Sam's Locked Copy of the State of the Union Speech

Sam thrusts the locked copy—pages etched with Toby's softened phrasing, 'abandoning our ideological entrenchment' pulsing as Bartlet's moderated core—into the staffer's clenched fist amid Capitol hallway clamor. Fingers fly to phone it to the prompter, ink-sharp revisions racing ahead of the entourage's surge; Toby mirrors the handoff, snapping the leather portfolio brimming with identical finality toward Bartlet's grip, edges taut under applause's building roar.

2 appearances

Purpose

Finalized speech draft phoned to the House chamber promppter for President Bartlet's live delivery and held in portfolio for his reference during the address.

Significance

Anchors the administration's pivot to tempered rhetoric amid cascading crises, its handoff sealing revisions in a heartbeat of vulnerability—shoelace-tied pause shattering into regal entrance, anxiety yielding to thunderous applause.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S2E13 · Bartlet's Third State of the Union

Locking the Softened SOTU Speech and Presidential Handover

Sam thrusts this locked copy—freshly revised with 'abandoning our ideological entrenchment'—into staffer's fist post-finalization over counter; staffer relays its contents via phone to prompter, serving as pivotal conduit transforming frantic edits into live presidential script, embodying the razor-edge of moderated rhetoric amid SOTU crises.

Before: Held by Sam, inked with final revisions on Capitol hallway counter

After: Transferred to Toby's Office Staffer, contents phoned to prompter

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S2E13 · Bartlet's Third State of the Union

Bartlet's Nervous Ritual and Regal Entrance

Sam hands this locked SOTU copy—etched with 'abandoning our ideological entrenchment'—directly to staffer post-finalization, propelling revisions toward prompter; it embodies frantic collaborative triumph, bridging writers' urgency to live delivery in hallway tension.

Before: Held by Sam after counter edits

After: Transferred to Toby's Office Staffer for phone relay

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