Interesting..
Extremely interesting - especially Liz's comments to CJ.
You know what sucks? WW will be pre-empted again for the Olympics soon.
CJ really went the extra mile in this episode. I felt bad for her twice: first, when I thought Bartlett was going to scuttle the whole plan without a listen. Second, when that guy from the genocide project went on TV and blasted the US for "not takin g the lead," which is exactly what CJ did the entire episode!
Great quotes, too, especially from the Chinese ambassador. I almost applauded when he said that Europe pretends to have a significance it no longer possesses.
But the attitude toward China in this episode--which mirrors the attitude toward China in the real world--really bothered/bothers me. The Peoples Republic is as blood-soaked as Nazi Germany or the USSR ever was. To this day, they brutally suppress religious sects, political dissidents, and free-thinkers who condemn the state. Yet the US and the rest of the world is perfectly willing to toss their morals aside because it's the single largest market on Earth. Everybody's worried about the genocides in the Sudan--how about the murders committed by the thugs in Beijing?
Also, I don't think the writers are really up to speed on the whole international politics deal. Supposedly, CJ says that the US will drop its objection to German and French arms sales to the Chinese in exchange for the German, French, and Chinese support of her Khartoum initiative. But wait a minute: isn't this the same China that's standing toe-to-toe with Russia? Is restarting arms sales to one side of this showdown really a good idea? How can the US claim to be a neutral party in the Russia-China-Kazakhstan situation when they give a thumbs-up to arms sales to China? Won't that (1) destabilize the region and (2) destroy the US's image as a neutral third party? Honestly, stick to election politics. The writers this season don't know what to do with the White House.
Poor Danny. Guy really should have listened to CJ and waited until the Bartlet administration had left town.
Let me try.. :P