24 (TV Series)

Day 3: 7:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. (2004)

Dennis Haysbert: President David Palmer

Quotes 

• Wayne Palmer : Ryan Chappelle is dead

  President David Palmer : [after sighing]  I ordered the death of one of our agents: one of our finest. As unthinkable as that was, I had to buy some time in order to protect civilian lives. I will not cave into anymore of this terrorist's demands

  Wayne Palmer : Unfortunately we're vulnerable, as long as Saunders has this virus and is willing to release it. So far seven hundred people have been infected and they're all going to die. Now unless you're willing to accept more loss of life, I don't know what we can do. He has us in a corner

  President David Palmer : Convene the Cabinet

  Wayne Palmer : Yes Sir

• President David Palmer : [Over the phone]  Stephen Saunders, the man who's in control of the virus, you know him correct?

  Jack Bauer : Yes Sir, I worked with him a number of years ago on a mission you sanctioned: the Drazen mission in Kosovo

  President David Palmer : The last conversation I had with him, he said there will be other demands. His exact words were "The main event to come." Do you have any idea what he means by that?

  Jack Bauer : I wish I could tell you Sir, right now Stephen Saunders is in a vengeful state of mind. Any demands he makes will be detrimental to American security

  President David Palmer : What I'm asking is what will he do if I say no to him?

  Jack Bauer : Mr. President when I worked with Stephen Saunders I never thought he'd capable of mass murder. Today we know he is, he still has the virus. If you don't meet his demands he will continue to release it

  President David Palmer : Thank you

  Jack Bauer : [Before hanging up]  yes Mr. President

• President David Palmer : [Meeting with his Cabinet members]  thank you for assembling on such short notice, you've already been on the Cordilla virus that is now threatening our cities. What you don't know is there are two new developments

  Wayne Palmer : First, a vial of that virus has already been released at the Chandler Plaza Hotel here in Los Angeles was the site of the first attack, that situation is being addressed. Secondly, we've discovered the identity of the perpetrator, his name is Stephen Saunders and his a former MI6 agent. Now, apparently Mr. Saunders has at least eleven more vials and is threatening to release them unless we meet his demands

  Vice President Jim Prescott : Mr. President, what are those demands?

  Wayne Palmer : So far there have been two: the first was to use the phrase "The sky is falling" in a press conference. He then demanded we terminate one of our own agents

  Vice President Jim Prescott : One of our own agents? Why?

  Wayne Palmer : We're still looking into that

  General Stone : What was his response if you didn't comply?

  President David Palmer : It devastates me to tell you this but I had no choice but to comply. Half an hour ago we delivered this agent's body to one of Saunders' representatives

  Vice President Jim Prescott : My God

  President David Palmer : Millions of lives are at stake, we're going to need each of your departments to open your files to CTU Los Angeles. Give them whatever they need

• General Stone : Mr. President, we've started down a "slippery slope" here and unless...

  President David Palmer : [Interrupts him]  cut the euphemisms: what're you trying to say?

  General Stone : Sir, we're concerned about the fact you ordered the death of a high ranking member of our intelligence...

  Wayne Palmer : [Interrupts him]  I don't think we're here to second guess his actions that have already been taken

  President David Palmer : No one is more aware than I am the moral ambiguity of my decision. I did it to buy CTU more time to find Saunders and to delay as long as possible the slaughter of millions. I made the decision to protect their future: not mine

  President David Palmer : [Holding up the phone Saunders gave him as it rings]  Saunders, I have to take this

  President David Palmer : [Answering the phone after leaving the conference room]  yes?

  Stephen Saunders : I've confirmed the identity of Chappelle's body Mr. President. It will be disposed of: respectfully

  President David Palmer : We know who you are Mr. Saunders, whatever you're trying to accomplish, you're going to fail. Your only chance is to relinquish the virus and hope we don't find you

  Stephen Saunders : That's not going to happen

  President David Palmer : What is it that you want?

  Stephen Saunders : To make America "clean" again. You see Mr. President, the world hates America and for good reason. I won't bother going into the details, you know better than I the atrocities your nation commits and we're going to change all that. You and I together are going to dismantle the military machine that exports its ugliness across the globe

  President David Palmer : And how are "we" going to do that?

  Stephen Saunders : We'll start where the work gets the dirtiest, something I know a little about. Covert foreign Nationals in thirty-two countries across the Middle East and Asia your government always uses Grade A through H intelligence consultants

  President David Palmer : They are citizens in which the countries they reside

  Stephen Saunders : Their spies: working against those countries at the behest of the American military machine. In forty five minutes, I want a list of their identities, sent to me by way of a website: Silvia.Imports.com, if you fail to comply, I will release two vials of the virus in your major cities and this time, they won't be in hotels where they can be contained