Plot

President Bartlet

Josiah Bartlet

Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character played by Martin Sheen on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is President of the United States for the entire series until the last episode, when his successor is inaugurated...

 is excited about the chance to watch images from Galileo, an unmanned spacecraft

Robotic spacecraft

A robotic spacecraft is a spacecraft with no humans on board, that is usually under telerobotic control. A robotic spacecraft designed to make scientific research measurements is often called a space probe. Many space missions are more suited to telerobotic rather than crewed operation, due to...

 on a voyage to Mars

Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...

, with schoolchildren across the country, and challenges the staff to come up with a broader theme for the day's event. Although a technical fiasco threatens the event, C. J.

C. J. Cregg

Claudia Jean "C. J." Cregg is a fictional character played by Allison Janney on the television serial drama The West Wing. From the beginning of the series until the sixth season, she is White House Press Secretary in the administration of President Josiah Bartlet...

 recommends that they not cancel the event but rather take the opportunity to show children that sometime experts make mistakes. This turns out to be a "broader theme" that the President can embrace.

President Bartlet and Leo

Leo McGarry

Leo Thomas McGarry is a fictional character played by John Spencer on the television serial drama The West Wing. The role earned Spencer the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. McGarry's character, the former United States Secretary of Labor, begins the series as the White...

 face a terrestrial problem when a fire erupts at a Russian missile silo, and they find the Russian Ambassador's approach to be dishonest. Both of them are angered when they learn that the fire started while someone was trying to steal the warhead. While sympathetic to Russia's myriad problems, the President is mystified as to why the Russians don't ask America for help.

C.J. finds herself doing some damage control when an article claims that the President doesn't like green bean

Green bean

Green beans , also known as French beans , are the unripe fruit of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean, the hyacinth bean, the winged bean, and especially the common bean , whose pods are also usually called string beans in the northeastern and western United States, but can also be...

s. Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, a state which produces many green beans, will likely be critical in the next election, and she and Toby are concerned that the President's food preference may affect voters.

C.J. is also reluctant to attend a Kennedy Center

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...

 event for an Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

ic orchestra because she just promoted an in-house assistant to Deputy Press Secretary

White House Press Secretary

The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the government administration....

 and many people she rejected for the post will be at the concert, including a State Department

United States Department of State

The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...

 spokesman whom she used to date. At the same concert, Sam tried to avoid Mallory

Mallory O'Brien

Mallory O'Brien is a fictional character on NBC's drama "The West Wing". The character is portrayed by Allison Smith. Mallory is the daughter of Leo McGarry, White House chief of staff and 2006 Democratic vice-presidential nominee, and his ex-wife, Jenny McGarry...

, with whom he hasn't spoken since the publication of the photograph of him and Laurie.

Toby forces Josh to consider the political implications of issuing a stamp of a war hero who also advocated for Puerto Rican statehood. Josh decides to recommend the stamp despite possible repercussions.

Error

Toby is asked by C.J. if he knows how many moons Mars has. He responds by saying, "Two. Phobos and Deimos, the two horses that pulled his chariot." In reality, Phobos and Deimos are Mars's (Ares in Greek mythology) sons that he conceived with Aphrodite.

Leo comments that the explosion happened in the oblast

Oblast

Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...

region. Ab oblast is in fact a type of administrative region in Russia and other eastern European countries, similar to a province.

External links

• The West Wing Episode Guide