20 Hours in L.A.

The president's trip to Los Angeles is the subject of this segment, a prime example of Aaron Sorkin's secret sauce for this series: the warm and empathetic performances of his A-1 cast.

The various issues covered this week are dry, and seemingly never-ending: Gays in the Military, Ethanol subsidies, Banning flag-burning. Pro and con arguments are easy to write about, but without the skills of Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff, Allison Janney and of course Martin Sheen, such discussions would be boring. The cast's personalities bring these matters to life, and in this episode Bradley's girl Friday played by Janel Moloney is especially bright and effervescent. As is the sort of red-herring "romance" for Bradley with recurring guest star Marlee Matlin.

Highlight of the show has to be Sheen's powerhouse scene with billionaire Democratic donor Bob Balaban, with BB's masterful underplaying perfect opposite Sheen's bombast.