Waco (TV Mini Series)

Stalling for Time (2018)

Shea Whigham: Mitch Decker

Quotes 

• Gary Noesner : Do you realize I'm getting all my information about what we're doing from the Branch Davidians?

  Mitch Decker : Maybe you should move in with them.

  Gary Noesner : [angrily pounding the tabletop]  God damn it! Why did you send that damn tank in there?

  Mitch Decker : Because when I went to pick up those people, I noticed several vantage points where they could hide and fire on our agents. I had to mitigate their strategic advantage.

  Gary Noesner : Oh, you didn't try to "mitigate their strategic advantage". You're trying to irritate them into coming out! It's not a winning strategy!

  Tony Prince : What's not a winning strategy is "waiting for a sign from God."

• Gary Noesner : What's it gonna take to get you to start seeing them as people?

  Mitch Decker : I see 'em as people. Just not the kind I ever wanna be around again.

  Gary Noesner : Hm. Have you noticed... that not a single person has come out since you started screwing around with them? What does that tell ya?

  Mitch Decker : I don't know. That they're a bunch of stubborn sons of bitches?

• Gary Noesner : History's not gonna be on your side with this one, Mitch.

  Mitch Decker : I'll take the other side of that bet.

  Gary Noesner : Just stand down, okay? For a few days. Turn the power back on. And give them... a moment to start thinking straight again.

  Mitch Decker : That's not my call. Talk to Prince.

  Gary Noesner : Prince isn't listening to me anymore, Mitch. He's listening to you.

  Mitch Decker : 5,000 to one. Those are the odds against us. 5,000 people to every one officer of the law. You know how we keep order with those odds? Because they believe we're more powerful than we are. We project strength. And the people believe in that strength. So when we sit outside a place like this, for weeks on end, waiting for them to tire, we look weak in front of the rest of the whole world. And every angry asshole with a bomb kit starts getting ideas. This is more than a situation now, Gary. This is a symbol. Are we the kind of agency that coddles cop killers? Or are we the god damn FBI?