Ronnie is still shitting a brick down at her end of the table as she realizes where this is going, which McNulty spells out: "You're talking about turning Barksdale and Bell into co-operators and making the politicians the primary target?" "Of course," says some other one-liner in the room. "No, fuck the politicians!" spits McNulty. "It's Barksdale and Bell! Those guys have turned West Baltimore into a free-fire zone." "No one's saying they walk," says Agentess condescendingly. Lester surmises, "What you are saying is that if we bring you guys the case, it's your intention to let Barksdale and Bell reduce any sentence they get through co-operation." McNulty no likey, and tells the feds, "You're seeing all this ass-backwards." Ronnie tries to send him "shut up" signals, but of course he doesn't pick up on them, and another unnamed FBI agent (played by Toni Lewis, formerly Stivers on Homicide) informs McNulty that their office has a mandate to pursue political corruption. "Can you believe these guys?" chuckles McNulty to Daniels. Fitz tries to smooth it over, addressing McNulty, but McNulty cuts him off: "So drugs and murder don't cut it anymore, huh? How about terrorism?" Agent WASP gets a tiny boner, which wilts as McNulty goes on: "These guys have dropped fourteen, fifteen bodies. The witnesses, co-operators--" "That kind of hyperbole doesn't serve anyone, Detective," scolds Agent WASP. The cops look at one another, and with Ronnie actually shaking her head warningly at them, Daniels sighs, and then declares, "I think we're going in a different direction on this. Thank you for your time." Lester and Daniels get up to leave on a classy note, but of course, that's not McNulty's way, and as he stays in his seat, he brays, "West Baltimore is dying, and you empty suits are running around trying to pin some politician's pelt to the wall." He stands, the better to judge from above, and as he strides out of the room, he pauses beside Fitz, muttering, "Thought you was real police, brother." Fitz tents his fingers, thinking how many showers it'll take to get all of McNulty's self-righteousness off him.