Reading Washington, Containing the President
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Bartlet reads George Washington's 'Rules of Civility' while Charlie informs him of a canceled lunch, revealing Bartlet's playful irritation and intellectual curiosity.
Bartlet humorously questions whether he could defeat George Washington in a war, showcasing his competitive nature and historical fascination.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Controlled urgency — outwardly composed but steely and impatient; a fierce, pragmatic protectiveness toward both the President and the office.
C.J. arrives, delivers the bad news succinctly, immediately interprets the political stakes, and forcefully restrains the President; she outlines a containment strategy, forbids a public confrontation, and insists on keeping the circle limited to four people.
- • Contain the story to prevent escalation
- • Protect the President and the administration's credibility
- • Keep the incident within a minimal circle of confidants
- • Prevent an emotional reaction that turns a non-story into a headline
- • Public confrontation will create a story where none need exist
- • The press will magnify anything the President does
- • Institutional preservation sometimes requires suppressing impulse
- • She is the proper steward of the 'first daughter' portfolio
Mild concern with professional composure—alert but not hysterical, deferring to C.J.'s lead.
Charlie enters with routine information, participates in light banter about Washington, then discreetly exits to allow C.J. to brief the President; he functions as the steady administrative presence framing the moment's shift from levity to crisis.
- • Keep the President informed of immediate operational items
- • Support the President and senior staff in managing the situation
- • Maintain procedural order in the Oval's flow
- • Protocol matters in White House operations
- • Senior staff will take the right course when fully briefed
- • Intrusions into the President's family life are problematic and require management
Surface composure collapsing into protective, hot anger — embarrassed and enraged on behalf of his daughter while fighting the institutional logic of restraint.
Bartlet lounges reading Washington's Rules, trades banter with Charlie, then becomes visibly riled when told Zoey lied; he moves to put on shoes and go confront the press before C.J. physically and verbally restrains and redirects him toward containment.
- • Defend and personally confront the reporter who cornered his daughter
- • Assert his paternal authority and protect family honor
- • Reestablish control of the narrative by speaking directly to the press
- • Maintain dignity while not allowing his daughter to be publicly humiliated
- • A father has the right to directly defend his child when personally attacked
- • Personal intervention will stop or correct media wrongdoing
- • The press is predatory and must be confronted
- • Only a small inner circle should mediate family crises
Embarrassed, frightened, and defensive; likely panicked at being confronted and aware of the political stakes only dimly.
Zoey does not appear but is the central subject: C.J. reports she lied to a reporter on campus, choked when questioned, and is now implicated in a friend's drug-related incident, making her the focus of the containment strategy.
- • Protect her friend David Arbor from exposure
- • Avoid implicating herself or her father
- • Disappear from the spotlight and be defended by trusted adults
- • Loyalty to friends matters more than political consequence in the moment
- • Her father will protect her if necessary
- • A single slip can have outsized public consequences
N/A — functions as a conversational device to underscore Bartlet's wry confidence.
The Minutemen are rhetorically referenced during the banter as the historic military foil to Bartlet's modern advantages (Air Force), contributing to the light mood before the crisis.
- • Serve as counterpoint in Bartlet's imagined contest with Washington
- • Add jocular historical resonance to the Oval exchange
- • Invoking founding-era imagery reinforces presidential self-image
- • Comparisons between eras illuminate modern power
Hungry and impatient — ready to pounce on any presidential misstep or family scandal.
The press corps is the implied external force: C.J. warns that contact with the press will magnify the issue, and Bartlet's instinct is to meet them head-on; they are the audience and the threat the staff seeks to neutralize.
- • Obtain quotes or admissions that will fuel headlines
- • Expand a small incident into a national story
- • Hold public figures accountable via exposure
- • The public has a right to know, especially about those near power
- • Any presidential misstep is newsworthy
- • Emotional reactions from principals create better stories
Gina is not present but is invoked by C.J. as the agent who physically intervened—'put him into a wall'—framing her …
Edgar Drumm is referenced as the aggressive reporter who accosted Zoey on campus and shouted at her; his behavior is …
George Washington is invoked as the author of the Rules of Civility; Bartlet reads and jokes about Washington's adolescent fastidiousness …
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"BARTLET: Do you think I could take George Washington?"
"C.J.: She was asked should the President's daughter be partying with drug dealers and she said she didn't know David Arbor was going to be at the party. Except she did know."
"C.J.: I'm telling you now, Mr. President, this isn't about your daughter! It's about the first daughter and that's my job and you're not going down there!"