The West Wing Revisited: He Shall, From Time to Time?

Mon, Oct 13, 2014

It’s January, and the State of the Union is just a few days. We learn that the economy is doing pretty well overall, which highlights the fact that the economy has hardly been mentioned thus far.

However, the President collapses in the Oval Office, with flu-like symptoms. It’s not totally clear to me whether this would be public or not, but I’ve decided to err on the side of completeness.

India begins breaching the ceasefire-line in the Kashmir, which had been established in the last episode. The US brokers yet-another-ceasefire by the end of the episode.

The story breaks that Leo is a recovering alcoholic and Valium addict, that he had sought treatment, and specifically that he’d been using both substances while he was acting Secretary of Labor several years prior. It’s not clear to me how this would play: on the one hand being high while serving as Secretary of Labor would definitely play poorly in the press, on the other, there’s not a hint anywhere in the show that Leo isn’t serving well as Chief of Staff, and it’s a bit hard to make someone who rehabilitated themselves look bad.

Finally, the President goes to deliver his State of the Union address, it’s made clear that the speech will highlight the ability for government to be a force for good.