Bruno and Vinick are having some Reading Glasses Bonding Time in the car, Bruno mentioning the Rock the Vote function and degrading Santos, when Vinick points out that Bruno is sending him there the very week. "I'm sending you because you talk like a President, not some latter-day Mick Jagger-in-Chief." If ever I were to compare Santos to anyone, I have to say it would be a long way down the list before I got to Mick Jagger. As Bruno's phone rings, Vinick prattles on about his "psychedelic phase, when [he] wore brown socks on the Senate floor." Bruno listens and orders the person on the other end of the phone to, "call me as soon as you have confirmation." Vinick asks and Bruno tells him there's been an accident at San Andreo, and begins to explain where it's located (outside of San Diego). Vinick knows where it is, telling Bruno that he "pushed the licensing commission" to get the plant open 25 years previously. Bruno asks, "Pushed?" Vinick: "I helped get that plant online." Andcredits.
9:26 PM. By all of the TVs in the room, it appears that getting CNN et al. to stop spreading rumors has been really successful. Not. All are reporting an explosion at the plant. One goes on to talk about "Arab tourists" that had been seen in the area. Kate is appalled at how they can spread those rumors, but C.J. quietly points out that generally, this close to something happening, everything is rumor. They enter the Oval Office. "How we handle this in the 90 minutes will determine whether there's panic within 100 miles of every nuclear plant in this country. We don't get a second chance to make a first impression." Oh, there's nothing I enjoy more than some good dandruff-nuclear-fallout humor! Jed turns to Harry. (Hi, Harry, who are you? I suspect the chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission?) The coolant level is down a foot, which is exposing an eighth of the rods. Bartlet just wants to know how to get coolant back in, andokay, I've rewound this scene about five times now, and it's not getting any easier, so here's the "Sure, so I dropped physics and replaced it with art, what of it?" description. It's hot, a valve is broken, they've got an emergency heat removal pump (I didn't make that part up, and clearly I need one of these for my non-air-conditioned apartment in the summer) at work; however, their measures aren't working well enough because a valve is still stuck open, so radioactive steam is billowing into a containment building. Phew! The worry isn't a radiation leak, as C.J. suggests, but that they'll have to pump this steam into another building not meant to hold it. This building could possibly leak, and although Harry and his sidekick are reporting that this might happen, Cal Vista Gas and Electric (who run the plant, thanks, Kate) believe this wouldn't endanger the public. Bartlet points out that they don't even know how big the leak would actually be. He announces that he wants the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to take control of the plant, and to evacuate the area. C.J. points out that it's a local matter, to which Bartlet announces that he needs the Governor on the phone. Kate, Harry, and the others tag-team to give the Governor's reasons why he would argue against an evacuation just yet. Bartlet merely launches into a phone conversation convincing him otherwise, assuring him, "We would rather have a few fender benders on the I-5 than a generation of babies with thyroid cancer." He tells "Gabe" (ah, nuclear disaster makes us so chummy) that the FEMA director is in his office. A-ha! Harry's sidekick is FEMA! So I guessed right about Harry's position. Gabe is assured that he'll have all the resources he needs, as Bartlet is going to declare this a major federal disaster. After gamely assuring him that "we're going to get through this," C.J. suggests that Bartlet might want to appoint a czar to oversee this, but he interrupts, "You're looking at him."
Aboard Air Force One, through a doorway at the end of a hall, we see C.J. having a conversation with herself. Whoops, no, eventually Bartlet enters the scene. She tells him that he might have questions after they deplane about this story of Vinick helping open San Andreo. Bartlet asks if it's safe to take everyone outside. She tells him that the remaining radiation "is within the acceptable dosage." As she helps him into his coat, he tells her, "You're too young to remember duck and cover." Really? Because I'm 28 and I remember it, but I maybe that's also from growing up in earthquake country. It was the same drill -- they sound the alarm and the kids hide under the desks. He tells C.J. that eventually they stopped the drills, even though it wasn't as if the threat was gone. "I guess they realized a piece of plywood wasn't going to protect us against an atomic blast." When he reaches the end of the hallway, Kate is there to give him a Kazakhstan report. The new government has killed 114 protestors. China is entering the country, and Russia is right behind them. Bartlet hangs his head. "We can't have China and Russia blowing each other to bits over election fraud." C.J. replies, "Well, oil. Fraud's just the kicker." Will enters to tell them the Governor is waiting, so the three pick up and begin walking again. Kate has floated the idea of an international police force with NATO, who have said that they're fine with that but it would have to be a majority American. Isn't that always the way. Ninety thousand troops to start, minimum.
Santos, Helen, and Josh are watching Bartlet's press conference. Vinick is positioned behind him. Bartlet walks to a podium to make his own statement. After the normal relief and condolences to the family of the engineer who died, he's asked if he thinks Vinick should question his energy plans. "I can't speak for anyone else. It makes me question a lot of our energy plans."
8:24 PM. Bob removes a number of red states from their map as Bruno watches, while a damning news report about Vinick plays behind them.
Meanwhile, Team Santos is looking at their own map, and Josh tells him they're taking the day off too, since there's already "wall-to-wall" press coverage in their favor. Helen observes, "Best day of campaigning and we didn't do a thing." Donna adds, "Maybe we should take the rest of the month off, too." Josh doesn't reply, only goes to the whiteboard and scrawls "too close to call" above the map. And can we take one second to ask, where the heck has Lou been?