Let Bartlet Be Bartlet

"Let Bartlet Be Bartlet"
The West Wing episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 19
Directed by	Laura Innes
Written by	Aaron Sorkin (teleplay) Peter Parnell and Patrick Caddell (story)
Production code	225918
Original air date	April 26 2000
Guest stars
John Amos Timothy Busfield Janel Moloney Paul Provenza Renee Estevez Richard Penn Aaron Lustig James DuMont David Brisbin Andy Buckley
Season 1 episodes
September 22, 1999 – May 17, 2000 Pilot Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc A Proportional Response Five Votes Down The Crackpots and These Women Mr. Willis of Ohio The State Dinner Enemies The Short List In Excelsis Deo Lord John Marbury He Shall, from Time to Time... Take out the Trash Day Take This Sabbath Day Celestial Navigation 20 Hours in L.A. The White House Pro-Am Six Meetings Before Lunch Let Bartlet Be Bartlet Mandatory Minimums Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics What Kind of Day Has It Been
List of The West Wing episodes

"Let Bartlet Be Bartlet" is the 19th episode of The West Wing.

Plot

When a damaging memo which is critical of the President is discovered, the White House press cover it with zest, much to CJ's dismay. Later it is revealed that Mandy wrote it when she was working for Lloyd Russell. Sam, Toby and Josh are involved in a series of meetings which go nowhere and result in nothing; Sam knows no progress is possible on getting a policy in place so that gays and lesbians can openly serve in the military; Josh confronts a group of Republican Congressional staffers who threaten him with poison-pill legislation if he even thinks about pushing for campaign finance reformers on two newly opened Federal Election Commission seats; and Toby screams to Leo that they've had only one victory in office and that was putting Judge Mendoza on the Supreme Court. The staffers and the President feel listless and ineffectual in their jobs, and worry that they will be unable to achieve anything meaningful due to the constraints of the political system.

The staff begin to realize that the Bartlet administration has been ineffective because it has been too timid to make bold decisions, focusing instead on the exigencies of politics. Finally, Leo confronts President Bartlet with his own timidity, challenging him to be himself and to take the staff "off the leash." - in other words, he seeks to "Let Bartlet be Bartlet". The President and his staff resolve to act boldly and "raise the level of public debate" in America.

Production

In an interview with TV Guide Online, Martin Sheen admitted to not knowing who the director of this episode, Laura Innes, was but that evening when his wife looked at the callsheets she commented that Laura was the best thing on ER, so he'd better behave.

Notable Quotes

Leo: "Listen up. Our ground game isn't working; we're gonna put the ball in the air. If we're gonna walk into walls, I want us running into them full-speed."

Josh: "What are you saying?"

Leo: "Well, you can start by telling the Hill the President's named his nominees to the FEC. And we're gonna lose some of these battles. And we might even lose the White House. But we're not going to be threatened by issues: we're going to put 'em front and center. We're gonna raise the level of public debate in this country, and let that be our legacy. That sound all right to you, Josh?"

Josh: "I serve at the pleasure of the President of the United States."

Leo: "Yeah?"

CJ: "I serve at the pleasure of the President."

Sam: "I serve at the pleasure of President Bartlet."

Leo: "Toby?"

Toby: "I serve at the pleasure of the President."

External links

• The West Wing Episode Guide