The West Wing Quotes
Santos: You know, I introduced a guest worker program the first year I was in Congress. I couldn't even get a hearing on it. Vinick opens his mouth about it once, it's like he's parting the Red Sea.
Lou: If you agree with it you're going to look like a follower, not a leader.
Santos: He's the one that's following me on this.
Lou: It won't look like it; not now. We can't be chasing reporters around with a six-year old page from the Congressional Record to prove you got there first.
Santos: Yeah, well, I shouldn't have been hiding on these issues. I didn't want to be the brown candidate. I didn't want to be stereotyped. Josh was right; I should have gotten out in front of all this stuff during the primaries.
Lou: If you agree with it you're going to look like a follower, not a leader.
Santos: He's the one that's following me on this.
Lou: It won't look like it; not now. We can't be chasing reporters around with a six-year old page from the Congressional Record to prove you got there first.
Santos: Yeah, well, I shouldn't have been hiding on these issues. I didn't want to be the brown candidate. I didn't want to be stereotyped. Josh was right; I should have gotten out in front of all this stuff during the primaries.
TV Show: The West Wing
Santos: You know I’d been hoping to stand here tonight under very different circumstances, and I have been asked by people that I respect to take this opportunity to support one of the other fine candidates who have made this race with me, to help decide who our nominee will be. But I can’t do that. I can’t do that because it’s not my place to decide who our nominee should be. That decision is yours and yours alone. Now there has been a great deal made about Governor Baker’s decision not to disclose his wife’s minor medical condition. Many people believe that he should have. But I don’t believe Governor Baker failed to disclose it because he was ashamed or embarrassed. I think he didn’t disclose it because we’re the hypocrites, not the Bakers; because we’re all broken, every single one of us, and yet we pretend that we’re not. We all live lives of imperfection and yet we cling to this fantasy that there’s this perfect life and that our leaders should embody it. But if we expect our leaders to live on some higher moral plain than the rest of us, well we’re just asking to be deceived. Now it’s been suggested to me this week that I should try to buy your support with jobs, and the promise of access. It’s been suggested to me that party unity is more important than your democratic rights as delegates. That’s right it’s not. And you have a decision to make. Don’t vote for us because you think we’re perfect. Don’t vote for us because of what we might be able to do for you only. Vote for the person who shares your ideals, your hopes, your dreams. Vote for the person who most embodies what you believe we need to keep our nation strong and free. And when you have done that, you can go back to Seattle, and Boston, to Miami, to Omaha, to Tulsa and Chicago, and Atlanta with your head held high, and say, “I am a member of the Democratic Party.”
TV Show: The West Wing
Leo: [about a potential VP candidate] Do you want me to get the President to lean on him?
Josh: He told me that he'd kick the guy's ass all over the school yard, if it came to that.
Leo: Who is it?
Josh: You.
Josh: He told me that he'd kick the guy's ass all over the school yard, if it came to that.
Leo: Who is it?
Josh: You.
TV Show: The West Wing
Leo: Ok. Let's start by reframing the question. Forget about a four year term, the presidency is 18 months. That's your window. After that, there's midterms. No one on the Hill has time to do business with you, they're too busy getting re-elected.
Santos: Huh.
Leo: Then suddenly, you're running again.
Santos: So I'm basically throwing everything out but my first five pages.
Leo: In the garbage. Realistically, one page. But, we can do this in phases.
Santos: Huh.
Leo: Then suddenly, you're running again.
Santos: So I'm basically throwing everything out but my first five pages.
Leo: In the garbage. Realistically, one page. But, we can do this in phases.
TV Show: The West Wing
Donna: You called Russell a cowpoke. You said the President avoided him in the halls. You hummed "These Boots Are Made For Walking" every time the press mentioned his name.
Josh: Yeah, but I won.
Donna: It was my job, Josh. You're not used to me being in a position of authority. I'm sure that's uncomfortable.
Josh: I've got an airplane hangar out there filled with 500 strangers looking to me for direction. I've got a candidate who doesn't trust any of them, and frankly, neither do I. And if you don't think I [breath hitches] miss you every day....
Donna: [She gets up and starts to leave the office trying to hold back her tears] Thank you for your time....
Josh: Yeah, but I won.
Donna: It was my job, Josh. You're not used to me being in a position of authority. I'm sure that's uncomfortable.
Josh: I've got an airplane hangar out there filled with 500 strangers looking to me for direction. I've got a candidate who doesn't trust any of them, and frankly, neither do I. And if you don't think I [breath hitches] miss you every day....
Donna: [She gets up and starts to leave the office trying to hold back her tears] Thank you for your time....
TV Show: The West Wing
Santos: [in a campaign ad] Now, if you don't think I have a personal stake in my economic plan, if you don't think it's personal for me - hey, if the country doesn't like it, I'll be the first one unemployed. We can't hang on to the jobs of the past; none of us can. The entire store of human knowledge now doubles every five years. A child that is born tonight could live to see the 22nd Century. If we nourish innovation, if we tear down red tape and regulation, that child could lead a brand new industry; can cure a dreaded disease; can touch a far horizon that we can't even glimpse yet. So if it's personal for you, if you want your child to grow up in a world fueled by new prosperity and path-breaking discovery, then I need your vote, 'cause you ain't seen nothing yet!
TV Show: The West Wing
Josh: People think the campaign's about two competing answers to the same question. They're not. They're a fight over the question itself.
TV Show: The West Wing
Josh: When voters want a national daddy...someone to be tough and strong and defend the country, they vote Republican. When they want a mommy, someone to give them jobs, health care...the policy equivalent of motzah ball soup, they vote Democratic.
TV Show: The West Wing
Josh: [to media consultants] This is probably the greatest assemblage of Democratic talent since the last time Jed Bartlet dined alone.
TV Show: The West Wing
Lou: You saw Vinick on TV this morning. Clearly it wasn't about content, but he was tough and he was authentic. He was Neil Young to your Neil Diamond.
Josh: I like Neil Diamond.
Lou: I'm sure you do.
Josh: We can't have a fight about a security leak. We'll get killed. I'm trying to change the conversation back to the economy.
Lou: How about moving the conversation to the fact that while Santos was serving in the Gulf, Vinick was serving himself Chardonnay. That Santos is still serving in the Reserves as a Congressman. He's been in the Senate for, like, 90 years. He was practically born in a committee hearing. If you're not using the phrase "Beltway Arnie" in every press release...
Josh: We're not going negative. Not now, not first.
Lou: Oh, really. You don't think you're running a negative campaign? Why are you always talking about high-tech jobs? Because Vinick uses a manual typewriter and his future is a set of plastic gums. You're doing political smear like the rest of us. All I'm saying is do it right.
Josh: I like Neil Diamond.
Lou: I'm sure you do.
Josh: We can't have a fight about a security leak. We'll get killed. I'm trying to change the conversation back to the economy.
Lou: How about moving the conversation to the fact that while Santos was serving in the Gulf, Vinick was serving himself Chardonnay. That Santos is still serving in the Reserves as a Congressman. He's been in the Senate for, like, 90 years. He was practically born in a committee hearing. If you're not using the phrase "Beltway Arnie" in every press release...
Josh: We're not going negative. Not now, not first.
Lou: Oh, really. You don't think you're running a negative campaign? Why are you always talking about high-tech jobs? Because Vinick uses a manual typewriter and his future is a set of plastic gums. You're doing political smear like the rest of us. All I'm saying is do it right.
TV Show: The West Wing
Vinick: Hey, I'm proud of my voting record. Well, most of it. I'd quit the Senate in a second if I thought it'd help us win. Now it would just look like a cheap stunt.
TV Show: The West Wing
Male reporter: Senator, what do you think of Congressman Santos doing his Reserve duty in the middle of the campaign?
Female reporter: Do you think it was a stunt?
Vinick: A stunt? No, that was... that was devotion to duty. That's what makes the American military the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. And I hope Congressman Santos continues to do his duty when I'm Commander-in-Chief.
Female reporter: Do you think it was a stunt?
Vinick: A stunt? No, that was... that was devotion to duty. That's what makes the American military the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. And I hope Congressman Santos continues to do his duty when I'm Commander-in-Chief.
TV Show: The West Wing
Josh: After the round table we're going to have to put something out clarifying the Congressman's statement on Intelligent Design.
Lou: That says what, he thinks God's a moron?
Josh: He's running for President, not preacher-in-chief.
Lou: He's not going to use Medicaid for communion wafers. He said he believes in God, as did Abe Lincoln and George Washington.
Josh: We can't get sucked into these local issues.
Lou: Yes, except Republicans have nominated the first pro-choice and, by all accounts, anti-God candidate in history. For the first time, we have a chance to reach into their base and win back religious voters, to tell a swath of the heartland that maybe, just maybe, we have a nominee who's not hostile to their cultural values.
Lou: That says what, he thinks God's a moron?
Josh: He's running for President, not preacher-in-chief.
Lou: He's not going to use Medicaid for communion wafers. He said he believes in God, as did Abe Lincoln and George Washington.
Josh: We can't get sucked into these local issues.
Lou: Yes, except Republicans have nominated the first pro-choice and, by all accounts, anti-God candidate in history. For the first time, we have a chance to reach into their base and win back religious voters, to tell a swath of the heartland that maybe, just maybe, we have a nominee who's not hostile to their cultural values.
TV Show: The West Wing
Clifford Reynolds: Clifford Reynolds. I teach English here at Leonard.
Santos: Nice to meet you, Clifford.
Clifford Reynolds: Thanks. May I ask you if you believe in the theory of evolution?
Santos: Well, I think it'd be very difficult to teach geology, anthropology, and zoology without evolution, so yes, I do. I don't believe it's contradictory to believe in science and believe in God.
Clifford Reynolds: Do you believe that the theory of Intelligent Design and the Theory of Evolution should be taught alongside each other in the public schools?
Santos: Absolutely not. One is based on science, the other is based on faith. Intelligent Design is not a scientific theory, it's a religious belief. And our Constitution does not allow for the teaching of religion in our public schools.
Clifford Reynolds: Many of us here would be more comfortable if our children were taught all points of view.
Santos: And I'm all for that. Evolution is not perfect. It doesn't answer every question but it is based on scientific facts; facts that can be predicted, tested, and proven. Intelligent Design asks theological questions. I'm sure that many of us would agree that at the beginning of all that begat-ing, something begun.
[The people laugh]
Santos: What was that something?
Clifford Reynolds: Congressman Santos, many of us want a version of science taught to our kids that's in accordance with our beliefs.
Santos: I understand. But can't we agree that the inclusion of non-scientific explanations into the science curriculum of our schools misrepresents the nature of science? And therefore compromises a central purpose in our public education which is the preparation of a scientifically literate workforce. If you have a problem with your child's education, get involved. If you have a problem with what the School Board wants
Santos: Nice to meet you, Clifford.
Clifford Reynolds: Thanks. May I ask you if you believe in the theory of evolution?
Santos: Well, I think it'd be very difficult to teach geology, anthropology, and zoology without evolution, so yes, I do. I don't believe it's contradictory to believe in science and believe in God.
Clifford Reynolds: Do you believe that the theory of Intelligent Design and the Theory of Evolution should be taught alongside each other in the public schools?
Santos: Absolutely not. One is based on science, the other is based on faith. Intelligent Design is not a scientific theory, it's a religious belief. And our Constitution does not allow for the teaching of religion in our public schools.
Clifford Reynolds: Many of us here would be more comfortable if our children were taught all points of view.
Santos: And I'm all for that. Evolution is not perfect. It doesn't answer every question but it is based on scientific facts; facts that can be predicted, tested, and proven. Intelligent Design asks theological questions. I'm sure that many of us would agree that at the beginning of all that begat-ing, something begun.
[The people laugh]
Santos: What was that something?
Clifford Reynolds: Congressman Santos, many of us want a version of science taught to our kids that's in accordance with our beliefs.
Santos: I understand. But can't we agree that the inclusion of non-scientific explanations into the science curriculum of our schools misrepresents the nature of science? And therefore compromises a central purpose in our public education which is the preparation of a scientifically literate workforce. If you have a problem with your child's education, get involved. If you have a problem with what the School Board wants
TV Show: The West Wing
Annabeth: Try to get some sleep. The motorcade's going to pick you up at 7: 00 am sharp at your hotel. Now, once you wrap it up with Russert you have a thirty-minute window to get to Face the Nation followed by a sit-down with the Post.
Leo: [as they wait for an elevator] Don't you ever get tired?
Annabeth: No.
Leo: And how is that?
Annabeth: I graduated cum laude with a degree in art history and if you'd told me I'd end up here... [they get into the elevator] ...let's just say I love my job.
Leo: What time is it?
Annabeth: [hands him his watch] Headed back to your hotel?
Leo: Yeah. It's been a day.
Annabeth: Hmm.
Leo: What are you up to?
Annabeth: Heading back to my apartment and a nice hot bath.
Leo: You feel like dinner?
Annabeth: I do, but--
Leo: We'll get a bite. It's early.
Annabeth: Thanks, but no. [pause] I just think it's better while we're spending so much time together that we try and keep our distance whenever possible.
Leo: [confused] Keep our distance?
Annabeth: Because of the tension. [walks out of the elevator]
Leo: What tension?
Leo: [as they wait for an elevator] Don't you ever get tired?
Annabeth: No.
Leo: And how is that?
Annabeth: I graduated cum laude with a degree in art history and if you'd told me I'd end up here... [they get into the elevator] ...let's just say I love my job.
Leo: What time is it?
Annabeth: [hands him his watch] Headed back to your hotel?
Leo: Yeah. It's been a day.
Annabeth: Hmm.
Leo: What are you up to?
Annabeth: Heading back to my apartment and a nice hot bath.
Leo: You feel like dinner?
Annabeth: I do, but--
Leo: We'll get a bite. It's early.
Annabeth: Thanks, but no. [pause] I just think it's better while we're spending so much time together that we try and keep our distance whenever possible.
Leo: [confused] Keep our distance?
Annabeth: Because of the tension. [walks out of the elevator]
Leo: What tension?
TV Show: The West Wing
Santos: To be a person of faith is to have the world challenge that faith. Was the universe designed by God? That's up to everyone in this country to decide for themselves because the framers of our Constitution believed that if the people were to be sovereign and belong to different religions at the same time then our official religion would have to be no religion at all. It was a bold experiment then, as it is now. It wasn't meant to make us comfortable. It was meant to make us free.
TV Show: The West Wing
C.J.: [to Toby] Good evening. You would not believe the day I had. I'd tell you about it if I could talk about it, but a bunch of stuff happened today that I can't talk about, so I guess I should stop talking about it. [hands a folder to Margaret] But the truth is, I'm so strung out and wired on caffeine that I can't even tell what room I'm in.
Toby: C.J....
C.J.: Let's open that bottle of champagne you gave me for my birthday. Maybe the alcohol will balance out the caffeine.
Toby: C.J., the leak--
C.J.: [gets out the bottle of champagne and two glasses] Let's have a toast. One final toast before I leave the White House for my perp walk in leg irons. Here, you open it.
Toby: C.J.
C.J.: Fine, I'll open it. But just, uh, listen to what I have to say. Leo's in trouble.
Toby: I know.
C.J.: You do?
Toby: I got a lawyer.
C.J.: What?
Toby: I got a lawyer.
[C.J. looks up with concern on her face]
Toby: I did it.
Toby: C.J....
C.J.: Let's open that bottle of champagne you gave me for my birthday. Maybe the alcohol will balance out the caffeine.
Toby: C.J., the leak--
C.J.: [gets out the bottle of champagne and two glasses] Let's have a toast. One final toast before I leave the White House for my perp walk in leg irons. Here, you open it.
Toby: C.J.
C.J.: Fine, I'll open it. But just, uh, listen to what I have to say. Leo's in trouble.
Toby: I know.
C.J.: You do?
Toby: I got a lawyer.
C.J.: What?
Toby: I got a lawyer.
[C.J. looks up with concern on her face]
Toby: I did it.
TV Show: The West Wing
Margaret: I reached Oliver Babish. He says you owe him a raspberry panna cotta cheesecake.
CJ: He'll live.
Margaret: Longer, probably.
CJ: He'll live.
Margaret: Longer, probably.
TV Show: The West Wing
Babish: Who were you talking to?
Toby: My attorney's voice mail.
Wayne: My instructions were that you sit quietly.
Toby: I'm pretty sure I used my indoor voice.
Toby: My attorney's voice mail.
Wayne: My instructions were that you sit quietly.
Toby: I'm pretty sure I used my indoor voice.
TV Show: The West Wing
Lou: I was thinking while you were asleep.
Josh: I wasn't asleep.
Lou: Oh, really? With the drooling, the twitching, and muttering to yourself, which might otherwise be described as a schizophrenic episode, I'd go with 'You were sleeping.'
Josh: I wasn't asleep.
Lou: Oh, really? With the drooling, the twitching, and muttering to yourself, which might otherwise be described as a schizophrenic episode, I'd go with 'You were sleeping.'
TV Show: The West Wing
Toby: I was hoping we would be able to speak in private.
Bartlet: Your actions have pretty much made that impossible. I haven't had much time to absorb this news, so I'll apologize in advance if I express any half-formed thoughts.But the one thought that hits the hardest is that this was somehow inevitable; that you've always been heading for this sort of crash-and-burn. That self-righteous superiority; not that you were smarter than everyone; that you were purer, morally superior.
Toby: Due respect, sir, I don't think I'm morally superior to everyone.
Bartlet: No, just to me.
Bartlet: Your actions have pretty much made that impossible. I haven't had much time to absorb this news, so I'll apologize in advance if I express any half-formed thoughts.But the one thought that hits the hardest is that this was somehow inevitable; that you've always been heading for this sort of crash-and-burn. That self-righteous superiority; not that you were smarter than everyone; that you were purer, morally superior.
Toby: Due respect, sir, I don't think I'm morally superior to everyone.
Bartlet: No, just to me.
TV Show: The West Wing
Bartlet: Toby, when you walk out of here, there will be people out there, perhaps a great many, who will think of you as a hero. I just don't for a moment want you thinking I'll be one of them.
TV Show: The West Wing
Josh: The ad's a sham. Anyone can see from the full interview.
Lou: Then bam, we hit Vinick with a political two-by-four.
Josh: You don't have to be happy about this.
Lou: You don't have to be queasy about this.
Josh: You don't know Santos the way I do. If this becomes a full-out negative...
Lou: You think he's got a glass jaw?
Josh: I think we lose a negative ad war. I think the other side is better at this and I think they have more to work with.
Lou: Then bam, we hit Vinick with a political two-by-four.
Josh: You don't have to be happy about this.
Lou: You don't have to be queasy about this.
Josh: You don't know Santos the way I do. If this becomes a full-out negative...
Lou: You think he's got a glass jaw?
Josh: I think we lose a negative ad war. I think the other side is better at this and I think they have more to work with.
TV Show: The West Wing
Will: You saw the wires. They counted the number of questions I was asked this morning because I didn't answer one of them.
CJ: You thought we were going to get good coverage this week?
Will: 47, by the way; a career high.
CJ: You have to let the press punch themselves out.
Will: You're talking to the punching bag. My job is to look like I'm not completely ignorant. Counsel won't even brief me on the details of Toby's firing.
CJ: I asked them not to.
Will: Don't you want me to have a shred of credibility in the briefing room?
CJ: Your ignorance is your credibility. That's why I put you in this job. And your constituents aren't in that room, they're in distressed urban areas. You brief at 4: 00.
Will: 0 for 47. I'm the Jamaican Bobsledding Team!
CJ: You thought we were going to get good coverage this week?
Will: 47, by the way; a career high.
CJ: You have to let the press punch themselves out.
Will: You're talking to the punching bag. My job is to look like I'm not completely ignorant. Counsel won't even brief me on the details of Toby's firing.
CJ: I asked them not to.
Will: Don't you want me to have a shred of credibility in the briefing room?
CJ: Your ignorance is your credibility. That's why I put you in this job. And your constituents aren't in that room, they're in distressed urban areas. You brief at 4: 00.
Will: 0 for 47. I'm the Jamaican Bobsledding Team!
TV Show: The West Wing
Lou: Yeah, come with me.
Josh: Where are we going?
Lou: Bedroom/office/staff room.
Josh: OK, I don't want to seem ungracious. We've all been under a lot of pressure. It's just that...
[they enter the room, and Donna is sitting on the bed]
Josh: Hi.
Donna: Hi.
Lou: I don't know what the problem is between you two, but she's great on television and I don't care if she worked for Francisco Franco in the primary. Right now, it's all hands on deck, so work it out.
Josh: Where are we going?
Lou: Bedroom/office/staff room.
Josh: OK, I don't want to seem ungracious. We've all been under a lot of pressure. It's just that...
[they enter the room, and Donna is sitting on the bed]
Josh: Hi.
Donna: Hi.
Lou: I don't know what the problem is between you two, but she's great on television and I don't care if she worked for Francisco Franco in the primary. Right now, it's all hands on deck, so work it out.
TV Show: The West Wing
Vinick: Politics is about practicality.
Hodder: Not if you think abortion is murder.
Vinick: Whether you do or not, Roe v. Wade has been the law of the land for decades. Most of the country is not ready to change that. Neither am I.
Hodder: Well, that's not the party's position.
Vinick: I joined this party because the liberals were the ones who always wanted something from the government. We just wanted government to leave us alone. Especially when there's no consensus otherwise. I'm trying to lead the majority who agrees on that, not the minority who wants to enact their version of Leviticus into law.
Hodder: Not if you think abortion is murder.
Vinick: Whether you do or not, Roe v. Wade has been the law of the land for decades. Most of the country is not ready to change that. Neither am I.
Hodder: Well, that's not the party's position.
Vinick: I joined this party because the liberals were the ones who always wanted something from the government. We just wanted government to leave us alone. Especially when there's no consensus otherwise. I'm trying to lead the majority who agrees on that, not the minority who wants to enact their version of Leviticus into law.
TV Show: The West Wing
Santos: Next time you decide to smear me maybe you'll have the guts to do it yourself.
Vinick: I had nothing to do with that ad. You blew off the debates. It's clear what kind of campaign you want.
Santos: Oh, I forgot how eager you were for debates. And next time you send left-wing lobbyists to my office don't forget the gift card.
Santos: You want an ugly campaign you're going to get one.
Vinick: I didn't start this.
Santos: Nah, your henchmen did it for you. [pause] You're hitting me on partial-birth tonight, aren't you? [He shakes his head and chuckles]
Vinick: Here we are, a Presidential campaign, grand national debate, pounding each other on one of the few things we basically agree on.
Santos: Then let's negotiate now.
Vinick: Excuse me?
Santos: No backroom tactics. You and me, a real debate.
Vinick: Oh, please.
Santos: A real debate, really.
Vinick: No negative ads. No attacks in our speeches out there.
Santos: If we can have a real debate on the issues, just you and me.
Vinick: How's Sunday night?
[Santos holds out his hand. Vinick shakes it.]
Vinick: It's a hell of a way to end your campaign.
Santos: Oh, I'm just getting started.
Vinick: I had nothing to do with that ad. You blew off the debates. It's clear what kind of campaign you want.
Santos: Oh, I forgot how eager you were for debates. And next time you send left-wing lobbyists to my office don't forget the gift card.
Santos: You want an ugly campaign you're going to get one.
Vinick: I didn't start this.
Santos: Nah, your henchmen did it for you. [pause] You're hitting me on partial-birth tonight, aren't you? [He shakes his head and chuckles]
Vinick: Here we are, a Presidential campaign, grand national debate, pounding each other on one of the few things we basically agree on.
Santos: Then let's negotiate now.
Vinick: Excuse me?
Santos: No backroom tactics. You and me, a real debate.
Vinick: Oh, please.
Santos: A real debate, really.
Vinick: No negative ads. No attacks in our speeches out there.
Santos: If we can have a real debate on the issues, just you and me.
Vinick: How's Sunday night?
[Santos holds out his hand. Vinick shakes it.]
Vinick: It's a hell of a way to end your campaign.
Santos: Oh, I'm just getting started.
TV Show: The West Wing
CJ: Do me a favor and talk to Ellie about whatever problems you're having with her music.
Will: Now?
CJ: I was supposed to be in there but then Kate happened. It's going to take a few minutes; I thought you could do your thing.
Will: I was working!
Kate: I was golfing.
CJ: Mini.
Will: I've mastered the windmill shot, with the bridge.
Kate: That's a hard one!
Will: Hole-in-one.
C.J.: People!
Will: Now?
CJ: I was supposed to be in there but then Kate happened. It's going to take a few minutes; I thought you could do your thing.
Will: I was working!
Kate: I was golfing.
CJ: Mini.
Will: I've mastered the windmill shot, with the bridge.
Kate: That's a hard one!
Will: Hole-in-one.
C.J.: People!
TV Show: The West Wing
Ellie: Look, we realize there's a lot that goes along with having a wedding at the White House, but anything we could do to keep the numbers under control...?
Will: Sure.
Ellie: I know my father needs to invite a lot of people but I'm not crazy about the spotlight and Vic's a little agoraphobic.
Vic: It's not a phobia.
Ellie: I was exaggerating.
Vic: It's the occasional shortness of breath.
Ellie: It's really nothing!
Vic: ...sometimes I pass out.
Will: Sure.
Ellie: I know my father needs to invite a lot of people but I'm not crazy about the spotlight and Vic's a little agoraphobic.
Vic: It's not a phobia.
Ellie: I was exaggerating.
Vic: It's the occasional shortness of breath.
Ellie: It's really nothing!
Vic: ...sometimes I pass out.
TV Show: The West Wing
Vinick: It is truly an honor to be here tonight. I would...You know, I've watched every televised Presidential debate that this country has ever had. And every time I heard them recite the rules, I always thought that meant they're not going to have a real debate. When the greatest hero of my party, Abraham Lincoln debated, he didn't need any rules. He wasn't afraid of a real debate. Now I could do a 2-minute version of my Sensible Solution stump speech and I'm sure Congressman Santos has a memorized opening statement ready to go. And then we could go on with this ritual and let the rules decide how much you're going to learn about the next President of the United States, or we could have a debate Lincoln would have been proud of. We could junk the rules. We could let our able and judicious moderator ask us questions. And we could forget about whether each of us has the exact same number of seconds to speak. We could have a real debate if that's all right with you, Matt.
Forrest Sawyer: Um, Senator, according to the rules, candidates may not direct...
Santos: No, please. [to Vinick] You mean like a Senate debate? What are you going to do, filibuster me? Are you going to grab the microphone for a whole hour?
Vinick: No, no, no. We tell the American people what they need to hear, no more, no less. I suspect the audience will reward brevity.
[The audience laughs and claps.]
Santos: Okay, let's have a real debate.
Forrest Sawyer: Um, Senator, according to the rules, candidates may not direct...
Santos: No, please. [to Vinick] You mean like a Senate debate? What are you going to do, filibuster me? Are you going to grab the microphone for a whole hour?
Vinick: No, no, no. We tell the American people what they need to hear, no more, no less. I suspect the audience will reward brevity.
[The audience laughs and claps.]
Santos: Okay, let's have a real debate.
TV Show: The West Wing