The American President Page #11

- That's great work, Sydney.

I'm not there yet.

No matter what happens, you have

every reason to be proud of yourself.

I'll be proud when

I see you sign the bill.

Well, yeah.

Andy? You're doing

that thing with your face.

- How are the numbers?

- Bad.

- How bad?

- Forty-one.

- Character across the board.

- George, don't tell me that!

- Who is Lewis on with?

- Jarrett.

He's trying to keep

his fingers in the dam.

You're supposed to be

a United States Congressman!

But we're not gonna stay at 41.

The numbers are gonna go back up.

But they're gonna go back up.

All right, George.

Congressman--

Congressman Jarrett.

George, listen to me.

It's crunch time.

It's personal.

This is one of those moments.

It's just you and the president.

Now what's it gonna be?

Yeah.

Yeah, all right, George.

Can I tell you something?

We're gonna win this thing.

We're gonna get the votes.

And that very night I'm gonna go

to Sam & Harry's, order a big steak...

and I'm gonna make a list of everybody

who tried to f*** us this week!

Just vote your conscience,

you chickenshit lame-ass!

- We lost Jarrett.

- I hope so.

Because if that was an undecided,

we need to work on our people skills.

Hi, Karen, it's Lewis. I need you

to find Congressman Quincy for me.

We lost Quincy too.

Did he give a reason?

Yeah. He thinks your numbers

aren't likely to rebound.

We're three votes

down again, sir.

Mr. President, as of this morning

Sydney only needed one more vote.

The Motown Three

have gotta be scared blind.

I don't think there'll

be a better opportunity.

The press expects an announcement on the

crime bill by the State of the Union.

If you stick 455 in a drawer

until after elections...

- they'll give you the three votes.

- And we declare victory.

We said as a last resort.

We're there, sir.

The State of the Union is 48 hours away.

-There's gotta be three votes someplace!

-There isn't.

- Bullshit! There's gotta be somebody!

- There isn't.

- I beg your pardon?

- What about Storch?

- Storch is a no.

- Mr. President.

- Wagner?

- No.

Sobel? Clark?

- Not that Clark! The one from lndiana.

- That one too, sir.

Mr. President,

I think we have to do this.

A.J., she is one vote away.

It's important legislation that for

the first time has a legitimate chance.

- She deserves every opportunity--

- She?

You meant "it,"

didn't you, sir?

You meant the important legislation

deserves every opportunity.

- Lewis, shut up.

- You have something to say to me?

Respectfully, sir,

we should examine the new poll--

They don't like that

I'm going out with Sydney.

It's not that simple.

This poll brings a murky problem

into specific relief.

Whose problem we talking about, yours?

You worried about losing your job?

Because this poll isn't

talking about my presidency!

This poll is

talking about my life!

264 million people--

They don't give a damn about your life!

They give a damn about their own!

All right! That's enough!

Mr. President,

you've raised a daughter...

almost entirely on your own,

and she's terrific.

So what does it say to you

that in the past seven weeks...

fifty-nine percent of this country has

begun to question your family values?

The president

doesn't answer to you.

Oh, yes, he does. I'm a citizen.

This is my president.

In this country, it is not only

permissible to question our leaders...

it's our responsibility.

But you already know that,

don't you, Mr. President?

You have a deeper love of this country

than any man I've ever known...

and I want to know what it says to you

that in the past seven weeks...

fifty-nine percent of Americans

have begun to question your patriotism?

- If people want to listen to Bob--

- They don't have a choice!

Bob Rumson is the only one

doing the talking.

People want leadership, and in

the absence of genuine leadership...

they'll listen to anyone

who steps up to the microphone.

They want leadership.

They're so thirsty for it,

they'll crawl toward a mirage.

And when they discover there's no water,

they'll drink the sand.

Lewis, we have had presidents

who were beloved...

who couldn't find a coherent sentence

with two hands and a flashlight.

People don't drink the sand

because they're thirsty.

They drink the sand because

they don't know the difference.

Mr. President,

what do you want to do about 455?

- Make the deal.

- Yes, sir.

- Make the deal.

- Yes, sir.

I just want to go on record...

and apologize for my attitude

towards you since your arrival.

I didn't notice.

Was there an attitude?

Well, I think that I have

a lot of pent-up hostility.

I'm wondering who I can blame.

I'm not really qualified--

I've been blaming it on my mother and

my ex-husband, but that doesn't work.

Syd, Leo needs to see you.

Tell him to get in here.

It's a party.

- He needs to see you in his office.

- It can't wait?

He just got off the phone with

Maclnerney. There's been a development.

Good evening.

Sounds good.

- It's progressive.

- I'll say.

What's wrong with Sydney?

Did you fight?

- What do you mean?

- She seemed pretty mad.

- You saw her?

- Yeah. She's here.

- Where?

- In your room.

- Why is she mad?

- Don't worry about it, honey.

- Were you a dork?

- Practice your music.

If you were a dork, you should

say you're sorry. Girls like that.

Have you seen

a grey cable knit sweater?

A grey sweater? No.

I called you today.

It's Beth's.

I didn't want to leave it.

Where you going?

- I'm going home, then to Hartford.

- Connecticut?

- Yes. Was it sent with your cleaning?

- What's in Connecticut?

Richard Reynolds' campaign.

He may give me a job.

When did you decide

to get a new job?

Not long after Leo Solomon

fired me from my old one.

- Beth's gonna kill me.

- Why did he fire you?

Total failure to achieve any of

the objectives for which I was hired.

I told him

he was being unreasonable.

After all, I did get to

dance with the president...

and ride in Air Force One

a couple of times.

But you know those environmentalists.

It's always gotta be something.

If it's not clean air,

then it's clean water.

It's not good enough that I'm

on the cover of People magazine.

I'll call him.

You mean you'll call him

yourself, personally?

It'll come from the president?

That's a great idea.

You should call Leo and make a deal.

He hires me back for,

say, 72 days.

I go around scaring Congress...

making them think the president's about

to drive through a very costly bill.

They'll believe me, right? Because

I'm the president's Friday night girl.

I don't know if you can dip into that

well twice since I've lost credibility.

But you never know.

I might pull it off again.

I might give you

just the leverage you need...

to pass some ground-breaking

piece of crime legislation--

Iike a mandatory 3-day waiting period

before a five-year-old can buy an Uzi.

F*** the sweater!

She'll have to live with disappointment.

What do you think

Rate this script:4.5 / 2 votes