Kenny's right, and the President looks away in frustration.

                                KENNY (CONT'D)

                      I'm your political advisor, and I'm

                      giving you political analysis here.

                      This is a setup.  The Chiefs want to go

                      in.  It's the only way they can redeem

                      themselves for the Bay of Pigs.  They

                      have to go in, and they have to do it

                      right.  It's that simple.

                                THE PRESIDENT

                      I'm gonna protect those pilots.

            Thep President stares intently at Kenny.  Kenny glances at

            the door, his voice hushed.  He hesitates.

                                KENNY

                      They're boxing us in with these rules of

                      engagement.  If you agree to 'em, and

                      one of our planes gets knocked down or

                      one of the ships won't stop for

                      inspection, the Chiefs will have us by

                      the balls and will force us to start

                      shooting.  They want a war, and they're

                      arranging things to get one.  If you

                      don't want one, we have to do something

                      about it.

            The President understands.  He shakes his head, paces away.

                                THE PRESIDENT

                      How does a man get to a place where he

                      can say, 'throw those lives away,' so

                      easily?

                                KENNY

                      Maybe it's harder for them to say it

                      than they let on.

                      At the very least, they believe it's in

                      our best interest.  And at the end of

                      the day, they may end up being right.

            The President turns away, considers.  Then turns back.

                                THE PRESIDENT

                      Triple check everything the Chiefs say

                      to us with the guys who actually have to

                      do it.  No one's to know about this but

                      Bobby.  I need redundant control over

                      what happens out there.  And if things

                      aren't as advertised, you're going to

                      make sure they come out the way I want

                      them to come out, starting with this low

                      level flight thing.

            Jesus Christ...Kenny is daunted.  For a beat he just stares.

                                KENNY

                      That's going to be tough.  You know how

                      these guys are about their chains of

                      command...

                                THE PRESIDENT

                      Any problems, you remind them those

                      chains of commands end at one place.

                      Me.

            INT. WEST WING HALLS - DAY

            Kenny and the President head for the Cabinet Room.  Rusk

            comes out before they get there.

                                RUSK

                      Mr. President. The OAS meeting starts in

                      an hour.  I haven't prepared at all.  We

                      can't expect --

                                THE PRESIDENT

                      -- we need this one, Dean.  The

                      quarantine's legal if we get a mandate,

                      otherwise it's an act of war in the eyes

                      of the world.  Get me that vote.  Make

                      it unanimous.

                                RUSK

                      Mr. President, The Organization of

                      American States hasn't had a unanimous

                      vote since --

            The President moves for the Cabinet Room.

                                THE PRESIDENT

                      -- unanimous, Dean.

            Kenny slaps the dismayed Rusk on the back, heads off down a

            hall away from the Cabinet Room.

            INT. WHITE HOUSE SWITCHBOARD - DAY

            Kenny opens the door to the White House switchboard room.  A

            half-dozen OPERATORS work their lines, making connections on

            the old-fashioned switchboard.  Unnoticed, he sizes them up,

            their skill.  They're all courteous, pretty, professional.

            The CAMERA PANS down the line... and stops on a middle-aged

            matron at the end - the sternest, most scary of them all.

            Her name is MARGARET.

                                MARGARET

                      White House Operator.  Yes sir.

                          (beat, harsh, booming)

                      Speaker McCormack, hold for the Vice

                      President.

            Her voice is so severe, so smoker-gravelled, it makes the

            blood run cold.  This is the woman Kenny's looking for.

                                KENNY

                      Ma'am, would you mind helping me out

                      with a few special calls?

            INT. READY ROOM - KEY WEST NAS - DAY

            Ecker, Wilhemy and their Pilots are in angry debate.

                                ECKER

                      Orson Welles is a hack.  Now you want to

                      talk about a director, you talk about

                      David Lean...

                                WILHEMY

                      Welles is a G-d.  Lean's the hack.

                                ECKER

                      Bullshit, Bruce, nobody but Lean is

                      making decent movies these days.

                          (to Young Pilot)

                      Get that fixed yet?