On the crime bill

By the state of the union.

And if you agree to stick 455 in a drawer

Till after elections,

They'll give you the 3 votes.

Robin: And we declare victory.

We said as a last resort.

We're there, sir.

State of the union is 48 hours away.

Come on, leon!

There's gotta be 3 votes someplace.

Leon: There isn't.

Bullshit! There's gotta be somebody. Storch.

I beg your pardon?

What about storch?

No. Storch is a no.

Mr. President...

Wagner?

No.

Sople? No.

No. Clark?

Not that clark. The one from indiana.

That one, too, sir.

Mr. President,

I think we have to do this.

A.J., she is one vote away.

It's important legislation

That for the first time has a legitimate chance.

She deserves every opportunity...

Lewis: She?

You meant it, didn't you, sir?

You meant the important legislation

Deserves every opportunity.

Lewis, shut up.

You have something to say to me, lewis?

Respectfully, sir,

I think we should examine the new poll

For something more than--

Examine what? They don't like my dating sydney?

It's not that simple.

I think that this poll brings a murky problem

Into specific relief.

Who's problem are we talking about, lewis?

Yours? You worried about losing your job?

Because this poll

Isn't talking about my presidency!

This poll is talking about my life!

264 million people--

264 million people

Don't give a damn about your life!

They give a damn about their own!

All right! That's enough.

[sighs]

Mr. President,

You've raised a daughter...

Almost entirely on your own.

And she's terrific.

So what does it say to you

That in the past 7 weeks

59% of this country

Has begun to question your family values?

The president doesn't answer to you, lewis.

Oh, yes, he does, a.J. I'm a citizen.

This is my president.

And in this country,

It is not only permissible to question our leaders,

It's our responsibility.

But you already know that, don't you, mr. President?

Because you have a deeper love of this country

Than any man I've ever known.

And I wanna know what it says to you

That in the past 7 weeks

59% of americans have begun to question your patriotism.

Look, if people wanna listen to--

They don't have a choice!

Bob rumson is the only one doing the talking!

People want leadership, mr. President.

And in the absence of genuine leadership,

They'll listen to anyone

Who steps up to the microphone.

They want leadership.

They're so thirsty for it,

They'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage,

And when they discover there's no water,

They'll drink the sand.

Lewis, we've have presidents who were beloved

Who couldn't find a coherent sentence

With 2 hands and a flashlight.

People don't drink the sand because they're thirsty.