Elizabeth McCord quotes from Madam Secretary

Russell

How many guys on the ground?

Elizabeth

Fifty. One in the air.

Russell

You think that was enough?

Elizabeth

It was about fifty more than anyone else thought we should have.

Is it safe to say, this is another Benghazi?

Russell

Oh, it's safe to say, it's a lot worse than that, politically speaking.

Elizabeth

'Cause it looks like we didn't learn anything from the first one.

Henry

Guess this isn't a good time to give you something else to think about.

Elizabeth

You're about to plead Stevie's case, aren't you?

Henry

It's not a case. It's a situation.

Elizabeth

Why didn't she come to me about it?

Henry

She's scared of you.

Elizabeth

Because of my long history of chastising and humiliating her?

Henry

She doesn't want to let you down.

Elizabeth

She said that?

Henry

Of course not.

Elizabeth

about Stevie I just wish she wouldn't split us like this. And you're not helping, acting like her lawyer.

Henry

No, you're not helping. That's what she's telling you.

Elizabeth

Excuse me, that's what she's telling you and you're telling me. Since when do we have a system like that?

Henry

I was there. She was upset. I listened to my daughter. Guilty.

Elizabeth

Really? You're gonna go there?

Henry

Oh, I'm already regretting it.

Elizabeth

Henry, look at me. I can't quit this job.

Henry

I know.

Elizabeth

Can I?

Henry

laughs No, you can't.

Elizabeth

They are reporting that your guys fired into the crowd and provoked the attack.

Isaac Bishop

Let's not convict them just yet, okay?

Elizabeth

You let me know the minute I can.

Stevie

I'm working on a novel. I-I was gonna take the time to finish that.

Elizabeth

Well, you can still write your novel. Everybody needs a day job. Chekhov was a doctor.

Isaac Bishop

That's not protocol, ma'am.

Elizabeth

You may have picked up on this: I'm not big on protocol.

Isaac Bishop

Then that makes us two peas in a pod. May I call you Elizabeth?

Elizabeth

No.

Russell

If it's any consolation, that's not how the President sees it. He thinks you saved his ass. Told me to tell you that.

Elizabeth

Were you ? Going to tell me that ?

Russell

I hadn't decided.

Jay

It was a private email!

Elizabeth

You really believe there's such a thing anymore?

Daisy

There's thousands. Twittersphere is calling them the Viper cables.

Elizabeth

Viper?

Daisy

Fisher's source. She's claiming he's a State Department employee.

Elizabeth

Oh, great. Our very own Snowden.

Jay

What happened to at least giving us a heads up?

Elizabeth

Hey, Jay. Daisy's about to tell us that that gotcha video is blowing up on social media. Which was clearly the point. Right now, I need you to focus on fixing it.

Blake

Dubois's the tip of the iceberg. In another cable, an INR analyst referred to the Austrian ambassador as Das Boob. Several deputy assistant secretaries agreed in an e-mail chain that a member of the Peruvian Constitutional Tribunal is a coked-up, narcissist blowhard. Oh, and our ambassador to Kenya called their defense minister a sweaty, brain-damaged hippo.

Elizabeth

Are we sure those cables aren't from a frat?

Nadine

That's all we have for now.

Elizabeth

Only 47 apologies? I was just getting warmed up. (chuckles) How'd I do?

Nadine

No one's launched any missiles at us, yet.

Elizabeth

Honey, Alison's 15. We can't be spying on her texts anymore. Can we?

Henry

Hey, was it really our fault that my iPad somehow tied in with her phone? And it's not like these were icky diary entries. They're stuff that she's sharing with her friends.

Elizabeth

That's true.

Henry

We're great parents.

Elizabeth

We are.

Henry

It's our responsibility to balance her privacy with her safety.

Elizabeth

She's at a precarious age.

Henry

Fifteen.

Elizabeth

We spy because we love.

Henry

Like the U.S. on France. (pauses as Elizabeth makes a face) Much, much too soon, right?

Elizabeth

Remind me again why we had kids.

Henry

They were supposed to be cute.

Nadine

You have another 23 apology calls to make this morning.

Elizabeth

Good morning, Nadine.

Nadine

Oh. You really want to start with that every morning?

Elizabeth

I guess I'm old-fashioned that way.