesn't mean he's going to fire her. The Surgeon General's an executive appointee and the President stands by his staff." "Excellent," Josh mutters to himself.

We continue with C.J. at the briefing as a reporter asks her whether she knows anything about this full-page ad citing the President's denunciation of Prince of New York. C.J. admits, "No, I don't know what the hell's going on there." Another reporter asks, "The President didn't denounce it?" C.J. replies, "Not unless he did it in the shower, but he hasn't denounced it to me and he certainly hasn't to the public. That's all, see you this afternoon." I'm thinking maybe Sam should have briefed C.J. Sam is, in fact, waiting for C.J. when she leaves the Briefing Room. Sam congratulates her: "Good job!" She asks him to please tell her what's going on with this movie. He explains that there's some controversy due to the usual stuff (sex, violence, religious imagery) and several groups are organizing opposition to it. He further explains that Charlie passed on its being screened at the White House, leading the producer to go on Imus and accuse Bartlet of being a coward and siding with puritanical censors. The producer further announced that Hollywood should know that POTUS is no friend of the First Amendment. C.J. says, "And then the Family Values Leadership Council took out an ad congratulating us for that? Seriously: I quit." Sam keeps following her and rattling and she's saying: "Wait. Wait. Prince of New York is Morgan Ross's movie?" Sam says it is. C.J.'s incredulous: "Morgan Ross went on Imus?" Sam mentions that he did it by phone. C.J. doesn't care about that: "Morgan Ross called the President a coward?" Sam replies, "He didn't call him a coward as much as he called him 'cowardly,' which is different." C.J. asks how it's different. Sam admits it's not really. C.J. states, "I'm going to crush him." I kind of get the feeling she may know this dude from her Hollywood PR days. Sam starts trying to reason with her, as she continues, "This guy's trying to get a little free media by screwing with us. I'm the enforcer, Sam. I'm going to crush him, I'm going to make him cry, and then I'm going to tell his mama about it." Sam quietly says, "You're not going to make him cry." She asks, "You want to watch me make him cry?" She laughs mirthlessly. Sam firmly says, "I believe you can make him cry; I'm saying you're not going to do it." She starts to argue but he explains that they're meeting with these people tomorrow, and that he'll straighten things out with Morgan Ross. He instructs her, "You just keep telling the press you don't know anything." C.J.: "That shouldn't be hard." Sam leaves. Carol informs C.J. that Danny Concannon's on the phone, and that she thinks C.J. should take the call, because Danny wants the President's reaction to a comment that was made about the Surgeon General situation. C.J. wants to know who made the comment. Carol says, "That's the thing." C.J. makes that impatient, cut-to-the-chase-already gesture. Carol says, "It was Eleanor." C.J.: "Eleanor who?" Carol: "Eleanor Bartlet. C.J. looks concerned and takes the call, trying to sound upbeat.

Toby's in a meeting with people regarding the political composition of the Blue Ribbon Commission. Someone's telling him that the Commission will not be credible with their people unless there's someone on there who's a friend of Labour. Someone else adds, "And a friend of seniors." Toby asserts, "The President's a friend of Labour, a friend of seniors, a friend of small animals..." The other guys are not amused. Toby points out that they're running out of time to get things going; they announced this in the State of the Union address. One guy insists that promises made in the address are Toby's problem. Another guy doesn't see the need for lightning speed. Toby says, "Really?" The guy who said that continues, "If current economic conditions continue..." Toby interjects, "Forever? You mean if we never have another recession ever again? Then the fund can withstand all of thirty years before going bankrupt. Unfortunately, the actuarial tables say I won't be dead yet!" He pauses. "Guys...Gillette's a tough needle to thread. I want to know that we have your trust that whoever we do get will look out for your interests and that you therefore will support the Commission." No one speaks. Toby asks, "Can I assume from your total silence and blank faces that you're all with me?" One guy suggests, "Maybe if we, uh, talk some more..." Toby, with restrained sarcasm in his voice: "Oh, could we?"

Josh catches up with C.J. on his way back from his mission to get Millicent to resign. C.J. says, "She didn't?" Josh tells her no, and that Leo's going to need to talk with her some more. He instructs her to "walk back" some of the things she said in her briefing. Josh doesn't really get to finish before C.J. jumps in to tell him about an even stickier problem, which is that Danny Concannon is quoting Eleanor Bartlet as saying, "My father won't fire the Surgeon General. He would never do that." Josh is pretty surprised and says, "Eleanor? You mean Zoey." She tells him firmly, "No. It was Eleanor." Josh sighs and walks off.

Meanwhile, Air Force One has touched down and, as they disembark, Jed is rambling on to Charlie about his meetings in Japan. "They're trying to export their way out of their own economic problems. And by dumping low-priced steel on the U.S., you know what they're asking for?" Charlie replies, "A protectionist response." Jed says, "They're begging for a protectionist response. Steel and mining employ 170,000 workers. They're not going to sit around while discount steel comes flying into..." He's greeted by someone from a distance and interrupts his ramble to call out, "How you doin'?" Jed continues, "They're going to want retaliatory tariffs, and you know what that means?" Charlie does: "A return to Smoot-Hawley and the Great Depression." Jed: "A return to Smoot-Hawley and the Great Depression." Charlie says, "You should go to Japan and tell them that, sir." Just then, Leo comes up to them from behind. Jed turns and says, "Leo, I'm walking over to the press and telling that retaliatory tariffs are gonna cost American taxpayers $800,000 for every job saved." Leo announces, "We're not taking questions. Let's get in the car." They start walking in the opposite direction and Jed quietly asks Leo, "What's going on?" Leo says, "Eleanor made a comment on the record and you can't answer questions right now." Jed says, "Eleanor? You mean Zoey." Leo says, "It was Eleanor." Jed's looks increasingly concerned and he asks, "When did this happen?" Leo tells him it was six hours ago. Jed wants to know why Leo didn't tell him six hours ago. Leo says, "'Cause I didn't want you crash-landing the plane. Let's get in the car." An assistant -- I believe it's Nancy (Renee Estevez -- I've never gotten a good grip on what she looks like, she's onscreen so little) -- holds the limo door for Jed and welcomes him home. He says, "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto..." No, he doesn't. He's in no mood to goof around. We go to commercials.

We see a shot of a hand resetting a clock showing POTUS's local time to that of Washington. Josh and Donna come wandering in and Donna's got a question: "Josh, is there anything to suggest that there are a significant number of people who want to smoke pot but don't because it's against the law?" Josh says there isn't. Donna asks, "Then why do you think if it were decriminalized there'd be a sudden stampede of people showing up to work stoned, dragging down the economy and clearing supermarket aisles of Pringles™ and Twinkies™?" (I'd just like to note that there's been some conflation in this episode of the issues of legalization and decriminalization, and while I'm not a lawyer, and don't even play one on TV, I believe these are two separate issues with different, if overlapping, implications. I'm sure some lawyer-type can explain it in the forums using small words and visual aids.) Josh says, "That's not a reason to make it legal." Donna: "In a free society, you don't need a reason to make something legal, you need a reason to make something illegal." As the phone starts ringing, Josh says, "Donna, parents are keeping drugs away from their kids with a whip and a chair. It doesn't really help them out if we..." Donna answers the phone and Josh mumbles, "That's okay, it's just me talking..." He slurps on his drink. Donna hangs up and tells him that POTUS is back and wants to see Josh.

We see POTUS storming into the Oval Office from outdoors. C.J.'s waiting there in his office and welcomes him back. He says (or, rather, kind of hollers), "Thank you! I've had it, C.J.! I've absolutely had it! What the hell is Danny Concannon doing calling my kids? He knows better than that! They all know better than that! But Danny! C.J., you're going to suspend his credentials for six months and I don't give a damn! His paper wants to cover the President, they can send someone else!" C.J. has been trying unsuccessfully to get a word in edgewise. She finally has her opportunity and explains that Danny didn't call Eleanor. Jed says, "I was told it was Danny." C.J. explains that Eleanor called Danny. Jed is confused as he takes this in, and asks, "She called him?" He doesn't say much as he thinks about the implications of this. Just then, Josh and Charlie come in; Josh welcomes Jed back. Jed says mildly, "The Allman Brothers, Josh?" Josh kind of shrugs and ask how the flight was. Jed says, "Tokyo is willing to show economic restraint in exchange for a good fielding shortstop and a left-handed reliever. Who's against us so far?" Josh lists: "The Judiciary Committee, Government Reform and Oversight, Appropriations..." Jed interrupts, "Why Appropriations?" Josh explains they control the Surgeon General's budget. Jed asks who's coming to her defence. Josh: "The Cannabis Society, The Cannabis Coalition, E. Cannabis Unum, The American Hemp League, and Friends of Mary Jane." E. Cannabis Unum: Bwa! I don't know if that's a real group but it should be. Charlie reminds Jed that Sam is waiting to see him. Jed says, "Yes, I understand I've been congratulated for denouncing a movie I've never heard of." C.J. says, "Yes, sir." Jed: "I've gotta hand it to you guys: you've pulled off a political first. You've managed to win me the support of the Christian right and the Cheech and Chong fan club in the same day." Hee. Josh tells Jed that Leo's seeing the Surgeon General tomorrow. There's nothing else, so he dismisses them. Jed asks Charlie, "Would you arrange for my middle daughter to come see me at her earliest possible convenience?" Charlie will. Jed adds, "Aw, screw her convenience. Get her ass down here." He wearily sits down in his chair.

It's Friday. Sam is working in his office when Toby summons him with the rubber ball. Sam comes into Toby's office. Toby asks him about the document Toby is holding. Sam says, "It says that we should stand by the Surgeon General." Toby states, "Actually, it says that we should stand by the Sturgeon General." Sam: "Does it?" He meant "Surgeon General." Toby says he thinks they should stand by her, too. "I just wanted to make sure we were agreed that smoked whitefish is pretty much on its own." Toby's arranging coffee and pastries on his coffee table. Ginger gets Toby's attention to let him know that "she's" here. If you were paying any attention during the "Previously on The West Wing," you know this will have to be his ex-wife. As Toby leaves to go to the lobby he asks Sam, "You're with the ratings people?" Sam says, "Soon. What's the food for?" Toby replies, "Today's attempt at ensuring our future." Sam asks what Toby's plan is. Toby says, "First thing I have to do is be nice to a liberal Democratic Congresswoman." Sam asks, "Will that be hard?" Toby sighs a little and says, "Well, it was when I was married to her."