YourMumsPal

Hi Rob!

If those behind the West Wing were to approach you with a view of bringing the show back with Sam Seabourne as POTUS, would you be interested?

I think there is plenty of scope to make this happen and that there are many current issues that a modern administration would have to face that would prove far more challenging than those that Bartlet dealt with. With an idealist like Sam in the White House, they might actually come up with some viable solutions to those problems.

It really depends, I guess.

I like to imagine that the Santos presidency does not go well, that his approval ratings just continues to plummet due to a series of poor decisions and hard, liberal rhetoric. None of it is intentional. Santos means well and he has the nation's best interests at heart but he thinks that he can bully the public into supporting his policies and it makes him unpopular. His attempt to develop a truly bi-partisan administration constantly serves to undermine his attempts to get things done and he has very few supporters in the Democratic party who are willing to back him up and fight for his legislation because of his growing unpopularity. Josh Lyman - weary and worn out - tries his best to keep the President in line but he has come to learn that he and Santos just don't see eye-to-eye on every issue. His influence within the administration is failing.

One year into his presidency, Santos' hand is forced when a US military garrison in Kazakhstan (housing peacekeepers as a deterrent to the ongoing Russia-China crisis) is hit by a terrorist attack - a series of explosions that kills hundreds of military personnel and many civilians. The attack is traced back to the Bahji in Qumar and Santos is very quick to order a military operation in retaliation, with the support of his Secretary of State (Vinnick) and several key members of the Joint Chiefs. They make little progress after two months in Qumar, failing to find the suspected master-mind behind the terrorist attack, but the US decides to deploy an occupational force, with the hope of eliminating all Bahji influence in the country (similar to Afghanistan).

Santos is heavily attacked in the press for this decision. The US military is stretched dangerously thin between operations in Israel, Kazakhstan and now Qumar. Santos is accused of choosing to occupy Qumar because it is an oil rich nation - one that is already in bed with the United States - and he campaigned sincerely that he would never go to war for foreigen oil. His approval ratings plummet and his response is poor.

Sam Seaborn and President Santos are often at odds with each other. As the current Deputy Chief of Staff and an experienced White House advisor, Sam understands the little nuances and delicacies required in domestic policy and he has a keen eye for the other side of the debate (as shown in the original West Wing series), understanding how to articulate both sides of the argument. He clashes heavily with Santos' aggressive policy-making and heavy-handed manner of dealing with his fellow democratic politicians. Sam strongly advises against a retaliatory invasion of Qumar and is infuriated at the idea of an occupation of the country. He and Santos argue openly in the oval office, in front of other members of the senior staff. Shortly afterwards, Sam refuses to assist with touching up a key speech from the Communications office, which is an insincere attempt to bring the public round to the idea of occupying Qumar, and he and Santos finally have an explosive argument, which results in Sam's resignation and the end of his friendship with Josh Lyman.

Sam returns to Los Angeles and is taken back on by his old firm. He happily practises law for a year and he finally marries his fianceé. He is all but done with politics when he finds himself face-to-face with Will Bailey (now n Oregon Congressman). Bailey has quickly become a key player in the Democratic party and he makes an attempt to convince Sam to run for a Congressional seat in San Diego. Sam is very reluctant and at first refuses, citing how weary his political experiences have made him and his failure running for Congress in Orange County. Later that evening, he catches the Republican nominee for the district being interviewed on television and decides that he may well be the best person for the job. He calls Will Bailey and accepts the offer to run with the backing of the party.

Sam runs a very bold campaign and he wins - narrowly - but he secures a large majority of the local youth vote, being one of the first political candidates to do so in the US, and his education policies prove very popular amongst his constituents. Over his first year, he, Will Bailey and several other junior Democratic congressmen/women make a formidable team on the Hill and Sam quickly establishes himself as a rising star based on his idealistic policies, his political skill and his masterful speech-writing. He remains popular amongst young voters and makes excellent use of the internet to reach out to people, hiring staffers who understand how to correctly promote his work and his policies online. He quickly wins over a lot of hearts and minds of younger voters of the nation, which aids in swiftly spreading his keen work ethic and ideology out to seasoned members of the electorate.

Meanwhile, the Santos Presidency comes to a spectacular end. Josh Lyman resigns one year before the upcoming presidential campaign, disenfranchised with his position in the administration. He has been too weak, too laid back to maintain discipline among the staff and his influence on Santos has faded with time. More importantly, he is tired, and has plans of marrying Donna Moss and settling down. Santos' terrible approval ratings have a grating effect on his campaign. He loses a great deal of party support despite being an incumbent President. The Democratic party begins to fall into chaos, with the leadership trying to distance themselves from Santos to maintain power during the next Presidency, which will no doubt fall to a Republican. Sure enough, Matt Santos is heavily beaten on election day by a Republican administration headed by a conservative, fiscally-revered moderate right-wing President.

The occupation of Qumar continues. The NATO casualty toll continues to rise. The war is incredibly unpopular at home and their are a number of calls to bring troops out of the country. Russia and China continue to provoke each other over Kazakhstan's oil reserves, with only a small US led peace-keeping force standing in their way. Tensions run high in that region. The new US president almost immediately withdraws peacekeeping forces from Israel, citing a change of diplomatic policy and a lack of funding for the operation. The public's faith in their national leadership remains at it's lowest point for generations. The new Republican President seems intent on stripping many of Santos' key policies and takes office only 50 days before a global recession begins. The situation is grim.

Meanwhile, Congressman Sam Seaborn is re-elected in his district. His popularity is growing. He is fairly young, he is attractive and immensely likable. He is also not afraid to fight for change but is better at rallying the public behind him than Matt Santos was. He makes positive changes in his San Diego district and he joins two key legislative committes in Congress, making a push for the education reforms that the Santos administration struggled with, the only key policy from the era that Sam truly agreed with.

As his second term draws to a close, he recieves a phone call from former President Jed Bartlet in his Congressional office in DC.

---

BARTLET: "You're doing very well, Sam, it's all good work. I think it really goes without saying that I knew you had it in you."

SAM: "But you're saying it anyway, Sir."

BARTLET: "Damn straight. Doesn't matter that they don't let me fly on Air Force One, anymore, I'm still always right."

SAM (laughing): "Yes, Sir."

BARLET: "Are you going to run for office again this year?"

SAM: "I certainly plan to, Mister President, unless my wife has other plans. We're doing good work and I, uh...well I want to keep doing that work. It's important to me."

BARTLET: "So - you ARE going to run again?"

SAM: "Yes, Sir. Absolutely."

BARTLET: "Don't."

SAM: "I'm sorry, Sir?"

BARTLET: "Don't run for Congress again, Sam."

SAM: "I'm not following you - you don't think I should run again? I thought you said that I was - "

BARTLET (cuts him off): "Doing very well? You are; but you could be better. You could do so much more with your potential, Sam. You could change American politics. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

SAM: (hesitates) "I think so, Sir."

BARTLET: "You think so? I'm not sure if that's quite the response I was looking for. Look, I tell you what, why don't you and your wife come up to the farm? Tuesday night. Abby and I would very much like to see you again."

SAM: "Well, I'd be honored, of course, but getting to New Hampshire on Tuesday isn't going to be straight forward. I have two legislative meetings, a peer discussion with - "

BARTLET (cuts him off): "Sam. It can wait. Come to New Hampshire. Tuesday. I know that you no longer work for me but surely you can spare one evening and humor me over a light dinner? Trust me, it will be worth your while."

SAM: "Yes, Sir. Tuesday night?"

---

Sam and his wife travel to New Hampshire that day. They arrive at the Bartlet farm in the afternoon and are greeted warmly by the former President, who is now confined to a wheelchair. He leads them through to a large sitting room, where Josh and Donna Lyman are sitting with Abby Bartlet. Their two year old son is sitting on her lap. Sam and Josh immediately reconcile, sharing a hug and a quick back-and-forth reminscent of their time together working in Bartlett's administration.

There, Bartlett convinces Sam to run for President. He reminds him of their discussion over a chess game during the China-Taiwan intervention and explains that the Democratic party needs a new leader to step forward and do what's best for the American public. Sam is enlivened by Bartlet's rhetoric (as always) and is pleased to have Josh's support. The three of them make a pact to see Sam Seaborn elected as President and to re-unite the Democratic party, chasing idealistic goals and making the right changes.

Jesus Christ, people, somebody get me Sorkin on the phone!

Cheers for answering the question, Rob. I'm a big fan.

Is there any conditioning prevalent in your military training that builds any kind of prejuidice towards Palestinian people?

I appreciate your bravery and your time, my friend.

Edit: wording

Thanks for responding.

I'd just like to clarify (given how that question looks) that I wasn't trying to imply that you were prejuidiced personally. Sorry if it seemed that way. I'm reading that question back and it looks like I'm accusing all Israeli military members of actively trying to kill Palestinians and that's not what I believe. I was just curious to know if IDF training specifically taught you to target Palestinian people with prejuidice in any way as they are your constant opposing force.

I am a former member of the British army, by the way, so understand long, boring nights like the one you're currently undertaking :)