AUTHOR: Lin

DATE: March 20, 2001

CATEGORY: general

SPOILERS: through The Stackhouse Filibuster

DISCLAIMER: The West Wing and its respective characters belong to Aaron Sorkin, NBC, et. al. No copyright infringement intended.

FEEDBACK: oh, please, would you? that wouldn't be too much to ask, would it?

ARCHIVE: sure if you want it, but please let me know

SUMMARY: Therein lies the power of the Bartlet administration.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The title and theme are from two of Kristen's stories which she graciously allowed me to steal. And if you're aching to know what stories the quote came from, find "Amazing" and "Manifesto." If you read the dedication and are trying to figure out what the lone-wolf comment means, read Kat's "An Explanation to the Press, From the Press." All of these stories are amazing.

DEDICATION: For Kristen for letting me steal-ahem-borrow and Kat for seeing CJ as the lone-wolf. ::grin::

Five Men and Two Women

by Lin

There is a man.

He is the former Governor of New Hampshire.

A Nobel Prize Winner in the field of Economics.

The current President of the United States.

Josiah Bartlet.

He is our Leader.

A damned good one at that.

What makes him so special? I don't think you can answer that in one word. One sentence. He just *is*. He's one of those special people that spring up periodically who has a grasp of everything. And when he smiles at you or says 'good job,' you can't begrudge him for being a know-it-all because he's a gracious know-it-all. He never comes off as pedantic. But the man does love a great trivia challenge.

I think the one thing people admire him the most for is his ability to stand by his convictions. How many men or women could stand in a position of power and say they will not back down from a fight? Not many. Why? Because they are always worrying about what's next. What will enable them to stay in their positions. President Bartlet's philosophy seems to solely be, 'I will do this my way. When it's over, I will let you know. And when it's over, it's over.' I have to give him his due. Any man who is facing a campaign and still does what he set out to do, is a good man. Or at least has a screw loose.

There's another man who stands out above the rest. It's fitting that he would be considered the President's right hand man. Sometimes I wonder how Leo and the President ever became friends.

Leo is the political genius. He's a regular "Who's Who" in Washington politics. Bartlet is the academic genius. He knows more inane trivia than anyone has a right to know. Leo's a pessimist. He already knows what's going to go down because he's already been down that road before. Bartlet's an optimist. He was one of those kids who tried the experiment over and over, patiently, knowing that this outcome would be different just because of sheer will. Leo's the type of person who throws his hands into the mud with everyone else to get the job done. Bartlet's more of an observer, stand back and see what happens kind of guy. Leo's the guy who's at his office on a Sunday. Bartlet's the kind of guy who sacrifices everything for his family.

For all of their differences, they make a better team than the best computer generated match. They are attuned, I guess you could say, to each other's weaknesses and strengths.

But who could be better attuned to the man that is Jed Bartlet than his wife?

I remember the early days of the campaign. Mrs. Bartlet gave new meaning to the phrase 'steel magnolia.' Not only because she wasn't Southern but because this woman stood back and allowed her husband to run for the most thankless job in America. Bartlet was a handful, he still is, but she took everything in stride. When she was upset with him, she didn't allow it to invade her smile. When he was about to snap, she calmed him down. In the words of John Donne, they are "stiff twin compasses." When one moves, so does the other. It's rather endearing (and heartening) to see all the love in their marriage.

And then there is the rest of the Senior Staff.

Let me tell you a little bit about Josh Lyman.

He's arrogant. He's an arrogant loud mouth. Arrogant, belligerent, loud mouth.

Don't get me wrong, he gets the job done. It's the *way* he gets the job done which riles party members. When it comes to professional politics, Josh is this administration's bulldog. They send him out when they want the job done. All this from a man who couldn't hold his liquor if you paid him. But as harsh as he is politically, he is exceptionally soft personally. He has always struck me as the type of person who would defend his friends to the death. They get fed up with Josh's brand of politics but they more oftentimes than not end up forgiving him because of his heart-felt sincerity (not to forget those beautiful dimples).

And maybe that's what happened last Christmas. When Josh was released from the hospital, there was no talk of psychological evaluations. It seemed like everything was right with the world finally. Maybe it was his normal, easy-going attitude after being released from the hospital that threw them off in those weeks. Everyone expected him to bounce back. Why would they expect a man who is normally so friendly and laid-back to disintegrate before their very eyes? Truthfully, I'm surprised it didn't happen before then. How could we expect anyone to come back from the brink of death with no more than a grin?

Sam is their even keel. He keeps everyone balanced. I don't know if it's his naïveté, pretty boy looks, or simply his idealism, but he looks at you with those blue eyes and you just want to do better. You can take one look into those baby blues or read his words and be moved to make the world a better place because he said it could be. That's a powerful tool. It is often underestimated. For some reason, people associate Sam's idealism with stupidity. The man is smart. He knows what he's doing. I don't know if he realizes the effect he has on people though. I don't think he intentionally sets out to snowball people with his intelligence or passionate vehemence.

The one thing that makes everyone more nervous than Toby's yelling is Sam's anger. It couldn't even be described as anger in a conventional term. When Sam is angry, he is disappointed. Disappointed at the person he put his trust in. Disappointed with the world at large. Even disappointed at himself for not being able to see through the smoke screen. He gets quiet. I think that is the most effective anger technique I have ever seen someone use. It's easy to tune out someone who is constantly screaming in your ear but what do you for the ache in your heart when you know you have stripped a small bit of innocence from an innocent?

And there's Toby Ziegler. The Communications Director. Probably the scariest person in politics today. No matter how many times he screws up, they keep him. If the Bartlet administration was firing people based on screw ups, there would be no Bartlet administration. Because sometimes you've just got to throw caution to the wind and say to hell with it all. Sometimes you've got to walk into the dark room with no more protection than a bat and a prayer. Sometimes the line has to be crossed. And that's who Toby is. The wolf they send out to cleanse the landscape of the sheep who would dare taunt him. Most of the time, he brings back the kill, the prize, with no problem, and then there are those times he comes back licking his wounds. It's not a pretty sight. He goes into offensive mode which puts everyone else on the defensive.

One time, just one time, I would like to see them go through a major political battle and not have to run in circles to spin the latest catastrophe.

In truth, I guess that's the one thing they have in common.

Josh is the bulldog. Sam is the idealist. And Toby is the resident curmudgeon. Maybe that's too strong. How about gruff teddy bear? But when worse comes to worst, they all run to one woman. Probably the least respected but most revered person in the Bartlet White House.

CJ Cregg.

You couldn't pay me enough to take her job. It's thankless. It usually incurs blame that would be best laid elsewhere, but she bears it with grace. She takes the glares, the blame, the hits, and she spins it in a way no one ever dreamed of. A damned dream-maker, I'm telling you.

By no means am I saying CJ Cregg is perfect because she's not. Like her friend, the teddy bear, she is stubborn. Outspoken. Strong-willed. And these qualities have enabled her to survive in this male-oriented sport.

I guess it comes from playing in a boy's game. Either play the damned game or get off the damned field. Your choice. There's no room for whiners or mama's boys. These people face a formidable challenge everyday, To see through the crap someone hands them to find the big picture. It's not an easy job. It takes a special type of person to wake up every morning, drag their 4-hours of sleep bodies and go to work with the semblance of a smile. To say, "I'm going to do something good today, and if not, I'll try very hard not to kill someone."

This designation does not go to one man or even two. Therein lies the power of the Bartlet administration. The ability to rely on more than one mind. Not one mind. Not one man.

But five men and two women.

~THE END.~