This episode is mainly about Bartlet's little conversation with an anchor women from a Phillidephia News station. They are discussing being coming an independent country for fuel, to stop drilling in the Middle East. It is being discussed that they should tap Alaska, but they can't because it drastically effects the ecosystem. After the interview Bartlet makes a comment about Governor Ritchie. All hell breaks lose from this. The press is continuosly bringing up this issue time and time again, which CJ handles excellently. The rest of the staff is in safe-mode defending the President, saying it was an honest mistake. The staff starts to realize that this is turning out to benefit them, everyone is wondering "is Governor Ritchie smart enough to be President?".

The show opens to Jed Bartlet being interviewed by Sunrise Cincinati, Toby is with him along with the
camera crew. He is discusing being an independent fuel country with morning talk shows. He moves
onto Philadelphia were he does another interview. He finishes, and like the first interviews, he talks to the
anchor at the end of the interview off the air. So far every anchor asks him about canidate Ritchie. This
woman says the same

 

(Sound Bite Click HERE to Listen)

Anchor Women: "You read the book?" (Ritchie's book)
Bartlet: "I'll read it when he does."
Anchor Women: "What's your read on him so far?"
Bartlet:  "I don't know, Leslie. I think we might be talking about
 a .22 calibre mind in a .357 magnum world."
Anchor Women:  "okay."
(interview ends)
Bartlet to Toby:"Who's next?"
Toby: "You were hot."
Bartlet: "What?"
Toby: "When you just said that. You were hot. You were on the B-roll."

Elsewhere, Josh is obssed with a newly discovered website devoted to himself, LemonLyman.com. He at first thinks it's interesting that these people have taken an interest with politics and wants to correct someone who posted to the site. He has Donna post a message. Donna jokes: "and what Josh doesn't know is that some of these people haven't taken there medicine." It begins to get out of hand, and was posted in the Washington Post that he was posting on the site.

 

(Sound Bite Click HERE to Listen)

CJ: "I'm assigning an intern from the press office to that website. There going to check it every night
before they go home. If they discover you've been there, I'm going to shove a mother board so far up your
ass! ...What?"
Josh: "Technically I out-rank you."
CJ: "So far up your ass!"

Toby has a meeting with newly named US Poet Laureate, Tabbitha Fortis. We know that Toby has a crush on her, with his affixation with his tie before meeting her.

Toby: "Excuse me?" (Donna leaves) "Is this tie alright?"
Josh: "I'm sorry?"
Toby: "Does this necktie go with the jacket?"
Josh: "God, I don't know Toby. Is it red of is it green?"
Toby: "Congradulations, you are the hundreth person to make that joke."

He brings her back to his office to discus anti-personal land mines.  Toby says that we need the land mines and uses the North Korean/South Korean border as an example. She says they disagree, but Toby reminds her that there is a party in her honour and she can't oppose this with the President in the room at a party hosted by the White House.  She says it's too bad they can't have the party.

CJ is still trying to divert the press, and clear the Bartlet "mistake" from the press room. She spends three days diverting this issue.

Day One:

Leo is in the Oval waiting for Bartlet, he is occupying himself with the glass balls on Bartlet's desk.
Jed arrives and apolligizes for being late. They are discussing the morning "incident".

(Charlie comes in to inform them CJ is starting the briefing)
They wonder out into the reception area to watch CJ's briefing.

Leo: "Seriously the GOP's lining up a bunch of people for order speaches."
Bartlet: "Calling me impolite?"
Leo: "I guess so. Anyway, we have about 150 democrats ready to rebut. You have any special
prefrences?"
Bartlet: "I don't know. I guess the biggest names."
Leo: You know what we'd do if were smart? We wouldn't send anybody.. We'd look so good by
not showing up. Let them whine by themselves."

Reporter 1: "CJ was the president saying that Governor Ritchie isn't up to being the job of the President?"
CJ: "The President didn't realize the camera was hot and he said something he shouldn't have said. Something we all  do from time to time."

Leo: "Nice."

Bartlet goes back into his office and we fade out looking at the TV broadcasting CJ briefing.

Day Two:

We open back up to CJ's briefing in the pressroom. They are still discussing the Ritchie issue.
However it's the next day. CJ is answering questions if the President will or will not apologize. Then
a reporter brings up an interesting question, that got a great answer from CJ. The reporter asks if
she knows that several News stations are trying to get Ritchie's college transcript. She says she doesn't.

Reporter: "I guess my question is: Does the President feel college transcripts are an accurate barometer
of a person's fitness to hold a high public office?"
CJ: "I've never asked him. But my guess is the President feel's that a person's college transcript is an
accurate barometer of how a person did in college."
(laugh)
CJ: "For the record: the president graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Notre Dame with
a major in American Studies and a Minor in Theology. He recieved a masters and a Doctorate at the
London School of Economics and an Honorary Doctorate in Human Letters from Dartmouth University
were he was a tenured professor. I myself attend  Cal Berkley, go bears. Thank you very much I'll see you later."

We see Sam watching CJ on a TV outside the briefing room. CJ joins him and they once again discuss the "issue".  Sam leaves with.

Sam: "By the way my Princeton Tigers could whip your Cal Bears any day of the week."
CJ: "At what?"
Sam: "Logarithms, possibly."

Day Three:
Reporter: "CJ can you tell us unvarnished if the President called Ritchie stupid?"
CJ: "Oh my God, day three!"


This reminded me once again why I would never what that job. CJ calls this unspinnable.

 

(Sound Bite Click HERE to Listen)

The show finishes with a brilliant scene with CJ and Bartlet.
Bartlet: "CJ?..I've been meaning to tell you. You did really well this week with the open mike thing."
CJ: "Thank you."
Bartlet: "Didn't turn out too bad."
CJ: "No, sir, it didn't turn out too bad at all. In fact, the whole country's talking about whether
Ritchie's smart enough to be president. You didn't take a hit cause it was an accident.  You
know it occurs to me that even your choice of language was interesting 'a .22 calibre mind in
a .357 magnum world.' That's unusal for you, a gun metaphor. Toby mentioned to me that
when each interview was over all the interviewers wanted to talk to you about Ritchie
and you took a pass each time. Until Phillidelphia.  Mr. President, is it possible you
saw that the green light was on?"
(Bartlet doesn't answer and proceeds to the podium)
CJ: "That was Old School. Go knock'em dead."