Josh and Donna wander the halls. Donna provides Josh with a long list of ski-related gifts that he might like to give her. As soon as Donna's back is turned, Josh crumples up the list and throws it in the trash. ["That exchange, which went on a lot longer than the merciful Strega has reproduced here, reminded me of last Christmas, when I was the executive assistant to the Editor of a magazine and his Christmas gift to me was jack. I hold a grudge over that to this day." -- Wing Chun] Next, he visits Leo, who is busily signing cards. Josh says, "I'm tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop," with regard to Lillienfield's claims of rampant drug use in the White House. He offers to make a "preemptive strike," but Leo wants to know what exactly Josh has in mind. Josh indicates that he wants to talk to Sam's call girl friend, presumably to get the names of some Republicans who use her services. Leo, being ethical, forbids this, and Josh gives in a bit too quickly. Changing the subject, Leo asks if Josh has heard about some news from Minnesota: "A gay high school senior. He got beaten up. Then they stripped him naked, tied him to a tree, and threw rocks and bottles at his head. Know how old the assailants were? Thirteen." Josh asks if the kid died, and Leo says that he's in critical condition. Leo concludes that they'll need to reconsider Hate Crimes legislation after the holidays. Josh says they'll need to get a feeling for public opinion, and Leo says that C.J. will "send up a test balloon at her briefing." It seems to me that a poll might be a more effective way to determine the general feeling about an issue, but I'm no poli-sci major.

In the press room, C.J. says that the Prez will be heading to New Hampshire the next day. A reporter asks, "Is the White House aware that a high school student was attacked?" which is a stunningly vague question. Luckily, C.J. knows what the reporter means, and indicates that the boy's name is Lowell Lydell, he's seventeen, and his injuries include a fractured skull and internal hemorrhaging. C.J. is asked if this attack will re-open talks on Hate Crimes laws. She says that she believes so, although "the best time to do that would have been the day before Lowell Lydell got his brains beaten out, and not the day after."