Civilian Authority Over Dissent
C.J. asserts White House supremacy against military defiance as retiring General Barrie launches 'Ring and Run' media ambushes critiquing readiness policies; she exposes his stolen valor hypocrisy, shreds evasion tactics, and secures Bartlet's directive granting speech freedom while enforcing loyalty—highlighting tensions between earned service and chain-of-command discipline.
Events Exemplifying This Theme
In CJ's office, Toby urgently warns her of retiring General Ed Barrie's aggressive Sunday media tour—Meet the Press, Late Edition, Capitol Beat—poised to savage the administration's military readiness. CJ, displaying …
In a tense hallway showdown, C.J. intercepts her assistant Carol and Lt. Buckley, General Barrie's evasive aide. Piercing his deflections with razor-sharp intuition, she exposes the retiring general's scheme to …
General Ed Barrie storms C.J.'s office, past her assistant, launching a bombastic tirade defending his public attacks on military readiness and threatening a Meet the Press appearance. C.J. methodically dismantles …
In the Oval Office, President Bartlet delivers a passionate radio address continuation, spotlighting chemist Ellen Swallow Richards and astronomer Maria Mitchell while decrying the mere 50 public monuments honoring women …