What's Next?: S2e14- The War at Home (It's how you justified it to God.)

Abbey- "Do you get that you have M.S.? "

With this one question and the ensuing conversation with the President, it becomes clear that "The War at Home" isn't the kidnapped DEA agents, Congress or the press; rather, between the First Couple. After Mrs. Bartlet tells Leo that the President has Multiple Sclerosis in Season 1, episode 12 ("He Shall, from Time to Time"), the fact of his illness is dropped from all plotlines and episode. Then, nearly a full season later, we learn that the President, mindful of his illness, made a deal to only serve one term as President. He would leave office before entering the time where more severe symptoms would be likely to emerge- and it was this deal that allowed him to justify not disclosing his illness to the electorate.

While the idea of hiding information from the voting public is hardly new, the notion of hiding an illness is somewhat without precedent. FDR is somewhat misrepresented in this light- it's clear that though the Secret Service restricted photos of FDR getting in and out of a car, being assisted or in other compromised positions by confiscating cameras and destroying film, there were plenty of mentions of the President's illness in the press (though it is now thought that he suffered from Guillian-Barre syndrome, not Polio). Videos also taken show FDR using his wheelchair in front of servicemen and his method of walking (essentially pivoting) in public certainly exemplified some level of compromised health.

The much more complete deception in Presidential history belongs to Woodrow Wilson, who suffered a massive stroke in 1919 and was incapacitated for much of the final year and a half of his term. During that time, his wife Edith managed the Executive Branch, deciding which information made it to the President, and was assisted in maintaining the secret by Wilson's doctor- all before passage of the 25th Amendment which clarified the process of succession in the event of death or incapacitation of the President.

Would such a thing be possible in today's world? If you have enough production assistants, and are the president of a fictional United States of America. Initially, Sorkin just wanted the president to have an illness so he could get the funny scene of him watching daytime soaps- it turns out that he asked his staffers to find an illness that "did not put Mr. Bartlet in a wheelchair, could go undetected for years at a time, and that could be in remission and undetectable in checkups because there was no laboratory test for it" (from a NYTimes article here). So, while receiving such a diagnosis and maintaining secrecy seem far-fetched in the information age/TMZ/Cellphone cameras everywhere world we live in, it is made possible in this fictional realm by thorough research and clever use of exposition by the creative forces behind the show.

Finally, in a completely unrelated note, Joey Lucas (via Kenny) tells Josh the following while she is in the process of explaining to him that polling data can be misleading:

"If you polled a hundred Donnas and asked them if they think we should go out, you'd get a high positive response. But, the poll wouldn't tell you it's because she likes you. And she's knows it's beginning to show and she needs to cover herself with misdirection."

Josh tries to dismiss the notion out of hand, but it's clear that he's impacted by the statement. More fuel for the Josh/Donna Will They or Won't They fire!

Oh, and Ainsley managed to meet the President, despite having her skirt on backwards, hiding in a closet and needing to pee. It's much sweeter than it sounds.