Look, Haney had to find a way to spin dry the kickback money.My Fellow Americans · 1996 — Chapter 13 of 13 · 1'39" · B2
The Presidents Confront Each Other, Explained: a way around
An accused president is cornered: "there's got to be a way around this," he pleads, offering money—only to be asked whether he can be bought. He admits he used the office, but insists, "I never did it for the money." What he wanted was the feeling of being what he was.
What happens
A former president accused in a payoff scandal is pressured to resign, and in a private room he is offered a deal and asked point-blank whether he can be bought. He admits he made use of the office but denies doing it for money, explaining that his books and appearances are only to keep from being forgotten.
Listen for
a way aroundWhat it's likein charge ofover the rainbow
00:00 / 01:39Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
a way around
a solution that avoids the problem
对方求罗素手下留情，说这件事总归有办法绕过去，不必走到摊牌那一步。
There is always a way around a bad rule.
Also in this scene
- What it's like
how something feels
- in charge of
负责…；主管…
- over the rainbow
彩虹之上；指遥不可及的美好地方或幻想中的归宿
Everything marked in this scene
37 notes across 33 lines
That's where Olympia came in.a solution that avoids the problem
Oh, Russell, please, there's got to be a way around this.I'll give you anything you want. I have money.I'll give you anything you want. I have money.I beg your pardon?Are you honestly saying that Russell P. Kramer can be bought?passive with can
Are you honestly saying that Russell P. Kramer can be bought?I don't know anything about Reynolds' death or the chopper crash.Okay, yes, all right, I admit, I used the office,but how is that any different from what you are doing, Russ?what-clause as object of a preposition
but how is that any different from what you are doing, Russ?You know you've made money from this office.Two things, bill, one, I never did anything illegal.Two things, bill, one, I never did anything illegal.Big difference.No, no, you just don't get it.My books, my personal appearances,those are things I do so the people will know I'm still here, so they don't forget me...those are things I do so the people will know I'm still here, so they don't forget me...so-clause of purpose
those are things I do so the people will know I'm still here, so they don't forget me...And so I can get just a little taste of...how something feels
What it's like to be...weak form
What it's like to be...What I was.This office has done a hell of a lot for me,now I'm gonna do something for it. Get you out!now I'm gonna do something for it. Get you out!flap
now I'm gonna do something for it. Get you out!Agent in charge of secret service, White House detail.Agent in charge of secret service, White House detail.I thought you'd like to meet secret-service officer Ralph Fleming.Thank you, Ralph. You saved our lives.It's an honor to meet you, son.Actually, sir, we've met before.Somewhere over the rainbow.liaison
Somewhere over the rainbow.The Presidents Confront Each Other, explained
What's really going on
The scene is a confession dressed up as an argument. The accusation is about money—"Are you honestly saying that Russell P. Kramer can be bought?"—but the real subject is ego and erasure. The defense is oddly candid: he did use the office, he just did not do it for cash. His reason is the film's most human note, "I never did it for the money," followed by the admission that books and appearances exist so people "don't forget me" and he can taste "what I was." It is vanity, but it is also the specific fear of a man who used to be somebody and now has to say so out loud. The scene turns a corruption charge into a study of what power leaves behind.
Theme
PowerA former president admits using his old office, revealing how much he still needs the status it gave him.
IdentityHe explains his books and appearances as a way to remember what he was, not to make money.
Listen for
- What it's like — weak form
- Get you out — flap
- over the rainbow — liaison
Are you honestly saying that Russell P. Kramer can be bought?A mocking challenge: it accuses him of putting a price on the office he once held.
Two, I never did it for the money.His defence separates guilt from greed: he admits the act but rejects the motive.
those are things I do so the people will know I'm still here, so they don't forget me...The admission under the argument: he still craves being seen and remembered.
but how is that any different from what you are doing, Russ?A jab that says he is no cleaner than the man accusing him.
Questions about this scene
Why is the president being pressured to resign?
He is accused in the kickback scandal involving Haney and Olympia, and he is told the death of Reynolds and the helicopter crash are tied to it, though he denies knowing about them.
What does Kramer admit to?
He admits he used the office and made money from it, but insists that he never did anything illegal and never acted for the money.
Why does he write books and make appearances?
He says they let people know he is still here and stop them from forgetting him, so he can feel what it was like to be what he once was.
Who is Ralph Fleming?
A Secret Service officer introduced by Agent Kopeck as the man who stopped Colonel Tanner and saved the presidents' lives.
What does "somewhere over the rainbow" mean here?
It is a joke: asked where they met before, Fleming answers with the song title, meaning a dreamy, impossible place rather than a real location.
My Fellow Americans · 13 chapters
All chapters →
Chapter 1too little too lateGolf Talk Turns Awkward
Chapter 2shift the stinkThe Missing Appointment Log
Chapter 3skedaddleTanner Summons the Presidents
Chapter 4in the middle of nowherePresidents Hijacked in the Woods
Chapter 5get away with itWalking to Ohio for Evidence
Chapter 6stick a fork inPassengers Gossip About the Presidents
Chapter 7steams my clamsPresidents Trade a Watch for a Ride
Chapter 8live in the pastOld Rivals Almost Bond
Chapter 9shut your cake holeWayne Gets the History Wrong
Chapter 10put on a spreadKramer and Douglas Find the Fix
Chapter 11up to its knees inHaney Confesses to the Cover-Up
Chapter 12the end of the worldTanner Corners Them in the Tunnel
Watching · Chapter 13a way aroundThe Presidents Confront Each OtherThat's all 13 chapters of this film