SUSTAINING AN ELECTION

Now that the election is over here in the Real World and George W. Bush has been elected President for the first time, let's turn our attention to presidential politics in the world of 'The West Wing'.

Executive Producer John Wells has said that no decision has been made as to who the next President will be to succeed Jed Bartlet. But it will be the driving force of the plotlines for the next year (and hopefully longer) on the show.

The two main combatants will be Texan Congressman/Mayor Matthew Santos (Dem.) and Senator Arnold Vinick (Rep.). Santos was set on retiring from Congress - probably before the Texan Republicans hunted him down for sport! - but a chance conversation made him consider the possibility of running.

As for Vinick, he's a four-term senator who had been long expected to make a run for the highest office in the land.

And then there's a third option, the one that should have been considered as "traditional" - Vice President "Bingo" Bob Russell. I'm not sure he has much support outisde of his own Chief of Staff, Will Bailey. And even there, doubts have begun to take root.

So it'll be interesting to see where the various campaigns take us as viewers.

It'll certainly be a welcome diversion from thinking about the current state of affairs in our own world.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby