Two Cathedrals

[somedaybitch]

people who are of a Democratic Party persuasion will undoubtedly default that it's because the story was about "them". i would disagree. a lot. the story was about "us"; this country, our people, and a government made of "us".

all of us.

flawed, beautiful, ugly, awful, brilliant, visionary, blind, elegant, stupid, compassionate, graceful, selfish, intuitive us.

and it was also about respect. respect for the Office, respect for The Government, respect for each other as Americans.

pay attention, people. they had important things to say.


quote 1:

KEENE
Ainsley, I'm surprised to see you here.

AINSLEY
Why?

KEENE
Well, before you were on Bartlet's payroll you were a fairly vocal opponent of the treaty.

AINSLEY
Well, it's President Bartlet, I'm on the government payroll, and I believe that politics should stop at the water's edge.

KEENE
Okay.

AINSLEY
To be honest with you, I think it should stop well before that but it turns out there's no Santa Claus and Elvis isn't cutting breakfast anymore.

THOMAS
What did she say?

AINSLEY
See, I don't think you think the treaty's bad. I don't think you think it's good. I think you want to beat the White House.

KEENE
Yeah.

AINSLEY
You're a schmuck, Peter. Today, tomorrow, next year, next term, these guys'll have the treaty ratified and they'll do it without the reservations he just offered to discuss with you.

They all get up to leave.

AINSLEY
[beat] Can I take this muffin?

quote 2:

SAM
In 1787, there was a sizable block of delegates who were initially opposed to the Bill of Rights. This is what a member of the Georgia delegation had to say by way of opposition: "If we list a set of rights, some fools in the future are going to claim that people are entitled only to those rights enumerated and no others." So the Framers knew....

HARRISON
Were you just calling me a fool, Mr. Seaborn?

SAM
I wasn't calling you a fool, sir. The brand new state of Georgia was.

and last but not least:

JOSH
No, no, no, no. You walked into quicksand.

TOBY
You don't talk to C.J. about the CIA.

SAM
You just don't do it.

JOSH
C.J. has a bizarre affection for the intelligence community that we just don't...

C.J.
Bizarre? How about right?

JOSH
Okay.

C.J.
This song is called, "The CIA, Our Maligned Little Brother."

SAM
Oh God.

C.J.
We need spies; human spies. Spy satellites are great if you're trying to detect whether or not Kruschev's put missiles in Cuba. But if you want to overhear a conversation over Turkish coffee in Khyber Pass, you need a spy. You guys want to get a great job after college and serve your country? Study Arabic, Chinese and Farsi.

TOBY
Maybe this'd be a good time for a chorus of "Our Maligned Little Brother, Civil Liberties."

C.J.
Liberties, schmiberties.

TOBY
C.J. Cregg, ladies and gentlemen.

C.J.
You know the way to do this without tapping some phones?

TOBY
What about illegal searches? What about profiling? Do you know what Benjamin Franklin said?

C.J.
He said, "Hey, look, I've invented the stove."

BILLY
He said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

C.J.
What's your name?

BILLY
Well...

JOSH
[to C.J.] I'm on it.

C.J.
Well, I don't think we're talking a little temporary safety and it's not like we need to search high and low for clear and present danger.

TOBY
Well, what would you say the point of fighting terrorism is?

C.J.
It's to insure freedom, Pokey. I don't need the brochure.

TOBY
I think you do cause during times of great crisis and threat, America has used Draconian measures before and I think maybe you've forgotten just how affective they've been. Can you name some?

GIRL 1
The blacklist.

TOBY
[points at C.J.] I want her to name them.

C.J.
[quickly] The blacklist.

TOBY
Thank you.

C.J.
Look, I talk civil liberties as seriously as anybody, okay? I've been to the dinners and we haven't even talked about free speech yet and somebody getting lynched by the patriotism police for voicing a minority opinion. That said, Tobius, we're going to have to do some stuff. We're going to have to tap some phones and we're going to have to partner with some people who are the lesser of evils.

I'm sorry but terrorists don't have armies and navies. They don't have capitals. Some of these guys we're going to have to walk up to them and shoot them. Yeah, we can root terrorist nests but some of these guys aren't going to be taken by the 105thn armored tank division. Some of these guys are going to be taken by a busboy with a silencer. So it's time to give the intelligence agencies the money and the manpower they need. We don't hear about their successes. Guess what? The Soviets never crossed the Elbe. The North Koreans stayed behind the 38th parallel. During the Millennium? Not one incident. Do you think that's because the terrorists decided that'd be a good day to take off? Not much action that day? End of song.

okay, i lied. 4 quotes, but this one has nothing to do with government and everything to do with character, daring, truth and stunning characterization.

BARTLET
[tired]
She bought her first new car and you hit her with a drunk driver. What, was that supposed to be funny? "You can't conceive, nor can I, the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God," says Graham Greene. I don't know who's ass he was kissing there 'cause I think you're just vindictive. What was Josh Lyman? A warning shot? That was my son. What did I ever do to yours except praise his glory and praise his name?

There's a tropical storm that gaining speed and power. They say we haven't had a storm this bad since you took out the tender ship of mine last year in the north Atlantic last year... 68 crew. Do you know what a tender ship does? Fixes the other ships. Doesn't even carry guns. Floats around and fixes the other ships and delivers that mail. That's all it can do.

[angry]
Gratias tibi ago, domine. Yes, I lied. It was a sin.

[holds out arms]
I've committed many sins. Have I displeased you, you feckless thug? 3.8 million new jobs, that wasn't good? Bailed out Mexico, increased foreign trade, 30 million new acres for conservation, put Mendoza on the bench, we're not fighting a war, I've raised three children...

He ascends the stairs to the Inner Sanctuary.

BARTLET
[pleading]
That's not enough to buy me out of the doghouse? Haec credam a deo pio? A deo iusto? A deo scito?

He stops at the top of the stairs and extends his arms.

BARTLET
Cruciatus in crucem! Tuus in terra servus nuntius fui officium perfeci.

[angry]
Cruciatus in crucem.

[waves dismissively]
Eas in crucem!

Bartlet turns away in anger. He descends to the lower sanctuary and lights a cigarette. He takes a single puff, drops the butt to the floor, and grinds it defiantly with his shoe. He looks back at the altar.

tonight's ep? i was good until the napkin.

i will miss this show, like whoa.