Disaster Relief (The West Wing)
| "Disaster Relief (The West Wing)" |
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"Disaster Relief" is episode 94 of The West Wing.
Plot
A national emergency is declared by Bartlet in light of a killer tornado in Oklahoma that then preoccupies him. He flies there to lend his support. But his compassion overrules good judgment, and Bartlet stays longer than planned. C.J. originally said the President should fly to Oklahoma to lend his presence to the disaster relief efforts, but finally has to tell him it's time for them to leave and let the locals repair their devastated communities. And as C.J. and the President fly back to Washington on Air Force One, they have a heated discussion about his leadership and how Zoey's kidnapping has left him rudderless and seeking noble but unacceptable efforts like his work in Oklahoma. C.J. tells him "I want my President back." "I need you to lead."
Meanwhile, Leo worries about several crises in the capital that need the president's immediate attention. The new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Nicholas Alexander (Terry O'Quinn), tells Leo they should kill an expensive and unnecessary artillery system, but also warns Leo that Secretary of Defense Hutchinson is privately meeting with all Army Generals who are in line to receive their 3rd or 4th stars. Leo tells the Secretary of Defense that's a bad idea and to stop immediately. Leo also frets that the President "has just gone AWOL" as a difficult-to-arrange trip to D.C. by the German Chancellor and a looming Greek-Albanian crisis (losely based on the real Isla Perejil crisis ) in the Ionian Sea require Presidential attention, and orders C.J. to bring the CinC back which she does.
Josh fears the worst after a political miscalculation costs the Democrats dearly. Leo says he'll keep his job but his budget portfolio is being taken away from him and given to a new staffer named Angela Blake. The Republicans push for spending cuts with help from fiscally conservative Blue Dogs and the Vice President ends up nearly offering a huge concession. Sidelined and furious, Josh ends up railing at the heavens and screaming at the U.S. Capitol dome before he reaches more level personal ground near the episode's end. And Donna becomes concerned about Josh's welfare after he becomes Washington's latest target of scorn.
Also in this episode Will Bailey begins working for the Vice President, much to Toby's disgust.
References
The Greek-Albanian crisis in this episode was quite close to what actually happened in January 1996 when there was a Turkey-Greek confrontation over the Aegean islet Imia. As in the episode, Imia was uninhabited except for sheep. See p.305 of Vol II of "My Life" by Bill Clinton.