Episode Number - 221
Original Airdate - May 9, 2001
Story by - Lawrence O'Donnell Jr.
Teleplay by - Aaron Sorkin
Directed by - Roger Berlinger

Thorny issues encircle the White House as the President and his staff grapple with breaking the news of his illness in an exclusive national broadcast while the newly elected president of Haiti flees for his life and asks for sanctuary in the US embassy - which would place the compound under army attack. CJ and Leo weigh the dicey arrangements of keeping the blistering news a secret until the telecast while White House counsel Oliver Babish (Oliver Platt) finds a disturbing detail in the First Lady's medical treatment of Bartlet. Elsewhere, a frustrated Josh needs $30 million more from a Senate committee to continue the Justice Department's case against Big Tobacco companies but hits a roadblock when he solicits the crucial votes of two Democratic Senators, and virtuous Mrs. Landingham (Kathryn Joosten) pays sticker price for a new car because she fears anything less will violate federal stipulations about receiving gifts.

Screen Caps
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Quotes
Paul: "CJ."
CJ: "Yeah."
Paul: "Between friends."
CJ: "Yeah."
Paul: "Is the water over your head?"
CJ: "No, the water's exactly at my head."

Leo: "We're not going to stop, soften, detour, postpone, circumvent, obfuscate or trade a single one of our goals to allow for whatever extracurricular nonsense is coming our way in the next days, weeks and months."
Toby: "When did we decide this?"
Leo: "Just now."

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