It's a very special West Wing episode. Aaron Sorkin produced this self-contained meditation on terrorism, prejudice, and America in just a couple weeks after the terrorist attacks on 9.11.01. The much-hyped episode is introduced by the actors out of character, and concerns a group of Presidential Classroom kids getting stuck in the White House during a security lockdown. The senior staffers, plus the President and First Lady, weigh in on topical issues related to terrorism, prejudice, and accepting more than one idea. Although the episode is a feat of accelerated production, its reception was generally cool and sometimes critical. Still, it aired less than a month after September 11th, and was one outlet for the West Wing staff and actors to work through their grief.

Starring:

ROB LOWE as Sam Seaborn
STOCKARD CHANNING as First Lady Abigail Bartlet
DULÉ HILL as Charlie Young
ALLISON JANNEY as C.J. Cregg
JANEL MOLONEY as Donna Moss
RICHARD SCHIFF as Toby Ziegler
JOHN SPENCER as Leo McGarry
BRADLEY WHITFORD as Josh Lyman
and MARTIN SHEEN as President Josiah Bartlet

Donna:  Yes, it is.

Josh:  No, it's not.

Donna:  I don't know about Irving Berlin, but your ridiculous search for rational reasons why somebody strapped a bomb to their chest is ridiculous.

Josh:  You just called me ridiculous twice in one sentence.

Donna:  Hardly a record for me.

Josh:  And you just made my list.

Donna:  Nothing happens on the list.

Toby:  Maybe this would be a good time for a chorus of Our Maligned Little Brother, Civil Liberties.

CJ:  Liberties, Schmiberties.

Toby:  CJ Cregg, ladies and gentlemen.

CJ:  Do you know of a way to do this without tapping some phones?

Toby:  What about illegal searches?  What about profiling?  You know what Benjamin Franklin said?

CJ:  He said, "Hey, look.  I've invented the stove."