whoa, whoa, whoa. "land-based maritime specialties." gimme a second here to de-euphemize that.
would that be anything like "typing"? "restocking the cupboards"? that sort of thing, mr. hayes?
well, i'm just an old dame without much time left, so you'll pardon me if i jump right in here before they discontinue my blood-type. i am deeply concerned over the navy's seemingly incontrovertible attitude toward women in the military. case in point.
"the lark report."
the navy's conclusion regarding the crash of an f-14 aboard an aircraft carrier. female aviator, it just so happens. you're familiar with this report and its conclusion, am i right?
yes, i see your signature right here -- twice the size of everyone else's. and your conclusion was "pilot error," hmm?
i'd like to think our next secretary of the navy would be prepared for anything, mr. hayes.
that aside for the moment, i'm struck by the tenor, the ill-spirit of your report.  the degrading remarks by other aviators.  innuendo about her performance in unrelated situations.  even a reference to her sexual activity the weekend prior. in my seven years on this committee, i've never seen a downed aviator treated like this. never. i'm deeply disturbed by this report, mr. hayes. not just what it bodes for women in the military -- but for your own confirmation as well.
 a full 35 percent of all jobs in the u.s. military are still, to this day, off-limits to women. and that's simply gotta change.
sure. and we're gonna hog the bathroom, too.
i'll act surprised.
'zat it? ten minutes, nothin' on the table? sweetcakes, you best go back to the president and tell him to open up the phone book and start lookin' for his next nominee.
well, it's just that askin' you all to integrate the navy is like sending a man to do a woman's job. how do you propose to handle the combat exclusion laws?
by calling women "honorary men." ingenious.
so everyone i talk to says you're top drawer with silk stockings inside.
high-school pentathlete.  rotc scholarship, graduated with honors.  top marks in basic training.  and, as it just so happens, a constituent of my home state of virginia. oh, the things i'll do for one extra vote.
lieutenant o'neil, i am prepared to nominate you for the navy's special reconnaissance program. should you accept, you'll ship out to coronado next week and join in the big testosterone festival. complete the course, and you'll have a fast ticket to any assignment you want. that's my personal promise to you.
california.
this is just a test case, o'neil. but if it works out -- if you work out -- it could well change the navy's official policy on women in combat. or, actually, its official non-policy. now who's your immediate superior there?
my office will fill him in and help expedite. look forward to meeting you at the proper time. jumping off now.
yes, dear.
there'll be more to follow -- but yes, dear, right now you're the pick of a very large litter. and your success would mean a lot. jumping, now.
commander, are you of the habit of letting photographers traipse around your base snappin' their fill? these were supposed to have been discreet test cases --
-- and now i got reporters from toadsquat, iowa, calling my office and askin' what i know about this "g.i. jane" thing.
are you truly mouthin' off to a senior member of the senate arms committee? i mean, i'll give you points for style -- just nothin' for smarts.
well, seein's how this thing is out, you let me handle the r.p.m. from this point forward, i want all press matters coordinated via my office. i'll be god-damned if i'm gonna watch hayes pull flowers out of his ass and take credit for this one. him or the president. this my shade? "midnight mahogany"? 'cuz i'm comin' dangerously close to lookin' like ronald reagan here.
awright. how's our girl doin', anyway?
jordan, dear. how are they treating you?
hmmm. maybe i'll ask when i see you in person.
gonna be visiting that all-woman's america's cup team in a few weeks -- if i were a gambler, i'd say dennis o'conner's days are numbered. but they're in san diego, so i thought i'd take a quick promenade of the base.
"security"? what the hell you talkin' about? your base isn't secure?
then set out the good plates, we'll all have lunch. my office will follow up with details. jumping off, now.
think i overplayed it?
yes?
she made it through s.e.r.e. training. got a call this morning from --
cloak room. i'll meet her there. just her.
jordan. i always hoped we'd get together -- though just now i'm gearing up for a child-care vote that --
sounds familiar.
jordan. might we do this over lunch tomorrow? i do very much want to talk, but now is scarcely --
absolutely not.
wickwire was there to help. to be my eyes on the inside, to make sure you were getting a fair shot. at least that was the intent.
should probably ask him that.
two seconds, walter. in 1981, the supreme court was asked to rule on the issue of women in combat positions. the court cited the 1948 combat exclusion laws as a legal foundation for keeping women ineligible. that decision held for all these years -- until the white house, 10 days ago, moved to have the exclusion laws voided. to demolish that legal foundation.
what he did was light the bandwagon on fire. because he knows what i know -- that american families are not prepared to put their daughters in harm's way.
in face, i do: roper, harris, gallop -- they all come back the same.
i'm saying it's not going to happen. not when the president is set to turn this into a third-rail issue should i choose to ever campaign against him. he will fry me six ways to sunday for sending daughters and young mothers off to war -- and, quite possibly, for bringing them back in body bags.
jordan. i don't expect you to fully understand this -- but sometimes there's more to be gained from the fight than the victory.
the reality is this: we send far too many men off to war. i don't need to compound the problem with women. can you honestly tell me you wanted that life? squat-pissing in some third-world jungle with --
just hold the goddamn clock, walter.
i once promised you a fast ticket, jordan, and i always meant to make good on that. come work for me. i can always use a hard-charger on my team.
i've had no direct communication with him since this whole thing began. and that's quite verifiable.
you'll think about my offer?
well, i spoke with mr. hayes this morning myself -- and told him the deal was off. no more test cases. he was only too happy to oblige. don't play politics with me, little darlin'. you'd be up way past your bedtime.
i'll call you in a few days.
 of course, we always prefer peace to war. but if we're going to war, give women a piece. give them the choice to defend their country. and if the president doesn't like that idea -- if he wants to continue to deny women their equal rights -- then i'll be happy to step out back with him any time, anywhere.
jordan? jordan, dear.