The West Wing Was Real Life
I came to my affinity for “ The West Wing” (NBC 1999-2006) later than most. I only began watching after the series had ended, at the urging of a friend, who couldn’t believe I loved “Alias” (I was a CIA analyst; of course, I loved Alias!) but wouldn’t watch what he called “the best show ever on TV.” I was skeptical. Some critics said the show was essentially a romanticized version of governance, or smug, or a way for liberals to cope after the election of President George W Bush. Others said it tried so hard to be earnest that it became sappy and condescending, or that it pushed liberal ideas and was inherently biased (some of those criticisms can be found here, and here, and here). Chris Cillizza earlier this year wrote on his Substack that he hates “The West Wing,”citing among other reasons its “lack of realism” and complaining that President Josiah Bartlet never made decisions for political reasons, but rather for “deeply held beliefs” (a claim which is clearly not accurate if you watch the “They Killed Yamamoto” episode about assassination, or “Take This Sabbath Day” about the death penalty, and so many others).
Critics were wrong, and after the first few episodes, I was hooked. Rather than being a nostalgic ode to the Clinton Administration, or a weekly bashing of conservatism or a promotion of anti-American propaganda—and to be clear, it was none of those things, ever—I recognized the things that drew me, a consistent Republican voter until 2008, to public service. I saw in the depiction of the Bartlet White House the same passions for service, for the potential goodness of America, and for governance that improves the lives of American citizens, that drew me to the CIA in 2003. It resonated with me so completely, that to this day the theme music immediately takes me to pre-dawn briefings, riding up the elevators (I can actually smell them) to brief the president’s briefers on the 7th floor before they left for the day. It takes me back to the rush-hour drives to the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB) to brief the National Security Council or Office of the Vice President staffers.
What I saw every day during my years at CIA (2003-2014) and my interactions with policymakers during both the Bush and Obama administrations was what I see every time I watch an episode of The West Wing: dedicated public servants who put their personal agendas aside for the greater good, who believe that America is its best when we work across the aisle, who are committed to making a difference.
In fact, an episode early in the show’s seven-year run even gave a nod to the awe I always felt when I walked across the CIA seal at Headquarters, or past the plaques signed by every president expressing appreciation for the CIA, or past the Memorial Wall. In “Proportional Response,” (season 1, episode 3), after a cranky President Bartlet (Martin Sheen), in the midst of announcing a retaliatory strike against Syria for the downing of a US military plane, finally makes a personal connection with Charlie (Dule Hill), who agrees to work as President Bartlet’s body man, Charlie tells Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) “I never felt this like this before,” to which Josh replies, “It doesn’t go away.” Josh was right.
The sense of being part of something so much bigger than oneself remains always, as does the honor of holding the trust of the nation.
For me, The West Wing was never really about politics. It was about service. It was about governing. About working for humanity’s benefit, not its detriment. Did Bartlet’s team get it right every time? Of course not. Real life never does, either. And show depicted the agonizing choices leaders make; choices that are never black and white, or between a good and a bad option. Sadly, all too often real-life leaders can only choose between options that could best be described as bad, and less bad.
Many of the best West Wing storylines show President Bartlet agonizing between two horrible options. Take the aforementioned “Proportional Response” episode. Here Bartlet had to react to the downing of a plane carrying American troops including an Army physician to whom he felt close. Taking this death personally, he wanted to avenge his friend, horrifying his Chief of Staff, Leo McGarry (John Spencer). Absent the reasoned, experienced advice from Leo, who explained the realities of conflict and why a response must be measured even though such a response is rarely satisfying, Bartlet would have taken an emotionally-charged response that would likely spawn a regional conflict in the Middle East. Bartlet came to accept that norms and laws need to govern military action by states, and slowly put his personal feelings aside. One might say Bartlet knew he was not a king.
In “Shibboleth,” (season 2. episode 8) President Bartlet had to choose between denying asylum to Chinese Christians fleeing persecution who had hidden themselves in a shipping container bound for the US, or granting it and angering China in the midst of trade negotiations and a settlement with Tibet. He neither caved to an authoritarian leader, nor did he deny asylum (I would note, I could never imagine any real American president denying asylum in such a case until the current administration did so to Iranian Christians). Instead, he found a way to respect the humanity of the Chinese Christians without irritating Beijing: he called on the Governor of California where they were being detained to stand down so the Christians could simply walk away. (Could Aaron Sorkin take charge of our immigration policy?)
The West Wing also reminded us how the government worked. We learned about filibusters, budget negotiations, government funding and shutdowns. We saw Hatch Act and Pendleton Act considerations play out on screen. We learned about the census, and why counting every resident in America matters. We learned about line of succession issues, what a progressive tax is, about the root of tensions between Taiwan and China (even if the timestamp was a bit off on that one), and we learned about vetoes.
But “The West Wing” didn’t just depict a government that worked as the Founders intended. It gave a nod to our values and traditions every chance it got. From Toby’s insistence that a deceased homeless veteran receive a military burial, to Christmas tree lighting ceremonies and turkey pardoning, to Christmas carols, to church attendance, to respect for family, to…well, I could go on, but you get the picture.
Watching this series should be mandatory. America used to understand how the government worked, and that’s probably why this show retains so much appeal among original viewers to this day. But in the wake of social media, we have become used to instant gratification and the “process” seems unnecessary. It’s hard not to think that if Americans were reminded of the challenges of governing, they might appreciate competent, if imperfect, leadership, and demand more from their current government than tweets and insults.
I remain proud of my public service, and I continue to honor the oath to the Constitution that I pledged when embarking upon that service. I am a member of The Steady State, a group of former national security folks who came together several years ago to push back against what we believed were threats to the Constitution. Our name plays on the claims that there is a “deep state” embedded within the US Government that works against American interests, and specifically against Donald Trump. In reality there is no “deep state,” just hardworking civil servants—and yes, elected officials, like the ones depicted in “ The West Wing”—working for America. I like to think that, if the characters of “The West Wing” existed in the real world, President Bartlet would be out there leading the resistance (kudos to the Martin Sheen narrated “Bringing Down a Dictator” –please watch and learn!), CJ, Josh, Sam, and Toby would be on our Board of Directors, and Abby (Stockard Channing) would be out there every day telling us how whacked RFK Jr’s ideas about public health actually are. Why? Because that call to service, to making this country better for ALL its citizens, the commitment to the Constitution and rule of law, never goes away.
Come to think of it….there’s been a push for Democrats to stand up a shadow cabinet, to counter MAGA’s damaging policies with the Democrat ideas meant to make this country better. Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin has supported the concept, but I’ve yet to see follow-through. Who says the members of a shadow cabinet have to be politicians, though? Martin, Bradley, Allison, Rob, Richard…? Anyone interested?
Gail Helt is a former Central Intelligence Agency officer and a member of The Steady State
Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 290 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.