Big Sky by Decree — The Antiquities Act Workaround
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Josh reveals the Antiquities Act solution, proposing Bartlet establish Big Sky National Park to circumvent the land-use rider.
Bartlet and Josh negotiate the symbolic importance of nature preservation versus political practicality.
Bartlet transitions to the residence after embracing the solution, with his closing line framing national parks as 'a treat' for the public.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Calmly focused and neutral — fully attentive to security protocol while allowing the private scene to play out.
The unnamed Secret Service agent remains discreetly at the President's side, whispering into the wireless mike on Bartlet's wrist as the President departs, performing standard protective communications without intruding on the moment.
- • Ensure the President's safe transit to the residence
- • Maintain secure communications and situational awareness
- • Support the President without disrupting the interpersonal exchange
- • Presidential safety is paramount and must be maintained through protocol
- • Operational communications should be low‑profile in private moments
- • Professional discretion preserves both security and the President's dignity
Bemused and quietly resolute — he's exiting his role but still attentive to presidential routine and respectful in his departure.
Charlie stands behind the couch, trades light banter about singing to bears with the President, declares he's quitting, hands the President's jacket to Josh, and leaves — providing a human, slightly awkward counterpoint to the policy moment unfolding.
- • Complete the personal courtesy of handing off the President's jacket before leaving
- • Depart with dignity after announcing his resignation
- • Maintain a pleasant tone in a bittersweet final exchange
- • Personal rituals around the President matter and should be respected
- • His decision to quit is final and should be handled straightforwardly
- • Lightness can soften the emotional cost of leaving public service
Delighted and reverent — amused by the idea yet genuinely moved; a quiet satisfaction that blends sentimental attachment to public lands with the relief of a tactical win.
President Bartlet moves the scene from anecdote to decision: he laughs, asks for confirmation, stands, accepts Josh's proposal, reframes parks as moral and emotional goods, and walks toward the residence as the plan is set in motion.
- • Confirm that executive authority can protect Big Sky without compromising the administration's credibility
- • Protect and celebrate public lands as communal treasures
- • Close the evening with a human moment that reaffirms presidential values
- • Public lands are civic goods deserving protection and affection
- • The presidency can and should use available legal tools to uphold public interest
- • Policy wins can and should be framed in human, accessible terms
Confident and purposeful — energized by a concrete legal path, relieved to offer a solution that preserves principle without losing political ground.
Josh enters the Oval late at night, delivers the solution — invoking the Antiquities Act to create Big Sky National Park — explains it with quiet confidence and pragmatic urgency, and watches Bartlet accept the tactical maneuver.
- • Secure a durable method to protect Big Sky against the vindictive rider
- • Preserve the administration's environmental credibility while achieving policy success
- • Find an executable, legally sound path that the President will approve
- • Executive authority (the Antiquities Act) is a legitimate tool to protect vulnerable lands
- • A bold, legally defensible move can outflank hostile legislators
- • Protecting the land is politically and morally necessary
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Antiquities Act is invoked verbally by Josh as the concrete legal mechanism to establish Big Sky National Park. It functions as the linchpin of the scene — turning an informal conversation into immediate executive strategy and reframing the debate from legislative warfare to unilateral protection.
Glacier Park black bears are likewise invoked in the earlier exchange to add texture and humor; their story reinforces the idea of parks as lived spaces and helps frame the moral language Bartlet uses when accepting Josh's plan.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Oval Office is the scene's stage: a late‑night, semi‑private workspace where personal warmth (anecdotes about bears) and high policy (invoking the Antiquities Act) collide. It allows for intimacy and instant executive decision‑making, serving both as living room and locus of power.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Bartlet's passion for national parks in the opening scene sets up Josh's later realization that the Antiquities Act can be used to circumvent the land-use rider."
"Toby's attempt to regain control with administrative tasks parallels Bartlet's negotiation of national park preservation versus political practicality."
Key Dialogue
"JOSH: The antiquities act. You're gonna establish Big Sky National Park."
"BARTLET: I can do this? JOSH: Yeah. BARTLET: You understand it's a bunch of rocks, right? JOSH: I'm sure someone with your encyclopedic knowledge of the ridiculous and dork-like will be able to find a tree or a ferret that the public has a right to visit."
"BARTLET: More than a right, Josh. JOSH: Sir. BARTLET: It's a treat."