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"Mr. Speaker! The President of the United States!" This phrase is what the doorkeeper to the House of Representatives says before the President of the United States enters the chamber to give a State of the Union address. This week's The West Wing accurately portrayed this traditional and history invoking announcement during the opening of the show. However, the announcement by itself evidentially did not provide enough drama, so President Bartlet stopped just before he entered the chamber, bowed his head in prayer, and then crossed himself (his religion is Catholic). While the prayer was dramatic, it probably would not have happened in real life unless a national television camera was there, in the hall, to broadcast it live to the bible belt of Middle America. In any event, the speech, we were told, was President Bartlet's third State of the Union address and was considered to be one of the most important speeches of his Presidency.

As it turns out, the show is not so much about the actual State of the Union, but more about a party and a television political talk show, both of which take place at the White House after the speech. As the party and talk show are taking place, we learn that the First Lady has a political agenda, that there is a national security crisis resulting from the capture of U.S. Drug Enforcement Agents in Columbia, that Josh and Joy (the deaf political pollster) are romantically interested in each other, and that the only two female non-support staff members portrayed in the show (C.J. and Ansley) are prone to sitting on a bench in the Sculpture Garden that is covered in wet paint.

The First Lady had a prominent role in this week's show. Her character is portrayed as one that is torn between the traditional role of the President's wife and as a person with great political influence that can only be exercised through the mask of the happy, devoted wife to the President. This "mask" was directly portrayed in a scene where the First Lady happily greeted guests at the party at the White House and then engaged in a "grip and grin" photo with Toby. However, while gripping and grinning with Toby, she told him in a stern, authoritative tone that she wanted to see him in his office in 30 minutes. It was evident that she was not happy about changes Toby had made to the State of the Union speech. We later learn that she was angry that specific references in the speech that related to causes involving woman and children were removed at the last minute. The First Lady was angry that the staff did not involve her in the decision that apparently breached a promise the President had made to her regarding the content of the speech.

The crisis involving the Drug Enforcement Agents was exciting, but inaccurately portrayed by having Leo, the Chief of Staff, portrayed as the President's point person and advisor on the crisis. In reality, the National Security Advisor to the President would be running the meetings in the Situation Room and would be advising the President on crisis. The Chief of Staff's role is much more administrative in nature; its primary function is operating and directing a White House staff that can effectively carry out the President day-to-day schedule and congressional agenda. It is highly unlikely that the real Chief of Staff would have any time to deal with the immense nature of national security.

The scenes between Josh and Joy were cute, not only because they hinted at a possible love affair, but also because the scenes provided the viewer with an example of how instrumental polling operations and data are to the White House. The White House is always interested in finding out how the President is perceived via polling information. However, it is not likely that a White House staff member like Josh would be given a primary role in running the polling operation. In reality, because of the political nature of polling, the operation would be exclusively run by someone from the political party headquarters, so as not to create a conflict of interest. The President is everybody's President, not just the President of the political party he or she represents. Therefore, any pure political activities are paid for and operated by the political party to which the President belongs.

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The thing with C.J. and Ansley sitting in wet paint was apparently added to demonstrate the human side of the glamorous White House. Unfortunately, the show used its female characters to demonstrate this less-professional aspect. Why not have one of the male staffers walking around without his pants because he sat in wet paint? Was the implication that a male staffer would not have been stupid enough to sit in the paint? Also, Ansley is portrayed as drunk the first time she meets the President. It is unfortunate the show chooses to portray the female White House staff as less professional and more vulnerable than the male staffers.

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