Scandal (TV Series)

No More Blood (2015)

Jeff Perry: Cyrus Beene

Quotes 

• CIA Director Lowry : During her tenure in the White House, Olivia Pope had a top-level security clearance, which gave her access to highly classified information, much of it red zone, some of it highly dangerous - information that, in the wrong hands, would be catastrophic to our nation's security and international relationships.

  Cyrus Beene : Catastrophic?

  President Fitzgerald Grant : I don't scare easily, Director. I'm going to need specifics.

  CIA Director Lowry : We have done our homework, Sir. Let me paint the picture. If Olivia Pope goes to the Saudis, they'll have our illegal black sites in Amman. Southeast Asia, they'll learn about our anti-terror surveillance programs. We have four countries, four, who will discover the deaths of their leaders were not due to natural causes. And I am sure that England and Germany would be extremely interested to find out we spy on our own allies.

  President Fitzgerald Grant : Make your point.

  CIA Director Lowry : My point, sir, is that that's the good news. What is truly terrifying is what they will want for her return. Russia will ask you to close our bases in Turkey, neutering us in that region. Pakistan will ask for drone technology to wipe India off the map once and for all. And ISIS will want the immediate release of hundreds of terrorists hell-bent on killing innocent Americans.

  President Fitzgerald Grant : None of which will come to light if Ms. Pope is extracted safely.

  CIA Director Lowry : In our estimation, there's a 30% chance of that.

  President Fitzgerald Grant : Even with our best SEALS on the ground?

  CIA Director Lowry : Even with our best SEALS on the ground.

• President Fitzgerald Grant : [plowing forward with his rescue Olivia agenda]  We should consider working a separate deal with MI6 because at this point...

  Cyrus Beene : [blurting out]  Oh, for the love of God. You moron! You child! When are you going to learn? The finest minds of our government have told you what needs to happen, and still! I built you from the ground up, from the ground up! You are all that I have to show for my life! I made you a warrior! I made you a king! I made you leader of men! And this is what you do? This is what you leave me with? No! No! No! I'm done. I quit. I quit! And you can take your flowers and daisies and your "love conquers all" and your hope, and you can choke on it, because I don't work here anymore!

  [stomps out of the Oval Office] 

  President Fitzgerald Grant : Cyrus?

  Cyrus Beene : [stirs from his daydream] 

  President Fitzgerald Grant : Don't you agree?

  Cyrus Beene : Excellent points, all, sir.

• Cyrus Beene : What I am about to say will never be spoken about again outside this room. She is precious to him, you understand? She is his beating heart, held in the hands of his enemies. With her they can bend him, they can break him, they can make the president of the United States dance like a monkey at a county fair. And as long as his heart is out there, beating in the hands of China, North Korea, Drug Lords, Russia - God knows who else - we are screwed. We stop it. We stop that beating heart. And that, my friend, is what your president would want us to do. It is what he would demand that we do. If his heart were not out there, if it were in here, he would do it himself. So, we do what he cannot do. We may need to neutralize the asset.