Object

U.S. Cruise Missiles

President Bartlet raises U.S. cruise missiles as a hypothetical retaliatory weapon during a heated Situation Room debate, specifying a target of Tel Aviv if gripped by emotion over his daughter's safety. Admiral Fitzwallace, Nancy, Leo, and a general absorb the stark image amid false-alarm tension, where military readiness clashes with restraint. No physical details emerge; the missiles stand as mental specter of precision devastation.

2 appearances

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S4E23 · Twenty-Five

Air Alarm Forces a Rules Debate — Bartlet’s Judgment Tested

U.S. cruise missiles serve as a mental/ rhetorical object when Bartlet imagines revenge scenarios — a hypothetical tool he might deploy if emotionally manipulated, which underscores why he orders continuity safeguards.

Before: Conceptual: part of the President's rhetorical inventory and threat calculus, not physically used.

After: Remains a hypothetical instrument referenced to illustrate potential emotional escalation; no physical deployment.

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S4E23 · Twenty-Five

Bartlet's Crisis: Fear, Memory, and the Transfer of Power

U.S. cruise missiles function as an imagined instrument: Bartlet invokes them as a hypothetical retaliatory option (and cites Tel Aviv as a target) to illustrate how his personal grief could translate into catastrophic policy, making a moral weapon out of paternal rage.

Before: Conceptual—present only in the President's rhetorical/hypothetical inventory of options.

After: Remains a specter in the President's mind, contributing to his decision to initiate constitutional continuity measures rather than order retaliation.

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