Set the Clock for 90 Days — The Goat Photo and Quiet Resolve
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Bartlet instructs Josh to prepare for a 90-day continuing resolution, signaling their next move.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Deflated and frustrated on the surface, but deferential and open to regrouping; emotionally raw but steadying himself under presidential assurance.
Present watching the vote, spoken to directly by the President, included in the group photo, receives Bartlet's physical reassurance (arm around him); embodies the exhausted operative whose plan just failed.
- • Absorb the President's direction and regroup without public collapse
- • Preserve his working relationship with the President and staff cohesion
- • The defeat is partly his responsibility and requires damage control
- • A temporary tactical pause can allow for a better second effort
Neutral/instinctual — the goat exhibits no political feeling but becomes the center of a symbolic human act.
Led into the room by his handler, physically present as the Heifer International animal donation, has a security pass slipped around his neck and stands amid staff as the focal prop in the photograph.
- • Remain calm under handling and in an unfamiliar environment (instinctual)
- • Serve as the physical emblem of Heifer International's aid in the photograph (narrative goal)
- • Follows handler's lead for safety
- • Unfamiliar settings are navigable with human guidance
Practical and composed — focused on execution rather than the politics of the moment.
Reports that the goat and handler are 'right out here,' facilitating the logistics that allow Bartlet to make his symbolic point; practical, efficient, and unobtrusive.
- • Ensure the photo-op happens smoothly and without delay
- • Support senior staff by handling small but essential details
- • Proper logistics make political gestures possible
- • Operational competence can steady morale in crisis
Amused and conspiratorial — using humor and a visual gag to break the strain and create a humanizing image.
Interrupts the photographer, walks over to a staffer, requests their security pass, and slips the pass around the goat's neck — a small, mischievous gesture that defuses tension and prepares the tableau.
- • Diffuse post-defeat tension through small comic ritual
- • Create a memorable visual that signals team solidarity and normalcy
- • Small, humane gestures can shape public perception
- • A well-timed image can restore morale faster than rhetoric alone
Focused and quietly amused — performing the routine task with an appreciation for the human moment it records.
Prepares to take the official photograph, pauses when Toby intervenes, then captures the group shot that will serve as the visual record of the team's resolve.
- • Capture a clear, well-composed photograph of the President and staff
- • Time the shot to include the spontaneous, morale-restoring gesture
- • The photograph will shape public perception of the moment
- • Capturing authenticity is often more valuable than staged perfection
Subdued disappointment with moments of bemused relief — willing to be part of the gesture to steady the team.
Group of staffers watch the vote on TV, assist with or step aside for the impromptu photo, and supply the security pass when Toby asks — a mix of disappointment and wry participation.
- • Support senior staff and follow directions for the photo-op
- • Preserve workplace morale after a public setback
- • The loss is significant but not the end of the administration's work
- • Participating in small rituals can restore group morale
Wryly resolute — accepting the political loss yet defiant about moral posture; determined to convert defeat into a controlled pause.
Enters the Mural Room after the vote, refuses to let the administration hide from the defeat, insists the team pose together for the Heifer goat picture, orders 'set that clock for 90 days,' puts his arm around Josh and projects steadiness.
- • Reframing a legislative loss as a tactical pause rather than a capitulation
- • Maintain and publicly display team unity and the administration's moral credibility
- • Humanitarian aid is a moral imperative regardless of optics
- • A well-framed symbolic act can buy time and preserve institutional dignity
Resigned but composed — focused on doing the administrative work of recovery rather than emotional drama.
Standing with senior staff watching the vote and joining the posed photo; reads the room with pragmatic calm and accepts the President's directive to regroup.
- • Support presidential leadership and maintain staff cohesion
- • Begin the practical work of resetting strategy after the defeat
- • The administration must regroup quickly after public setbacks
- • Leadership optics and internal morale are crucial to future operations
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The live goat arrives as Heifer International's donated animal and functions as the focal prop for the photo-op. Its presence grounds Bartlet's moral argument about aid and creates a slightly absurd tableau that humanizes the staff after defeat.
The television in the room displays the failing Senate vote and serves as the narrative catalyst that precipitates the gathering, Bartlet's entrance, and the subsequent decision to stage the goat photo and set the 90-day clock.
A laminated security pass is taken from a staffer by Toby and looped around the goat's neck as a comic, humanizing prop. The pass functions as a visual punchline, turning bureaucratic insignia into a badge of shared purpose and levity.
The Mural Room clock is invoked by Bartlet as a symbolic instrument: he orders it 'set that clock for 90 days,' converting it into a tangible marker for a strategic pause and a public recalibration following the defeat.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Mural Room functions as the late-night congregation space where senior staff watch the vote, receive the President's reframing of defeat, enact the goat photo-op, and symbolically set a 90-day pause. Its proximity to the Oval and its murals make it a fitting place for both private regrouping and a photographed public statement.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Heifer International is present implicitly through the donated animal (goat) and its humanitarian mission. The organization provides the tangible symbol of aid that Bartlet uses to argue against cancelling the image and to remind staff of the moral stakes behind policy fights.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The goat photo-op symbolizes resilience and unity, serving as a counterpoint to the legislative defeat, reinforcing the theme of persistence."
"The goat photo-op symbolizes resilience and unity, serving as a counterpoint to the legislative defeat, reinforcing the theme of persistence."
"The goat photo-op symbolizes resilience and unity, serving as a counterpoint to the legislative defeat, reinforcing the theme of persistence."
"Bartlet's insistence on addressing the servicewoman's letter mirrors his decision to proceed with the goat photo-op, both emphasizing human impact over political loss."
"Bartlet's insistence on addressing the servicewoman's letter mirrors his decision to proceed with the goat photo-op, both emphasizing human impact over political loss."
"Bartlet's insistence on addressing the servicewoman's letter mirrors his decision to proceed with the goat photo-op, both emphasizing human impact over political loss."
"The goat photo-op symbolizes resilience and unity, serving as a counterpoint to the legislative defeat, reinforcing the theme of persistence."
"The goat photo-op symbolizes resilience and unity, serving as a counterpoint to the legislative defeat, reinforcing the theme of persistence."
"The goat photo-op symbolizes resilience and unity, serving as a counterpoint to the legislative defeat, reinforcing the theme of persistence."
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"BARTLET: Half the world's people live on less than two dollars a day. 130 million will never step inside a schoolhouse. Ingredients for bombs can be purchased at hardware stores and we've just given the Third World what the doctor ordered: rollbacks. Heifer International... they give free cows and goats to people who need milk?"
"BARTLET: I'm not standing in this picture alone. This was a total team failure."
"BARTLET: Let's go. [to Josh] Set that clock for 90 days."