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The Virtue of a “Proportional Response”

By SusanUnPC on January 1, 2009 at 11:00 PM in Current Affairs

Zbigniew Brzezinski “socks it to” Joe Scarborough in this segment from MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” the other day. That has created a flurry of blog posts, as you can imagine.

But Dr. Brzezinski mentions a term that is important to me because it relates to a key question that the fictional president, Josiah Bartlet, asks in Season One of The West Wing.

In the situation room (“SitRoom”), President Bartlet asks the assembled military and intelligence leaders, “What is the virtue of a proportional response?” It’s obvious, in the scene, that his Chief of Staff Leo McGarry is taken aback somewhat by his boss’s question. However, the president is profoundly upset, and with good reason. (More below about that.)

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Here is the scene in the “SitRoom” from The West Wing in which President Bartlet asks the question about “proportional response.” Keep in mind that this is the president’s first year in office. This is the third episode of the first of seven seasons.

Also please factor in that the Syrians had shot down a U.S. military plane, killing all on board, including his own personal physician who was on a humanitarian mission. President Bartlet had become very fond of this bright young doctor, and had made arrangements for him to become his permanent personal physician.

Then, I ask you to imagine how President Obama will react, and what HE will ask, if he is faced with devising an appropriate response to an attack that killed Americans.) What occurs in the rest of the episode is described below the fold. (And, if you have a DVR or a TIVO, set it to record this episode on Friday, Jan. 9, 2009, at 3:00 AM ET on BRAVO.)

Thanks to the always thorough IMDb.com, we have a summary of the entire episode:

Season 1, Episode 3: A Proportional Response
Original Air Date—6 October 1999

After being offered “a proportional response” to the Syrian military’s downing of a U.S. military plane on a medical mission (and carrying his newly named personal physician), the president demands an option that will have greater impact. Leo gradually must talk him down, while Bartlet snipes at everyone, including Abby. The president ultimately agrees to the initial option, but is not happy about it. Charlie Young is introduced as an applicant for a messenger job whom Josh decides to hire as Bartler’s personal aide (note: he mentions being sent to Josh by Mrs. De La Guardia, who is later introduced in season four as Debbie Fiderer (Lily Tomlin), who becomes Mrs. Landingham’s replacement).
Next US airings:
Fri. Jan. 9 3:00 AM BRAVO

In other words, President Bartlet finally agrees to the “proportional response.”

AND GOD DAMN IT, I AM PISSED OFF AT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FOR ELECTING AN IGNORAMUS to whom such a question would never occur, never matter, and who will just say, “Uh, do what you think is best, guys.”

Let’s hope he can even remember their names, and what they do. And let’s PRAY that they give him SOUND proposals…. well, I’m sure they will do their very best. But if there IS a danger to any of their proposals, Obama will not have the experience, the knowledge, or the inclination to give it a second’s thought. Hell, it’ll never occur to him.

He’ll be most anxious to get back to his hoops game with the Secret Service.

And to hide from Michelle. Heh.

Another NBC news video on how President Obama is likely to respond:

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HERE is the scene

http://uppitywoman08.wordpress.com Uppity Woman

Not to worry. He’ll be in Hawaii at the time, being all annoyed because the press is bothering him.
catherine

LOL…so true.
Nellie

Perhaps Michelle will be sick of Hawaii, and they will take a trip to the Virgin Islands instead.

When Georgia exploded, Obama went on vacation, when the economy crashed he was “busy” in an expensive Florida Hotel preparing for his next debate, and when Gaza blew up, the Obama’s were headed for a 9 Million dollar rental in Hawaii for yet another vacation.

If past is prologue to the future, my guess is that the Obama’s will be taking a lot of vacations.
Nellie

Susan,

Happy New Year to you and yours.

Thank you for asking the hard questions. My courage level is not comparable to yours, and I am still trying to catch up on reading from my holiday absence.

Your questions are rightfully helping us all slough off our “holiday haze”

Much appreciation!
AF catfish

Yep! He’ll look the other way, and the press will play along!
Chicago Joe

Read this all the way to the end and then tell me if you are not terrified.

http://www.obam…….

[REMOVED BY ADMINISTRATOR. IT IS NOT RELEVANT TO THIS POST. THERE IS AN OPEN THREAD COMING UP SHORTLY. You can only post such items in open threads.]
http://noquarterusa.net/ SusanUnPC

Well, I keep thinking about this as I have been watching these reruns — I think like this:

OH MY GOD IN HEAVEN. THAT MAN WHO HAS NEVER WORKED A 40-HOUR WEEK IN HIS LIFE (except to win an election) WILL BE FACED WITH COUNTLESS GRAVE DECISIONS LIKE THESE — OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN — and what IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS HOLY WILL HE DO?

He hasn’t Bartlet’s mind.

he hasn’t Bartlet’s sense of ethics.

He hasn’t Bartlet’s knowledge of world history, of politics, of nations, of current leaders, of radical groups, of geo-political dynamics, of geography, of the military capabilities of each nation, of how nations typically respond, of how the U.S of A. typically responds.

He’d damn well better have a man who is TEN TIMES the brilliance of Leo to help him … except that there is no such man. And Rahm Emanuel doesn’t come remotely close.

(I really wish I could have gotten the clips of where Leo McGarry slowly, deliberately talks President Bartlet down from his righteous, emotional anger and helps him see that the “proportional response” is the only rational option — but then there is that, even without McGarry, I KNOW that Bartlet would have come to that conclusion himself. He was emoting in that SitRoom. But he calmed down, and he did the right thing.

But, damn, I love his passion, his anger, his indignation!

And I know that Obama has none of that. None of it.

Let’s just pray that, in those meetings, General Jones can steer the ship. I’m sure he is contemplating — predicting — how he will have to behave in those meetings already.

Gen. Jones knows that he has an ignorant president who doesn’t much care. Gen. Jones knows that the president has a Chief of Staff who ONLY cares about how it makes them look politically. So it will be up to Gen. Jones and the Joint Chiefs to stand up to both men, and argue until they are BLUE IN THE FACE, if they must, in order to get them to do the right thing.

I’m not sure — Larry? Anyone? — that Hillary will be in those meetings. But she should be. God knows they’ll need her common sense.
http://noquarterusa.net/ SusanUnPC

In other words, he is just like George W. Bush.
catherine

Goodness knows he takes as many vacations as Bush did.

God help us!
skinny malinky

You take The West Wing a little too seriously. You also have no reason to think Obama wouldn’t feel the same sense of righteous indignation. In other words, you whole theory is based on comparing Obama’s theoretical reaction to that of an imaginary President. What’s the point of this post, other than to say that you put too much stock in the stories your television tells you?
JulieD

At least Shrub pretended to cut brush on “the ranch”. BO is too lazy to act like he has a work ethic.

Heck, my slacker trust fund friends don’t vacation as much as BO.
Steve_in_KC

Susan, I’m very grateful for the information that West Wing is in reruns on Bravo. Having followed the episode link you provided, I was excited to learn that the series is being shown from the beginning “Pilot” episode starting Wednesday at 3:00 AM EST. That’s 2:00 AM for us Midwesterners, but thankfully my DVR will be recording every episode, and I intend to watch them all, in order, from the beginning. Thanks for the heads-up!
TeakwoodKite

OK skinny malinky, riddle me this
Why did the one of the writers for West Wing call David Axelrod for input?

West Wing fans take the show seriously.

That said, the simple fact is BO is not qualified in smany ways to be POTUS. I am not ignoring the reality that on the 20th of this month he will swear on the Lincoln bible and repeat the Oath of Office.

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

.

“the best of my Ability”…. get it?

There is “A Bad Moon Rising”
Chicago Joe

Actually, I thought the link was very appropriate to this post, as it refers to his role as Commander in Chief, which was what you were discussing with the reference to The West Wing. Sorry you disagreed.
Sandi78

Doesn’t it tell you something that we have to compare Bambi’s “theoretical reaction” at all? The only time Bambi shows indignation is when he doesn’t get what he wants. Then it’s like a two-year-old’s temper tantrum.
Hot Librarian

I found west wing to be a big bore. Its Hollywods version of politics.
TeakwoodKite

Its Hollywods version of politics.

Season 3 opens with a request donations for the fire fighters after 9/11.

Guess what version of politics is coming?
cc

wow….noquarter’s becoming a little facist in what can be posted, when and where. sounds a bit much to me larry and susan. sorry to say that, but really, that’s a bit much.
cc

sorry for the typo, should be fascist
cc

one last thought…

personally I scan the comment sections of all NQ articles looking for breaking news items. NQ posters are really, really great at keeping folks up to date on fast moving stories and if you remove those posts, we will lose wonderful resource. are you going to move all (as you deem) OT posts to another section, or will we lose them all together?

just one opinion for you to consider. thank you and I value this site and what you guys do greatly.
bert

There is a great scene in the movie 13 Days, the story of the Cuban missle crisis from inside the White House. At one point as JFK and his advisors mull possible actions to take JFK, on just one of the dozens of harrowing decisions that had to made during this crisis, says something to the effect that he knew there would be hard days and decisions he would have to make, he just didn’t know there would be so damn many of them.

I saw that movie again this past October on TV. When JFK uttered those words I thought to myself (much as Susan thinks the same or similar things when she watches The West Wing) this will be what Obama will find out if he is elected. And I too wondered if the man would be up to the responsibilities. And I thought he would not.

The intelligent person, skinny malinky, is always thinking and linking. That is the optimal brain at work. I think that Susan is smart enough to know the difference betwen fiction and non-fiction. And she can make links from one to the other as well.
I’m a Linda too

Joe “What do we do the next time a third party outside of Israel attacks [Israel]”

Zbig, “that’s the wrong questions. We should try to avoid getting to that place. We have to be more engaged”.

Oh Please.

No, answer the question. Your responses that Israel didn’t respond over the months of Hamas broken cease fire until now, it too far? And we see how the peace works with Hamas don’t we. In 2005 Israel turns over Gaza. Uh yeah. No, Zbig, answer the question. Obviously when they don’t overreact immediately and waitk, they’re in the wrong. Answer the question Zbig.
Chicago Joe

Maybe Barack will “engage” world leaders on the hardwood, or perhaps rolling a few balls in the WH lanes. Or maybe he can spot them a few holes on the links. This is going to be a mess. God help us all.
fit_to_read

Are we talking sports or security? Sounds like there’s a real fear of basketball players here.
cynic

Many of GWB’s cheerleaders were taking 24 very seriously, I recall. It’s not always clear whether media fiction affects public opinion or vice versa. Probably it’s a two-way channel.