I Never Get to Make This Call | The West Wing

“That is a job well done.”
Season 1 Episode 22: What Kind Of Day Has It Been?
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[@saintroddy]

Just realized that Leo's so invested in getting the pilot out because he was in the same position as a downed F-105 pilot in Vietnam and had to be rescued from behind PAVN lines.

[@nathanharris4105]

PAVN?

[@larrysmith2638]

​@@nathanharris4105People's Army of Vietnam.

[@larrysmith2638]

Leo, although a progressive Democrat on social and economic issues, was a hawk on military matters. His personal history obviously played a part in that, but he also believed in a strong military as a part of American foreign policy.

[@SolomonSamson747]

Thuds were cool jets. Very stable bombing platforms, very fast, very capable. Over half the F-105s ever produced were blown out of the sky in Southeast Asia.

[@B2Roland]

​@@larrysmith2638complex political identity is something we've lost

[@Sierraomega1991]

"If fitz has to call the pilots family i am invading baghdad "is an under rated line

[@trevornott2488]

Go watch when John Goodman played President Walken. He had some damn fine lines like that one

[@jeffreymeehan3116]

"This one white man's life is worth more to me than the lives of thousands, if not millions, of brown Iraqis." - A *totally* not racist US president.

[@potterpotty01]

Not sure that would be a proportional response.

[@potterpotty01]

Not sure that would be a proportional response.

[@Inverter222]

@@jeffreymeehan3116did you just assume gender and race?

[@joserafaeldiazmarrero7668]

"Give me your parents' number, I never get to make THIS call..." Meaning the call with the good news.

[@ArmyMP]

I think everyone already figured that out.

[@michaeltrollo4382]

Love the idea of a well educated, open but firm minded president

[@jmitchell3530]

We had one. We got one. God Bless the United States of America.

[@RM-dc6zd]

it’s a shame we are going to lose one because the academic fringe has been pushing things the broader culture is not ready for (trans and new gender ideologies), things which cause more problems than they solve (pronoun police, identity politics, cancel/outrage culture, DEI ‘anti racism’, uncontrolled immigration), and active, ideologically-driven censorship in mainstream/social media as well as the academic sphere (mandatory diversity statements, anti-bias response teams). Should’ve stopped while we were ahead; now we are going to lose so much. We have been playing russian roulette with our system, and for who? for what? unstable crybullies which represent a small fraction of the population, with ideas that are less than scientifically informed.

[@seanutarbuckle6457]

me too, now we have presidents that ramble about corn pop and "Brew beer, brew beer here duhhhh earth rider thanks for the great lakes!"

[@mucccvhorob4596]

Yeah no one is asking biden wat to do lol he wud w forget the question while he was trying to finish his ice cream

[@Matisaro]

@@mucccvhorob4596 watch how he eats your cheeto jesus alive in the debate. Can't force him to only use out of context bullshit during a live debate.

[@glenbateman5960]

"All the same, I'm going to check out that thing with the carpet." Brilliant line.😂

[@mxg75]

Points to Admiral Fitzwallace for being able to answer the President’s questions about the pilot without even looking down at piece of paper.

[@jimrichardson3078]

@mxg75 Working for an intellect means you must always be well researched and fully prepared (or in the process of learning more)

[@tspencer227]

That's how you get four stars on your collar, and get advanced to the chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

[@andyknott8148]

"That's a job awfully well done Mr. Chairman". That's what I call a compliment.

[@Jmatt455]

John Amos & Martin Sheen, both American treasures.

[@glennwatson3313]

They are just actors.

[@vanDaalstad]

Very good actors​@@glennwatson3313

[@designatedwingman86]

Leos reaction to the "diplomatic option" carries more weight when we later learn he was shot down in Vietnam

[@Summersong2262]

That was exactly my thinking, Leo's usually not that emotional, interesting bit of foreshadowing.

[@DGNYY27]

He also bombed civilians

[@Bazookatone1]

Yes, because even though te character is set up in that scene as the antagonist, he's not actually wrong to suggest it. He's the diplomatic representative, its his job to speak up for that angle.

[@gamlaman]

Interesting when it was diplomacy that got him home.

[@raywellswork]

@@DGNYY27 He bombed Targets of a country that declared war on an ally. Unfortunately Civilians have died in every significant war in history since the Romans.

[@NevillesGran1]

Ohh Fitz asked “How are you feeling” and followed up when Bartlet was vague because he was in the know about the MS! Never caught that before.

[@georgeniebling6566]

Did Bartlett know Fitz knew?

[@NevillesGran1]

@@georgeniebling6566 yeah, Fitz was in the original short list of people who they told, in his capacity as Commander of the Joint Chiefs.

[@michaelmuldowney8]

Wow - well spotted.

[@jimrichardson3078]

@@georgeniebling6566 At the hospital after Bartlett was shot, Abby listed all that knew to the anesthesiologist before the surgery "tell, don't tell, it's up to you"

[@ZATennisFan]

I love the subtle piece of acting Martin Sheen does without words when he is told that pilot is safe...

[@shawnfox2281]

How I wish this was real and not fiction.

[@derrickstorm6976]

Clearly you don't remember season 5

[@grantharriman284]

I'm gonna assume you mean the competent and evenhanded operation of government, not a US pilot getting shot down in enemy territory

[@carlousmagus5387]

Stop voting for the two party corporate right wing duopoly and yeah you will.

[@grantharriman284]

@@carlousmagus5387 If you think that is a realistic option you haven't spent enough time looking at the rules of how this country works. Winner take all elections means that voting third party doesn't actually do anything. Either your vote contributes to the winner, your vote contributes to the failed attempt to defeat them, or you wasted your vote. The system naturally creates and perpetuates a 2 party reality.

[@theshlauf]

@@carlousmagus5387 President Bartlett is a Democrat, not an Independent.

[@LM-nc9ou]

Brilliant little piece of writing: President Bartlet refers to Fitz having to call the pilot’s parents. But he wants to call himself after the pilot is rescued.

[@lelandrb]

Fitz's voice has a unique cadence to it, it's very confident and clear

[@gabe2349]

He might be my favorite character. The writing and the actor combine to create just a really excellent portrayal. Awesome stuff.

[@bigmo10]

John Amos. Outstanding performer.

[@snidelywhiplash]

John Amos, a lowkey icon. Badly underappreciated actor.

[@2legit64]

@@snidelywhiplash Truth! Love him as Fitzwallace.

[@sadjaxx]

Rest in Peace John Amos, we miss you.

[@charliewion8925]

This is why we love Bartlett

[@mizzle006]

The way I teared up when Fitz said Captain Hotchkiss was on the line.

[@johnjones4699]

me too😢

[@rafezetter8003]

Dr Josiah Bartlett is the best President the USA has never had, or ever will anytime soon. Followed thereafter by Andrew Shepard, another great president the USA never had, but should. Both from the mind of Aaron Sorkin.

[@brandonkruse825]

Forgetting one, David Palmer.

[@FS2K4Pilot]

Jordan Lyman.

[@kenle2]

To be fair, they both have the extremely god-tier advantage of being ... fictional. "Of course truth is stranger than fiction." "Fiction has to make sense."

[@davidgradwell8830]

Also, the nameless president who looks just like Henry Fonda in "Fail-Safe."

[@leftyhitter]

And both Democrats.

[@occamraiser]

I've always thought that this program clearly showed the president that Americans liked to think they had, and never in my lifetime have actually had. The nearest probably being Jimmy Carter or Barak Obama. Wouldn't the world be a wonderful place with Jeb Bartlett at America's helm.

[@MrDustinkohn01]

Obama was a wonderful speaker but in reality his war crimes and drone killings (even killed a US citizen w/o even filing charges) were so inhumane and detrimental to future foreign relations.

[@flankspeed]

That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is a Commander-in-Chief. Ably assisted. 👍

[@rsenior7140]

That, ladies and gentlemen, is a fictional tv show.

[@CorsetGrace]

I wish we had Presidents with this kind of integrity. Wouldn't care which party. Just give me someone with integrity.

[@vectorm4]

I absolutely agree, CorsetG- I fear your comment will open a flood of partisan opinion.

[@hoganhero5]

Preach

[@ai-aniverse]

Seriously, if only

[@moontreecollective6718]

There were several options, but the masses wouldn’t accept them. Mitt Romney would have been a good one.

[@murrethmedia]

From Wikipedia's article "Seal of the President of the United States." _A popular but erroneous myth is that the seal is changed during times of war, so that the eagle faces the arrows in its left talon. This belief may have arisen because major changes to the seal have coincidentally been made before or after wars - specifically, the 1945 change in the seal, and also the 1916 change in the flag (though not the seal) from the right-facing Great Seal to the left-facing presidential seal.[47]_ _This misconception may also have arisen from a comment made by Winston Churchill, who, regarding Truman's redesign of the seal, joked: "Mr. President, with the greatest respect, I would prefer the American eagle's neck to be on a swivel so that it could face the olive branches or the arrows, as the occasion might demand".[53]_ _The belief is perpetuated by a 2000 episode of The West Wing entitled "What Kind of Day Has It Been?". Character Admiral Fitzwallace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, notes that the presidential seal in the center of the Oval Office carpet contains a shield bearing a bald eagle clutching the olive branch in its right talons and arrows in its left. The eagle's head is turned toward the olive branch. Fitzwallace alleges that in times of war the seal is replaced with one in which the eagle's head is turned toward the arrows.[54]_

[@ered203]

Excellent work, sir. Truly excellent.

[@ElectroDFW]

How do we know it doesn't? There are very few privileged enough to actually ever be in that room, and I doubt they'd let secrets like that spill, out of respect for the office, if not the man.

[@johnnotrealname8168]

@@ElectroDFW It should also be known that the country has not been at War since Harry S. Truman.

[@ArmyMP]

@@ElectroDFW The discussion is about the seal of the United States, not the rug in the Oval Office. Congress wouldn't make a law about the carpet in one room. It's about the seal, wherever it is represented, including on every US Military Officer's formal cap in uniform for example.

[@ichikedai]

​@@johnnotrealname8168, we've been in all of the wars. 😂. Korean War is also still ongoing to this day.

[@spornge]

Teh gravitus of Martin Sheen mixed with the writing is just magic, all that bickering at the open and the President did exactly what he should do made it not esoteric , but about a single individual they have a responsibility to.

[@Greeley.d]

I am a conservative but this would be a President that you could respect because he cared about America and he was a true leader.

[@Erin-Thor]

I’m confused, as a Republican you seem to appreciate Democrat values.

[@ethanpan2335]

@@Erin-Thordemocrat values like “let’s get U.S. troops back from hostile territory”. truly, the United States would be better off with the GOP, whose position you apparently take to be “let them rot”.

[@Erin-Thor]

@@ethanpan2335 - Seriously? Republicans fought military promotions for what, 7 or 8 months? They voted to REDUCE the budget and staff for Border Security/patrol by over 20%. Republicans also call military personnel losers, and do not recognize their service or sacrifice for this country. I couldn’t disagree with you more.

[@alertgasper]

@@Erin-Thor and in Afghanistan, our Republican president made a plan with the enemy to reduce troop forces on the ground before pulling them out. Hard to defend a retreat when there's not enough troops to defend the retreat. Or we could discuss the death of 241 Marines because Reagan didn't want them to carry loaded M16's...just before selling TOWs to the mullahs who helped with the planning of the truck bomb. Or the Republicans who exposed a CIA agent.

[@feanedhell]

You sure aren’t gonna find any kind of leadership from the gop

[@grifftech]

God how I miss this show.

[@moretoknowshow1887]

I love Fitz and his eagle question, brought a moment of levity to what could've been a tense situation.

[@addman]

In case anyone was wondering, according to Snopes, it is FASE that the seal is changed during wartime. Possibly made us for the show. Although the seal has changed over the years, notably in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson changed the design slightly so that the eagle's head was modified to face the viewer's right, towards the talon holding the arrows. Then, in 1945, President Harry Truman made more changes, including switching the head to the left.

[@roadbeef]

Don't let Danny convince you to sell the farm!!!! People will come, Jed!!!

[@deborahdapo3210]

Love this show, my favorite show of all time. I own them all.

[@llchapman1234]

I just got the whole DVD set as a gift! Love this series and looking forward to watching the whole thing from start to finish.

[@catfishcave379]

John Amos as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was brilliant casting; typical of the West Wing.

[@phildressel8865]

My favorite all time TV show...

[@JasondenHollander-qj5hp]

Sorkin’ s obsession with military toys and listing them off in every scene

[@johnnotrealname8168]

He was a hawk actually.

[@capnskiddies]

Ah, he's no Tom Clancy. That man thought he was writing a catalogue

[@ArmyMP]

The fact that you call them "toys" is telling.

[@JasondenHollander-qj5hp]

@@ArmyMP naw lil’ butt hurt can’t handle some commentary on a fictional show.

[@Bazookatone1]

SPOOILERS AHEAD: In a later episode, the staff are brainstorming possible running mates for Bartlett in place of Hoynes and one of them is Admiral Fitzwallace. Of course the character was killedin a car bombing while he was on a fact finding trip in Istael, but if they had kept him alive, I genuinely would have liked to have seen a continuation of the West Wing with Vinnick as President and Fitzwallace as some sort of major character, maybe as a recently Democratic represetnative, or even as a Republian Vice President.

[@SamaritanPrime]

A plausible scenario is that Fitzwallace stays in the background for most of the series, but makes the short list for Matthew Santos at the end of the series- replacing Leo when the older man passes away.

[@ryanellis7842]

@@SamaritanPrimethat’s exactly what would have happened. Makes so much sense.

[@SamaritanPrime]

@@ryanellis7842 It would be a bit counterintuitive, given that Santos was also a military man and Fitzwallace once outranked him, but it would make sense. Fitzwallace was a no-fluff kind of guy; he gives Bartlett the info he needs in the clip above succinctly, without too much dressing, and was just an all-around capable and experienced guy. Santos would have been just fine with that guy at his back, plus Vinnick as his Secretary of State offering seasoned diplomatic advice. Santos would have been hitting the ground outright sprinting.

[@johnnotrealname8168]

@@SamaritanPrime It does not matter what rank you were. The military is under civilian control.

[@darranedmundson1505]

Just watched this clip 4 times in a row.

[@googoo-gjoob]

The *GREATEST* show in the _history_ of television.

[@pdeforest]

Martin Sheen for President in 2024.

[@pauldonnelly910]

IIRC, one deftness in the drama is that we never quite find out what happens next -- that is, you can just HEAR Martin Sheen in character saying something like "this is Jed Barlett, hold for a voice you know...' or something. It's an echo of the original goofier character who called the Turkey Hotline.

[@stevenelson3515]

John Amos is an exceptional actor.

[@MrCCollins1993]

I love this scene. There are so many great and worthy moments to comment on. But im going to go for the low and subtle joke that foe once, someome else points out and obscure historical fact and this time it's Bartlet that's bored 😂

[@saoirsevicteoiria2759]

It is a great way to show how much the situation is affecting Bartlett, who is always curious and almost never short with people.

[@bladactania]

"Get him back." "Yes, Sir." Chef's kiss.

[@edtrine8692]

This President has balls!

[@garyfrombrooklyn]

This is one of those awesome West Wing moments that made you feel good and could handle whatever came at you on Thursday

[@viking956]

Their "technical advisors" didn't do their homework on this one. An F-117 is strictly an attack aircraft. There is no way on this planet it would ever be assigned a "patrol" mission. The ONLY circumstance it would ever be over Iraqi territory would be to drop two bombs on preassigned targets. Patrol mission? That's the job of the F-15's, F-18's, F-22's, F-35's and F-16's.

[@matthewbaynham6286]

The F-117 is actually a bomber, the "F" is incorrect. It only carries bombs.

[@generalsmite7167]

Not to mention the fact that it is a stealth aircraft and the only one ever shot down was because its bomb bay doors were open and they knew exactly the direction it was flying from and they were lucky

[@matthewbaynham6286]

@@generalsmite7167 wrong it wasn't the bomb bay doors that were the problem. Stealth aircraft can be detected with long wave radar signals however that only gives an approximate position. The F-117 crews were over confident that they were totally invisible, (which is not true), so they kept flying exactly the same routes. Do when the enemy know their approximate position and had knowledge of the usual route these pilots take, they took their shot and were a bit lucky but still they skills and experience were also required.

[@generalsmite7167]

@@matthewbaynham6286 that’s not completely true. The Serbians were unable to detect the craft on long wave twice only on the third time when the bomb doors were open were they able to detect it. It was arrogance because not only did they fly the same route but they did not send out any sead aircraft so the Serbs were able to use their radar more than normal which is why they were able to get the lucky detection

[@gregrtodd]

Mr Sorkin, who is normally such a stickler for detail, almost always gets aircraft details wrong. Go back to Toby's very first scene in the series where he tells the flight attendant about the new L1011 he's in (rolled off the production line 3 months ago) when Lockheed stopped making the Tristar 15 years before the episode. Or Angel Maintenance, where Will Bailey (who is supposed to be in the Air Force reserve), misidentifies an F-15 as an F-16 Falcon.

[@carycimino7699]

I love this guy

[@nbenefiel]

I so much miss The West Wing. I rewatched it all during the Trump years and pretended that Jed Barrett was president.

[@jomichealnelson8355]

He wasn't wrong to suggest diplomacy. He gave the President all the options and what a reasonable timeframe would be needed. Even knowing about the bounty it needed to be said and considered.

[@gerryaustin8687]

Best show ever

[@dw-yl3ln]

Fitz is so giddy here 😅

[@chewy739]

I believe both the President and father was running the show here. Especially towards the end

[@carl9654]

"He had an ACES II 0-0 ejection seat..." No general is going to waste the president's time mentioning the ejection seat brand. This is either product placement or script writers getting carried away with their research.

[@bacchuslax7967]

I can see these two on a presidential ticket

[@dantae88]

Leo was a POW in Vietnam after his plane was shot down.

[@timofey-sak]

Man, the best political TV show that ever was...

[@danharris5999]

Rob Lowe was supposed to be the centerpiece, and Sheen was just supposed to appear in a few scenes early on and then become invisible. But Sheen had so much fun in that pilot episode that he asked for more scenes, and next thing you know he's the focal point. No disrespect to Lowe, but that show doesn't get past season 2 without Sheen, in my opinion.

[@rayzbal]

Bartlett was the goat. We could use him nowadays.

[@anthonybanchero3072]

Interesting detail, a surface combatant named after a state. Closest we have today is an LPD USS NEW YORK, with steel salvaged from the WTC making up it's bow.

[@christianvalentin5344]

I forgot what year this episode first aired, but as of the mid 1990s, the US Navy had a few nuclear powered guided missile cruisers that were named for states.

[@christianvalentin5344]

@poiujnbvcxdswq also the USS California and USS South Carolina. But I don’t remember when they were taken out of service.

[@SamaritanPrime]

Could you imagine being Hotchkiss’ parents right after this scene? “Hello?” “Hi, is this Mrs. Hotchkiss?” “Yes…?” “This is Jed Bartlett, your son’s boss. We got him. He’s on his way home. Got a sprained ankle but is otherwise fine.”

[@jeffjames4064]

If only we would do it.

[@hdk173]

"i swear to god im invading baghdad."

[@nikolatesla5553]

The seal DOES NOT CHANGE during war time. Total myth.

[@rcslyman8929]

Always look to peace, but be prepared for war.

[@matthew1257]

Thank you for writing this so I didn't have to, Buddy.

[@saoirsevicteoiria2759]

It's entirely possible, however, that Fitzwallace might be one of many people who are under this mistaken impression, given that US Congress has not declared war since 1942.

[@ArmyMP]

@@saoirsevicteoiria2759 It was 1941.

[@wenwenjiang3593]

Strong leaders. Protecting our troops. Communicating with the public. This is less realistic than LOTR

[@orlandoskipper589]

The writers killing Fitz off was criminal...I know they needed a dramatic storyline but goddamn it.

[@develynseether4426]

A democratic president making a very republican decision. This is what leaders need to be about, when it comes down to things like this you dont make decisions based on your parties preferences, you do what has to be done.

[@notsayingmyname1684]

Respectfully what makes military action a “republican decision” as a moderate democrat I know that democratic presidents are not scared to pull the trigger.

[@blissfulearth334]

Yes people would vote for Bartlett because he speaks the truth and he has integrity. Unfortunately that's rare in a real president

[@ArmyMP]

Both Bushes and Biden all had/have integrity.

[@davidweihe6052]

@@ArmyMPWhich is why George W. Bush was erased from TWW history.

[@noahbrown6970]

Is that thing about the carpet true, and if it is then how do they do it? Little details like that in regalia and heraldry absolutely fascinate me!

[@danielchilton5400]

Not true. Before 1945 the Eagle always faced towards the arrows. After WWII Truman had the seal changed to always face towards the olive branch. The symbology: we desire peace with all, but we’re ready for war if necessary.

[@stephenbruce1548]

What episode was this? I've watched all and I totally don't remember this scene.

[@SWOBIZ]

CJ says “Eye-Rak”, just like Sarah Palin.

[@RuroniKaito]

I wonder, did Jed ever get an answer for Fitz before Gaza... Im sure he did but it makes me wonder.

[@BOK-04]

WHERE can I watch this show WITHOUT having to pay?????

[@bmw10203]

I love Fitzwallace

[@SuperDougiedoo]

F117 “just patrolling the no fly zone”. Sure, and we also like to use the USS Ford to check fishing licences.

[@daviddiehl-gy2sq]

We need to go back to when the president sneezed you looked to see which country disappeared.

[@a6am3mn0n]

A certain former guy wouldn’t have done a rescue because people who get shot down over enemy territory are “losers”

[@zionkid420]

And somehow that coward is still being allowed to run again.

[@Raven9409]

I think the only reason Biden might act is because Uncle Bosey was eaten by cannibals after getting shot down…….

[@HughShower]

Ex-President Draft Dodging Bone Spurs 🙄

[@Elthenar]

You kids can say what you want but the world was a better place when Trump was president. No wars were started on his watch. He did bungle the Afghan withdrawal so badly that people were hanging on to air force planes as they took off or leave millions in war machines behind for the Taliban.

[@user-ed2wq4wu8c]

Yup people like you always bring up politics when there's no need for it. How does it feel to be butt hurt all the time ?

[@glennzanotti3346]

Bartlett 2024!

[@davidlee2438]

the more i watch the west wing, even on repeat, I get sad that we are so far from respectable. ugh.. so annoying

[@blindspott1060]

I seriously doubt a F-117 fighter would be assigned to fly a routine patrol enforcing a no-fly zone. It was designed as a stealth bomber and carried no defensive armament...no missiles, no guns, no cannon.

[@ArmyMP]

It also wouldn't have such a young pilot. A 26 yr old would be in an F-16.

[@GBTCO2b]

Admiral Sissy Mary

[@emameyer]

26 year old captain of a stealth fighter...

[@ArmyMP]

Oh good catch. Yeah, only the more senior officers graduate to that type of aircraft. The writers should have just said F-16.

[@jediabsolute7897]

An empathetic president with heart, class, dignity, intelligence, and morals? In this day and age, that would be the equivalent of finding Bigfoot at Leprechaun Larry's Golden Hoof & Tow getting re-shoe service on his unicorn before attending a cheese & wine mixer in Middle Earth that's being hosted by the tooth fairy and her fiance, Willy Wonka.

[@jeffreymeehan3116]

"This one white man's life is worth more to me than the lives of thousands, if not millions, of brown Iraqis." - A *totally* not racist US president.

[@scooterb3342]

No one is asking why he was headed to Tel Aviv? Do we think a phone call was made to Moosad for a favor?

[@shawnbrennan7526]

Please always put the original airing date in the description.

[@soeasyastonercoulddoit]

Anyone else wondering why this is getting uploaded now?

[@bacchuslax7967]

What saddens me, just kills me is the reality of today

[@michaeldarling6336]

I know it's a myth, but in this episode, did they ever explain how the carpet is changed in their fictional universe where it actually gets changed?

[@Whitpusmc]

I’m a far right Republican and I’d vote for him over either of the two choices I will have in November.

[@RogueDragon05]

The fact that they have convinced you and everyone else that there are only 2 choices is a bigger problem then the choices themselves.

[@jamesscully529]

Back when the show was on, President Bartlet was poling higher than the two presidential candidates that year, I believe in the 2000 election, so that would have been Bush and Gore.

[@jdgindustries2734]

@@RogueDragon05 Its not us that are convinced there are only 2 choices, just enough of the people who refuse to use social media the way it was hoped for.. grassroots political change by the people. The 2016 election was the last I voted in, and my vote went to Senator Palpatine simply because at least with him, I knew what I was getting. Perhaps I'll do write-in votes going forward and put myself down, because I certainly won't do any worse than anyone else we've put in office lately. And since I know I don't know everything, my first act will be to surround myself with experts on all the topics I'll need.

[@deidryt9944]

It's easy for you to say that with all the "behind the scenes" looks you get during the show. But now go back and only view the public appearances and news coverage segments from The West Wing. I'm pretty sure this episode was in his first term, and so now also think of the shooting he had been subjected to, the hearings around Leo McGerry, and the Multiple Schlerosis "coverup" leading into his re-election campaign.

[@markhunter3263]

Ok but let’s all be honest here - how many of us would actually remember our parents phone numbers off the tops of our heads? Especially in a situation like that.

[@neonjoe529]

In the early 2000's, people actually knew phone numbers. There was a time that I knew around 100, including the auto parts store, the video rental place, and, yes, my parent's number.

[@generalsmite7167]

I just realized that they have a stealth fighter shot down. No way they would have been able to do that to one outside of their airspace and no way they would use an aircraft designed for stealth bombing on a patrol

[@Raduldo]

Love it when americans go.. us f117a nighthawk stealth fighter attack aircraft... and then hit you with "flying routine patrol", on the other side of the world.😮

[@johnbeans2000]

And then the mission meant 100 innocents diedby a JDAM or Hellfire.

[@mxp14242]

Yeah because I’m sure that he was hiding in the middle of a city.

[@johnbeans2000]

@@mxp14242 yes.

[@barcley00]

why would a stealth ground attack aircraft be flying a patrol for a no fly zone?

[@lancer525]

Because it was in the script that way.

[@limeyprat]

Wow! How bad was this show??? An F-117 flying a "routine patrol" over a no-fly zone... Even when I was a teenager I knew F-117s didn't do combat air patrols. smh The jet did cost ~$45 million to make but that was in ~1982 dollars, not in the year 2000... Great attention to detail Aaron Sorkin

[@shaunig6716]

An intelligent, well educated, empathetic man, everything a President should be! It is so scary to think that Trump was even allowed in the situation room, let alone in charge 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

[@Shadowkey392]

…how DO they do that with the carpet?

[@The_Daily_Tomato]

Most likely one stitch at a time or whatever it is they do with the Persian rugs.

[@tomshea8382]

They don't. It's an urban myth.

[@nbenefiel]

This is why we support Israel. It’s the only mid eastern country that supports us.

[@JAHinHK]

Notice they are flying the pilot to Israel.

[@sgunter1]

Israel is just the nearest "friendly"' country. Also, this episode aired long before the capability to live stream events as they happen. Back when this show aired, most of the civilized world believed Israel's propaganda as facts because nothing else was seen/heard. Now we truly get "the rest of the story."

[@Coco-qz7fn]

He would be considered a right wing radical today

[@Whitpusmc]

Well you show me another person on the ballot with a realistic chance of winning and I’ll be unconvinced. I voted in the primary and my guy lost. If you think there’s someone else who might win let’s put some cash on it.

[@god1971b]

Ask yourselves honestly, would you see trump doing this??? Would he even remember the Pilots name?? Or do you think Biden would be more likely to do this.?

[@javimiami92]

Please don't post anything from season 7.

[@Dualhammers]

Imagine what we would do if an Iraqi pilot crashed in the US and they tried to come get them. We are an arrogant evil country

[@sgunter1]

First off, an Iraqi military pilot wouldn't even be allowed in US airspace (he'd be chased away/shot down long before he reached US airspace). But, let's play your hypothetical. If an Iraqi military pilot crashed in the US, there would be no need for the Iraqis to come get him. The pilot would be in a hospital if required. Then, he'd be taken care of (no sarc) in a prison cell. It would be impossible for Iraq to stage a rescue mission and the Iraqis know it.