Hawkish Imperative for Missile Defense
Leo McGarry's righteous fervor defends the National Missile Defense shield despite its glaring test failure, clashing fiercely with Toby Ziegler's fiscal redirection pleas, Ambassador Marbury's treaty-violation critiques via triumphant Yorktown historical dominance retorts, and presidential grilling, embodying unyielding American strategic primacy over technical setbacks, allied doubts, and budgetary tradeoffs.
Events Exemplifying This Theme
Charlie strictly enforces Bartlet's post-diplomatic schedule, warning of a two-minute limit. Leo barges in, demanding an immediate pull to the Situation Room for the time-sensitive NMD missile test. Mrs. Landingham …
Post-ambassador ceremony, Leo hands Bartlet papers framing the failed missile defense test as a near-success—nine of ten DOD criteria met, including breakthrough software—urging funding despite Bartlet's sarcasm. Seamlessly pivoting, Leo …
Late at night in Toby's office, amid the fallout from a failed missile defense test, Toby fiercely advocates redirecting $60 billion from the beleaguered system to proven assets like Abrams …
In a buoyant interlude amid White House chaos, Lord Marbury enchants Donna with whimsical British royal genealogy, teasing a match with five-year-old Edward, Earl of Ulster, sparking her playful fancy …
In the reception hall, Leo launches a fierce defense of the U.S. missile shield against Lord Marbury's multifaceted critique—citing North Korea's Taepodong threat, ABM treaty violations, China's arsenal buildup, European …
As Leo delivers his triumphant Yorktown retort in the escalating missile defense debate with Marbury, Charlie's timely intervention ('Leo?') pulls Leo away, defusing the immediate tension. Donna, having slipped away …
Bartlet bursts into the Oval Office, venting explosive frustration to Leo and Josh over irate calls from environmental leaders furious at his speech's rebuke of eco-terrorism, threatening third-party challenges. He …