LEO ROARS 'NO DEAL' WHEN HOUSE COMMITTEE OFFERS CENSURE OF BARTLET; MARY LOUISE PARKER ("BOYS ON THE SIDE") GUEST-STARS -- A defiant Leo (John Spencer) rejects the Congressional Oversight Committee's offer of a presidential public censure that would finally end its investigation of Bartlet's (Martin Sheen) concealment of his illness -- and spare Leo of any possible personal repercussions -- while the staff reacts to an insider's tell-all book published by a fired White House photographer. Meanwhile, a tongue-tied Josh (Bradley Whitford) hatches a shameless scheme to meet socially with an attractive women's rights leader (guest star Mary Louise Parker, "Boys on the Side"), and Bartlet wants to frame Charlie's (Dule Hill) gift of a 1709 map of Palestine -- one that excluded Israel at the time -- but his staff warns him of its political implications.
Summary[]
Opening - Rayburn House Office Building, 10:45pm[]
Leo and Jordan Kendall arrive at the House Office Building for a meeting with Cliff Calley to discuss a deal to keep Leo from testifying before the Committee. The hearings and investigations will end if the President agrees to a Concurrent Resolution from Congress, accepting censure. Leo refuses the deal out of hand - but Jordan asks Cliff to give her some time - he tells her one day.
Act I - The White House, 7:00am[]
Sam arrives for a meeting in the Roosevelt Room to discuss with staff the upcoming book, "The Camera Doesn't Lie - What I Saw at the Bartlet White House," by a former White House photographer. The rest of the staff is not taking this too seriously - but Sam feels it should be taken very seriously and wants to attack the photographer's credibility.
Josh follows Toby out of the room and asks him to help him make up an excuse to go and see Amy Gardner again. Toby then takes Josh aside to ask him if "he's inside" and knows about the hearings and if there is anything that Communications needs to know about. Josh tells Toby the lawyers are dealing with it and it's going to be OK.
Charlie shows the President a map he got at a flea market - it depicts the Holy Land drawn in 1709. Leo arrives and the President and Leo go into the Oval Office. The President asks what the deal was - and Leo hedges - but the President asks if it was censure - and it gets the President thinking. Leo goes to his office, where he finds Jordan. She begins to recount to him some other examples of non-binding resolutions. He tells her that he is not going to let it happen.
Act II[]
Sam comes to see Toby in the Mess to ask about the chapters he reviewed. Toby tells Sam he is fine with the pages he read. Sam wants him to look at the pages again and write a memo. Toby goes to see the President and tells him they are looking at the book but otherwise focused on the State of the Union. The President shows Toby the map that Charlie got him - Toby tells the President he can't display it in the White House, because it doesn't recognize Israel (despite the fact that Israel won't exist for another 240 years).
Josh is standing around when the phone rings. Donna answers the phone, its' Amy on the phone. Josh tells Donna to put the call through to his office. He goes in to talk with her to make a plan to meet her later.
Leo returns from his meeting and Jordan is still there to talk about the resolution deal. She tells him that he needs to seriously consider the deal - because if he is forced to testify the consequences could be far greater.
Act III[]
Donna tells Josh that it's 10:45 and he needs to leave for his date with Amy. After he leaves, Donna gets a call from Cliff. He needs to see her urgently. She is reluctant to do it. Donna arrives at the Georgetown Law Library to meet Cliff. He tells her that he needs to have a meeting with Josh. She doesn't want to do it - he tells her that he's trying to help Leo. She realizes that it was Cliff who got the hearings suspended before the holidays. She leaves but tells him to stay by his phone.
C.J. comes to see the President about the book. He also shows her the map and she tells him the same thing that Toby said - he can't put it up in the West Wing.
Josh arrives to see Amy. She sees through his charade and calls him out. While he is sitting there - Donna calls him and tells him about her meeting with Cliff. He agrees to the call and tells Amy he has to leave.
Back at the White House - Sam comes to the see the President about the book. The President tells Sam to not worry about the book - no one will care anyway. For the second time (the first by Toby), a comment at the end of their conversation gets the President thinking about the censure.
Act IV - Tuesday, 12:05am[]
Josh finds Leo in the Mess and wants to talk to him about the deal that has been offered. Leo explains his reasoning to Josh as to why he won't take the deal.
Sam comes to see C.J. and Toby about the photographer. C.J. explains that there are bigger issues here and there is no benefit whatsoever to giving this photographer the weight of the White House. Sam asks Toby if "he's inside" - Toby tells him that Josh is.
Josh arrives home to find Amy sitting on his stoop. The two of them have a conversation and she finally tells him to shut up and they kiss. She leaves.
The President finds Leo in his office and calls him into the Oval Office. The President tells Leo that he's going to accept the censure. Leo tries to talk him out of it. The President tells Leo that he was wrong and that's the reason that he is willing to accept the censure. As Leo and the President sit quietly on the portico - we hear House Concurrent Resolution 172 being read into the record.
Cast[]
- Rob Lowe as Sam Seaborn
- Dulé Hill as Charlie Young
- Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg
- Janel Moloney as Donna Moss
- Richard Schiff as Toby Ziegler
- John Spencer as Leo McGarry
- Bradley Whitford as Josh Lyman
- and Martin Sheen as President Bartlet
Special Guest Star
Recurring cast
Guest Starring
Co-Starring
- Melissa Fitzgerald as Carol Fitzpatrick
- Kim Webster as Ginger
- Peter James Smith as Ed
- William Duffy as Larry
- Kinga Philipps as Waitress
Quotes[]
- 〉I'll just call the President and suggest to him that he allow a huge bipartisan vote on the floor of the US House of Representatives calling him a liar and that he welcome the result. Then, I'm gonna flap my wings and fly to Neverland! You think I am so desperate to save my own ass that I'm going to roll over on Jed Bartlet?... I take a bullet for the President, he doesn't take one for me〈
- —Leo
- Leo McGarry: It is an historical judgement. Andrew Jackson knew that.
- Josh Lyman: Jackson was censured?
- Leo McGarry: Over the Bank of the US.
- Josh Lyman: Guess what? I didn't know that.
- Leo McGarry: What's your point?
- Josh Lyman: History forgets these things.
- Leo McGarry: Presidents don't. They never get over it. This one . . . won't
- 〉We come to occupy a moral safe-house where everyone's to blame, so no one's guilty〈
- —President Bartlet to Leo
Trivia[]
CULTURAL REFERENCES
- Toby talks to the President about a pivotal scene in The President's favorite film, The Lion in Winter.
- Donna mentions Deep Throat.
- C.J. sings a few lines from "Cool" from West Side Story.