Presidential fury and the scope-of-force debate — President Bartlet's demand for a forceful, not merely proportional, response collides with military/agency counsel urging doctrine, restraint, and executable options.

President Bartlet erupts outside the Oval, accusing military advisors Cashman and Berryhill of stonewalling after the downing of an American airliner and demanding a response be drafted and executed the …

In the Situation Room Admiral Fitzwallace calmly presents three calibrated, low-risk retaliatory scenarios built around the doctrine of proportional response. Bartlet, consumed by rage and grief over the downed airliner, …

President Bartlet's retaliatory strike, code-named Pericles One, has been launched and Leo immediately imposes a strict operational lockdown: no calls, no press, and a tightly controlled presidential address at night. …

During a quiet Oval Office intelligence briefing—Bartlet literally reading aloud from "page 17" about Abida Kahn and under‑representation—the room is yanked into crisis when Leo arrives with the news that …

During an interrupted intelligence briefing, Leo bursts into the Oval with the devastating news that Federal Reserve Chairman Bernie Dahl has died. Leo urges an immediate public naming of a …

After a raw, screaming confrontation about leaks, staff and the First Lady's independent crusade, Jed and Abbey step back from the brink. They trade accusations about Sam, C.J., and the …