House Of Cards TV Series

I alluded to this exchange a couple of years ago, but I've got quote the whole thing--really enjoying the Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? aspects of the Claire-Annette dynamic this time around.

Claire: "I don't think your brother is gonna let up, Annette. Until he gets his ring kissed directly, I think."

Annette: "Reminds me of someone you were married to."

Claire: "Oh, no. Bill and Francis are very different people."

Anette: "Agreed. You know I slept with him once."

Claire: "Your brother?"

Almost three years--I've got to revisit this every so often.

I bet I asked this above somewhere, but: in S1, Peter Russo's self-implosion sets in motion the events that lead to Frank becoming VP, everything orchestrated by Frank himself. But that all starts with the watershed bill being defeated, and Frank seems genuinely enraged about that (and about Claire's betrayal on the bill). If the bill had passed, though, how does he then become VP? The plan that seems so carefully worked out after the bill goes down, did Frank just improvise everything on the spot?