Leo McGarry quotes from The West Wing

Josh

What happened to the good old days when a couple of hacks with cigars chose the nominee in a smoked filled back room?

Leo

They didn't do so bad, did they?

Josh

We need a back room.

Leo

I just looked at the tape.

Josh

Vinick's announcement? Makes you want to cry like a little girl, doesn't it?

Leo

It's a tough primary for him. I wouldn't tear my shirt yet.

Josh

Russell offered me campaign manager.

Leo

Really?

Josh

Turned him down. Hoynes asked too.

Leo

Popular. You change your cologne or something?

Josh

Think Hoynes could win?

Leo

With Baker out? Russell's got a huge financial advantage. Sitting VP, he's going to raise a lot more money and he's in a position to offer a lot more favors.

Josh

Hoynes is a guy without a job.

Leo

That said, Hoynes is much more experienced in the job that Bob Russell holds, he was elected senator of a huge, complicated, and usually Republican state and Russell got elected representative of a district the size of my thumb.

Josh

Hoynes is smarter than Russell. He'll kick his ass in the debates.

Leo

And he's got more foreign policy experience. It could happen. But you gotta want to work for him and you gotta want him to win. You want that?

Josh

I want to get Jed Bartlet a third term.

Leo

Yeah. What happened to the good old days when a couple of hacks with cigars chose the nominee in a smoke-filled back room?

Josh

They didn't do so bad, did they? Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower.

Leo

We need a back room.

Josh

Well, we just about outlawed smoking and at this point I'm not allowed to look at a cigar. But we're it. You and me. This is the back room.

Leo

What? Prime Minister Graty thinks you are an intellectual snob. A Yankee Doodle windbag. Likely as not you would have made things worse.

Bartlet

If an American dies and there is even the slightest suspicion of international intrigue, she's supposed to wake me.

Leo

Since when? If I had used that rule, you'd be dead by now of sleep deprivation.

CJ

You want me to hire Cliff Calley? No. He's the wrong choice. And he's irritating. And he's obnoxious.

Leo

That's worked for us in the past.

Josh

[after seeing that Margaret is quite pregnant] Am I seeing things? or is she...

C.J.

Very.

Josh

Wow. I didn't know she was pregnant.

Leo

She's pregnant.

Josh

I didn't even know she was married... [beat; Leo and CJ stare at him] Right. How is the President doing?

Leo

You are no longer the guy who picks losing candidates and ushers them to their principled end. You're the guy who takes good men and makes them great. You and Josh, you still think you're terriers barking at the heels of the party. You are the party. Rafferty's a spoiler, shouldn't be in the race.

Toby

I'm not sitting this one out, Leo.

Leo

Don't. But don't pretend you're still an outsider with a ponytail and a dream, you work in the White House... Your brother didn't have any more fight in him. You still do.

We were close once, back then.

Leo

No. Senator, we just drank back then. We were never close.

Leo

How are you feeling, Sir.

Bartlet

Vexed, riled, irked.

Leo

The Republican Convention.

Bartlet

Ticked, honked, pissed.

Leo

You can't take it personally.

Bartlet

That's what I keep telling myself. But when you start telling yourself that, it's too late: you're already taking it personally.

Bartlet

[about the Democratic convention] We need someone strong enough to organize the damn thing.

Leo

[resignedly] Wonder who we can get?

Bartlet

If it helps, it gives me no pleasure dumping this damn thing on you.

Leo

There's the pleasure of not having to do it yourself.

Bartlet

Which is not inconsiderable.

Vinick

It is with great humility that I accept your nomination for president of the United States. Before I share with you my vision for America, I want to say a few words about the man who I hope is my predecessor, President Josiah Bartlet. He has graced and honored his office, the highest in the land. The most powerful in the world, some would say, myself included. He has served this country steadfastly and laudably, and I say this despite our political and philosophical differences. For in the end, the presidency is more than a simple catalog of policies pursued, crises weathered, battles lost and won. It is a stewardship, a sacred trust, a commitment to sacrifice every fiber of your being, every thought, every moment, every ... every everything, in service to your nation. President Bartlet has done this well and ably, and he deserves nothing less than our humble appreciation and heartfelt gratitude.

Leo

Nice what he said about you.

Bartlet

Yeah. The bastard.

Leo

He just picked up five million Democratic votes.

Vinick

My commitment to strive to be worthy of the example of the great men who have gone before. Presidents walk in giant footsteps. They have magnificent legacies to uphold. I stand here on this day and put my name forth as one who aspires to their example, who will daily make that sacrifice. Who will honor not just the office, but the people that office serves. Their president of these United States of America.

Leo

You have to quit, Congressman. We have to unite behind a candidate.... We need these last days to put our message before the American people.

You think either of them can beat Vinick in the Fall?

Leo

Who knows? But you step aside for the good of the party; people won't forget. The President and I won't let them.

Will I have a chance to address the convention again?

Leo

Of course.

Leo

[about a potential VP candidate] Do you want me to get the President to lean on him?

Josh

He told me that he'd kick the guy's ass all over the school yard, if it came to that.

Leo

Who is it?

Josh

You.

Leo

Ok. Let's start by reframing the question. Forget about a four year term, the presidency is 18 months. That's your window. After that, there's midterms. No one on the Hill has time to do business with you, they're too busy getting re-elected.

Huh.

Leo

Then suddenly, you're running again.

So I'm basically throwing everything out but my first five pages.

Leo

In the garbage. Realistically, one page. But, we can do this in phases.

Annabeth

[about a poll] It's not out yet.

Leo

Did I ask?

Annabeth

No, but you wanted to.

Leo

You wouldn't tell me even if you had it because I'm about to go onstage and you feel it's your responsibility to manage my mood, which it isn't.

Annabeth

You know I left a great job to come work for this campaign.

Leo

I'm just saying, I've been at this for awhile. I don't need the babysitting.

Annabeth

You most certainly do. Just because you've trained a Preakness jockey doesn't mean you know how to sit a horse.

Toby

We're getting some movement from Congress on education.

Josh

What kind?

C.J.

We'll get you a summary but probably class size reduction, a little infrastructure money, some version of performance incentives for teachers.

Josh

That's right out of the Santos plan.

C.J.

Well, he probably doesn't have the votes for it.

Josh

He definitely doesn't have the votes.

C.J.

But if he's [Haffley] expressing an interest...

Josh

He's expressing an interest because the Vinick camp told him to.

Toby

Could be.

Josh

Education may be the only thing the public knows about Matt Santos other than his hair color. We would be thrilled if you kept the hands off.

Toby

Wow. Okay.

Josh

You think we can bring it up in a debate after Jed Bartlet's already moved on it? We'll look like idiots.

Toby

That's unfortunate.

C.J.

Okay, everybody, let's take a breath.

Leo

Haffley is extending an olive branch. I'm sure the President is just being polite. He knows he can't get an education bill passed in his last six months.

C.J.

The guy's got a 66% approval rating. We're not rolling up the rugs.

Leo

A new Democratic administration will pass a much more powerful bill.

C.J.

You people are nine points down. It's better than 20 points down, but it's not what I'd call a win.

Josh

Hey...

Toby

The only reason the Speaker is opening the door at all is because he thinks it may wound your campaign. You think he's going to walk in here a year from now and offer it to the bright-eyed new President?

Leo

Haffley's playing you.

Toby

No, actually, he's screwing you, and for the moment, we're comfortable with that.

Leo

He's screwing the party.

Josh

Leo.

Leo

He's screwing the party and using this administration to do it.

C.J.

The President did not take an oath of party, he took an oath of office.