A pair of skinheads open fire as the President leaves a lecture theater, causing panic, chaos and injury. As the drama at the George Washington Hospital unfolds, C.J. and Leo field questions about exactly who is in charge while the president undergoes surgery, and Toby is asked about Secret Service protection measures. Flashbacks show the birth of the Bartlett for America campaign: Josh is courted by Leo; on his way to see Bartlett speak in New Hampshire he stops off to visit Sam at his Manhattan law firm; Toby is drinking at a bar, convinced he will be fired for advice he's given Bartlett. Written by Murray Chapman

A conspirator in the shooting of President Bartlett is caught and reveals unexpected information. The President appears to be recovering well, but Josh is serious wounded. As his friends and colleagues wait anxiously for news, flashbacks show more about the beginnings of the Bartlett for America campaign: C.J. is working in Hollywood for an entertainment industry public relations firm; Josh discovers a woman named Donna in his office who claims to be his new secretary. Written by Murray Chapman

With the midterm elections coming up, Toby looks for a way to stop hate groups; Charlie and Zoey decide whether to continue their relationship; President Bartlet discovers the egg cream and is concerned about an ultra-right-wing candidate running for school board in his old district in New Hampshire; and Sam is asked to put White House help behind an old friend running for Congress. This episode includes the President's confrontation with a right-wing radio talk show host using a famous list of modern applications of Biblical laws. Oh, yes, and psychics at Cal Tech and the Fermi National Accelerator Lab ... Written by Molly Malloy

After a Republican commentator trounces Sam on television, President Bartlett decides to hire her over the objections of the staff. Josh and Toby mediate a conference between U.S. drug companies and an African President whose country is dying of AIDS. Written by Taigan

Josh discovers that his insurance company is refusing to pay for his life-saving emergency surgery after being shot; newly-hired Republican strategist Ainsley Hayes is justifiably nervous about meeting her boss, the White House Chief Counsel with a reputation for volatility and partisanship; President Bartlett's attempts to record his weekly radio address are complicated by exciting news from Abby about his health; C.J. goes on the offensive after learning a retiring three-star general intends to publicly criticize the President. Written by Murray Chapman

The administration is concerned that the newly elected Congress will be less likely to pass the nuclear test ban treaty, and so considers recalling the outgoing Congress to push it through. A Ukranian reformist politician breaches diplomatic protocol by arriving at the White House and demanding to meet with the President. Sam continues to underestimate Ainsley when he asks her to summarize a position paper on small business hiring practices. C.J.'s personal and professional relationship with Danny becomes more complex as she needs him to leak a story but also wants to punish his newspaper for their unflattering recent coverage. Written by Murray Chapman

The President insists that C.J. join him on the red-eye flight to Portland after she makes one comment too many about his alma mater, Notre Dame. Josh tries to defeat a popular anti-gay marriage bill to avoid forcing the President into a veto decision. Sam wants to do a last minute rewrite of an education speech to be more uplifting, but Toby suspects he want to change policy. Leo deals with an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf that appears to be blatantly smuggling Iraqi oil in violation of UN sanctions. Josh's critique of Donna's dating record suggests he has more than a casual interest in the subject. Written by Murray Chapman

A container ship is caught attempting to smuggle nearly a hundred people from China into California. Toby urges the President to appoint Leo's outspoken sister to a position in the Department of Education as a way of starting a battle over school prayer. C.J. discovers that she is expected to arrange White House Thanksgiving ceremonies which include the traditional Presidential turkey pardoning. The President sends Charlie on a seemingly endless mission to find the ultimate carving knife. Written by Murray Chapman

The Gallileo V probe is scheduled to land on Mars, and NASA has set up live TV coverage featuring the President. Satellite photographs show a suspicious-looking fire at what the Russians implausibly call an oil refinery. Leo asks Toby and Josh to decide who should be featured on the next stamp. Sam and C.J. accompany the President to a concert at the Kennedy Center which will also be attended by people they are hoping to avoid for personal reasons. Toby and C.J. disagree over whether a report of the President disliking green beans will turn into a major issue or not. Written by Murray Chapman

Leo orders Josh to speak to a trauma psychiatrist, who asks him to review the events of the last three weeks: Toby insisted on having live music in the foyer for Christmas, an Air Force pilot separated from his flight team without explanation, Yo-Yo Ma performed at the White House, and Josh managed to cut his hand quite badly. Also, C.J. looks into a report of a woman freaking out during a tour of the White House. Written by Murray Chapman

A bipartisan breakfast is being carefully staged to avoid any chance of conflict, so Toby strikes a deal with the majority leader's new Chief of Staff to get a discussion of real issues on the agenda. Sam thinks working conditions can be improved moving the press room across the street, but C.J. thinks it's a bad idea. Leo asks Josh to apologize to an important columnist on his behalf after making an embarrassing comment. Maneuvers by political opponents prompt Toby and Leo to begin thinking about reelection sooner than they expected. Written by Murray Chapman

Sam meticulously prepares a speech for the President to give to the environmental lobby, but Toby wants to sneak in some criticism of their failure to condemn environmental terrorism. Leo tries to convince the President to support his pet project - a missile defense shield - despite its continued failure to produce results, and the fact that it likely contravenes an anti-ballistic missile treaty. Several countries including Great Britain have sent new ambassadors to Washington to be recognized by the White House. C.J. travels to New York on a delicate mission to ask for a political favor from a comedian. Written by Murray Chapman

While a live TV show is broadcast from the West Wing following the State of the Union, the staff must covertly deal with a hostage situation in Colombia. CJ learns that a special guest at the state of the union has a black mark on his record that could taint the administration. Ainsley Hayes is afraid to meet the President in person. Written by Taigan

President Bartlet is fighting a war on two fronts as he tries to rescue hostages in Colombia and deal with explaining to his wife why he's breaking his word to her by running for a 2nd term.

The surgeon general makes some controversial comments about marijuana, leading to an attack by family values groups and an unsolicited comment by Bartlet's middle daughter, Ellie, to Danny Concannon that her father wouldn't fire the s.g. The president summons Ellie from med school in Baltimore to the W.H., and we learn that she, unlike her parents and sisters, is shy and reticent, and has always felt like the family outcast in Jed's eyes. Elsewhere, Sam gives a visiting movie producer a verbal lynching for publicly calling the president a coward after Charlie turns down a W.H. screening of his salacious new film. Written by meebly

On this year's Big Block of Cheese Day, a college friend of Donna's asks Sam to help her get her late grandfather, accused of being a Communist spy inside the U.S. government, a presidential pardon; dealing with the recent revelation that his father had been having an affair for the past 27 years, Sam faces off with an F.B.I. agent, and later with Nancy McNally, over the pardon. Elsewhere, a group of cartographers completely re-educates C.J. on her perception of the globe, and one-time protester Toby, with the help of a straight-talking female security guard, speaks for the w.h. at a rally to protest against U.S. participation in the WTO and various free trade agreements. Written by meebly

Josh finalizes a six billion-dollar health care that has strong support from both parties in both houses and appears to be a slam dunk for passage, but 78-year-old Senator Howard Stackhouse pulls a last-minute surprise: he wants money added for autism research or he'll filibuster. Thinking it's just a bluff, Josh blows off the senator, who then filibusters for more than eight hours while the w.w. staff waits desperately to begin their weekend, with the episode unfolding as staffers write e-mails to family members describing the evening's action. Elsewhere, Sam tries to eliminate various costly government documents, for which he's taken to task by a very young intern. Written by meebly

Following the Vice-President's remarks to him, Toby realizes the truth behind the President's illness: multiple sclerosis. Toby, Leo, and Bartlet discuss the possible political implications of this if it goes public including possible jail time for the 17 people who now know about the illness. Meanwhile Sam, Josh, Donna and the rest of the staff, unaware of the illness, struggle with a speech the President is to give at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Written by timdalton007

President Bartlett talks to the White House Counsel about the concealment of his MS. An enraged Toby has CJ grill the West Wing staff to find a leaker. Josh and Donna spar over a financial bailout of Mexico.

White House Counsel Oliver Babbish interviews CJ once she learns of the President's condition. The First Lady learns she may be legally vulnerable. Donna frets over news of a falling satellite.

With hypothetical polling numbers showing them its political suicide, staffers prepare to announce the President's condition. As they do, a military crisis flares up in Haiti and Josh faces off against two senators who are against the Government's tobacco-industry suit. But as bad as the day seems to be going, a tragedy will come from a car wreck at 18th and Potomac that will effect everything. Written by timdalton007

As the Haitian army continues their seizure of the American embassy there, Bartlet and the staff prepare for the announcement that Bartlet has M.S. and the President must decide whether or he will seek re-election. As the funeral for Mrs. Landingham takes place and the announcement draws nearer, Bartlet thinks back to his past in search of the answer to the question everyone is asking: Will he seek re-election? Written by timdalton007