Previously on The West Wing:
- Power is a completely safe, dependable energy source.
- We should build more... - Completely safe?
More than a dozen states that had been squarely in the Vinick column...
... including his own state of California...
... all states with nuclear power plants, are now within the margin of error.
Cancel everything after the rally. Got to get on the ground in the battle states.
- Vinick has to head south. - We need to curb Santos' momentum.
Keep these folks undecided long enough for this nuclear mess to fade.
- You remember Jane Braun? - It's time to talk about values.
By which you mean what? Gay marriage?
I'm the senator from California.
And I'm gonna make a statement before I get on that plane.
You have to wait.
That is how we change the story.
- Hey. Hi. - We love you, senator.
I need your help on election day, all right? Need your vote.
- Step past, thank you. - All right. Hey. Thank you.
- Senator. - Thank you. Need your vote.
Thank you. Thank you. Hey.
Need your help on election day.
Step back, okay.
Okay. Good to see you. I hope to get your vote.
My question is, why has Senator Vinick come out on this now?
There's nothing new about this issue. We've been very consistent about this.
Senator Vinick has always been opposed to gay marriage.
- "Always opposed." - Still sore?
- Feels like it's gonna fall off. - Five thousand more handshakes.
How could I be "always opposed"? I heard about it a couple years ago.
- She is not helping. - She's stabilized our numbers.
Keeping us in a tie with two weeks left is not helping.
She stopped slippage in the South.
- She's scaring away Independents. - We lost the Independents...
...because a nuclear power plant almost had a meltdown...
...after I said nuclear power is completely safe.
That is water under the bridge. Now...
If it's "water under the bridge," how come I'm ducking reporters?
Our next event, Small Business Association, Chicago.
We gotta get out fast, because Santos is scheduled to speak right after us.
This is the way it always happens the last couple of weeks in swing states.
Chicago would like me a lot better...
...if I let the Santos motorcade create all the traffic jams.
- Senator. - Senator Vinick.
All right, we don't have any time for questions.
We're running behind schedule. Thank you very much.
Senator. Senator, do you still feel nuclear power is completely safe?
Hello. Hi, nice to meet you. Hi.
Let's hear it for one of the all-time great Chicago Bears, Matt Willig.
Thank you.
You know, I've been in some pretty hard-fought games...
... but nothing as tough as what these guys do to run a campaign.
If you're still undecided, these guys are going to help you make your mind today.
We're lucky to have them. Let's give a big Chicago welcome...
...to the Republican candidate for president of the United States...
...Senator Arnold Vinick.
Thank you.
- Can you bend all the fingers? - Yeah, a little bit.
- Try to extend the fingers straight out. - No.
- Does it hurt when you do that? - No.
- It kills me when I do that. - We need a set of x-rays.
- No. No way. - No, no, no.
We got a busload of reporters following us.
We stop for an x-ray, the headline is: "Handshake Breaks Vinick's Hand."
I can't say without an x-ray, but I think you got a metacarpal fracture.
- And you're gonna need a cast. - No cast.
I can't look like an old man falling apart on the campaign trail.
And he's got a crowd waiting for him in Pittsburgh right now.
Well, I guess I can realign the bone...
...and give him a cast that he can take off when he's in public.
Welcome to politics, doctor.
Anyone asks you what you were doing...
...we were discussing health care policies.
Well, actually, I do have some suggestions about Medicare.
And now, it's my honor...
...to introduce the Democratic candidate for president of the United States...
...Congressman Matthew Santos.
Oh, hi. Hey, it's great to see you.
- Hey, Chicago. - Can't leave him in Ohio for two days.
We got a full day in Cleveland tomorrow, plus promises...
I want him out of Ohio by midnight tomorrow...
...and on the set of Good Morning, Miami at 7 a.m.
- Guest list for the Cleveland event. - Yeah, right there.
- Here? - No, on top...
On top of the other pile. Then after a full day in Florida, we...
Someone named Bob for you.
- Twice in one week? - What are your numbers in California?
You work for this campaign?
You should have new numbers now. Check.
Do we have the new California numbers?
Yeah, we just got them.
We're up by two, but that includes all the leaners. So basically a tie.
- You gotta get Santos out there. - We got him in Illinois and Pennsylvania.
- Ohio tomorrow, Florida the next day... - California's the whole ball game.
Yeah, we're pushing up the media buy in California.
We gotta keep him in the states where he can shake enough hands.
- Retail politics doesn't work in California. - I'm not talking about retail politics.
- TV is the way to reach those voters. - Exactly, that's why...
- I'm gonna cut my media buy in Ohio... - Josh.
...and try to get more California TV... - Listen to me. Josh!
You're getting three hours of sleep a night...
... you've got 300 calls to return. You're not thinking straight in that place.
Now take a deep breath and listen to me for one second.
Okay, I'm listening.
You can win this thing if you get him out to California right now.
Thought you were gonna stay at headquarters.
Got tired of being ignored.
You got that thing the doctor gave me?
You know, while you're out there shaking your hand off...
...Matt Santos is running his new game plan. It's working.
Crisscrossing the swing states, talking nonstop about energy policy.
Throws in a line about the nuclear accident...
We're gonna have Pittsburgh all to ourselves...
...but we're gonna cross paths with Santos tonight in Philadelphia.
He's speaking at the Constitution Center.
Tell Advance no rope lines in Pittsburgh or Philly.
No one shakes the senator's hand. Not the police chief. No one.
- How do they enforce that? - Tell Advance to figure it out.
- Two weeks out. We've lost our lead. - We?
You have lost your lead and we still don't have a strategy to get it back.
I thought the gay marriage nonsense was the strategy.
You're opposed. Let your values voters know that.
The federal government has nothing to do with marriage law. Nothing.
No one should care what I think about gay marriage.
No one should care how tall you are. They do.
I'm not gonna win on gay marriage.
- Well, you don't know that. - Gay marriage is a state issue.
- It's not a feder... - Spare me the political science lecture.
Bruno's 50-state strategy was ridiculous before the accident.
- Republicans have won 49 states twice. - I've heard that a thousand times on TV.
Nothing's changed in the Republican Party?
Yeah. People like you have taken over.
People like me think a win's a win. Fifty-one percent is plenty.
You wanna get into the campaign hall of fame...
No one is talking about a 50-state strategy, not since the nuclear thing.
If you hadn't wasted five months, we wouldn't be behind in the South.
We had a lead in every Southern state.
You didn't have any goodwill. You were the lesser of two evils.
If they like you, they wouldn't abandon you.
They haven't abandoned us. No one outside Texas has moved to Santos.
Texas only has 34 electoral votes, so why worry about them?
We were never counting on winning Santos' state.
- You counting on winning Vinick's state? - We'll bounce back in California.
We're okay in California. We're two points behind Santos.
And that's after a nuclear accident...
...that scared half the state into trying to evacuate.
The nuclear accident cost you that state. You don't have time to win.
I can't win California by going to the right.
For every voter you win me in Alabama, I lose two in California.
We should be in the South, especially Florida.
We followed your advice.
We spent all last week in the South. Where did it get us?
It stopped the bleeding. If you were in the South talking tax cuts...
...national defense, tough on crime in front of crowds...
...I wouldn't have to be on TV trying to talk to the Republican base.
And I could shut up about gay marriage.
I'm saying we stay in the South until we get a solid lead...
...then we spend a week, maybe 10 days...
...closing the deal in Missouri, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
You don't have to say anything to Alabama to lose you California voters...
...but you have to energize the base of the party...
...if we're gonna get the turnout we need to get 51 percent.
Senator, you can't pretend...
- Yeah? - Can I come in?
Just you.
Hand feel better in that thing?
They say replacing Sheila was a sign of weakness.
Inside baseball. No one cares except the press.
I shouldn't have let Sheila quit.
She thought it would send a message that would...
- Campaign had a fresh start. - Sheila was right...
I should have put Jane out in front of the cameras...
...let her energize the base, and then ignore her.
We are ignoring her.
The press is doing Santos' work for him. Santos could take a vacation...
...and just let the press keep hammering me on this nuclear thing...
...and he wins.
President sends troops into Kazakhstan...
...and that's still not enough to get this nuclear-power quote out of the news.
When is old news gonna be old news?
Know what I really hate about Jane?
She's not always wrong.
We need a new strategy for the last two weeks.
So, what do you got?
I... I wish I could tell you I had a better idea than Jane.
Thank you, Philadelphia. God bless you.
God bless you all.
- In California? - Yeah.
I thought you said we weren't going to California, because it was too big for...
- Yeah, that was then. - That was yesterday.
- I rethought the thing. - You rethought?
- Yeah, you know, I talked it over, and... - Talked to who?
Usual suspects. Party people, experienced campaign types.
And we agreed that...
...because California media is way more expensive than Ohio...
Excuse me. I'm sorry. Can we have the room please?
It's gonna be a lot cheaper for us to campaign in California...
...and buy TV time in Ohio and Florida.
You'll get five minutes for free on every local station...
...instead of spending big bucks on one commercial.
If we push you up in California, get your lead outside the margin...
...press is gonna explode about Vinick losing his state.
It's gonna build momentum for us everywhere else.
Knock Vinick off his game.
He's off his game. Now we knock him out.
California is key. You get a lead there, Vinick's gonna give up on his state...
...bet on a Southern strategy.
Now, he didn't play well in the South when he was riding high.
He's sure as hell not gonna play any better now that he's desperate.
Okay, get me there tonight.
But I want a full schedule of California events tomorrow...
...from breakfast till lights out. - It'll be full.
Do you think your numbers dropped because of the nuclear accident?
- Senator. - Can you win without California?
When do I go on?
They're gonna start your intro in a couple of minutes.
- Hold on one second. - Who's that?
Congressman, they're ready for you now.
- Mr. Santos. - I have time for a couple questions.
Tell them I'm not going on till he's out of the building.
I don't want the cameras covering his press when I'm doing my speech.
- To talk to the people of Pennsylvania...
... about what this country should be doing.
- About energy policy, about education. - I wanna hear what he has to say.
About job security, pension security. I don 't wanna get into a blame game...
... about what happened at the San Andreo power plant.
- Sure. - It was an accident.
It was exactly the kind of accident that I foresaw...
... when I opposed the building of nuclear power plants in Texas.
Saint Santos.
The governor of California and the president responded and contained it.
Do you support the president's decision sending troops to Kazakhstan?
We're not gonna figure out how to run by watching the Santos campaign.
Ignore the other guy and sprint to the finish line.
- You keep pushing your tax-cut message. - Press won't let me.
They're not gonna let up.
- Forget about the press. - That's not how I got this far.
I don't duck the tough questions. I say what I think.
- That's how I get elected. - Look.
I love straight talk, but it doesn't work in every situation.
That isn't me out there campaigning now. That's the problem.
We're gonna get past the accident.
No, we're not. Not unless we deal with it.
- If we open the nuclear-power can... - It's already open.
Wide open. I gotta close it. I gotta start answering their questions.
No one in the party thinks you should be talking about nuclear power.
We could insert an energy paragraph in the speech, about safe energy sources.
No, that's not gonna work.
What are you gonna do? Say you were wrong?
- No, I still think we need nuclear power. - This is the worst time to say that.
I should do a till-they-drop press conference on the nuclear accident.
- It's a mistake. - Explain my role the plant.
Talk about where we go from here on nuclear power.
Answer every reporter's question.
Stay at the microphone until I bore them to death.
That would look desperate.
Worked for Andrews in that Senate race for that problem with tax returns.
We're going to California tomorrow.
I'm gonna do a press conference in front of the San Andreo nuclear power plant.
Okay, my work's done here.
- Are you quitting? - It's been fun. Good luck.
Jane. Jane, hold on, please.
I can't afford to get blamed for these mistakes.
We can't afford to have another story about trouble with the Vinick staff.
It would look like we're completely out of control.
- I don't want you to quit. - I have a reputation to protect.
- Quitter? - Better than loser.
- Then don't lose. - The press conference is a mistake.
Campaigning in your home state is a mistake.
I let them ask me every nuclear question they can think of.
We get one more round of stories on this and then it's behind us.
- It's a sign of weakness. - If I win the election...
...you're gonna get the credit. You came onto a sinking ship...
...and you saved the day.
If you lose?
Then you came onto a sinking ship and it sank. It's not your fault.
How about we go with my strategy tomorrow...
...and then we go with yours the rest of the campaign.
- And if you disagree with my strategy? - Then we'll fight about it.
- And we'll end up doing it your way. - You'll win some and you'll lose some.
They're ready for you on-stage.
Party's gonna flood California with surrogate speakers after your free media.
- Good. New speech for San Francisco. - Can I get my briefcase?
- It's not in here? - No.
Yeah, I'll get it.
- Congressman needs his briefcase. - You had it.
No, I had it in Chicago. You had it in Philadelphia.
I had it in Pittsburgh, then I put it in his cabin for the flight.
- Well, it's not there now. - Did we take it to the event?
I had my arms full. I don't remember the briefcase in Philadelphia.
Did you notice the briefcase in Philadelphia?
- No. He wasn't carrying anything. - Does he need it right now?
- He asked for it. - Well, we can't tell him we lost it.
- You were the last one who had it. - He asked you.
We'll search the compartments. Worst case, it slipped into checked baggage...
...and we'll have it to him by the time we get to the hotel.
Get the L.A. Schedule to the press...
...so they can schedule news trucks to cover us live.
- You get my briefcase? - Not exactly.
I thought Otto had it. He'd thought it was in here.
- We're searching under the seats now. - You lost my briefcase?
Worst case, it got slipped into checked baggage.
We'll have it by the time you get to your room.
Call Philadelphia.
Check the cars we used, check the rooms that we were in.
I left my wallet in that thing.
I hope you don't have any super-secret strategy memos in that briefcase.
- We have super-secret strategy memos? - I wish we did.
Did you schedule this trip because Santos is pulling ahead in California?
- That's not what our polls show. - MSNBC right now.
Did you change your schedule after Santos decided to go to California?
We didn't know about the trip when Vinick decided to go to California.
- She's a terrible liar, isn't she? - Team Vinick's in a panic.
Vinick is ahead in the Southern states.
He's confident that his home state of California...
... is gonna support him as it always has in his Senate campaigns.
They're trying to steal our free media.
Get the TV to abandon Santos and cover Vinick.
It won't work if you spin it as Vinick trying to chase Santos out of California.
Every Vinick story becomes a story about the Santos surge in California.
- That's right. - I need Lou on the plane.
Thank you. Yeah?
It looks like Vinick is gonna follow you to California.
- How desperate is that? - They're trying to steal our free media.
You have to spin it that Vinick is chasing Santos.
Turn every... Every Vinick story into a Santos story.
Okay, I'll start working the press cabin now.
- Hey, Josh? - Yeah?
The congressman's briefcase, what's inside there?
Road stuff, toothbrush, electric razor, sometimes a wallet. Why?
We seem to have lost it and he seems worried.
The guy's in a tie for the presidency. He's got two weeks left.
- You can expect him to look worried. - So there's nothing bad in there?
- Like? - I don't know, heroin, porn.
- No, that's all mine. - I'm gonna go now.
Okay. Thanks.
Press conference is set for 12 noon. Networks are gonna cover it live.
We got two choices for the evening event, San Diego and L.A.
Problem with the L.A. Thing is that Santos is gonna be there.
- Thought he was gonna be in Florida. - They put out a press advisory.
They're gonna do a California swing: San Francisco, San Jose, Fresno, L.A.
Thinks he can take my state away from me in a day.
The mayor's gonna introduce Santos at the L.A. Event, so San Diego probably...
No. No, L.A. I wanna get in his face.
I want Santos to see, if he wants to take California...
...he's gonna have to rip it out of my hands.
Story is: "Vinick Chases Santos to California."
If he skips Florida, that's where we should be.
We announced the trip. We can't change schedule.
But we can get out of California quick.
- No. - We could have Florida all to ourselves.
- We could... - Santos takes California, game over.
A Republican can win the presidency without California.
And a Democrat can't. This isn't some sentimental home-state thing.
This is about winning. I don't have a 50-state strategy anymore.
I have a one-state strategy.
The one state that has everything:
Big cities, small towns, mountains, deserts...
...farms, factories, fishermen...
...surfers, all races, all religions, gay, straight...
...everything this country has.
There's more real America in California than anywhere else.
If I win California, I win the country.
Nice speech, just don't say it into microphones...
...because everybody in other states thinks California's a psycho ward.
California hasn't been competitive in a presidential race in 25 years.
They don't know how to campaign there. I do.
Let's get there, see how it goes.
Okay, just please forget about the power plant.
Go home to Santa Paula, remind the country...
...the South, of your roots in a farming community.
I can't go to California without dealing with the accident.
Take questions about the nuclear thing, in your hometown...
...surrounded by friends...
...instead of standing in a radioactive zone...
...where everyone's ready to vote for anybody but Vinick.
I've got to show them that we've contained the leak, that it's safe...
...that the cleanup is working.
Standing in front of the plant says:
- "The accident was my fault. Blame me." - We'll talk about Florida tomorrow.
If you're right, they'll be chasing me out of California by then. Annie...
...I want an updated briefing book on the cleanup, tomorrow on the plane.
Okay.
Hand any better?
Do I sound crazy to you?
- It's been a tough couple of weeks. - Tough?
I've been in tough campaigns before.
This is way beyond tough.
This is a nightmare.
Nuclear power plant works perfectly for 24 years...
Race was gonna tighten even without that accident.
Wasn't gonna get this tight.
We were heading for at least a five-point win...
...and California was gonna give us a big Electoral College win.
We had this thing locked.
Still do.
Now you're sounding crazy.
- That isn't mine. - I know.
- It belongs to Matt Santos. - Yeah, very funny.
I'm not kidding.
- I don't know this joke. - It's not a joke.
- That's Matt Santos' briefcase? - Yeah.
How did you get it? You won it in a raffle?
I was the last one out of the holding room.
I saw it. I thought it was one of ours.
There was no name on it. I opened it up...
- That's really Matt Santos' briefcase? - Yeah.
I don't wanna know anything more about this.
I wanna be able to say I had nothing to do with this. I didn't know anything.
- You stole Matt Santos' briefcase? - I didn't steal it. I found it.
But you didn't give it back.
You could've got it back to him easily, could have given it to the Secret Service.
- Didn't think of it. - Yes you did...
...and you would have done it in a second.
Unless you found something in there, something that would hurt Santos.
You just told me you don't wanna know anything more about it.
- Who else knows about this? - No one.
It can make you president.
I need to talk to a lawyer. I need... I need to think this through.
As soon as that information comes out, the Santos campaign...
It's over.
So you do not have to go to California tomorrow...
...and do that painful press conference...
...which is gonna play as if that accident was your fault.
And you do not have to draw attention to the fact your polls are not good now.
And you can keep campaigning in the South and Midwest...
...look like you're driving your own train instead of jumping on Santos'.
That briefcase can kill us.
- It's got a sort of a journal in there... - I said don't tell me.
It's a day planner. It has notes about meetings...
...people, lots of stuff that can be embarrassing.
What he thinks about the vice president, how bad a campaigner Leo McGarry is.
And he also has a checkbook in there.
It's a strange one. Just says "M. Santos."
Not a joint account with the wife. No address on the checks.
Just uses it for ATM withdrawals...
...and one check each month.
Same amount, made out to someone named Anita Morales.
There is an Anita Morales...
...29 years old, never married, one child, a 7-year-old girl.
She's a clerk in Houston City Hall.
Hired nine years ago by Mayor Matt Santos.
Come on.
We've all heard rumors about Matt Santos.
- There are rumors about all of us. - Have a checkbook like that?
Child support payments for a kid nobody knows about?
- Hush money? - You have to give back that briefcase.
When this comes out, he's gonna have to take a DNA test.
Gonna have to prove he did not have an affair with...
...or a child with a woman...
...he's been making monthly payments to, for who knows how long.
We can't do this.
- I can't do it. - I work for you.
I am not gonna do anything you don't want.
Give this thing to the Secret Service right now.
And tell them... I don't know what you tell them, but just give it to them.
Just think about what other secrets this guy might have.
This may be the tip of the iceberg of what we don't know about him.
Look, how about I keep the briefcase...
...we sleep on it and we'll talk about it tomorrow.
Just tell me what you want me to do, senator.
Keep it.
Guys, how you doing? Good to see you. Hi. How's it going, boss? How are you?
Hi. How are you? How you doing? God bless you. Okay.
Oh, yeah, we had a huge crowd in San Francisco this morning...
...the Silicon Valley event was bigger than anticipated.
Now Fresno's going nuts for him. California loves our guy.
The networks aren't giving any live coverage.
- Enough cameras out there? - We got all the local stations.
We are gonna rule the 6:00 news all over the state.
Hi, good to see you, what's happening? How you doing?
We want Matt We want Matt
Thanks for coming. Don't forget to vote.
Good afternoon, this is Fresno 's 12:00 news.
- Matt Santos is in town... - No word on the briefcase?
- Wasn't in the baggage. - Tell the congressman yet?
- Gonna wait till he asks. - Very brave.
If he's not worried about it, why remind him?
In a surprise move the Vinick Campaign followed the Santos Campaign...
... to California today. And we're gonna go to live coverage...
... from our sister station, KRAC in San Andreo...
... where Senator Arnold Vinick...
- Call me from L.A. - Bram's on line two. It's urgent.
Hang on, Lou. Yeah, Bram?
They cut to Vinick?
Lou, Fresno TV is going live with Vinick. Get Santos onto the stage right now...
...tell the camera crews they have to stay live...
...with the guy who actually came to Fresno.
Good afternoon. I just finished a complete inspection tour of the facility...
...I'm here to report to the people... - Maybe not.
...that the cleanup is ahead of schedule...
...and radiation levels in and around the plant are back to normal...
Do you think it's safe to live near this plant?
Yes, I do.
I just spent two hours inside the plant, so I'm convinced it's safe.
Completely safe?
Obviously, I never should have said that nuclear power is completely safe.
I said that in the heat of a debate. Nothing is completely safe.
We're never gonna figure out how to make driving a car completely safe...
... but Californians are still gonna do it every day.
Living near a nuclear power plant is a lot safer than driving a car.
The top priority in every nuclear power plant has to be safety.
This is one area where I think we need more regulation...
...and more strictly enforced safety standards.
You blaming the Bartlet Administration...?
I'm not blaming anyone. President Bartlet did everything within current law...
...to maintain safety at these plants.
When I'm president, I'm going to strengthen those safety regulations.
That wasn't your position when this plant was built.
You wrote several letters to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission...
...urging them to expedite the approval of this plant.
Yes, I did.
You complained the project was delayed because of "burdensome regulation."
I was very eager to make sure that California had an adequate supply...
...of low-cost electricity.
The governor and most of the state's congressional delegation...
...supported building the plant. - No one pushed harder than you did.
I don't do anything half-heartedly.
So you no longer think regulation of nuclear power plants is burdensome?
- No. - Do you regret saying it was?
- I wouldn't write that letter today. - Do you regret it?
That was 25 years ago. We've learned a lot since then.
Do you regret writing the letter, senator?
Yes, next question.
- What is he doing? - Trying to get it behind him.
If he does a till-they-drop press conference, it just might work.
If he does a "Don't Worry, Be Happy," he'll look nuts.
You're not gonna get lucky.
He's starting to sound like straight-talking Arnie again.
- If this works... - Worked for Andrews.
Got the tax thing behind him.
And he's killing your free media day in California.
Yeah, who's bright idea was that? I forget.
Vinick's gotta wrap this up.
- How long has he been on? - Over an hour.
- Doesn't look like he's quitting soon. - He's cutting into our coverage.
- Look. - We'll do it now.
No one has tried to start building a nuclear power plant...
Josh wants us to go back inside, set up a quick press conference...
...get some cameras turned on you. - Dueling press conferences. No.
Hey, I'd love to tell you I had a better idea.
Fresno!
I love you guys. Thank you again so much for coming out. Thank you all.
Come on inside. We're gonna talk some more.
- Today, according to new environmental impact regulations.
But no one's saying we should get rid of all those gas stations.
- I think American people understand... - Two hours and 48 minutes.
He's just getting warmed up.
Why didn't you fight him on this? You know this is a bad idea.
Think he may have a better feel for California politics than we do?
Are you drinking the Vinick Kool-Aid this morning?
Much longer, he's gonna turn this into a miniseries.
The people who are most worried about global warming...
There's no way we're gonna be able to spin this.
- Who are most opposed to the use of nuclear power.
Over a 26-year career in public service, I'd do a lot of things differently...
...if I could do them over again.
My job is to make the best decision I can with the information I have at the time.
You know, if you do something for 26 years, you should keep getting better.
I'm better because I have better information, I have more experience...
...making tough decisions, and I have more mature judgment...
...that's what I think this country needs now more than ever.
We have troops in Kazakhstan, and we have more on the way.
That's the tough choice that President Bartlet made...
...to try to keep Russia and China from slipping into war there.
Now, the next president is going to have to take over that situation...
...the first hour on the job.
That's the most important issue facing the country in this campaign...
... not who said what about nuclear power 25 years ago...
... or did one of us use too strong a word in a debate.
The real decision the American people are going to have to make...
...is who do they want as their next commander in chief.
All right. Next question.
Anyone?
- Ellen? - Nope.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Damn, this guy is good.
Son of a bitch.
Jane, Speaker Haffley on line two.
Yes, Mr. Speaker?
Way to go, sir.
What's the word on the street?
Speaker thinks the press conference was brilliant.
I hope you took full credit.
MSNBC wants someone from the campaign to go live right now.
I can do it.
- Senator? - How we doing on time?
Not bad, 20 minutes late. Better for us.
Santos will be out by the time we get there.
- Bob? - Yeah?
Tell Secret Service I wanna get five minutes with Santos before he leaves.
Alone.
- They'll wanna know what it's about. - Yeah, well, just tell them...
...it's personal.
Yes, Larry, I think he has put this issue behind him.
He answered every question, didn't duck the tough ones.
- You saw what kind of president... - Yeah?
What's this about wanting a meeting tonight with Santos?
- Hi, Josh. - What's this about?
- First I've heard. - Message is it's personal.
- What's that mean? - Maybe it's personal.
Not sending my guy if we don't know what it's about.
- Good. - What do you mean, "good"?
I don't like my guy in a meeting...
...I know nothing about. If you can stop it, I owe you one.
Yeah?
Just got a call from Josh.
Wanted to know what the meeting is about.
- What'd you tell him? - The truth.
It's the first I heard of it.
You think Santos will show up?
Not if Josh has anything to say about it.
I wanna give him back his briefcase.
- I figured that. - When in doubt, do the right thing.
The rest of the time, get away with whatever you can.
Who said that? One of those Louisiana governors.
Yeah, probably from his jail cell.
You know, Santos never got the vetting a front-runner gets.
He wasn't supposed to get the nomination.
The press gave him a free ride in the primaries.
Until now, he's been running way behind you...
...so the press still hasn't done their digging, but they will now.
So it really doesn't matter what you do with that briefcase.
It's gonna come out.
If it comes out when Santos is in the White House...
...I don't know what happens. All hell's gonna break loose.
Wouldn't be first president with an illegitimate child.
- How far you think he's gonna get? - You know what.
If I agreed with a candidate on the issues...
...and was ready to vote for him, and something like this came out...
...I'd still vote for him. - Good. That's you.
And that's maybe most Santos voters.
And it is every voter in France...
...but it is not this country. Not yet.
I don't want people wishing they could change their votes after.
Voters have a right to know about it before their decision.
Come on, this is me you're talking to.
Please don't try to turn mudslinging into a respect-the-voters spiel.
Don't tell anyone, but I do respect the voters.
That's why I win.
I find out what they care about.
I don't tell them what to care about.
- Not exactly my idea of leadership. - Yeah, well, it's my idea of democracy.
The voters set the terms of elections, not us.
They get to decide what's important, not us.
That's why I think voters have a right to this information now...
...instead of six months from now.
They could be electing a president drowning in scandal...
...when he's supposed to stop World War III in Kazakhstan.
And that is not the kind of guy...
...most of the country wants to be the next commander in chief.
Not now.
Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Well, what harm can it do?
- It's the principle. - Which is?
We like to know what a meeting is about before we agree to it.
- Five minutes? - That's what they said.
Whose idea was the press conference?
Couldn't let you have California yourself.
I should've known.
Well...
Got something for you.
Bruno found it in the holding room in Philadelphia.
He look through it?
- No name tag on it. - Took 24 hours to get back to me?
Find anything interesting in my notes?
- Didn't read them. - Bruno did.
- You don't have to worry about that. - I don't?
- No one else knows. - Bruno, you and me?
That's it, and we're not gonna tell anyone.
Maybe I should tell the press that Bruno stole my briefcase.
He didn't steal it. Found it.
It's not your notes you should be worrying about.
The checks you've been writing are a much bigger problem.
- You think so? - We're not gonna tell anybody...
...but you should.
So that's what this meeting's all about?
Just wanted to give me a little advice?
Obviously, it's up to you how you handle this.
That's right, it's up to me.
We're not gonna use it.
But it's gonna come out eventually.
Press is gonna find out.
They're gonna find Anita Morales.
Camera crews are gonna follow her daughter to school.
Bruno really did his homework, huh?
Think the people who work for you wouldn't have done the same...
...if they had found my briefcase?
If the press finds out about this next week...
...then all that happens is you lose an election.
But if you win and the press finds out next month or next year...
...then I don't know what happens to you or your presidency.
That's what you have to think about. Right now.
You have a responsibility to the voters to think...
Don't lecture me about responsibilities.
You really think you can handle this...
...if it comes out while you're living in the White House with your family?
You really think you wanna put the country through that?
- Put your wife through that? - My wife knows all about it.
My brother's never been very good about living up to his responsibilities.
He went out with Anita for a while...
...disappeared like he always does. He's never been able to hold on to a job.
When I found out about the baby, I figured someone had to step up.
It would have looked a lot better if you'd given your brother the money...
...and let him pay the child support. - Well, I wish I could trust him to do that.
You don't believe me.
Doesn't matter what I believe. You know the truth.
This is a family thing.
This has nothing to do with what kind of president I would be.
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