The west wing and by default Josh's bullpen was busy this morning. People were rushing each and every way by the time that Josh poked his head out of his office. Donna wasn't sitting at her desk; instead she was hovering around it and directing people while talking on her phone. Josh only had a minute to observe her, when Sam walked down the hall.
"Hey man, what do you have going on this morning?" Sam asked.
"I'm not sure. Why do you ask?"
"I don't know. I had some time to kill and it seemed like something to ask you."
Josh and Sam both took a break from their conversation and turned to look across the bullpen.
"Josh!" Donna yelled softly across the bullpen. "You have a meeting on the hill in 20 minutes."
"I have what?" Josh asked questioningly. .
"Remember? You have that meeting with Juliana Wexler. This is the meeting where you said you will, and I quote, 'Show her that no one moseys into your town and shoots down the sheriff.' Again, I'm not too sure what you're trying to accomplish, but you have the meeting."
Donna turned to go back to work and Josh turned to look at Sam.
"Still got time to kill?" Josh asked. "You should come. Come see your sister at work."
"Okay. Let me get my coat."
Sam and Josh walked briskly into the building housing the senate offices. As they waked down the halls, they nodded their acknowledgment of various senators and staffers. As they closed in on Juliana's office, a look of confusion spread across Sam's face.
"Juliana's not on any one senator's staff. If she's a strategist and advisor for the GOP, why is her office in the senate building?" Sam asked and their pace slowed.
"I don't know. Really, none of this makes sense to me. First your sister shows up out of nowhere. Then it turns out that she works for the other guys. When I try to set up meetings with senators and their staff to talk about the thing coming up, they all, and I mean all, say that I need to go through Juliana Wexler. What's going on here?" Josh mused.
Both men walked into the majority leader's outer office. When Josh stated that they were here to meet with Juliana, the assistant motioned for them to proceed towards the offices just off of the entryway. In front of a closed office door sat an assistant's desk, sans assistant. Josh knocked on the door a few times to no answer. From behind the door he could hear faint music. Assuming that Juliana was somewhere in the office behind the closed door, Josh and Sam decided to let themselves in.
The door opened to a loud cacophony of music. Juliana, her back to the door, was standing, shoes off and head bobbing, reading a memo. Josh couldn't place the music immediately, but he did recognize it from one of the area's rock radio stations. One of those rock stations the young interns listened to.
"Do the Republicans know that you listen to this?" Sam asked loudly, trying to project over the music.
Startled, Juliana jumped and turned around. She moved to turn off the music and then walked over to Josh and Sam.
"So, why have an assistant when people can just walk through my door any time they want?" Juliana said with a smile. She slipped her feet into her heels and smoothed her hands over her blouse and skirt. "To what do I owe this visit, gentlemen?"
"I just wanted to stop by and say hi." Sam replied. "Maybe we could grab dinner sometime this week?"
"Sure. Just give me a call. I'm flexible in the evenings." Juliana smiled and turned, "And you? Are you here to ask me out to dinner too?"
Josh chuckled. "No. I have an appointment."
Sam looked at Josh and Juliana and decided that it was time for him to leave.
"Jules, I'll call you." Then, turning to Josh, "I'll see you later man."
Sam turned and left Juliana's office, closing the door behind him, leaving Juliana and Josh standing idly in the middle of Juliana's office and staring at each other.
"Have a seat," Juliana said, breaking the silence.
Josh sat in one of the visitor chairs in front of Juliana's desk. He waited for Juliana to go and sit behind her desk, poised for a debate. But he was shaken off his game when Juliana instead perched on the front of her desk, hands gracefully resting on beside her on her desk and one foot dangling while the other perched to hold her up.
"What was that music, anyway?' Josh asked casually.
"Greenday. Why? Not your cup of tea"
"It's not that…it's just…they let you listen to that around here? And they haven't told you that you're going to hell?"
"They like me too much." Juliana paused, and then got down to business. "So, what can I help you with? I doubt you came by to swap CD's."
"Yeah, because we have the same taste in music," Josh shot back sarcastically. "It's about the foreign opps bill coming up next month. I need some Republican support on this. Just one or two congressmen who would jump the fence. I've come prepared with a list of things we're ready to offer in return. It would be a nod towards bipartisanism. Who do you have that might be soft on..."
"No." Juliana cut him off. She rose up off of her desk to walk behind it. As she lowered herself into her desk chair, Juliana looked at Josh. Josh was simply staring back at her.
"No?"
"No. You know, it's one of the simplest words in the English language. Other languages too. But there's no one."
"No?" Josh stammered in shock.
"Josh, I get the impression that you aren't used to hearing that word."
"You mean that no one you work for is willing to work with us on the bill. That I get. Is there anyone else that you know of…"
"I work for them all Josh. And they'll all say no. We're standing firm on this foreign opps bill. All of the Republicans will stand in opposition."
"All of the Republicans?" Josh echoed.
"Yes. And the one independent vote too. Get used to it Josh. Until the leadership starts getting a little more respect, bipartisan spirit or whatever you want to call it, we're standing firm for what we believe in…even if it's in opposition to the White House."
"You've got to be kidding me!" Josh said, his voice growing louder and more exasperated. "All of them? Do you know what this will look like? What it will mean for foreign aid spending? God, you're…" Josh's voice trailed off as he began pacing and ran his hands through his hair.
"I'm not in first grade Josh. I do know what this means and it will look like what it is, the Republicans banding together to stand up for what the majority of the voters feel is fair and reasonable."
Josh stopped pacing and stared at Juliana in disbelief. "Fair and reasonable?" Josh lowered his voice again and began to collect his things. "I'll go to the congressmen myself. I don't need you. I'll…"
"Don't bother. They won't meet with you. Well, not without me, anyway. And I've already said no." Juliana watched as a look of frustration and a bit of anger spread across Josh's face. She never would have admitted it, but she had been more than a little apprehensive about her meeting with Josh. He wasn't known as Bartlett's pittbull for nothing. But now, Juliana could see that she had stood her ground and won at least this battle. "Now, Josh, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to go to. If you're willing to talk rationally about this foreign opps bill, its good and bad parts, let me know. We might be willing to talk, but until then, we stand in opposition."
Without waiting for Josh to leave her office, Juliana grabbed her portfolio and walked out the door into the Majority Leader's office. Josh was left standing in disbelief and defeat. His only choice was to walk out of Juliana's office and walk back to his own.
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