And you know what really gives me the red ass?My Fellow Americans · 1996 — Chapter 5 of 13 · 2'17" · B2
Walking to Ohio for Evidence, Explained: get away with it
The two ex-presidents need proof before they can accuse Haney, and they find it in an unlikely place: the White House kitchen log, kept in a presidential library in Ohio. The catch is that phones are tapped, so the only way to get the records is on foot - "It's a nice night to walk to Ohio."
What happens
On the run, the two former presidents want to expose Haney but are told they cannot go public without evidence. Then one of them remembers a White House kitchen log that proves who attended a key lunch; the record sits in his presidential library in Ohio. Because the phones are tapped, they decide to walk there.
Listen for
get away with itgo over budgetgive someone the red assson of a bitch
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Phrase of the scene
get away with it
to escape punishment or blame
得知汉尼是幕后黑手后，其中一位前总统咬牙说，绝不能让他就这么逃过去。
He cheated on the exam and got away with it.
Also in this scene
- go over budget
to spend more than planned
- give someone the red ass
让某人火冒三丈；惹得某人一肚子火
- son of a bitch
混蛋；王八蛋（骂人的粗话，也可表惊讶或服气）
Everything marked in this scene
28 notes across 47 lines
Haney's behind the whole thing.to escape punishment or blame
Well, damn it, he's not gonna get away with it.flap
Well, damn it, he's not gonna get away with it.We'll go public.I'm gonna call Kaye Griffin, we'll go on TV, and we'll tell them about Reynolds' murder and the helicopter explosion.liaison
I'm gonna call Kaye Griffin, we'll go on TV, and we'll tell them about Reynolds' murder and the helicopter explosion.Are you crazy?We'll look like a couple of morons!What the hell are we supposed to do now? I don't know.Wilkerson, call Douglas and Kramer's families, tell them the presidents were called away to an emergency summit.They will not be reachable, and we have no further information.Unless you find them in that wreckage, they're still out there with about a three-hour head start.unless-clause
Unless you find them in that wreckage, they're still out there with about a three-hour head start.There's a half. You owe me.Yeah, I am one cheap son of a bitch, and that's exactly what's gonna save our backsides.Yeah, I am one cheap son of a bitch, and that's exactly what's gonna save our backsides.to spend more than planned
I had the White House kitchen staff track every meal so I wouldn't go over budget.causative have
I had the White House kitchen staff track every meal so I wouldn't go over budget.Aw, stow it, sailor.that-clause as object
That log is gonna prove that Haney was at that lunch with Reynolds,So I'll just call the library and have them fax the records to a few key people.No, you can't call. Somebody wants us dead.When they find out we're not, they're going to come looking for us.When they find out we're not, they're going to come looking for us.That means they're gonna be tapping some phones.Try to keep up with me, buster.weak form
Try to keep up with me, buster.Walking to Ohio for Evidence, explained
What's really going on
The scene turns from panic into strategy. The two men want revenge on Haney, but a threat is only as good as its proof, and someone points out the obvious: "We can't go public without evidence!" From there the scene finds its joke and its engine at once - a cheapskate habit pays off when the kitchen log shows exactly who ate with whom, and the only copy is in Ohio. Because every phone is likely tapped, the plan collapses into something absurd: they will walk there. The comedy is that the same pettiness that made one of them insufferable now makes him useful. What looks like filler banter actually advances the plot, handing them the one piece of evidence they need while keeping them broke, hunted, and on foot.
Theme
SurvivalHunted and without resources, the two presidents have to rely on luck, memory, and their wits.
JusticeThey chase the one document that can expose Haney and hold him accountable.
Listen for
- get away with it — flap
- go on TV — liaison
- keep up with me — weak form
And you know what really gives me the red ass?A crude way of asking what angers him most, setting up the reveal about Haney.
Well, damn it, he's not gonna get away with it.A vow that the man behind the plot will be held accountable.
It's a nice night to walk to Ohio.A deadpan line that turns a desperate, absurd plan into a casual suggestion.
We can't go public without evidence!The practical objection that forces them to look for a document instead of going on TV.
Questions about this scene
Why can't the presidents just go on TV?
They have no evidence to back their story, so the public would dismiss them as fools. They need a document before they can accuse anyone.
What evidence do they use against Haney?
A White House kitchen log that records every meal served and to whom. It can place Haney at a lunch with Reynolds, which is why they need it.
Why don't they just call the presidential library?
Because they believe the people hunting them will be tapping phones, so any call would give away their plans. That is why they decide to walk instead.
Where is the evidence kept?
Not in the national archives, but in one president's own presidential library in Ohio.
How does being cheap end up helping them?
Because one of the presidents was so frugal that he had the kitchen staff keep a complete record of every meal, which turns out to be the proof they need.
My Fellow Americans · 13 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 6stick a fork inPassengers Gossip About the Presidents
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
Watching · 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
Chapter 13a way aroundThe Presidents Confront Each OtherChapter 5 of 13 · about 20 min to go