Shielding Berryhill's Cabinet Seat
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Bartlet instructs Leo to make Berryhill feel loved to secure his place in the Cabinet.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Concerned and engaged (inferred from having raised the issue to Leo).
Referenced by Leo as having brought the Vickie Hilton matter to senior attention; not present but positioned as the political operator who flagged the issue earlier.
- • Manage the political fallout of a military disciplinary case.
- • Protect the administration's political standing with key constituencies.
- • Political ramifications (especially among women voters) are consequential for administration decisions.
- • Early political triage is necessary for high-profile controversies.
Concerned and vocal (inferred from Bartlet's remark that he has been hearing from them).
Referenced collectively as having joined Abbey in raising concerns; their presence is invoked to explain Bartlet's sensitivity to the political and moral dimensions.
- • Influence the President toward empathy and fairness.
- • Protect public perceptions of how the administration treats women.
- • Public treatment of women in institutions matters politically and ethically.
- • Family opinion should be part of the President's calculus.
Anxious or eager for reassurance (inferred from being described as wanting to "feel loved").
Mentioned by Bartlet as the prospective Cabinet member who needs personal reassurance; not present but is the target of the President's protective instruction.
- • Secure the Cabinet appointment.
- • Receive affirmation from the President to solidify standing.
- • Personal attention from senior leadership matters to political survival.
- • Political appointments require both competence and loyalty.
Measured and thoughtful with mild concern — protective of allies while privately uneasy about precedent and family pressure.
Bartlet walks the portico smoking, gives a clear political instruction to reassure Berryhill, probes Leo about the Vickie Hilton case, and then moves into the Oval to read a file; his manner is conversational but directive.
- • Ensure Berryhill feels personally reassured so the Cabinet appointment holds.
- • Avoid making the Oval Office the forum for a divisive military disciplinary fight.
- • Validate the practical questions about the order behind Vickie Hilton's alleged disobedience.
- • Personal reassurance from the President stabilizes fragile political commitments.
- • Military discipline is important but must be weighed against practical realities and political optics.
- • Family and constituency concerns (Abbey, the daughters, women voters) should influence but not dominate instant decisions.
Vulnerable and at risk (implied by being subject to possible military discipline and public scrutiny).
Referenced as the officer facing disciplinary action for disobeying an order; the central subject of the Oval/portico discussion though she does not appear on-screen.
- • Avoid severe disciplinary penalties or imprisonment.
- • Ensure the circumstances of the order are fairly evaluated.
- • Her actions will be judged within strict military rules.
- • There may be legitimate practical reasons that led to her decision.
Protective of institutional norms (inferred).
Invoked by Leo as the professional constituency for whom chain-of-command cannot be easily compromised; not present but rhetorically active in the argument.
- • Preserve strict adherence to orders and the chain-of-command.
- • Prevent precedent that allows subordinates to override superiors.
- • Operational safety and authority derive from an unambiguous chain-of-command.
- • Allowing exceptions undermines military effectiveness.
Potentially alienated or mobilized (inferred).
Referenced by Leo as a political constituency that could react negatively if the administration appears unsympathetic; their potential reaction shapes the political calculus.
- • Hold leaders accountable for treatment of women.
- • Express political preference through voting behavior.
- • Issues around women's treatment influence electoral decisions.
- • Perceived institutional unfairness will not be politically neutral.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Bartlet's cigarette punctuates the conversation: he smokes while walking and thinking, the casual act softening the formality of counsel and marking his relaxed-but-decisive tenor. The cigarette functions as a beat device allowing pauses, emphasis, and a private cadence to the political exchange.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Cabinet Affairs is implicated by the discussion of Berryhill's confirmation and the President's effort to personally shore up a prospective Cabinet member; the organization's role is to manage personnel logistics, optics, and vetting around appointments.
The U.S. Navy is the institutional actor whose disciplinary process is under discussion; its rules, precedent, and chain-of-command authority frame Leo's insistence on non-intervention and drive the debate over civilian interference and institutional integrity.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Leo's initial clarification about the Hilton case's legal implications sets the stage for his later debate with Bartlet about military discipline vs. practicality."
"Leo's initial clarification about the Hilton case's legal implications sets the stage for his later debate with Bartlet about military discipline vs. practicality."
"Bartlet's unresolved tension about the Hilton case symbolically parallels Toby's creative slump, both needing external perspectives (Will and broader opinions, respectively) to move forward."
"Bartlet's unresolved tension about the Hilton case symbolically parallels Toby's creative slump, both needing external perspectives (Will and broader opinions, respectively) to move forward."
Key Dialogue
"BARTLET: You're going to talk to Berryhill?"
"LEO: He wants to feel loved."
"LEO: She disobeyed an order. You can't do that."
"BARTLET: Sure. Yes, but isn't there some question as to whether it's practical to give that order in the first place?"