Josiah Bartlet quotes from The West Wing

Bartlet

I like your sass.

CJ

You've got a very nice sass yourself... sir.

Bartlet

What, are you touring?

CJ

I could.

Bartlet

Mr. McGarry, Mr. Ziegler, Mr. Lyman, Miss Cregg. It's the Temptations! I love you guys!

Leo

You only think you've heard everything, but you haven't.

Bartlet

Hit me.

Leo

Toby.

Toby

James Hoebuck will vote yea ten-thirty if we give him $115,000.

Bartlet

Million?

Josh

Thousand. $115,000.

Bartlet

For an RV? What's he want?

Leo

An NIH study on remote prayer.

Bartlet

I like it. There should be a button on my desk I can press and forty-nine people instantly pray for me.

Bartlet

I have a problem.

Josh

Well, you're about to propose the most massive shift in foreign policy since the Marshall Plan and it's going to be wildly unpopular.

Bartlet

All right: two problems.

Bartlet

Charlie, I'm gonna change my mind again on the Bible.

Charlie

[ironically] Mr. President, you have to imagine my utter surprise.

Bartlet

Aren't you afraid that one day I'm just gonna kick your ass like it's never been kicked?

Bartlet

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and committed people can change the world. Do you know why?

Will

Because it's the only thing that ever has.

Bartlet

Leo said just now that there was going to be an NEC briefing on scoring and tell her what I said.

Leo

'What's wrong with booze and a comfortable pickup?'

No, I see there's no hour too early for your Noel Cowardesque wit, sir.

Mr. President, the U.S. is trampling on the sovereignty of my country and on behalf of Nzele–

Bartlet

I've just taken your airport... clearing the way for the 101st Air Assualt to take the capitol. Seven thousand troops, twenty-five battle tanks, fifteen Apache attack helicopters, and three destroyers. Strictly speaking, I conquered your country without the paperwork.

Kundu is in the midst of a civil war.

Bartlet

No, it's not. It's in the midst of a one-sided slaughtering of an entire people.

Mr. President, the U.S. is trampling on the sovereignty of my country and on behalf of Nzele–

Bartlet

I've just taken your airport... clearing the way for the 101st Air Assault to take the capitol. Seven thousand troops, twenty-five battle tanks, fifteen Apache attack helicopters, and three destroyers. Strictly speaking, I conquered your country without the paperwork.

Kundu is in the midst of a civil war.

Bartlet

No, it's not. It's in the midst of a one-sided slaughtering of an entire people. Both the Secretary General of the United Nations and the Vatican have pleaded with President Nzele for a cease-fire and both the U.N. and the Holy Father have struck out to the peril of 115,000 Induye men, women, and God knows children, particularly the boys.

Who will soon be men and will rise up...

Bartlet

The heads of Ghana, Nigeria and Zaire have similarly sent packing. The Red Cross has been denied entry on three separate occasions in the last ten days. President Nzele has 36 hours to give the command to his troops to hand over their weapons to the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army. At 36 hours and -one minute-, I give the order for the 101st Air Assault to take Bitanga and run up our flag. I skipped breakfast. Anybody want coffee or something?

Abbey

So we're for freedom of speech everywhere but poor countries, where they can have our help, but only if they live up to Clancy Bangert's moral standards? What the hell kind of free world are you running?

I really don't know, Abby. The day hasn't started yet.

Bartlet

[after shots were fired at the White House] Where's Charlie?

Leo

He's somewhere in the building.

Butterfield

We're holding people where they are right now.

Bartlet

But if he's heard what happened, he's going to be trying to get here...

Butterfield

We've got to hold everybody for a moment so that we can secure...

Bartlet

No, I'm telling you that if Charlie heard there were bullets, he's going to overpower whoever's trying to...

Charlie

[pause] Sorry, Mr. President.

Bartlet

Come here.

Bartlet

It's bulletproof glass in the windows, okay. You want to kill me, you're going to have to do it from inside the building.

Charlie

[sighs] Thank you, Mr. President.

[about Zoey's Secret Service detail] Well, here's my question: these guys look pretty young to me, and I'm looking for something very specific. This is a father-daughter situation, and so I think what I'm looking for in terms of protection would best be characterized as... well, overwhelming force. Do they have that? Do they have the ability to just overwhelm any danger that might...do you have overwh– [To Butterfield] Do they have overwhelming force?

Ron Butterfield

Attack, Wesley.

Wow!

Zoey

Oh God, Dad, what are you doing?

This one here tossed Wesley like a sack of potato chips!

Will

This speech is about creativity. In my judgment it's a home run. But what it isn't is a speech that will convince Zoey not to go to France tomorrow.

Bartlet

Well, let's write that one!

Bartlet

I need you to tell me now: Do you think she's already dead?

Leo

I absolutely do not.

Bartlet

If they show me a picture of her alive and tell me to aim cruise missiles at Tel Aviv, they're counting on the fact that a father--

Leo

But you wouldn't.

Bartlet

I might.

Leo

There are people around you who won't let you.

Bartlet

How about a picture they've got a knife to her throat; get out of Saudi Arabia?

Leo

You shouldn't think of images like that.

Bartlet

All I can think of are images like that...Leo, the people you just named don't have the legal authority to stop me from doing certain things, and some of them would go to jail if they didn't follow my orders. Very quietly, I want you to assemble the Cabinet. I want you to call the Speaker of the House.

Bartlet

You work for the President. He's going to need you down there.

Charlie

I work for you, sir. Someone else can show him where the Xerox paper is.

Bartlet

You do a lot more than that.

Charlie

Thank you, sir, but I'd prefer to stay here with you.

Bartlet

'The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral. Returning violence with violence only multiplies violence adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.'

Leo

Dr. King.

Bartlet

I'm part of that darkness now, Leo. When did that happen?

Leo

Dr. King wasn't wrong. He just didn't have your job.