C.J. Exposes General Barrie's Stolen Valor
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
General Ed Barrie storms into C.J.'s office, disregarding Carol's attempts to stop him, asserting his authority.
Barrie aggressively interrogates C.J., equating her criticism of his actions to cowardice.
C.J. circles Barrie, closing the door and standing her ground, calling his actions cowardly.
Barrie avoids addressing C.J.'s accusations, pivoting to discuss military spending and readiness.
C.J. counters Barrie's stance on military readiness, attributing some of the issues to political maneuvering.
Barrie threatens to take his story to the media, prompting C.J.'s decisive challenge.
C.J. exposes Barrie's stolen Distinguished Combat Service Medal, questioning his credibility.
Barrie deflates under C.J.'s revelation, attempting to justify his actions before leaving.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Bombastic fury masking insecurity, collapsing into deflated humiliation
Barges aggressively past Carol into C.J.'s office despite her block, launches uninterrupted bombastic tirade citing combat deployments, readiness stats like C4 divisions, and threatens Meet the Press appearance; deflates under medal exposure, mutters resentment toward the President, and exits humiliated.
- • Defend 'Ring and Run' media attacks as conscience
- • Intimidate C.J. into silence via policy barrage and media threat
- • Military vulnerabilities demand public alarm regardless of protocol
- • President's lack of service disqualifies his leadership
Controlled assertiveness veiling steely dominance and moral outrage
Quickly stands from desk, circles Barrie to close door for privacy, delivers calm methodical policy rebuttals on Cold War budgets, Pers-Tempo, and DOD politics; pivots sharply to expose unearned medal via U.S.S. Brooke details and photos, standing firm as he retreats.
- • Neutralize Barrie's political threat through debate
- • Humiliate via personal hypocrisy to enforce loyalty
- • Readiness critiques mask partisan funding grabs
- • Stolen valor disqualifies moral authority on service
Apologetic deference under protocol strain
Attempts to physically block General Barrie from entering C.J.'s office unannounced; delivers sincere voice-over apology mid-intrusion, upholding her gatekeeper role amid the breach.
- • Shield C.J. from unauthorized entry
- • Apologize to maintain professional courtesy
- • Gatekeeping protects press secretary's focus
- • Military rank warrants respect even in breach
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
C.J. directly references the medal pinned to Barrie's uniform and visible in field photos with enlisted men, revealing it as unearned from non-combat duty; it serves as the climactic narrative dagger exposing stolen valor, shattering his credibility and forcing retreat.
C.J. invokes the U.S.S. Brooke as the specific Navy vessel for Barrie's temporary duty, emphasizing its lack of combat engagement—no shots fired—to dismantle the medal's legitimacy; it functions as evidentiary context amplifying hypocrisy in the readiness debate.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
C.J. accuses DOD of manipulating C4 ratings as a political ploy to boost defense budgets via Republican congressional allies, countering Barrie's readiness alarm; it emerges as partisan shadow in the debate, highlighting institutional gamesmanship over genuine crisis.
Barrie wields the 10th Mountain Division's C4 rating at Ft. Drum as emblem of military decay and unfitness, but C.J. reframes it under Pentagon's two-war doctrine tied to peacekeeping transitions; it fuels the core policy clash on readiness metrics.
Barrie brands the 1st Infantry in Germany C4—unfit—to exemplify broader neglect, but C.J. contextualizes it within extraction/retraining for dual conflicts; it amplifies his tirade before being defused in the intellectual showdown.
C.J. specifies Barrie's temporary duty aboard U.S.S. Brooke under Navy ops, a non-combat deployment that voids his medal claim; it underscores routine sea service versus valor, tying personal hypocrisy to institutional service norms.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"C.J.'s exposure of Barrie's stolen medal leads to Bartlet granting him leniency on Meet the Press, showing the aftermath of her confrontation."
"C.J.'s exposure of Barrie's stolen medal leads to Bartlet granting him leniency on Meet the Press, showing the aftermath of her confrontation."
"C.J.'s exposure of Barrie's stolen medal leads to Bartlet granting him leniency on Meet the Press, showing the aftermath of her confrontation."
Key Dialogue
"GENERAL ED BARRIE: "Don't interrupt me, lady. I've sent them to Grenada, I've sent them to Haiti, and I've sent them to Iraqi-occupied Kuwait. All acts of cowardice?""
"C.J.: "Sir, due respect, that wasn't what I was referring to. I think jumping up and down on the Commander in Chief and then beating a path out of town is an act of cowardice.""
"C.J.: "No, I don't think you will, General... I notice among your many decorations is the Distinguished Combat Service Medal... The thing is, the Brooke was never fired on, and it never shot its guns... How does that usually go over with the boys?""