The West Wing's Pres. Bartlett advises Obama

Two Presidents, Smoking and Scheming

By MAUREEN DOWD, NYT

AFTER the debate, I was talking to Aaron Sorkin, who was a little down. Or, as he put it, “nonverbal, shouting incoherently at a squirrel, angrier than when the Jets lost to the 49ers last Sunday without ever really being on the field.”

Aaron was mollified when he learned that President Obama, realizing things were dire, privately sought the counsel of a former Democratic president known for throwing down in debates. I asked Aaron if he knew how the conversation between the two presidents had gone and, as it happened, he did. This is his account:

The lights from the presidential motorcade illuminate a New Hampshire farmhouse at night in the sprawling New England landscape. JED BARTLET steps out onto his porch as the motorcade slows to a stop.

BARTLET: (calling out) Don’t even get out of the car!

BARACK OBAMA: (opening the door of his limo) Five minutes, that’s all I want.

BARTLET: Were you sleepy?

(More here.)