Wag the Dog Page #31

MOSS:

And what is bigger than a triumphal Homecoming...?

INT HANGAR, ANDREWS AIRFORCE BASE, DAY.

A VAST HANGAR, A SINGLE JET TRANSPORT.

ANGLE:

BREAN AND MOSS, DISHEVELLED, UNSHAVEN, LOOKING ON.

ANGLE, THEIR POV

THE RAMP, AT THE BACK OF THE PLANE, A FLAG DRAPED CASKET APPEARS AND CRAWLS

DOWN THE RAMP.

SIX MILITARY PEOPLE IN FATIGUES ADVANCE TO THE CASKET.

ANGLE:

BREAN AND MOSS, THEY SWIVEL THEIR HEADS, AND WE SEE, BEYOND THE DOORS OF THE

HANGAR, A VAST CROWD, FLASHBULBS BEGIN POPPING.

ANGLE ON MOSS, AS HE GLANCES AROUND, AND THEN AT AN AIDE, AS IF TO SAY,

WELL...

THE AIDE LOOKS AROUND, AND THEN, WITH RELIEF, AT THE CROWD, AS A SMALL DOG

BREAKS AWAY, AND RUNS TOWARD THE CASKET.

SEVERAL PHOTOGRAPHERS BREAK THROUGH THE CORDON, AND BEGIN SNAPPING PHOTOS OF

THE SMALL DOG, AS IT SITS, ITS HEAD COCKED, NEAR THE CASKET.

BREAN AND MOSS WALK AWAY, CAMERA FOLLOWS THEM TOWARD A SMALL READYROOM OFF THE

HANGAR.

INT, THE READYROOM. BREAN AND MOSS SINK DOWN INTO AN OLD RATTY LEATHER COUCH,

BREAN GETS UP, WALKS TO THE TABLE, ON WHICH IS A PACK OF CIGARETTES. HE TAKES

ONE, LIGHTS IT, PASSES ONE TO BREAN WHO LIGHTS IT. WALKS TO A MR. COFFEE

MACHINE.

BREAN:

...coffee...?

MOSS:

Yes, please.

BEYOND THE COFFEE MACHINE WE SEE AMES, AND THE HISPANIC MAN WHO DROVE THE

HARVESTER, STILL WEARING A STRAW COWBOY HAT, ET CETERA, THEY BOTH STAND, AS A

MAN IN HIS SIXTIES ENTERS, AND BEGINS EXTRACTING A BLACK ROBE FROM HIS

BRIEFCASE, HE PUTS ON THE ROBE.

BREAN SIGHS. NODS, AND WALKS HACK TO THE TABLE, WBERE MOSS IS SLUMPED.

BREAN SNAPS ON A SMALL TELEVISION, ON THE COUNTER, AND WE SEE, IN ITS SCREEN,

THE PALLBEARERS PROCEEDING TO A MILITARY TRUCK, AND THE SMALL DOG FOLLOWING,

WE SEE A PORTRAIT OF THE DOG, AS IT C*CKS ITS HEAD, WE CUT TO A SHOT OF THE

PRESIDENT, IN THE HANGAR, DABBING AT HIS EYES WITH A HANDKERCHIEF.

MOSS:

(WATCHING THE SCREEN)

Good. Good. Good. Looking Good, bring-it-all-back-

home. Lassie Barks Twice n'it's time to take out the

garbage.

BREAN:

Hell of a show. Hell of a job, Stan.

MOSS:

(KNOCKS ON WOOD)

...one more day.

BREAN:

Naw, naw, we own the airways...

(HE FLIPS THE CHANNEL)

WE SEE A COUPLE OF MEDIA NERDS, BEING INTERVIEWED AROUND A CONFERENCE TABLE.

MODERATOR:

...thrust of the Albanian Episode, to put him over the

top...

FIRST MEDIA GUY:

Yes, you could say that, Joyce, but it wouldn't be

true.

JOYCE:

What would be true, then.

SECOND MEDIA GUY

Well, you said it yourself, earlier, and if I may

rephrase, that the success of the President, in the

Polls...

JOYCE:

...as of today, 89% favorable.

SECOND MEDIA GUY

Eighty-nine percent favorable, is based not on

events...

BREAN:

...events.

SECOND MEDIA GUY

Which, of course, we cannoy control....

FIRST MEDIA GUY:

...no...

SECOND MEDIA GUY

But on the spin given to those events.

FIRST MEDIA GUY:

...yes.

SECOND MEDIA GUY

On the meaning found in those events, and given to the

public...

JOYCE:

...by you?

SECOND MEDIA GUY

By the media, by, yes, by, in this case, our

organization.

JOYCE:

Well, there's a lot to be said for that. And I'm

going to show a clip.

(TO THE AUDIENCE)

You've seen it before, you've seen it many times...

(ALL SMILE)

But I'm going to ask you to look at it once more. With

the election one day off, and the President's standing

in the polls...

FIRST MEDIA GUY:

...89 percent

JOYCE:

...a record, a record high for sitting president, I'd

like you to watch the campaign that put him there when

we come back.

THE SCREEN CHANGES TO A COMMERCIAL.

MOSS:

You see? What's the lesson here? Never give up.

Never give up.

BREAN:

No. You're right.

MOSS:

Show Must Go On.

BREAN:

A proud tradition.

MOSS:

Prouder of this, than anything I ever did in my life.

I want to thank you, Ron.

(PAUSE)

Want to thank you.

THE SCREEN COMES BACK TO THE TALKING HEADS. WKERE WE SEE THE COMMENTATORS

INTERVIEWING THE SUBJECTS.

JOYCE:

And as we said. The President, a sure-fire winner, and

the campaign, many said, that put him there...

THE SCREEN CHANGES TO TWO HORSES IN A PADDOCK. A COUPLE OF JOCKEYS WALK UP TO

THEM.

JOCKEY ONE:

Which horse you going to ride tomorrow, Jim?

JOCKEY TWO:

Well, Chuck, my Daddy used to say, and I've lived by

it:
never change Horses in...

MOSS:

(TO HIMSELF)

...oh no...

THE SCREEN REVERTS TO THE MODERATOR AND THE TWO TYPES.

JOYCE:

And now, we're going to be taking your calls. The

number is...

MOSS RISES.

MOSS BEGINS PACING AROUND THE READYROOM.

BREAN:

What're you doing?

MOSS:

I'm looking for a phone...

BREAN:

No, I don't think you can do that.

MOSS:

Watch me.

BREAN:

No, I don't think you can do that, Stanley...

MOSS:

Watch me.

BREAN:

Stanley. Stanley... you knew the... Stanley.

(HE RESTRAINS HIM)

You knew the deal when you signed on.

MOSS:

Deal's changed.

BREAN:

No, the deal isn't changed. The Deal isn't changed.

You can't ... what is it? Money? Money? You want

Money?

MOSS:

Money? You think I did this for money...? I did this

for Credit. Credit, paalll...

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