CUT TO: INT. OVAL OFFICE - DAY
Bartlet and Mandy are arguing while Charlie and a few Secret Service Agents stand by. Bartlet is putting on his coat as if he is getting ready to leave.
MANDY A couple of guys.
BARTLET No.
MANDY Mr. President a couple of guys.
BARTLET Leave me alone.
JOSH [enters] Good morning Mr. President.
BARTLET Josh, what are you doing right now?
JOSH I’m helping prepare a strategy for the European economic summit in February.
BARTLET Blow it off.
JOSH [flippant] Okay.
BARTLET Seriously, take an hour and come with us.
JOSH You’re going shopping?
MANDY He won’t let me send some press along.
BARTLET Leave me alone.
JOSH I don’t understand. How are you going shopping?
BARTLET Oh I sneak out every now and then.
JOSH You sneak out?
BARTLET Yes, couple of agents, an unmarked black suburban. They tell the manager, they clear the store, I’m in, I’m out. It’s like nothing ever happened.
JOSH I never knew this.
BARTLET Did you know that there’s an underground tunnel out of here?
JOSH Yes.
BARTLET I haven’t been able to find it even though I search almost everyday.
JOSH Where are you going?
BARTLET To a place called Rare Books, you know what they sell?
JOSH Fishing tackle?
BARTLET Funny boy.
MANDY The President is doing some last minute Christmas shopping at a rare bookstore and he won’t let me send some press along.
BARTLET Tell her to leave me alone. Sheila!
MANDY A couple of guys.
BARTLET This is a Christmas thing I’m doing Mandy; we don’t have to make hay out of it.
MANDY It’s such good hay.
BARTLET [to Josh] Want to come?
JOSH An hour with you in a rare bookstore? Couldn’t you just drop me off the top of the Washington monument instead?
BARTLET It’s Christmas, Josh! No reason we can’t do both.
