This episode endeared me more to the characters. I love how they fight so hard for a bill that they know isn't even what they really want, because they have to save face and get what they can. Just seems so fruitless, its hard not to feel for them. Then they don't even get to enjoy what little victory there would've been thanks to Hoynes(really speaks to how upset Leo was that he would still go to the VP's AA meeting after that). I swear, after five minutes in politics I wouldn't have a single strand of hair left to yank out in frustration. Just makes me wish they could get a real solid win. And as Josh said,
"Sam, LBJ never would've taken this kind of crap from Democrats in congress. He would've said, 'you're voting my way in exchange for which I might remember you name, pal'."
I wish the other dems. would just get behind their administration. They've made it clear that Bartlet does what he wants whether that goes against party politics or not, but he also always does what he thinks is right. That's better than a Pres. who does something he knows or feels is wrong just because it's what is expected from a democrat. As when Leo is telling Rev. Al in the first episode that Bartlet went around the country trying to convince teen girls not to get abortions, I strongly disagree with that, but I respect him for not acting like a machine that just spits out a leftist's agenda. Josh's meetings with Katzenmoyer and Wick were great though,
"President Bartlet's a good man. He's got a good heart. He doesn't hold a grudge...that's what he pays me for."
"You know, I realize as an adult not everyone shares my view of the world, and with an issue as hot as gun control I'm prepared to accept a lot of different points of view as being perfectly valid, but we can all get together on the grenade launcher! Right?"
Leo's personal stuff brought the episode down a little, just never cared for romantic relationships in my dramas, but the in office scenes were great. Coming off the excellence of A Proportional Response might have also taken some of the shine off this one, but there really are no bad episodes of Sorkin's West Wing.