Dave Page #25

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INT. BOB'S TOWN HOUSE

It looks like a Superbowl party. All of Bob's cronies have

gathered around the TV set to watch "Bill Mitchell's" political

demise. A huge grin spreads across Bob's face when Dave's

image appears on the screen.

BOB:

Shhh shh... Here it comes.

INT. HOUSE CHAMBER

Dave swallows once and grips the lectern.

DAVE:

Thank you.

(pause)

I wish I could be here today under

different circumstances...

CLOSER SHOT:

He hesitates for a moment.

DAVE:

There's certainly a lot of things about

this country that we should be

discussing, but I realize that's not

possible now.

(beat)

As all of you know, my former Chief of

Staff has implicated me in a scandal

involving Fidelity Savings and Loan.

REVERSE ANGLE - HOUSE

Every member sits motionless at their seat.

DAVE:

... And once people start talking about

scandal it's hard for them to talk

about anything else.

He scans the room.

DAVE:

So fine. Let's talk about it.

INT. ELLEN'S BEDROOM

She watches riveted from the edge of her bed.

DAVE:

(over TV)

Bob Alexander has accused me of...

(pulls some notes out

of his pocket)

Let me read this to make sure I get it

right...

INT. HOUSE CHAMBER

He stares at his notes.

DAVE:

.... Illegally influencing government

regulators on behalf of major campaign

contributors -- interfering with an

ongoing Justice Department investigation - -

and violating Federal election laws in

the area of campaign finance.

There isn't a sound in the Chamber.

DAVE:

Okay -- let's get right to the guts of

it... Each one of these charges is

absolutely true.

A quiet but shocked murmur rolls through the room.

INT. BOB'S HOUSE

A "war hoop" goes up from the guests. Bob almost seems to

levitate off the couch.

BOB:

Die, you pond scum!

INT. HOUSE CHAMBER - FULL SHOT - DAVE

DAVE:

I'm the President and as they say 'The

buck stops here.' So I take full

responsibility for every one of my

illegal acts.

He hoists the black briefcase up onto the podium.

DAVE:

But you see that's not the whole story,

and I think each one of you is entitled

to the truth.

Dave opens the black briefcase to reveal a large stack of

documents.

DAVE:

I have written proof here in the form

of...

(reading)

Notes, memoranda and personal

directives' proving that Bob Alexander

was involved in each one of these

incidents and in most cases planned

them as well...

INT. BOB'S HOUSE - CLOSEUP - BOB

There is silence in the room. All the color drains from his

face as Bob stares frozen at the television set. The others

in the room watch with the morbid fascination of someone

witnessing a car wreck.

BOB:

(almost a gasp)

Alan...

One of the guests furtively slides his Presidential bumper

sticker behind the onion dip.

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE CHAMBER - FULL SHOT - REED

He stares out at the House Chamber feeling downright "moral."

He looks like someone who has just saved a puppy.

CLOSEUP - DAVE

DAVE:

Now - - allegations of wrong-doing

have also been made against Vice

President Nance...

(pause)

I'm afraid that's just a lie.

FULL SHOT - VICE PRESIDENT

He sits motionless in the chair feeling the weight of every

eye in the room.

DAVE:

... As this evidence will show... At

no time and in no way was Vice President

Nance involved in any of this affair.

Bob made all of that up.

Dave turns and smiles at Nance for a moment.

FULL SHOT - PODIUM

Dave turns back toward the House.

DAVE:

Vice president Nance is a good and

decent public servant and I'd like to

apologize for any pain this may have

caused him or his family.

(pause)

And while we're setting the record

straight, I'd also like to apologize

to the American people...

CLOSER ON DAVE:

Right INTO CAMERA.

DAVE:

... I forgot that I was hired to do a

job for you and that it was just a

temp job at that. I forgot that I had

two hundred and fifty million people

who were paying me to make their lives

a little better and I didn't live up

to my part of the bargain.

WIDER - HOUSE CHAMBER

DAVE:

See, there are certain things you should

expect from a President. I ought to

care more about you than I do about

me... I ought to care more about what's

right than I do about what's popular...

REVERSE ANGLE - HOUSE CHAMBER

They sit motionless in their seats.

DAVE:

I ought to be willing to give this

whole thing up for something I believe

in...

INT. ELLEN'S ROOM

A sad but proud smile starts around the corners of her mouth.

DAVE (V.0.)

(on her TV)

Because if I'm not...

INT. HOUSE CHAMBER

Dave clutches the sides of the podium.

DAVE:

If I'm not...

Dave stops in mid-sentence. He raises his hand to his forehead

and seems to rock a moment. A concerned murmur runs through

the floor of the House.

FULL SHOT - DAVE

He clutches the lectern now with a "woozy" look on his face.

He "fights to stand up."

DAVE:

If I'm not... Then I don't belong here

in the first place...

All at once, Dave falls to the floor. Duane and Reed and

several Senate pages suddenly rush out to his side.

INT. HOUSE CHAMBER - PODIUM

It is complete pandemonium. Several members crowd around

the podium. The NOISE LEVEL literally turns into a ROAR.

Reed yanks at Dave's shirt and loosens his tie.

CLOSER ANGLE:

REED:

A doctor! We need a doctor... He's

had a stroke!

INT. ELLEN'S BEDROOM

She gets up from the bed, grabs her overcoat and heads for

the door...

INT. HOUSE CHAMBER

A huge crowd of Congressmen crowd around the platform. There

is complete confusion...

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