The Emmy Award-winning West Wing delivered a season premiere that provided a fast moving, exhilarating drama as well as a realistic education on crisis management by the White House. The crisis, of course, was the attempted assassination of President Bartlett, which was the subject of the final episode last season. Viewers were left to ponder all summer whether or not the President was shot and if any of the other stars on the show, who portray the senior staff to the President, were shot or dead (It was a pretty sure bet that all the principal characters would live after the show won nine Emmy awards). As it turns out, President Bartlett and Josh were the only victims in the assassination attempt. We also learn later that the shooting may not really have been an assassination attempt on the President, but more of a shooting aimed at Charlie, the President's personal aide, who is involved in an interracial romance with Zoey, the President's daughter. In any event, while the President and Josh undergo surgery for their wounds, there are flashback scenes to show us how the President and his advisors met, a search for an accomplice to the assassins (who were killed), and a developing military crisis in Iraq.

In some very well produced scenes following the attempted assassination of President Bartlett, viewers were treated to a very realistic portrayal of what most likely would happen in the moments after a real life assassination attempt on the President of the United States. As dramatized in the first few scenes of the show, and as we learned during the real-life assassination attempt on President Reagan in 1982, the Vice President would be quickly moved to the White House from wherever he or she was located, the National Security Council would meet, and the Press would go crazy with questions regarding "who is in charge" at the White House. The stuff about suspending trading on the stock exchange was probably a little overdone, but it sounded good. Also, the melee at the hospital was well portrayed, especially the part about the nurse with attitude who received the call on the red phone. This reviewer can confirm that there is indeed a red phone located in the George Washington University Hospital Ronald Reagan Emergency Room and that the nurses do have attitude.

In the show, the Vice President is removed by the Secret Service from a public event and is moved to, and secured in, the Situation Room at the White House. In the 1981 attempt on President Reagan, there was more even more drama involved in the Vice President being moved to and secured at the White House. Vice President Bush was out-of-town when Reagan was shot. On his return to Washington, the Secret Service attempted to land the helicopter carrying Bush on the south grounds of the White House. Vice President Bush insisted that the helicopter land in a different location, as the south grounds landing zone at the White House is a privilege solely reserved for the President of the United States (and Bush was not President because he had not been sworn in as President). As a result, the helicopter landed at another location and Bush was moved to the White House by motorcade. After arriving at the White House, Bush was secured in his West Wing office, where he was surrounded by advisors and lawyers who were busy trying to figure out the Constitutional procedure in the event the President died. There was no emergency meeting in the Situation Room, and, by the way, in 1981 Iran and not Iraq was the problem.

While the Situation Room scene may have been an exaggeration of what happens in a assassination crisis (the National Security Council could never convene that quickly), the Press Room scenes of the media going crazy with questions of "who is in charge" were very similar to what took place in 1981 and what would probably happen again in such a crisis. The scenes and dialogue surrounding the questions of "who is in charge" while the President was under during surgery, provided some good and accurate insight to what a confusing Constitutional question it really is. Again, in the Reagan assassination attempt, that same question provided some high-drama when then Secretary of State, Alexander Haig, announced that he was in charge at the White House. While the question of who is in charge in the minutes or hours following an event leaving a President unexpectedly unconscious is a difficult one to answer, it is the opinion of this reviewer that such "power" Constitutionally flows to the next, highest ranking elected official. After all, elected officials as leaders in this country are the bedrock of democratic theory under which our Constitution was adopted. Haig was not an elected official and therefore was not in power.

This leads us to the scene with the Vice President and the National Security Council meeting in the Situation Room. During the meeting, the Vice President is put in a position to make some very serious decisions regarding a possible military strike on Iraq. The Vice President does not answer and defers to Leo, the Chief of Staff. While a real-life Vice President may defer to the opinion or advice of the President's Chief of Staff, it is highly unlikely that the Vice President would ever let the Chief of Staff take control in the way portrayed in the television show. Again, the Vice President is an elected official who has Constitutional powers. The Chief of Staff is merely appointed by the President and has no Constitutional powers.

Finally, while it was inevitable that Josh would live after all those Emmy awards, it would have been the perfect opportunity for the writers of the show to introduce a new, much needed character. Josh, one of the four white, male principal advisors to the President could have been killed-off and replaced with an advisor to the President that "looks more like America," such as another woman, a person who is black, or a person who is disabled, or one who is gay. President Bartlett is supposed to be a liberal, academic President, but his staff looks and acts like a group of men that would advise a conservative, graduate of Yale-type President. Of course there is C.J., the white female press secretary, but her character always seems to be catching-up and fumbling compared to the others. Moreover, her role as a traditional woman was reinforced when it was revealed that Sam, the white male Deputy Communications Director, saved her from being shot during the assassination attempt by, of all things, pulling her to the ground by grabbing her necklace. Why couldn't C.J. have saved Sam's life by pulling him to the ground by grabbing his tie?

Past Reviews

Message Boards