Glen Allen Walken

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Glen Allen Walken (sometimes spelled 'Glenallen' or 'Glen Alan' Walken) is a fictional character on The West Wing played by John Goodman. A Republican politician from Missouri, Walken appears to be very loosely based on the then current Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert.

Walken, the powerful and very conservative Speaker of the House, became Acting President of the United States in May 2003 after being elected to Congress in 1990. Vice President of the United States John Hoynes had resigned just a few days before due to a sex scandal, and President of the United States Josiah Bartlet then yielded power temporarily under the terms of the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Bartlet's daughter Zoey had been kidnapped by terrorists from Qumar, and he did not feel that he could objectively carry out the duties of his office, under the circumstances. Walken was Acting President from approx 6.00 am on Sunday May 8th 2003 to around mid morning on Tuesday May 10th 2003.

Walken resigned from his seat in the United States House of Representatives in order to become Acting President. While in office, he ordered the bombing of terrorist training camps in Qumar, as well as a limited and temporary invasion of that nation. He also called the families of several soldiers that died in the invasion. After three days, when Zoey Bartlet was found and freed, President Bartlet then resumed his powers and duties under the 25th Amendment. Bartlet gratefully offered to campaign for Walken if he chose to run again for Congress, but Walken said, half-seriously, that the President would probably not be politically helpful in his Missouri House district. It is not clear whether Walken returned to Congress. (The West Wing postulated that Walken had to resign from Congress in order to become Acting President, although it has been argued that he could have simply temporarily step down, as Bartlett had done. ^{[citation needed]})

Several months later, Walken attended the funeral of former President Owen Lassiter, another conservative Republican and, apparently, a personal hero. Bartlet and former President D. Wire Newman, a liberal Democrat, also attended.

Walken later ran for the Republican Party's presidential nomination in the 2006 election, but was unsuccessful, losing in the primaries to Arnold Vinick, a U.S. Senator from California.

[edit] See also

• List of characters on The West Wing
• List of politicians on The West Wing
• List of The West Wing episodes

Preceded by Jim Hohner	Speaker of the House, The West Wing 2003	Succeeded by Jeff Haffley
Preceded by Josiah Bartlet	President of the United States, The West Wing 2003–2003 (acting President)	Succeeded by Josiah Bartlet