24 (TV Series)

Day 4: 3:00 a.m.-4:00 a.m. (2005)

Dennis Haysbert: David Palmer

Quotes 

• David Palmer : [Over the phone]  CTU tells me you got something from Lee?

  Jack Bauer : We have a location on Habib Marwan, we're on route with tactical teams now. We're hopeful we can put an end to this soon.

  David Palmer : I hope you're right, this warhead can detonate at any moment.

  Jack Bauer : We all know that sir.

  David Palmer : Tell me about the representative from the Chinese consulate, is he still at CTU?

  Jack Bauer : He was there when we left.

  David Palmer : Are we 'OK" there?

  Jack Bauer : They have a surveillance photo of one of my team members. We told him the photo wasn't clear enough to be conclusive evidence. It's going to hold them off for a while.

  David Palmer : I see, Thanks Jack.

  Jack Bauer : Thank you Mr. President.

• Mike Novick : How long are going to keep the President "in the dark"? Eventually his going to find out you authorized the raid on the Chinese Consulate

  David Palmer : We have to keep it from him as long as we can: were you able to find Jack?

  Mike Novick : Yes, his back to CTU. The man they grabbed at the Consulate lee Jong, is still in surgery

  David Palmer : Was he able to tell us anything about the missing warhead?

  Mike Novick : No

  David Palmer : What did Jack have to say about the Chinese consul's death?

  Mike Novick : It wasn't our people that fired the shot

  David Palmer : The Chinese won't care: he died as a result of our trespass. We have to start constructing a "scenario" that doesn't implicate the United States government

  Mike Novick : They must know we did this. We called the Consulate about Lee Jong half an hour before the abduction

  David Palmer : The Chinese don't want a confrontation anymore than we do. If we can create a "scenario" of plausible deniability, they may play along

  Mike Novick : How do we do that?

  David Palmer : Call CTU: have them find out which anti-Chinese factions have attacked their embassies or Consulates in the last five years

  Mike Novick : Most of these groups you're talking about Asian extremists. I'm sure Bauer's team is predominately American

  David Palmer : Bauer's team was masked. No one saw their faces

• Mike Novick : CTU just sent this over: these five groups have all made attempts to attack or sabotage Chinese targets around the globe in the last two year, this group here

  David Palmer : The People's Freedom Coalition

  Mike Novick : They've actually made speeches where they've referenced Lee Jong's involvement with the Chinese nuclear program

  David Palmer : So an attack on the Consulate and the grab of Lee Jong by this group would be plausible?

  Mike Novick : It would allow the Chinese to save face

  David Palmer : And if the Chinese can't provide proof that we entered the Consulate saving face would be all they need?

  Mike Novick : If you want I can start leaking it to the media

  David Palmer : Do it

  President Charles Logan : [after entering the room]  David, what've you done?

  David Palmer : Excuse me Sir?

  President Charles Logan : I just got a call from the Secretary of State telling me about a covert action against the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles?

  David Palmer : That's correct, I sanctioned it

  President Charles Logan : Why would you have done such a thing?

  David Palmer : It was the only option at the time

  President Charles Logan : Don't you know how fragile our relationship with China is right now? You authorized an attack on their Consulate: that's a military engagement

  David Palmer : A covert not dissimilar to those carried out by countries on a routine basis around the world

  President Charles Logan : Don't give me a social studies lesson, we marched onto Chinese soil, we kidnapped one of their nationals, and in the process the Chinese consul was killed

  Mike Novick : We were unlucky Sir

  President Charles Logan : Unlucky? Yeah I would say we were unlucky, that's the kind of thing that could start a war. Now how am I supposed to be able to find terrorists while I'm provoking a nuclear superpower?

  David Palmer : I would advise you to calm down if we are going to get through this day. We didn't bring this crisis on ourselves but we're going to be the ones to settle it, this is a dirty business and we're to have to get our hands dirty to clean it up. Now please Mr. President, you brought me here to help you: let me do it

• David Palmer : We're going to need you to advise the President that Cheng has to leave CTU now

  Mike Novick : President Logan was clear he wanted Cheng to have full access there

  David Palmer : And he has. Now Cheng's slowing them down. His got to go, CTU needs to be to do their job without the added pressure of a cover up. You think Logan will sign off on that?

  Mike Novick : I'll see what I can do