ACT 1
“INSIDE
“… blames the USGS because he chose not to inform the governors of
Ainsley had to remind herself not to roll her eyes at Senator Hart. She could see outrage from a senator of
The senator sneered at her. “He was told by a USGS employee that it was going to happen within 72 hours. Now he’s denying that?”
She took a deep breath. It was all in the language. “I was on a plane last night during the president’s announcement, flying back from Washington myself, but I believe his exact quote was, ‘Yesterday afternoon, a USGS employee informed this administration that he believed an eruption of Mt. St. Helens would be taking place within the next 72 hours.’ No, he’s not denying that.”
“Well that’s a typical democratic answer, isn’t it?” the senator almost laughed out. She was tempted to remind him that she was a republican, but held back. “He was told it was going to happen but didn’t know it was going to happen? How exactly do you expect the American public to swallow that, Ms. Hayes?”
She smiled at the way he spit out her name. “The president is not a volcano expert, Senator, and he doesn’t pretend to be. He has a team of people who advise him, and in this case, those advisors told him that there was no immediate threat of an eruption. He chose to believe them and watch the seismic activity in the area.”
The senator started to speak again, but Paul Brammel, the announcer, spoke first. “The president announced last night that there is going to be an investigation launched into the USGS. What exactly…”
The senator cut him off, scoffing. “Of course he’s going to investigate. He’s got to find somebody to blame.”
This time she did roll her eyes. Why it was that republicans and democrats alike just looked for ways to blame she’d never know. She shuffled through the four pages of the president’s remarks from the night before. “Let me quote the president again for the senator’s benefit. ‘While I am unpleased with the apparent mistakes at the USGS, this decision was mine to make and is my responsibility.’” She looked up at the senator. “That doesn’t sound to me like he’s looking for someone to blame.”
The announcer chuckled and looked at Ainsley. “What exactly do they plan to investigate?”
“The president is concerned with the chain of command at the USGS. Who needs to be notified, who needs to agree, who makes a final decision about reporting seismic activity, how long does this process take... He also wants to make sure the equipment used to read seismic activity is up to date.”
CUT TO
Sam looked away from the television and to the mirror in his hotel room, tying his tie while listening to Ainsley on ‘Inside Washington.’
“President Santos is very remorseful about Wednesday’s events. Obviously he wishes he could go back and change both the advice given to him and the decisions he made based on that advice. The purpose of the investigation is to make sure nothing like this happens again.”
‘You say the president is sorry about his decision, but he waited almost 24 hours to admit that he knew about the volcano.”
Sam shook his head. Ainsley didn’t say he was sorry, she said he was remorseful. He glanced over at the screen again. Hopefully she wouldn’t point that out.
“Again, the president didn’t know about the volcano eruption.”
He chuckled and went back to his tie.
“Excuse me,” the senator said sarcastically. “He knew about the possibility. He still chose to wait almost 24 hours before admitting that.”
“Ms. Hayes,” Paul said. “Why did the president wait?”
“He was a little busy,” Sam mumbled, adjusting his tie one more time and looking at his watch. He’d need to leave in fifteen minutes in order to meet up with the president when he landed in Rufkis.
“He was never going to mention it. But then he found out that Dr. Kaplan was going to, so he beat him to the punch,” the senator said on the television screen.
“Thank you for that intriguing yet completely untrue theory, Senator,” Ainsley said, making Sam laugh. “I was in
When she mentioned
“Ms. Hayes, is the administration concerned that backlash from this situation could possibly delay confirmation of the vice-president?”
“Absolutely not. In fact, we expect a vote to be called soon.”
“So you can deflect attention from the administration’s disastrous handling of the volcano situation,” the senator spit back.
Sam half nodded and headed into the bathroom. “True,” he mumbled.
“Ms. Hayes?” the announcer pressed.
“Done to reflect attention? Governor Baker’s been going through the confirmation process for almost four months.”
“And suddenly you expect the vote to be called?”
“There’s nothing sudden about it. We have the number of votes we need to confirm and the nation has a right to a vice-president. There’s no reason to wait.”
“You think you have the votes needed to pass,” said the senator. “Have you done a re-count after yesterday’s stunt by the president?”
Sam’s head popped out of the bathroom and he stared at the screen. That was either a huge mistake on the senator’s part or goading in its simplest form. Either way, he had to find out. He walked back into the bedroom and picked up his cell phone.
“Are you insinuating, Senator Hart, that republicans are going to use this natural disaster as a way to deny American citizens their constitutional right to a vice-president? And let me remind you that doing so would be an abuse of power.”
Sam smiled as Ainsley threw the law back into the senator’s face. She was brilliant; there was no doubt. He’d always thought so, even when she infuriated him. Of course, the infuriation had always part… something else. Something he didn’t need to be pondering. It was just that dinner two nights earlier in the hotel had them easily and unnoticeably slipping back into that teasing, infuriating… something else.
“I’m simply saying there are valid concerns with Governor Baker’s ability to be an effective vice-president and the president’s high recommendation of him might no longer carry the weight it did before yesterday.”
Sam scrolled through his cell phone, first to Amy, then after a second on to Josh. He shook his head. He needed to accomplish this without running to Josh. He wasn’t sure why it was taking him so long to get his bearings in Josh’s old job, but he was going to have to get a grip. He took a deep breath and scrolled on to Bram.
“The republican leadership has yet to find a single issue with Governor Baker aside from the fact that they don’t like his party affiliation that would make him an ineffective vice-president. He’s answered every question given him in a timely, forward manner.”
“I think that’s a manner of opinion.”
“Senator, disliking the governor’s liberal stances isn’t enough reason to vote against confirmation.”
He hit talk and chuckled at Ainsley’s response. She probably had to remind herself of that very point.
CUT TO
INT. DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF BULLPEN - CONTINUOUS
“Hello,” Bram said, answering his phone.
“I need you to do a few things,” Sam said.
Bram stood up and walked to Sam’s office. He’d been looking for Sam for a half hour. “I can’t find you.”
“You just found me.”
“But I can’t find you in the White House.”
“That’s because I’m in
Bram stopped and looked over at the muted television. “You didn’t come back yesterday afternoon with Ainsley?”
“No. I’m staffing the president when he lands. We’ll be back tonight.”
“Didn’t want to fly coach?” Bram chuckled.
Sam ignored his question. “Are you watching Ainsley on ‘Inside Washington?’?”
“Yeah, she’s pretty hot.”
CUT TO
Sam’s eyes widened and he paused before speaking. That really shouldn’t bother him. “I need you to do a re-count on the vice-president’s confirmation.”
“The vote’s today. The speaker called it for
“I know that,” Sam said, shaking his head and putting his toiletries into his bag. “That’s why we need a re-count.”
“Isn’t it a little late to count votes?”
Sam’s eyes widened. He hadn’t been impressed by Bram yet. “It isn’t too late to count votes until the voting is done. Get to the Hill.”
“What do I do if people have switched votes?”
“Convince them to switch back,” Sam said, doubting Bram’s ability to do so.
“How?”
Sam sighed and zipped up his garment bag. “Start by reminding them that
“What if they’re republicans?”
Sam picked up his garment bag and briefcase, doing a quick check of the room one more time before leaving. His eyes landed on a pair of earrings and he picked them up and shoved them into his pocket. “Talk to Congressmen Aarons and Skinner. They’ll know who’s switching votes and why. Then call me.”
“What about Congressman Richards?”
“He won’t vote no,” he absently replied as he walked out of the hotel room and down the hallway.
“No, I mean… aren’t you meeting with him today on the education bill?”
“Crap.”
“You want me to take it?”
“No. I want you on the Hill all day working on the VP thing! You’re getting votes until the last second.”
“Ok.”
“If you have problems, call me.”
“I can handle it.”
“No you can’t,” Sam said, handing his keycard to the hotel clerk and then heading for the door. “You call me. You don’t try to handle anything on your own.”
CUT TO
INT. WHITE HOUSE CORRIDOR
Josh walked out of his office and down the hallway. A briefing on the peace keeping mission in Gaza was low on his list of priorities that day, any day really since most days he still wanted anything but peace there. But with the president on a plane to
He had a hundred things on his mind, including the volcano, the vice-president confirmation, and now the
He turned and started walking with her, his hand naturally finding its way to her lower back. “Hey. Where are you off to?”
“Lou’s office,” she said. “You?”
“Sit room,” he said gloomily.
“You left early this morning,” she said as they turned a corner and headed towards the Communications bullpen.
“I wanted to give the president a pep talk before he left this morning.” He looked at her and her raised eyebrows. “I tried to wake you,” he defended.
“You did?” she deadpanned.
“Yes! So you could see my scruffle or whatever.”
“Scrubble.”
“Yes, that.”
“And your hair. Did you try hard?”
He raised his eyebrows. “What was I supposed to do? Shake you and drag you out of bed by your hair?”
She shrugged noncommittally but smiled slightly. “Did you read The Post? They were positive.”
“Unlike The Times, The Wall Street Journal and
“No one would’ve evacuated on the word of one guy. It’ll blow over.” Josh didn’t answer and she looked at him. He would have and they both knew it. “I know,” she said softer. “But that’s partly because Toby trusts Kaplan and you trust Toby. If he were just anybody, you wouldn’t have been so quick to believe him.”
He nodded reluctantly. “Yeah.” He paused. “Yeah, that’s true.”
She smiled at him. “Did you eat breakfast?”
His eyes widened a little. “I have to go. Sit Room in two minutes.” He turned and walked quickly away.
“That’s called avoidance,” she called after him.
CUT TO
INT. OFFICE OF THE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR - CONTINUOUS
Lou hung up the phone after talking to Sam. Babysitting Bram all day was about the last thing in the world she wanted to do, but she glanced over her schedule looking for a way to spend at least part of the day on the Hill. They needed to be visible, look in charge. She wasn’t above scaring people into voting her way.
“Got a second?”
She looked up at Donna, standing in her doorway. “Not really, what’s up?”
“I wanted to give you a heads up so we don’t step on your toes. We’re going to be working on relief efforts with the American Red Cross.”
Lou looked back down at her schedule, crossing out lunch. She could eat on the way to the Hill. “I didn’t know she was interested in doing a goodwill type thing.”
Donna walked inside and sat down. “She doesn’t know what she’s interested in doing yet. I’d like to see a mixture of goodwill and legislation work.”
Lou crossed out a meeting with Lester. He was in
“Mrs. Santos will get into more legislation as she gets more comfortable,” Donna warned.
Lou nodded. “That’s fine. Just keep it balanced. It’ll bet better for her image if republicans can’t paint her as power hungry.”
“Yeah… I don’t think we need to worry about that.”
Lou looked up at Donna. “Is she planning on touring the destruction areas?”
“We haven’t made any definite plans, but probably.”
“Be careful that it doesn’t look like you’re chasing exposure. Get them some aid or supplies or something before she goes. It’ll be more credible.”
Donna nodded. “We don’t have anything finalized yet. I’m waiting for a call back from the on-site coordinator to see what their greatest needs are.”
Lou looked back at her schedule and Donna stood up to leave. She got to the door and looked back inside. “Oh… also, Peter and Miranda want a pet.”
“Do I care?” Lou asked without looking up.
Donna chuckled. “About as much as I do. I just wanted to keep you updated.”
“Consider me updated.”
“Alright,” Donna said, walking through the door and into the bullpen.
Lou’s head shot up a second later. “Wait!”
Donna poked her head back around. “Yeah?”
“They can’t have it yet.”
“They can’t?”
“The country’s in turmoil. We can’t have shots of the first family out on a puppy shopping spree.”
Donna leaned against the doorframe. “I think they’re leaning towards a lizard, but I’m sure they can wait. I gave it to Annabeth; I’ll tell her to give it a week or two.”
“Thanks,” Lou said, leaning back. “Also… they can’t get a lizard.”
“Why not?”
“They have to get something cute.”
Donna’s eyes widened. “They have to get something cute?”
“Something cuddly.”
“Did you just use the word ‘cuddly’?” Donna asked with a grin.
“Don’t tell anyone.”
“That’s a pretty large request.”
“They have to get something they can play with in the backyard. Something the press…”
Donna cut her off. “Mrs. Santos doesn’t want the kids on camera.”
“Doesn’t matter. The pet can be on camera.”
“You want to use a pet for PR?”
“I’ll use anything I can.”
Donna grinned again. “Even cuddly things?”
“Shut-up.”
Donna stood upright and half-turned to go. “I’ll tell Annabeth what you said.”
“The ‘cuddly’ thing?”
“The puppy thing.”
“Right. You’re going to tell her about the cuddly thing too though, aren’t you?”
“You shouldn’t have made fun of Mrs. Bartlet,” Donna said with a pointed look before leaving.
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INT. OFFICE OF THE LEGISLATION DIRECTOR
“Amy, this isn’t your job anymore. We tell you what pisses us off, not vice-versa,” the director of NOW said to her.
Amy’s eyes widened and her jaw set. “I just think it’s something you should be paying attention to,” she said in a steely tone, staring at the phone.
“We’re paying attention to it, but it’s not going anywhere.”
“It went to sub-committee yesterday!” Amy said in a raised voice.
“Where it’s going to stay! Less than 20% of the house favors it. It’s not going anywhere.”
Amy sighed. This legislation, if passed, could be unbelievably detrimental. She couldn’t believe NOW was ignoring it. “You’re aware that the bill requires a doctor giving medical reasons as to why the woman isn’t capable of breastfeeding, right? And that those reasons then have to be approved by Medicaid, or they won’t pay for formula? The paperwork alone could take until the baby’s off formula. It’s going to lead to malnutrition.”
She could hear Anna sigh through the phone. “We know the bill Amy. And should it become a serious piece of legislation, we’ll fight it. But it’s not going anywhere.”
“Again, it went to sub-committee yesterday. Have you spoken with Jodie about this?”
“Yes, and if it goes to committee, we’ll fight it with all of our resources. But this bill’s a joke and everybody knows it.”
“I disagree.”
“So I gather.”
“Have you at least spoken with the members of the sub-committee?”
“I don’t need help doing my job Amy. I have to go. I’m late for a meeting.”
The NOW director hung up and a dial tone reverberated through Amy’s office. She shook her head and hit the on/off button harshly, plunging the room into silence. Almost immediately, her intercom rang and Marcia told her that Sam was on the phone for her.
“Yeah?” she said in a less than friendly voice when she answered.
“Sounds like something isn’t going your way.”
“I just got off the phone with Anna Seismore from NOW about 722.”
“722?”
“Wilcox’s bill,” she said, rolling her eyes. Was she the only one in
“The breastfeeding thing?”
“Yes.”
“They aren’t giving us crap are they? That bill’s ridiculous.”
She shook her head angrily. This was real legislation, going through sub-committee like any other piece of legislation. Why was she the only one concerned about it? “I’m not so sure.”
“Listen Amy. Don’t let them browbeat you just because you used to work in women’s lobby. If they have concerns with a bill they can go through proper channels. We’re on their side, but if you let them, they’ll use your concern for their agenda.”
She looked down at the marked-up bill on her desk. “This could be a hugely damaging bill.”
CUT TO
EXTERIOR OF AN AIRPLANE HANGER - CONTINUOUS
“Wilcox introduced it during his campaign to appease the religious right in his district,” Sam said, checking his watch. “Even he’s not in favor of it.”
“It went to sub-committee yesterday.”
A member of the grounds crew came up to him and quietly told him that Air Force I had just landed and was taxiing over. He covered the phone with his hand and thanked the man.
“It’s never getting out of it. NOW doesn’t have anything to worry about.”
“Mmm…” Amy mumbled noncommittally.
“Listen, I need you to take a meeting for me today on the education bill.”
“Richards?”
“Yes.
“Where are you with him?”
“Get my file from her. He’s against the bill and he’s carrying six votes in his pocket.”
“What are his concerns?”
Sam could hear Air Force One approaching and spoke louder into the phone while covering his other ear. “I don’t know, that’s what the meeting’s about. You might need to remind him that the president took 61% of his district and he only took 52%. He’ll look better to his constituents if he sides with us on this.”
“After last night’s announcement, I wouldn’t be so sure he’ll see it that way.”
“Yeah, I know,” he shouted, shaking his head. “He also wants $42 million for highway repairs between
“$42 million? That’s nothing.”
The door to the airplane opened and the president and Lester appeared a moment later. “He got $83 million last year and ran short. He’s got half-finished highways out there making it hard for his rich constituents to make it to their vacation homes.”
“That’s a pity.”
“The president’s here; I have to go. Talk to Josh.”
He hung up his phone and put it into his pocket while walking to the bottom of the stairs as the president walked down the steps.
“Sam.”
“Good morning, Mr. President. Welcome to