Posse Comitatus (The West Wing episode)
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| “Posse Comitatus” | |
|---|---|
| The West Wing episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 65 |
| Written by | Aaron Sorkin |
| Directed by | Alex Graves |
| Guest stars | Adam Arkin Mary-Louise Parker Mark Harmon Lily Tomlin James Brolin John Amos Kurt Fuller Michael O'Neill David Huddleston Armin Shimerman NiCole Robinson Renee Estevez Andrew McFarlane William Thomas Jr. Fred Sanders Glenn Morshower Thomas Kopache Wren T. Brown Ken Thorley Basil Hoffman |
| Production no. | 227222 |
| Original airdate | May 22, 2002 |
| Season 3 episodes | |
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| List of The West Wing episodes | |
"Posse Comitatus" is episode 65 of The West Wing. The name of the episode refers to the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878.
[edit] Plot
In the season finale, Bartlet makes a life-or-death decision regarding a foreign diplomat who is a known terrorist. He ponders the situation during a charity benefit performance of a Shakespeare play about another conflicted leader, Henry VI. While pondering Leo quotes a monk who said "I don't always know the right thing to do, Lord, but I think the fact that I want to please you pleases you." (Thomas Merton, who wrote in Thoughts in Solitude, "But I believe that the desire to please you, does in fact please you.") At the performance, Bartlet encounters Governor Robert Ritchie, his Republican rival in the upcoming presidential election. The two men converse briefly and it is evident there is no love lost between them. Ritchie appears to despise Bartlet's erudition, whilst Bartlet challenges Ritchie for deliberately dumbing down his campaign.
Meanwhile, Toby and Sam manipulate the press to discredit Ritchie. Sam is still seething from his earlier betrayal by his friend, and Toby knows that an angry Sam produces his best work. Josh's continued support of a key welfare reform bill that his girlfriend, feminist activist Amy Gardner, opposes threatens their personal relationship. The flirtation between C.J. and her Secret Service bodyguard, Simon Donovan, is limited by their professional relationship. Later in the episode, Donovan walks into a convenience store in the midst of a robbery. He disarms one thief and is then shot dead by a second who was hiding in the back. And as the search continues for a replacement for the deceased Mrs. Landingham, Charlie recommends Deborah Fiderer, a former White House secretary who was fired for her part in his hiring over another candidate for the job.
