Conceding defeat is never easy. Doing it in public is a living hell.
All S1
S1 E15Unfinished Business
Yes, here we go again. Secretary of State, that's what I wanted - that's all I wanted. That's what I was promised. And now here I am, President of these United States. You made this bet, America, you voted for me. Are you confused? Are you afraid because what you thought you wanted is now here? And there you are, staring back, slack-jawed, bewildered, wondering if this is what you actually asked for! This democracy - your democracy - elected me! And if you think it was hard getting here you are beginning to understand what I'm willing to do to stay. I look across this crowd gathered today, and I know that these are not my supporters. I'm looking at people who are waiting with a smile on their face for their turn, and the most vicious among them are the ones who are smiling and clapping the hardest. "Power is a lot like real estate" - remember?
Tom, don't cheat on my wife.
"The dead sleep with their eyes open," my grandfather would say. "They're watching you from the past."
It never ceases to amaze me how talented men are at making a mess.
What's the worst thing you've ever done?
It's hard to pick.
I'm serious.
So am I. [pause] Pretending to love someone when I didn't. In a way, that was the worst.
Did the person know?
[shakes his head] She pretended not to know. But she knew. It was awful for her, but I paid for that mistake, too. These types of things, they take a toll.
It's strange how some choices mean nothing, and others govern the rest of your life. We've done some terrible things.
You don't have to tell me.
Francis killed Zoe Barnes.
Claire...
Francis killed Peter. And so many more are going to die.
Stop. [kisses her] You don't scare me.
I should.
[Walker has just testified against Frank]
There has to be a way out, Francis.
[to audience] Does there? Is there? Or is this my presidency: Forever with a target on my back, haunted and hunted.
[to the audience] Just to be clear, it's not that I haven't always known you were there. It's that I have mixed feelings about you. I question your intentions. And I'm ambivalent about attention. But don't take it personally. It's how I feel about most everybody.
History has a way of looking better than it was. Or perhaps Shakespeare was right: we're all just madmen leading the blind.
I'm the reason your husband's dead. I forced the Secretary of Health and Human Services to put Francis Underwood in front of him on the donor list. I understand if you think I'm a monster, but I'd do it again. To save the president, I'd do anything.
LMLaura Moretti
You really think that I didn't know, Doug? The timing gave it away. Come on, come on in. [Stamper pulls away] What did you think was going on here? Huh? I'm not fucking you because I like you - I'm fucking you because I hate you.
What I like about the Senate is what I hate. It's contagious. One of 'em gets an idea, and it spreads through the body like a flu.
If it sounds like a fact, then it is a fact.
You know what the president thinks? He thinks you're the leak.
I wish.
Now, you accuse me of breaking the rules, and I tell you I am playing by the rules. The very rules that you and I all agreed upon. The very rules that you and I all wrote together. So yes, I'm guilty as hell, but then so are all of you. Yes, the system is corrupt, but you wanted a guardian at the gate like me. And why? Because you know I will do whatever it takes. And you have all enjoyed it, been party to it and benefited by it.
[Frank addresses the audience.]
Oh, don't deny it. You've loved it. You don't actually need me to stand for anything, you just need me to stand. To be the strong man, the man of action. My God, you are addicted to action and slogans. It doesn't matter what I say. It doesn't matter what I do. Just as long as I'm doing something, you're happy to be along for the ride. And frankly, I don't blame you. With all the foolishness and indecision in your lives, why not a man like me? I don't apologize. In the end, I don't care whether you love me or you hate me, just as long as I win. The deck is stacked. The rules are rigged. Welcome to the death of the Age of Reason. There is no right or wrong. Not anymore. There's only being in, and then being out.
[Frank addresses the committee.]
So I will not be a party to this any longer. I will not wear the target for any of you anymore. You have all used me for long enough. So the party's over, the ride's done. I respect the office too much to allow this to continue going on. That's why I'm announcing to this committee, and to the nation, that as of 6 p.m. tomorrow evening, I shall resign the office of President of the United States.
Claire, when you bring yourself down before someone else can, you control the way it happens. This was the only path to get us to this moment - where you and I can own it all.
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