Object

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

Josh proposes the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue as a ridiculous alternative to the missing Bible for President Bartlet's inauguration oath. The staff—Bartlet, C.J., Ed, Larry, and Josh—laugh at the idea amid chaos over a leaked foreign-policy doctrine and Khundu report. This verbal jab underscores the swearing-in scramble, contrasting the magazine's swimsuit glamour with constitutional gravity, right before Charlie delivers a House library Bible.

3 appearances

Purpose

Annual publication showcasing swimsuit models and photography for entertainment

Significance

Comic relief that humanizes the inauguration crisis, bridging petty logistics with political peril to reveal staff camaraderie under pressure

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments

S4E14 · Inauguration Part I

Balls, a Bible, and a Leaked Doctrine

Josh jokingly suggests a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue as an irreverent substitute for a bible—a bit of staff levity that underscores the ceremonial farce beneath the stress of leaks and messaging.

Before: Only mentioned hypothetically as a joke; not physically present.

After: Still hypothetical; the joke is dismissed.

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S4E14 · Inauguration Part I

Leak in the Lobby: Doctrine, Khundu, and the Missing Bible

Mentioned by Josh as a joking alternative — the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue — to illustrate that no law mandates a bible for the oath; the joke underlines levity amid pressure and the scramble for ritual objects.

Before: Hypothetical; not present.

After: Remains hypothetical and unused.

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S4E14 · Inauguration Part I

Found: The Donnie's Motel Bible

Referenced by Josh as a joking, absurd legal alternative (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue) to highlight the arbitrariness of the object used in the oath — serves purely comic and rhetorical purposes to diffuse tension.

Before: A hypothetical suggestion only, not physically present.

After: Still hypothetical and unused; the joke underscores practical solutions over ceremony.

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