it's true?
What's the difference?
lt's a story.
They'll run with it.
How long till it breaks?
Front page,
Washington Post, tomorrow.
That's not good.
-Where is he?
-China.
When is he due back?
They're set to leave soon.
He stays on the ground
in China at least another day.
Why?
You the Press Office?
Earn your money.
He's ill.
When do we bring him back?
l'm gonna need a day.
He's sick.
Get that out now.
Tell the jackals how sick he is.
We gotta get that out
before the story breaks.
lssue a bulletin.
He's got some rare strain--
-Won't hold.
-l need running time.
lt won't hold a day.
lt will.
l'll tell you why.
Why is the president in China?
-Trade relations.
-You're right.
lt's got nothing to do
with the B-3 bomber.
-There is no B-3 bomber.
-l just said that.
l don't know why
these rumors get started.
l need $20,000.
l need a car.
Get me a car and driver.
The southwest gate.
What?
What is it?
Campaign commercial.
Should we look at it?
Put it in.
This should be interesting.
What is it?
The other side's new commercial.
The Neal commercial.
We had somebody steal it.
This'll be on the air
the day after tomorrow.
ln the final days
of the campaign...
has the president
changed his tune?
Thank heaven for little girls.
The presidency is about honor.
Thank heaven for little girls.
lt's about principles.
Without them,
what would little boys do?
lt's about integrity.
This tune has got to change.
On election day,
vote Neal for president.
Oh, boy.
Who's gonna take
the press conference today?
ls there a press conference
today?
What do you think?
We have to use this
as a base of operations.
l'm gonna need one, two days.
Whoever's leaking that stuff
to the Post lets it slip...
"l hope this won't
screw up the B-3 program."
"What B-3 program,
and why should it screw it up?"
"lf the president
deploys the B-3...
"before it's fully tested..."
"Deploy the B-3
before it's fully tested?"
"Why?"
"The crisis."
-What crisis?
-l'm working on that.
Get General Scott
and the Joint Chiefs of Staff...
and put them
on a plane to Seattle.
He's nervous to talk
to the Boeing people.
-But what?
There isn't a B-3 bomber.
-Where'd you go to school?
-Dartmouth.
Then show a little spunk.
There is no B-3 bomber.
General Scott,
to your knowledge...
is not in Seattle
to talk to Boeing.
lt won't prove out.
lt doesn't have to prove out.
We just gotta distract them.
Got less than two weeks
till the election.
What in the world would do that?
l'm working on it.
Winifred, Mr. Brean.
-What's this?
-$20,000
l gotta go to L.A.
and see a Hollywood producer.
Meet me at National in an hour.
We'll go to Chicago
and connect there to L.A.
See you at National.
Tell me this again.
We landing?
Tell me again.
Don't worry.
lt's nothing new.
During Reagan's administration,
240 Marines killed in Beirut.
24 hours later,
we invade Grenada.
That was their M.O.
Change the story,
change the lead.
lt's not a new concept.
Wake me when we land.
We'll talk more.
Wait.
We can't afford a war.
We're not having a war.
We're having
the appearance of a war.
We cannot afford it.
-What'll it cost?
-But they would find out.
Who's gonna find out?
The American people?
Who's gonna tell them?
What did they find out
about the Gulf War?
One video of one bomb
falls down a chimney.
The building could have been
made out of Legos.
-You want us to go to war?
-That's the general idea.
With who?
l'm working on it.
Albania?
Why?
Why not?
What do you know about them?
-Nothing.
-Precisely.
They seem shifty, standoffish.
Who knows from Albania?
Who trusts Albanians?
What did Albania ever do to us?
What did they do for us?
This is why we have to
mobilize the B-3 bomber.
You really want to go
to war with Albania?
We don't have a choice.
This is what you do.
Get your press office
right now to deny it.
lt didn't happen.
"There is no report
of Albanian