Object

Deployed Troops' C-Bag

Bartlet names the C-bag—standard gear in deployed troops' kits—backstage at the Naval Warfare Center. He cites it to block Bruno's soundbite push, stressing legal bans on exploiting soldiers' equipment. The bag stands as concrete proof of troops' active readiness, untouched by campaign spin.

2 appearances

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S4E1 · 20 Hours in America Part I

Commander in Chief: Bartlet's Entrance and Moral Line

Bartlet cites the deployed troops' C-bag as concrete evidence of their readiness—an embodied detail that grounds his ethical argument against politicization, turning abstract rules into a visceral image of families and danger.

Before: Packed as standard issue in deployed troops' kits, loaded aboard transport with other gear.

After: Remains with troops' equipment on transport; referenced but not physically handled during the event.

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S4E1 · 20 Hours in America Part I

Refusing to Politicize the Troops Amid a Market Shock

Bartlet cites the deployed troops' C-bag as specific, tangible evidence of active deployment—using the object rhetorically to emphasize that these service members are on mission and not props for campaign messaging.

Before: In troops' possession as standard issued equipment prepared for deployment.

After: Unchanged materially; remains part of deployed units' gear and functions as a rhetorical anchor in Bartlet's refusal.

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