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...

 asks the reluctant Vice President Hoynes

John Hoynes

John Hoynes is a fictional character played by Tim Matheson on the American television series The West Wing. Hoynes is Vice President of the United States during the first four seasons of the show....

 to speak at an anti-gun rally in Texas after a church shooting, but the uneasy allies have a starkly candid showdown. Hoynes is not comfortable with gun control in general and being asked to condemn gun owners in his home state specifically. Though the two men spar on the issue, their conflict quickly boils down to A) Bartlet's view that Hoynes ratted him out on the MS issue and B) the Hoynes' view that the President lied from the outset and misled him personally. The two men recognize the differences and agree to put them aside because, as they note, President Bartlet will not be re-elected without Hoynes on the ticket and Hoynes will not be President one day if he and Bartlet do not win re-election together.

Donna

Donna Moss

Donnatella "Donna" Moss is a fictional character played by Janel Moloney on the television serial drama The West Wing. Donna is a recurring character during the first season, although she appears in every episode, making her a de facto regular...

 goes before a Congressional committee investigating Bartlet's lack of disclosure. When asked by her inquisitor if she keeps a diary, she reflexively answers "no." Clifford Calley

Clifford Calley

Clifford "Cliff" Calley is a fictional character played by Mark Feuerstein on the television serial drama The West Wing. Appointed Director of Legislative affairs to fill the political planning void after Josh Lyman left the White House to serve as campaign manager for presidential candidate Matt...

, the lead counsel for the investigation, realizes she is lying: Donna and Cliff dated a few weeks back, and he saw the diary in Donna's room after they slept together. Cliff follows Donna home and offers her a chance to confess, but she rebuffs him and turns to Josh

Josh Lyman

Joshua "Josh" Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he was White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the Josiah Bartlet administration...

 for help. Josh is angry at Donna and angrier at Cliff, but brokers a solution that spares more public embarrassment for either of them.

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...

 debates an old friend and Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 officer about the United States' future stance regarding the War Crimes Tribunal. The friend, an Air Force General, is opposed to the Tribunal because he is concerned that it will become an anti-American forum, and believes that American soldiers could be prosecuted under its authority. Leo argues that the tribunal will have a number of safeguards and is unconcerned about any potential threat to Americans. The General then reveals that, as a young pilot in Vietnam, Leo unwittingly committed a war crime when he bombed a civilian target that he had been told was a military target. Leo is horrified, and asks why the General would tell him such a thing. The General responds, "All wars are crimes".

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...

 informs Toby

Toby Ziegler

Tobias Zachary 'Toby' Ziegler is played by Richard Schiff on the television serial drama The West Wing. For most of the series' duration he is White House Communications Director.-Creation and development:...

 that a comment of his that puts the President in an unfavorable light (saying the President would win re-election on the coattails of the VP) has been leaked to a reporter by a member of his staff. The reporter, who was just kicked out of Myanmar for exposing government involvement in drug trafficking, lets C.J. deal with the story before he does anything else. She tells Toby, and Toby surprises Sam by handling things maturely, calling a meeting of the staffers where he gives a passionate speech in which he makes it clear that he's very hurt but also that he respects all of them. The reporter later tells C.J. he's not about to write a story on such a stupid matter when there are so many important events that should be investigated.

Sam

Sam Seaborn

Samuel Norman "Sam" Seaborn is a fictional character portrayed by Rob Lowe on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is best known for being Deputy White House Communications Director in the Josiah Bartlet administration throughout the first four seasons of the series.-Creation and...

 tries to find common sense when a Congressman proposes legislation that would eliminate the penny.