Waiting for President Bartlet

Posted by Kimberly Field May 22, 2006

The award winning West Wing NBC drama has taken its final bow, and what a bow it was. Throughout the years the show has touched on topics from multiple sclerosis, terrorism, campaign scandals and relationships. For the most part it was a learning curve on politics and what it could be with the right commander-in-chief.

As the fictional President Bartlet pardoned Toby Ziegler, a senior advisor who leaked classified information, and then congratulated President Santos, a minority president, during his inauguration, one can't help but wonder if America will ever have a President Bartlet. 'We The People' chose to tune in for years to dream about a slightly flawed leader willing to sacrifice himself for the good of his people. Negotiating and standing tall was Bartlet's strengths. Surrounded by educated and perplexed characters captured our need for this type of administration to exist. So why doesn't it?

One would think with all of the ex-political advisors contributing to the show, somewhere along the line someone could have given tips to President Bush. True, Bush has his fair share of political advisors with daily polls on their minds, but I wonder if he ever saw the TV show and wondered how, where, why and why not! It's an unfortunate event when a fictional president overshadows a current president in a popularity poll. In a recent Yahoo poll, President Jed Bartlet surpassed real life President George Bush by 20 points.

In reality, Bush is at an all time low in his job approval. As his remaining years dwindle I wonder what's in store for American politics and the Presidency itself. I wonder if Bush will make a graceful transition from leader to civilian, or continue the ever present cancerous party division for the sake of salvaging his legacy. As I come down from the West Wing high, I'm left to wonder the "why not" of today to the "what if" of tomorrow. May we never stop thinking about tomorrow!