(watching Bob Russell and Matt Santos on TV) If either one of these guys had the political instincts of Jed Bartlet, I'd be 20 points behind right now.
S6In God We Trust
RReporter
Senator, are you going to reconsider Reverend Butler's invitation to his church this weekend?
I fully respect Reverend Butler's position. I mean, I appreciate his invitation, and... Look, I respect Reverend Butler, and I respect his church too much to use it for my own political purposes. And that's exactly what I'd be doing if I went down there this Sunday. Because the truth is, it would just be an act of political phoniness. I may be wrong, but I suspect our churches already have enough political phonies in them. I don't see how we can have a separation of church and state in this government if you have to pass a religious test to get in this government. And I want to warn everyone in the press and all the voters out there, if you demand expressions of religious faith from politicians, you are just begging to be lied to. They won't all lie to you but a lot of them will. And it will be the easiest lie they ever had to tell to get your votes. So, every day until the end of this campaign, I'll answer any question anyone has on government, but if you have a question on religion, please go to church.
What do you know about Republican politics?
I don't care about Republican politics.
Well, that I believe.
I don't care about Democratic politics, either. Okay, I do care about the Democrats. Look, they don't know it yet; you are the best thing to ever happen to them. You're moving the Republicans away from the right wing. You're not saying Democrats are not patriotic; you're just saying that your approach is better than theirs. You are making politics a fair fight again. What? You think I'm a spy? I snuck in here, I'm trying to steer you wrong?
The thought has crossed my mind.
I have spent the last 20 years ripping this country apart, finding wedge issues to separate the voters, you don't have to do that to win; not this time. You do this right, you can do a lot more than win. You can stop using politics to divide this country. You can show us how much we agree, instead of how much we disagree. You can put this country back together.
Help me keep a secret.
What's that?
That I just gave you more than you asked for. Let me hang around for a while, as if we're really slugging it out in here.
Can I get you anything?
Where's the ice cream?
S6Things Fall Apart
How are you feeling, Sir.
Vexed, riled, irked.
The Republican Convention.
Ticked, honked, pissed.
You can't take it personally.
That's what I keep telling myself. But when you start telling yourself that, it's too late: you're already taking it personally.
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.
Arnold Vinick just positioned himself as Jed Bartlet's natural successor.
How'd he do that?
Without one mention, without so much as an allusion to either one, he managed to dismiss Russell and Santos as puny dwarf-like children trying to get a seat at the grownups' table.
Werner Von Braun's autobiography was titled 'I Aim for the Stars.' Mort Sahl joked, he should have added 'Only Sometimes I Hit London.'
[as Santos enters] Quick, hide the ouija board.
See, they can afford ouija boards. Josh still has us reading chicken entrails.
[about the Democratic convention] We need someone strong enough to organize the damn thing.
[resignedly] Wonder who we can get?
If it helps, it gives me no pleasure dumping this damn thing on you.
There's the pleasure of not having to do it yourself.
Which is not inconsiderable.
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.
Nice what he said about you.
Yeah. The bastard.
He just picked up five million Democratic votes.
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.
S62162 Votes
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.
[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.”
These quotes come from Wikiquote's The West Wing pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.