Primary Colors Page #11

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mainstream.

We are in purgatory.

We are lost.

Libby, if you don't shut up,

I'm going to kill myself.

We are testing our limits.

We are in the pits.

Remember the words to

"Limbo Rock"?

"How low can you go"?

Is there a reason we're meeting in

Neo Bwanaland and not his office?

Two reasons... no recording devices,

and I've always...

wanted to see this hotel.

Yes, in my work, I'd hoped being

the Governor's brother-in-law...

would be an advantage.

But Mr. Righteous wouldn't

cut me any slack.

We did Clearwater

straight up.

It would be God's joke if he

got nailed for it anyway.

Freddy didn't know you hired his

wife and brother to get to him?

Know? Absolutely not.

Thank you, Mr. Reyes. My friend

and I are very, very grateful.

Know?

what did he know? He was half

stoned most of the time?

Stoned?

Oh, dear. I said something

I said shouldn't have.

Freddy's staff don't like

to hear that.

Stoned how?

"Toot-toot-tootsie,

good bye."

You don't know he was a f***ing

maricon cokehead?

-Cocaine.

-He loved the sh*t.

We all did, but he's the only one

who's a candidate for sainthood.

I'm afraid that's a little hard to

buy. It just doesn't fit.

Maybe not now. Twenty

years ago...

everyone did everything.

Right, Libby?

But where did he score? How

could he keep it quiet?

There was a guy. A young guy,

Lorenzo Delgado.

Upper-class Cuban, a lawyer.

He and the Governor know each other

socially. So it was all right.

The joke is that Delgado just

got out of prison...

and lives in a halfway

house in Hialeah.

And saint Freddy is about

to be president.

Yeah, that is a joke. You must get

a lot of laughs telling it at parties.

I don't talk about Freddy.

I'm talking to you because

you're from his campaign.

It's just...

I'm not the only guy

who knows this.

He should never have

returned to the game.

Now he'll go down.

This is America.

You can bank on it.

Lorenzo Delgado.

On the porch, through there.

Lorenzo?

Right in there.

Sr. Delgado?

We're here about

Freddy Picker.

sit down, sit down.

Are you from the campaign?

I've been expecting you.

Tell Freddy he has nothing to fear

from me. Nothing, you understand?

This happened after him.

I f***ed my brains out in jail.

Nothing else to do.

And there were so many boys

spent all day in the gym...

working out.

I like this porch.

I can't do it all the time.

Depends on the weather.

It's strange.

My body temperature

is always off.

Too hot or too cold.

It's never just right.

Sometimes the tiniest breeze

can start me shivering.

I can't do anything about it.

I can't turn it off. I just

have to let it ride.

So, are you Freddy's

friend now?

You just knew it would

be good.

You knew it would be irresistible.

But this has every f***ing thing.

Sex, drugs, corruption.

And none of it-none of it, Henry,

my man-is-clear-cut venality.

It's all kind of human and

awful and sad.

So now we'll find out.

Find out what? We just

found out.

Don't play dumb with me.

This is a test...

of us and them. Actually, of us

and them, and us again.

I mean, we got the dirt.

Now it's about them-back and

Susan. What will they do with it?

Isn't that what we're both

really after here?

After 20 f***ing years, I get to

see what they're about.

Not just hypothesize, not just

hope. This is it!

Graduation day. They

graduate, or I do.

Be honest. Isn't that what

you're really after, too?

Watch the road!

Isn't it?

Feast your eyes, Governor.

You too, m'lady.

Henry, a transcript of our tour.

Well, this... this is

remarkable.

How did he think he could

get away this?

What do we do with it?

The Times... No, the Wall Street

Journal more authoritative.

Through an intermediary, someone not

connected to the campaign.

-I don't think so.

-what do you mean?

I mean there's nothing

of use here.

You must be kidding.

Nope. It doesn't meet

my standards.

What do you mean?

Henry and I don't the use of

this material is proper.

We have a moral objection. And

I have an historical beef.

Come on. Why get it if you

weren't going to use it?

As Susan said, he could

have been a sh*t.

He isn't, but he could

have been.

But you're off the point. The point

is we don't do this sort of thing.

I'll relentless busting dust

and guarding your ass.

I'd have shot Randy Collegian's

weenie off for you.

Well, maybe I would have.

But this is something else. This is

hurting someone. This sucks.

You want to know why this sucks?

Because you told me.

Remember when, Jackie?

Let me refresh your memory.

-Weren't they gorgeous?

-But look at you.

You little sh*t. I told you I

used to have a waist.

Hush up. Don't ruin it. You

remember when this was?

You don't, do you?

Miami headquarters in '72.

This was taken just after

the convention.

I'll never forget that convention.

Libby, for Christ's sake,

what's the point?

The point is Eagleton.

Remember, Jack? I must have known

you, what, two days then?

We hear that McGovern had chosen

a vice president who...

had electric shock therapy.

And I consider the possibility that we

might lose to that fuckbrain Nixon.

Before that, I was absolutely

convinced we would win.

Can you imagine, Henry?

We were so f***ing young.

And this one, he

takes me out.

We go to an outdoor Cuban joint.

Remember, Jack?

My head's in my hands. I mean,

life has ended.

I say, "They did it! The CIA."

I couldn't believe that Tom Eagleton

would really be a nutcase.

They had to have take him and

made him crazy.

It couldn't be that McGovern

was a complete amateur!

I said to Jack:
"We got to get

same capability as the CIA."

Remember, Jack? "We have

to do dirt, too."

And you said, "No. Our job is

to end all that."

"Our job is to make it clean.

Because if it's clean, we win."

"Because our ideas are better."

You remember this, Jack?

That was a long time ago.

Libby, you said it yourself.

We were young. We didn't know

how the world worked.

Now we know.

If we don't move on this Picker

situation, two things will happen.

First. We're dead.

Everything we've worked for since

Miami 25 years ago dies, and fast.

The second thing that happens is

someday, soon when they're sick of...

Picker's quiet, righteous act

some intrepid journalist...

will stumble onto this.

And if he doesn't, the Republicans

will lead him to it next fall.

It will be like Eagleton, only it'll be

our fault this time...

for letting it happen.

Your fault, Libby.

Honey, you may be right.

All of it may be right.

But we can't do it because it ain't

who we're supposed to be.

We could leak part of it...

the Clearwater.

The Republicans know that.

And they won't get the rest soon?

You think Reyes will...

only tell this story once?

I'm sorry, Libby. There's

no discussion.

You're right, none.

Henry and I decided.

This dies here.

I don't think so.

I'm sorry, sweetheart,

but it does.

And here's why.

Know what this is? Test results

on Jack's blood and Uncle...

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