Toby Sarcastically Rejects Andy's Conciliatory UN Speech Insert
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Toby asserts control over the speech language, dismissing any changes after lengthy internal reviews, to which Andy responds with apparent acquiescence but then shifts strategy.
Andy reveals an alternative insert drafted by several members, cautiously presenting it to Toby after an hour of discussion.
Toby reads the proposed insert aloud, mocking its soft approach and contrasting it sharply with the original speech's intent.
Toby firmly rejects the insert, clearly stating the speech's purpose is indeed to proclaim American values, marking the end of negotiation.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Persistent conciliator projecting calm amid rejection and sarcasm
Andy persists calmly, acknowledging Toby's veto while retrieving and presenting a staff-drafted insert from her bag for his review, confirming its intent after his sarcastic critique, her composure a counterpoint to his rising ire in their tense ex-spousal exchange.
- • Insert softening language on Islamic tolerance into the UN speech
- • Leverage staff draft to challenge Toby's hardline stance
- • Appeals to tolerance strengthen rather than weaken the speech's message
- • Ideological opposition warrants measured pushback on provocative rhetoric
Sarcastic defiance masking underlying frustration from personal and professional strain
Toby stands firm at his desk, invoking the exhaustive NSC/NSA approval process to reject alterations, approaches to read Andy's insert aloud with biting sarcasm, then delivers a defiant proclamation of the speech's core mission, his voice laced with frustration from their hour-long standoff.
- • Uphold the UN speech's provocative language against softening
- • Assert dominance in the ideological debate with Andy
- • The rigorously vetted rhetoric is essential to proclaim American values boldly
- • Concessions like tolerance pleas undermine foreign policy clarity
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Andy approaches her bag positioned nearby, delves in to extract the staff-drafted insert sheet, using it as a container to produce her conciliatory proposal amid the standoff; it functionally bridges her external advocacy into Toby's domain, heightening the personal intrusion of policy clash.
Andy pulls the single-sheet insert from her bag and holds it out; Toby approaches to read it aloud sarcastically, shredding its tolerance pleas for Islamic values as foreign policy disclaimer, wielding it as a prop to amplify his rejection and expose ideological rift.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Toby invokes the NSC's rigorous three-day crucible with NSA as unassailable authority vetting the UN speech's provocative language, positioning it as a gatekeeper that validates his refusal of Andy's insert; it looms as institutional bulwark against softening, amplifying stakes in their personal policy duel.
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Key Dialogue
"TOBY: "It took... Andrea, it took three days to get the language through NSC and the NSA. It isn't coming out of the speech.""
"TOBY: (reading) "Our goal is neither to preach nor proclaim American values. We have deep respect for our Islamic brothers and sisters and we have a great deal to learn from the values of... tolerence and faith that are deeply held throughout the Islamic world. So this is your way of saying any resemblance the previous paragraph may have had to foreign policy is purely coincidental?""
"TOBY: "Our goal is to proclaim American values.""