Object

Ipswich Clams in Debbie's Joke

Debbie brings up Ipswich clams in a quip to the senior staff on the Portico, joking that they reacted to President Bartlet's bellowing voice. Bartlet, Leo, C.J., and Toby share the laugh, turning the shellfish into a punchline that lightens the mood after their post-election stroll and amid the incoming crisis from Tehran's medical plea.

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When this object appears and how it's used

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S4E9 · Swiss Diplomacy

Post‑Victory Banter to Diplomatic Emergency

Debbie's Ipswich clams are invoked as a comic image to puncture the president's bellowing and lighten the mood; the clams function as an off-stage prop of levity that marks the walk's colloquial tone before the diplomatic interruption.

Before: Mentioned verbally as being in Chesapeake Bay, imaginary auditory witnesses to the President's voice.

After: Remain a playful rhetorical device; their mention's effect is eclipsed by the subsequent diplomatic emergency.

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