Object

Bartlet's Youthful Paper on Deregulation of Far East Trade Barriers

A personal early-career policy paper authored by Bartlet addressing deregulation of Far East trade barriers. The object exists primarily as an autobiographical reference—several-page manuscript or essay from his youth, invoked verbally by Bartlet to puncture pretense and frame a moral point during a confirmation confrontation.

2 appearances

Purpose

To present an argument for deregulating trade barriers in the Far East as an academic or policy position authored by Bartlet in his youth.

Significance

Functions as a rhetorical device: Bartlet summons his own youthful misjudgment to disarm a nominee, transform a private confession into public accountability, and assert moral equivalence while escalating the confirmation fight into coordinated vetting.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S1E9 · The Short List

Bartlet Presses Harrison — Admission and Escalation

Bartlet's youthful paper functions as a rhetorical object — referenced aloud to humanize himself and to calibrate moral expectations. It is used to temper accusation with humility and to remind the nominee that youthful mistakes can be candidly admitted.

Before: An archival/personal artifact in Bartlet's past — not physically produced in the room, existing primarily as memory or in file.

After: Remains a personal historical artifact, now invoked publicly during the Oval confrontation to shape the moral framing of the exchange.

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S1E9 · The Short List

Calling in the Inner Circle — Harrison Admits Authorship

Bartlet references his own youthful paper as a rhetorical mirror to Harrison's unsigned note. The youthful paper functions as a conversational prop — not physically produced here — used to humanize Bartlet's questioning and implicitly calibrate judgment.

Before: Archived in Bartlet's memory and personal history; known to staff and relevant to his anecdote.

After: Invoked rhetorically; it becomes a comparative device in the President's framing of the nominee's past behavior.

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