Bartlet's Third State of the Union (Episode 213)
First Aired: Wednesday, 7th February, 2001
Teleplay: Aaron Sorkin
Writers: Dee Dee Myers & Allison Abner
Director: Christopher Misiano










Do Any Of You People Have The Power Of Speech?
National Strategies Group. Josh and Donna prepare to start the poll.

JOSH: (to pollster) You were putting gum in your mouth?
POLLSTER 1: Yeah, because that's--
JOSH: Because that's a good idea--to be chewing gum when you're taking a poll for the President of the United States. That's the sound people like to hear on the phone.
POLLSTER 2: The polling hasn't started yet.
JOSH: Well, thank you, Mr Helper.
DONNA: Josh!
JOSH: Yeah?
DONNA: These people have done this before.
JOSH: They're not our people.
DONNA: They're Joey Lucas's people.
JOSH: None of them have accents?
DONNA: They're all out of the Midwest.
JOSH: I'm saying Joey Lucas is deaf and would have no way of know--(yells) Do any of you people have accents?
DONNA: Oh, my God.
JOSH: Do any of you people have the power of speech?
DONNA: They're fine.
JOSH: I should be there right now.
DONNA: (to the pollsters) He's fine!








Joshua Lyman, You Have The Cutest Little Butt In Professional Politics
National Strategies Group. Josh and Donna talk after watching the end of the State of the Union.

DONNA: He was brilliant up there!
JOSH: Up there is where this President eats! That is his place of business! Yes, he did well!
DONNA: Yeah.
JOSH: Let's find out how well.
DONNA: This is exciting.
JOSH: Yes.
DONNA: Yeah.
JOSH: So, what do I do?
DONNA: What do you mean?
JOSH: What do I tell them?
DONNA: Tell them to start.
JOSH: Didn't you talk to Joey?
DONNA: Yeah.
JOSH: What did she say?
DONNA: She said her plane was late.
JOSH: What did she say I should tell the callers?
DONNA: She didn't say anything.
JOSH: Donna!
DONNA: Tell them to start, Josh.
JOSH: They're not supposed to receive special instructions based on ...
DONNA: What?
JOSH: Time zones? I don't know. I'm not a pollster! I thought Joey called.
DONNA: She called from the plane and said she was late.
JOSH: When is she gonna be here?
KENNY: (off-screen, speaking for Joey) Joshua Lyman, you have the cutest little butt in professional politics.
JOSH: Kenny, really, that better have been her talking.








Tonight Could Be The Night
National Strategies Group. Josh approches Donna, who talks to Kenny and Joey.

JOSH: Jack Sloane was reprimanded for excessive violence by the Detroit Police Department.
DONNA: How long ago?
JOSH: Seventeen years.
DONNA: What happened?
JOSH: I don't know. He made a bust, he broke the guy's leg ... the DA couldn't make a case. The civil suit was dismissed, but it's there.
KENNY: (speaking for Joey) Who's Jack Sloane?
JOSH: From tonight.
KENNY: (speaking for Joey) I wasn't there. I was on a plane with mechanical difficulties.
JOSH: Officer Jack Sloane of the Detroit Police Department was added at the last minute to the invited guests that are recognized by the President at the speech.
DONNA: He was the off-duty cop who--
KENNY: (speaking for Joey) At the elementary school?
DONNA: Yeah.
KENNY: (speaking for Joey) He wasn't vetted?
JOSH: It was last minute. When do I see numbers?
DONNA: Joey says it's going good.
JOSH: Great! When do I see numbers?
KENNY: (speaking for Joey) There's a 17 per cent response rate.
JOSH: Fantastic. When do I see numbers?
JOEY: You need patience, Joshua!
JOSH: I need numbers, Tonto!
KENNY: (speaking for Joey) The poll's an hour old.
JOSH: You get early numbers.
KENNY: (speaking for Joey) When I get them, you'll have them.
JOSH: So, what do you do in the meantime?
JOEY: I'm getting a doughnut.
JOSH: Okay. (Joey and Kenny leave, Josh sits down at a nearby desk, followed by Donna) I'm plagued by this nonsense, Donna. I swear, it's just reaching epidemic proportions. Those numbers are going to tell us we had a big night and the balance is going to be dragged down by a news cycle that won't shake the cop story--
DONNA: You should ask her out.
JOSH: I'm sorry?
DONNA: You should ask Joey out. Tonight could be the night.
JOSH: The night to do what?
DONNA: To ask her out.
JOSH: Get a doughnut.
DONNA: Okay.








You Can't Just Randomly Tumble Into A Girl Sideways And Hope She Breaks Up With You Soon
National Strategies Group. Josh and Donna talk.

DONNA: So ... Josh?
JOSH: No.
DONNA: Are you still thinking?
JOSH: We're still doing this?
DONNA: Have you asked her out yet?
JOSH: Donna--
DONNA: Because the last time I asked you, you hadn't ask her out yet.
JOSH: What is taking so long?
DONNA: "Joey, would you like to go out Friday night?" You know, you have to say it. You have to ask a girl out on a date. You can't just randomly tumble into a girl sideways and hope she breaks up with you soon, the way you always do.
JOSH: Why not?
DONNA: Because you can't.
JOSH: You just said I always do.
DONNA: Josh, I can help you or not help you, it's up to you.
JOSH: Then I absolutely choose not helping me.
DONNA: You want me to ask her out for you?
JOSH: Yeah, that's exactly what I want you to do.
DONNA: Joey--
JOSH: Sit down.








You Know, Josh, Everyone Else Is Having Fun With This
National Strategies Group. Donna makes a phone call in the dark as Josh sits beside her.

DONNA: Okay. (hangs up) Good news. The Potomac Electric Power Company says the outage was caused by a 13,000 volt cable that caught fire in a building on M Street and Wisconsin.
JOSH: How is that good news?
DONNA: Well, we have hard information now.
JOSH: When's the power going back on?
DONNA: That information isn't available at this time.
JOSH: Donna--
DONNA: I can tell you that the outage is affecting some two thousand customers and it was likely started when a repairman ... missliced ... something ...
JOSH: Call Sam. (yells) I want the numbers!
DONNA: You know, Josh, everyone else is having fun with this.
JOSH: You're the only one who's having fun with this. Nobody else is having fun with this.








Not a Josh and Donna scene, but an interesting peek into what's on Josh's mind (besides the poll)

Donna's Been Acting Kind Of ...
National Strategies Group / Corridors of the West Wing. Donna, Josh and Sam talk on the phone.

DONNA: (into phone) I'm thinking of leading everyone in song.
JOSH: Is that Sam?
DONNA: Yeah.
JOSH: Give it to me. (he walks away)
SAM: What's going on?
JOSH: The power's down.
SAM: I know.
JOSH: We're five minutes away from an East Coast sample. We got nothing West of Indiana, Illinois--
SAM: You need anything?
JOSH: A lightning bolt, a key and a kite.
SAM: Donna told me to tell you, you should ask out Joey Lucas.
JOSH: Hey, can I tell you, Donna's been acting kind of--
SAM: (he sees the President) I gotta go.








Usually In These Cases, You See A Lot More Looting
National Strategies Group. Josh and Donna talk in the dark.

DONNA: You know what I'm surprised about?
JOSH: What.
DONNA: We haven't seen a lot of looting.
JOSH: Yeah.
DONNA: Usually in these cases, you see a lot more looting.
JOSH: Yeah.
DONNA: General civil unrest ...
JOSH: Yeah.
DONNA: People get on each other's nerves ...
JOSH: Okay. (to Joey) Joey, can I ask you what may be a silly question?
KENNY: (speaking for Joey) Sure.
JOSH: It's not possible, is it, for us to just open one of these computers with a screwdriver and get the numbers that are in there, right?
KENNY: (speaking for Joey) Why would you think that would be a silly question?
JOSH: (shouts) I want these numbers!
DONNA: Josh?
JOSH: Yeah.
DONNA: (she hands him his mobile phone) Sam.




Many thanks to The West Wing Collection for the wonderful screencaps!