Advise and Consent Page #9

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and he wants that man | confirmed by the Senate.

But the senior senator from | South Carolina, for reasons of his own...

and those reasons are never | like anybody else's reasons...

the senator's opposed to my nominee.

Well, everybody expected that.

We'd all be disappointed | if Seab hadn't reared back...

and huffed and puffed, | and tried to blow the house down.

But now comes Senator Brigham Anderson...

who nobody suspected | of being a big, bad wolf.

And he goes Seab Cooley one better by | trying to dig a tunnel under the house.

This is your story, fellow members of the | White House Correspondents' Association.

The president is standing by his nominee.

Despite Seab Cooley's windstorms | and Brigham Anderson's tunneling...

you can tell the readers the president | hasn't changed his mind about his nominee.

He's going to fight for that | confirmation no matter what.

What are you clapping for?

I can afford to be charitable, sir.

Mr. President.

Sore at me, Brigham?

Frankly, I'm puzzled, Mr. President.

There's coffee and brandy here if you want. | I'll go down to the banquet room.

- If it's okay, I'd rather have you stay. | - What's the matter, Brigham?

You think you need a witness?

I'm not sure, Mr. President.

You'd better stay, Bobby. Sit down.

I have a feeling I might need | some help with this young man.

Of course you know I'm grateful, | the way you put the lid on this matter.

I didn't get that impression tonight.

Well, a president has to stand up for a man | he sends down to Senate. You know that.

It seems to me, the sooner you withdraw | him, the sooner this will blow over.

I still want him, Brigham.

If we open this up, he won't be confirmed. | I'm sure Senator Munson told you that.

If we don't open it up, we've got enough | votes committed to put him through.

I've gone as far as I can | with this, Mr. Rresident.

I think the circumstances might | permit you to go a little further.

You don't seriously believe | Leffingwell's a communist, do you?

Whether he is or not, he lied under oath.

Aren't you interested in why he lied?

Well, I'm not completely unsympathetic, | but I just think that...

You think he should let himself | be ruined...

just because he flirted with | communism a long time ago?

My point is he should've | told the committee...

he had flirted with communism | instead of lying.

Well, maybe there's nothing in your | young life you'd like to conceal...

but we're not all of us that fortunate.

We have to make the best of our mistakes. | That's all Leffingwell has done.

As the leader of our party, I'm asking you. | Let me judge the man.

Mr. Rresident, I don't want | to wreck his life.

I don't want to deprive you | of his services in some other office.

But in this case, his confirmation | as secretary of state...

I am bound by my duty to my committee.

You also owe a duty to your party.

I can't subvert the purpose | of a Senate committee.

You don't think Cooley subverted | the purpose of the committee?

He's used his little forum | in a personal vendetta.

Mr. Rresident, I'm sorry, but your | arguments won't wash with me.

My prestige is riding on this nomination.

Rrestige of this country, Senator Anderson. | By God, that ought to wash.

Or don't you know we're in trouble | in the world...

outside that little | subcommittee of yours?

Yes, sir, I know our prestige will suffer...

but it will suffer a lot more if I have to | show up your nominee as a barefaced liar.

If you won't withdraw him, I'll reopen | and call Hardiman Fletcher as a witness.

Then do it. Do what you like. | I won't withdraw.

- Good night, Bobby. | - Good night, Mr. Rresident.

He has a case, Brig.

You can't always cut it black or white. | Not in these times.

But this is black and white.

I just don't understand you. You make a | great speech about the balance of power...

then you ignore your responsibility...

and want me to rubber-stamp this | nomination just to please the president.

I guess it is inconsistent...

but I've come a long way with him, ever | since we were green congressmen together.

He's pulled us through | six hard years of crisis.

He's tired, Brig, and he's ill.

I love the man.

I guess I can stretch | my responsibility a little.

Love to help him.

I'm sorry, but mine won't stretch.

All right. Give him a few days to save face, | and then we'll put up another nominee.

That isn't what the president said.

He'll bend if he has to.

And I guess he has to.

Brig?

Did I wake you? I'm sorry.

I was waiting for you.

This was a night, Mrs. Anderson.

Your husband had a knockdown-and-dragout | with the president of the United States.

- Oh, Brig. | - It's all right. I won.

I had a very strange phone call, Brig.

Strange? Well, who was it?

I don't know. A man.

He said that before you go on | with the Leffingwell matter...

you ought to remember | what happened in Hawaii.

Then he hung up.

What happened in Hawaii, Brig?

What was the voice like?

It was crawly. He made it sound like | he knew some kind of nasty secret.

I've been on the front pages the past few | days. We're bound to get crackpot calls.

Just hang up if you get any more.

Are you sure you're doing | the right thing, Brig?

Yes, darling, I'm sure. | Don't worry about it.

What did he mean about Hawaii?

I was stationed there | when I was in the Army.

I don't see what that | has to do with Leffingwell.

Just some crackpot, darling, that's all.

- Hello? | - Did you speak to your husband?

- What do you want? Who are you? | - We're serious about this.

- You call here one... | - Hello!

Hello?

- I told you to hang up on those calls. | - Brig, I'm frightened.

Now, look, there is nothing to be | frightened of, Ellen. Nothing!

Come on, let's have some breakfast.

The senator handling the inland waterways | bill can't be present this afternoon.

If the senator from Michigan will agree...

I would like to ask that nothing | be put ahead of this bill.

Since the afternoon is | an extremely busy one...

When is the president going to withdraw?

You can't hurry him, Brig. After all, | we don't run that end of the avenue.

I am very glad to accommodate | the senator, Mr. Rresident.

I move we stand in recess | until noon tomorrow.

Without objection, so ordered.

Have you seen him?

He's on a destroyer at Chesapeake Bay | for the naval boat race.

Come on, don't look so worried. | After all, you won your point last night.

Have a cup of coffee with me.

No, thanks.

Early recess, senator?

Hello, Seab.

A man can live like a mole | in the halls of that old capitol.

Me, I just sit out here for a while | most every day, winter or summer.

You look like you've got | the burden, son. Sit down.

You got them treed, haven't you? Look | out they don't shinny down on top of you.

You're dealing with devious | men, senator. Yes, sir.

Devious, powerful men.

Hardiman Fletcher took a plane | to Europe this afternoon.

A mission for the president.

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