Nadine Tolliver quotes from Madam Secretary

Nadine

(While the staff is gathered around a bottle of Cognac gifted to Elizabeth by France) Madam Secretary, protocol explicitly states that foreign gifts remain in the gift room.

Elizabeth

Noted. I decree an exception.

Nadine

Oh, thank God.

Matt

I second the decree.

Daisy

Uh, Uh, decrees don't need seconding.

Matt

Uh, this one felt like it did.

Elizabeth

Let's have a toast to Roy Schaeffer. Welcome home.

Welcome home.

Elizabeth

Matt draft a memo to the staff. "From now on, I expect all correspondence at every level of confidentiality to be civil and respectful, worthy of the office being represented.

Matt

How wide do you want it to go?

Elizabeth

How many people work here?

Nadine

31,822.

Elizabeth

That'll do it.

Elizabeth

Is he mad?

Nadine

In a Canadian kind of way.

Elizabeth

Let me guess ... The White House loved the speech?

Nadine

Russell Jackson has already texted several times.

Elizabeth

With lots of smiling faces?

Elizabeth

[after her speech] You think Minister Samant is warming up to me yet?

Nadine

Possibly.

Elizabeth

What is that? Is that a smile? Or a smirk?

Nadine

It's a little of both. It's a smirkle.

Nadine

Daisy, whatever good was in that man, he was most definitely not a good husband.

Matt

But he always had such good things to say about Mrs. Marsh.

Nadine

Not when he was in bed with me.

Blake

My coins were too big.

Nadine

Is that some sort of euphemism?

Elizabeth

What's the latest?

Blake

So, Markes was...

Nadine

Was pulled over for driving the wrong way down a one-way street and then failed a field sobriety test.

Blake

And the woman who he was with...

Who was not his wife.

Blake

...had half...

A half ounce of cocaine on her.

Blake

And Markes...

Nadine

Then tried to bribe the arresting officer by telling him that he could give him a big promotion if he made the charges go away.

Daisy

And all of that would've been bad enough except...

Blake

Okay, let me tell it.

Elizabeth

The whole thing was caught on video by someone who recognized him. Sorry, Blake, I heard that part on the drive over.

Blake

No problem, ma'am. Being interrupted by you is a pleasure. But, uh, if I may, what does this have to do with the State Department?

Elizabeth

Okay, what do we know about Markes?

Daisy

He was a cheater.

Blake

And a liar.

Elizabeth

Head out of the tabloids, think policy.

Nadine

He was head of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Wait, so he was the man responsible for controlling what came up for a vote.

Nadine

And he stymied us on Cuba last spring.

Daisy

And now that he's out of the way, you're going to try...

Elizabeth

Wait. Let Blake say it.

Blake

You're going to try to bring a bill to the floor of the senate and lift the embargo on Cuba.

Elizabeth

And how cool would it be to announce that when we reopen the embassy?

Blake

That's in 48 hours.

Elizabeth

(Laughs) Well, we better get to work.

Matt

[strums a note on a balalaika, a traditional Russian stringed instrument, that he sees on Nadine's coffee table]

Nadine

That's lovely isn't it? That was a present from Boris Yeltsin.

Matt

Do you play?

Nadine

I dabble.

Matt

[laughs]

Nadine

I had to learn for an experimental piece my dance troupe did in Minsk.

Matt

[impressed and surprised, raises his eyebrows] Here's to unexpected skills.

Nadine

[turns away from Matt to get something for him from another room in her home]

Matt

[with facial expressions that register surprise at the high quality and luxury of Nadine's furnishings, artwork, and mementos] You know, I always figured that you lived more like a...

Nadine

[turns back around toward Matt and raises one eyebrow, as if to stop him from saying something inadvertently insulting]

Matt

...I just mean more like me. Half of my furniture is from Ikea. And that's the good half.

Elizabeth

Uh oh. Anxious Daisy face.

Daisy

So, I swatted back most reporters, but one called his senator for comment. That senator would be Carlos Morejon from Arizona.

Matt

It's not a good thing.

Nadine

He ran on a strict anti-immigration platform. His slogan was--

Elizabeth

Yes, yes, I remember. "Keep Arizona secure for the Arizonans." Really just rolls right off your tongue.

Nadine

And the White House has made it clear that this is a priority.

Elizabeth

Ah. Well. Now I understand why I'm here. Okay. Um, Matt... Draft a statement to Foreign Minister Torres reminding him of his country's responsibility to protect our workers. Emphasize the impact on Chile's economy should they jeopardize their trade agreement with us.

Matt

So threaten to break up with them if they cheat on us.

Elizabeth

Or at least stop hitting us with rocks.

Okay. I am off to try and figure out how in the world I'm going to pay for three liberal arts educations before I retire.

Nadine

French horn.

Elizabeth

Huh?

Nadine

It's a guaranteed scholarship.

Elizabeth

Oh. Well, somehow, I don't see Alison jumping on that. But Jason could be in for a surprising birthday present.

Nadine

Ma'am, there's one other thing. Uh, one of the students from the confrontation yesterday has filed a lawsuit against the State Department.

Blake

I'm sorry. Come again?

Nadine

He feels the DS agent violated his personal space.

Elizabeth

It's the confetti-bomb guy. They were a little rough taking him down.

Nadine

Uh, no, no, it was another one. The, uh, vocal one.

Blake

The guy who was just standing there yelling at us?

Elizabeth

The screamer feels we violated his personal space?

Matt

The government made me yell and now my throat hurts?

Daisy

Guys! Do you know how fast something like this could turn an election? I mean, it's just ridiculous enough to get way more coverage than it deserves.

Elizabeth

What's the kid's name?

Nadine

He's choosing not to reveal that in the suit.

Blake

Brian Andrew Lindstrom. He lives in Foster Hall.

Nadine

We'll take care of it.

Elizabeth

No, no, no. This one I want. Don't worry, I'm not going to violate his personal space as much as I would love to.

Nadine

Any questions?

Matt

Yeah. What's the wifi password?