Vice President Leo McGarry

[BOSSHOG]

Nice twist on West Wing last night. This will mean that Jed will have to hang around to be spiritual advisor. And if they win, Josh will be the Chief of Staff. I still believe Hawkeye will be elected POTUS. And I strongly believe that Donna should do a naked photo spread thinking that it will not be published or no one will find out about it. Just delving into a serious issue is all, I'm, asking for.

[RubyDuby in GA]

1. Last night's episode was pretty amazing

I gotta say....didn't see VP nom for Leo coming.

[Wickerman]

2. Good choice

but I don't know what kind of vote getting it will make.

With Bush and Cheney in elected office I guess the bar has been lowered (in SO many ways) concerning Leo's alcoholism.

[MindPilot]

6. Not a fair comparison; Leo has stopped drinking

but the chimp will be stupid forever.

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

3. Once the campaign started...

The West Wing really picked up strength as a show. The foreign policy aspects of the first half of the season were interesting. This writing staff has also toned down the season ending cliff hangers after the uber-drama of the Zoey abduction.

Are Leo's health problems cleared?

How many here would still watch if Vinick wins?

[BOSSHOG]

7. Hawkeye is a relatively moderate republican

If he wins, the show can highlight how even republicans will be attacked by the evil right wing hate machine. Even if he wins it will still be left leaning message giver and I like that. I hope Martin Sheen has some sort of role next year. Maybe he could lead a U. S. delegation to some religious leaders funeral somewhere, art imitating life. Donna still needs to get naked.

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

14. I think a Vinick win...

would make the right hate this show even more than they do.

In real life I could never imagine voting for any R, dog catcher on up, but Vinick is not hateable character. If the R's picked up seats in both Houses with a Vinick win and moved as far to the right as the current Congressional majority leadership is then The West Wing will have a major breath of fresh air and I will continue to watch.

I believe Martin Sheen is contractually obligated for the first half of season seven, probab;y up until Inauguration Day. He could lead the effort for stem cell research. (Would that help MS?)

[Upfront]

4. Love it!

[SaveElmer]

5. Jumped the Shark

Totally divorced from any type of plausibility.

C'mon...the guy nearly died from a few months earlier, from a heart attack that would make the ones Cheney had seem like a minor cramp. He is an old, alcoholic, formerly drug addicted white house staffer...

It's too contrived. I thought they should have put Baker on the ticket. Ed O'Neill is a good actor who would have brought alot to the show.

As to who wins...I did hear an interview with Teri Polo where she strongly hinted she would be back as first lady.

[BOSSHOG]

9. Baker isn't off the show

and an incapacitating illness could sideline Leo. Ironic that a relatives medical problem kept Baker from being picked. So many possibilities. I do like the McGarry character though. I hope he stays on in one capacity or another; if just to kick Josh's ass on occasion.

[SaveElmer]

11. Oh yeah...don't get me wrong

I think John Spencer is great on the show...it's just the storyline that has diverted from plausibility.

[gauguin57]

8. Leo as VP ruined the episode for me. It's B.S.

Leo as VP makes no sense. Yes, I know Big Dick Cheney was a former chief of staff who'd had heart attacks, and HE's VP ... but Cheney has never had the major drug and alcohol problems Leo has had. Yeah, I know Santos's speech about not expecting perfection from our leaders was supposed to cover that. But it's still ridiculous.

Plus -- I think that blonde National Security chick (I always forget her name) who "gave Leo a ride home" in Cuba back in the day (saying "I'll remember this" as she did so) may have some nasty surprise for candidate Leo next season.

Re: Vinick vs. Santos: On Internet Movie Database (imdb.com -- my most-used Web site!), Jimmy Smits is listed as a "regular guest" for "14 episodes." Alan Alda is listed among the regular cast, as "Sen. Arnold Vinick (2004-)"

Sounds like a Vinick presidency next year to me. Especially when the law catches up with CJ over her security-breach leak and shames the Dem administration.

[BOSSHOG]

10. How do we know Cheney

hasn't had major drug and alcohol problems? It took a little nefarious activity by someone inside the white house to make Leo's problem public. The bush white house makes every effort to ensure such things don't happen like that to them.

[MindPilot]

12. we don't

Cheney has two DUIs in his past and he got them IIRC in the early 60s when you pretty much had to be sliding the wagon sideways through the schoolyard at recess to get caught.

If you picked up two DUIs back then, you weren't just snagged at the checkpoint on your way home with a couple of happy hour drinks in you; you were seriously messed up.

[MindPilot]

13. i bet it will be two seasons before we know

next season will be the campaign and the finale, election night. Then in the following season the new president will be introduced.