Fabula
S3E10 · H. Con-172
S3E10
· H. Con-172

Leo Firmly Rejects Censure Deal in Tense Midnight Clash

In the empty White House Mess at night, Josh tracks down Leo for a covert talk about Cliff Calley's congressional offer of a historic censure to halt the damaging hearings. Leo insists on hushed tones, demands details on Josh's source, and rejects the deal outright, dismissing it as more than a 'press release' via analogies to pre-WWI diplomacy and Andrew Jackson's censure. He argues presidents like Bartlet never recover from such a mark, revealing his fierce loyalty and principled stand against expediency. Josh presses for practicality but ultimately retreats, underscoring the brewing tension between political survival and personal honor that propels Bartlet's defiant accountability.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

Josh finds Leo in the White House Mess, initiating a covert discussion about the congressional offer to end the hearings.

neutral to tension ['White House Mess']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

3
Josh Lyman
primary

Determined persistence yielding to resigned acceptance

Josh locates Leo in the empty Mess, initiates urgent talk on the censure deal sourced from Cliff Calley, defends its merits for swift resolution before primaries and testimony, probes Leo's objections, but concedes with resignation and exits after rejection.

Goals in this moment
  • • Persuade Leo to consider the censure as practical escape from hearings
  • • Extract Leo's true rationale for outright dismissal
Active beliefs
  • • Censure equates to mere 'press release' forgotten by history
  • • Ending hearings quickly prioritizes political survival over stigma
Character traits
persistent pragmatic deferential
Follow Josh Lyman's journey
Leo McGarry
primary

Fierce protectiveness veiled in calm authority

Leo, seeking change of scenery in the deserted Mess, demands lowered voices for secrecy, questions Josh's link to Calley, rejects censure vehemently via analogies to German dismissal of Belgian treaty and Jackson's Bank censure, asserts its eternal presidential wound as core reason.

Goals in this moment
  • • Shut down censure deal to safeguard Bartlet's honor
  • • Impress upon Josh the profound, irrecoverable damage of historical judgment
Active beliefs
  • • Censure is no mere formality but a lasting scar presidents never overcome
  • • Loyalty demands rejecting expediency that compromises integrity
Character traits
resolute loyal principled historically astute
Follow Leo McGarry's journey
Cliff Calley
primary

Neutrally referenced as opportunistic informant

Cliff Calley is invoked by Josh as the direct source conveying the congressional censure offer, bridging Oversight Committee negotiations into this private White House confrontation without physical presence.

Goals in this moment
  • • Extend censure offer through backchannels to halt hearings
  • • Leverage personal ties to influence White House response
Active beliefs
  • • Censure provides viable off-ramp from scandal's escalation
  • • Direct appeals can sway key insiders like Josh
Character traits
connected propositional
Follow Cliff Calley's journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
White House Portico

The empty White House Mess at night transforms into a clandestine arena for Josh's ambush of Leo, its isolation fostering whispered intensity amid scandal's siege, symbolizing a rare pocket of privacy where raw loyalties clash against political calculus.

Atmosphere Hushed, tense solitude laced with midnight urgency
Function Secure venue for covert high-stakes strategy talk
Symbolism Underscores institutional underbelly where personal honor battles expediency
Access Vacant and accessible only to trusted senior staff
Dim nighttime lighting amplifying secrecy Empty tables evoking desolation amid crisis Echoing quiet enforcing lowered voices

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 1
Causal medium

"Donna's agreement to relay Cliff's message to Josh leads to Josh's covert discussion with Leo about the congressional offer."

Cliff's Urgent Plea to Skeptical Donna for Josh Connection
S3E10 · H. Con-172

Themes This Exemplifies

Thematic resonance and meaning

Unwavering Loyalty
6
Leo's steely resolve shines as he rebuffs Josh's insistent extraction amid arson chaos, absorbs President Bartlet's jocular yet fiercely protective banter via Margaret's determined interruption …

Key Dialogue

"JOSH: "Well, I'd like to talk to you about the deal they're offering." LEO: "Please, keep your voice down.""
"LEO: "When the British Ambassador told the German Foreign Minister that they were going to war over Belgium's violation of the neutrality treaty the German Foreign Minister said 'You're going to war over a piece of paper?'""
"LEO: "Presidents don't. They never get over it. This one won't. He'd act like it's fine, but...he'd never get over it. So... that's my reason.""