A national security leak during the Democratic convention! Are we working for the Republicans now? They're going to whack us for the security leak and then whack us again for dithering over saving the lives of brave astronauts.
“2162 Votes” · Season 6
In this episode: Josiah Bartlet (2), Leo McGarry (2), Matt Santos (2), Josh Lyman (1), Abbey Bartlet (1)
[about the Democratic convention] What are they doing?
BBartlet
Eating their young.... It's a free-for-all. I think Aaron Burr's got 20 votes.
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?
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?
Of course.
You know I'd been hoping to stand here tonight under very different circumstances, and I have been asked by people that I respect to take this opportunity to support one of the other fine candidates who have made this race with me, to help decide who our nominee will be. But I can't do that. I can't do that because it's not my place to decide who our nominee should be. That decision is yours and yours alone. Now there has been a great deal made about Governor Baker's decision not to disclose his wife's minor medical condition. Many people believe that he should have. But I don't believe Governor Baker failed to disclose it because he was ashamed or embarrassed. I think he didn't disclose it because we're the hypocrites, not the Bakers; because we're all broken, every single one of us, and yet we pretend that we're not. We all live lives of imperfection and yet we cling to this fantasy that there's this perfect life and that our leaders should embody it. But if we expect our leaders to live on some higher moral plain than the rest of us, well we're just asking to be deceived. Now it's been suggested to me this week that I should try to buy your support with jobs, and the promise of access. It's been suggested to me that party unity is more important than your democratic rights as delegates. That's right it's not. And you have a decision to make. Don't vote for us because you think we're perfect. Don't vote for us because of what we might be able to do for you only. Vote for the person who shares your ideals, your hopes, your dreams. Vote for the person who most embodies what you believe we need to keep our nation strong and free. And when you have done that, you can go back to Seattle, and Boston, to Miami, to Omaha, to Tulsa and Chicago, and Atlanta with your head held high, and say, “I am a member of the Democratic Party.”
[about a potential VP candidate] Do you want me to get the President to lean on him?
He told me that he'd kick the guy's ass all over the school yard, if it came to that.
Who is it?
You.
These quotes come from Wikiquote's The West Wing pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.