War Crimes (The West Wing)

Infobox Television episode
Title = War Crimes
Series = The West Wing


Caption =
Season = 3
Episode = 49
Airdate = November 72001
Production = 227205
Writer = Aaron Sorkin (teleplay)
Allison Abner (story)
Director = Alex Graves
Guests = Michael O'Keefe
Gerald McRaney
Tim Matheson
Mark Feuerstein
Renee Estevez
Bob Glouberman
Episode list = List of "The West Wing" episodes
Season list = Infobox The West Wing season 3 episode list
Prev =
Next ="War Crimes" is the 49th episode of "The West Wing".

Plot

The President asks the reluctant Vice President to speak at an anti-gun rally in Texas after a church shooting, but the uneasy allies have a starkly candid showdown. The Vice President is not comfortable with gun control in general and being asked to condemn gun owners in his home state specifically. Though the two men spar on the issue, their conflict quickly boils down to A) Bartlet's view that the VP ratted him out on the MS issue and B) the VP's view that the President lied from the outset and misled him personally. The two men recognize the differences and agree to put them aside because, as they note, President Bartlet will not be re-elected without Hoynes on the ticket and Hoynes will not be President one day if he and Bartlet do not win re-election together.

Donna goes before a Congressional committee investigating Bartlet's lack of disclosure. When asked by her inquisitor if she keeps a diary, she reflexively answers "no." Clifford Calley, the lead counsel for the investigation, realizes she is lying: Donna and Cliff dated a few weeks back, and he saw the diary in Donna's room after they slept together. Cliff follows Donna home and offers her a chance to confess, but she rebuffs him and turns to Josh for help. Josh is angry at Donna and angrier at Cliff, but brokers a solution that spares more public embarrassment for either of them.

Leo debates an old friend and Air Force officer about the United States' future stance regarding the War Crimes Tribunal. The friend, an Air Force General, is opposed to the Tribunal because he is concerned that it will become an anti-American forum, and believes that American soldiers could be prosecuted under its authority. Leo argues that the tribunal will have a number of safeguards and is unconcerned about any potential threat to Americans. The General then reveals that, as a young pilot in Vietnam, Leo unwittingly committed a war crime when he bombed a civilian target that he had been told was a military target. Leo is horrified, and asks why the General would tell him such a thing. The General responds, "All wars are crimes".

C.J. informs Toby that a comment of his that puts the President in an unfavorable light (saying the President would win re-election on the coattails of the VP) has been leaked to a reporter by a member of his staff. The reporter, who was just kicked out of Myanmar for exposing government involvement in drug trafficking, lets C.J. deal with the story before he does anything else. She tells Toby, and Toby surprises Josh by handling things maturely, calling a meeting of the staffers where he makes it clear that he's very hurt but also that he respects all of them. The reporter later tells C.J. he's not about to write a story on such a stupid matter when there are so many important events that should be investigated.

Sam tries to find common sense when a Congressman proposes legislation that would eliminate the penny.

External links

* [http://epguides.com/WestWing/ The West Wing Episode Guide]
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