KENNY

                      No way.

 

            The President spins on him, unsure he heard correctly.

 

                                KENNY (CONT´D)

                      I´m not calling and cancelling on Daly.

                      You call and cancel on Daly.

 

                                THE PRESIDENT

                      You´re scared to cancel on Daly.

 

                                KENNY

                      Damn right I´m scared.

 

            The President pauses, looks at Bobby.  Bobby shakes his head:

            don´t look at me.

 

                                THE PRESIDENT

                      Well, I´m not.

 

                                BOBBY

                      Then you´ll call, right?

 

            INT. HALLWAY - SHERATON-BLACKSTONE HOTEL - NIGHT

 

            SUPER: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19TH.  DAY 4

 

            THEN SUPER: CHICAGO

 

            Kenny threads his way through the host of SECRET SERVICE

            AGENTS and ADVANCE MAN cramming the hallway on the floor of

            the hotel they´ve taken over.  From one of the rooms emerges

            Salinger.

 

                                SALINGER

                      Kenny, all right.  What´s going on here?

                      There´s rumors going around an exercise

                      in the southeast is related to Cuba.

                      I´m the Press Secretary.  I can´t do my

                      job if I don´t know what´s going on.  So

                      what´s going on?

 

                                KENNY

                      What are you telling them?

 

                                SALINGER

                      The truth: I don´t know.

 

                                KENNY

                          (deadly serious)

                      Tell ´em you´ve looked into it, and all

                      it is is an exercise.  And Pierre --

                          (beat, loaded)

                      The President may have a cold tomorrow.

 

            Kenny stares at him, and the light dawns on Pierre.

            Something big is going on and he´s been cut out of it.  He

            stalks off.