At the Vice President's mansion the members of the cabinet arrived for a
meeting called by the Vice President. After they sat down the Vice
President waked in and sat down at the head of the table. After a few
minutes the Vice President called the meeting to order.

"This meeting will come to order. Let us start with a silent prayed that
Zoey Bartlet will be OK," the Vice President said.

Each person at the table made a silent prayer.

"Let us begin with a report from the Secretary of Treasury," the Vice
President said facing the Treasury Secretary.

"As you probably know two people were wounded in the attempt. The
President's military aide was killed and the Zoey Bartlet was wounded. She is
currently being worked on. Secret Service Agents arrested the shooter at the
scene. He is being questioned now," the cabinet member said finishing his
report.

"Thank you. Now we must turn to the real subject of this meeting. As
everyone in this room knows the 25th Amendment of the Constitution states
that we must consider whether or not the President is able to perform his
duties during this crisis," the Vice President said.

The cabinet members looked at each other in shock.

"Are you asking us to declare the President disabled?" The Secretary of
Transportation asked.

"We do need to consider this. His daughter has been shot and seriously
wounded. We must consider what effect this has on his mental state," the
Vice President said calmly.

"The President is not disabled," the Secretary of Labor said.

"There is the issue of his mental state," the Secretary of state said.
"Seeing a child injured is the worse thing for any parent except for losing
one of course. And based on what I have heard there is the chance that she
could die and that would hurt any parent," she added.

"What is the law on this matter?" the HUD secretary asked.

The Attorney General got up.

"Section 4 of the Amendment states that whenever the Vice President and
either a majority of the principal officers of the executive departments
or any other body that congress may provide inform the Speaker and President
pro-tem of the Senate their written belief that the President is unable to
discharge the powers of his office then the Vice President shall become
acting President" said the Attorney General said reading from a copy of
the 25th Amendment that he was given.

"But the President is able to perform his duties," Labor said.

"I am not to sure. The shooting of his daughter must be a strain on him.
It would be better if we allowed him to focus on her and let the Vice
President become acting President," Education said.

"All this is, is a coup," Interior said.

"All we are doing is performing our duties under the 25th Amendment. We
need to consider what effects the shooting of the President's daughter will
have on his ability to perform his duties. When Wilson's wife died he
became so depressed that he couldn't function. We need to consider this. It
is part of our job after all," the Vice President said.

"The President might not agree," Health and Human Services replied.

"But it is our job. And with a crisis in India/Pakastin that could lead to
nuclear war, trouble in the Middle East and Russia we need a President who can
fully function. And right now I doubt that the President can do that,"
Defense added.

"And the country needs to be sure that we have someone in total command,"
the Vice President added.

The members of the cabinet debated this.

TBC