Plot

When the military loses contact with a submarine in hostile waters, the President must choose between risking the lives of the crew and provoking North Korea. CJ relishes the Majority Leader's flubbing of an interview. Babbish informs Abby that she is the weak link in the President's legal defense.—Taigan

When the military loses contact with a submarine in hostile waters, the President must choose between risking the lives of the crew and provoking North Korea. The President consults with the Undersecretary of State, played by Hal Holbrook. Holbrook recalls the "Pueblo" incident of 1968 in which a US spy ship was captured in Korean waters. In the movie made about that incident 30 years ago, Holbrook played Lloyd Bucher, captain of the Pueblo. It was a dramatization showing the 1968 seizure of the spy ship, Pueblo, by the North Koreans and the treatment of the Pueblo's crew during their year of captivity through flashbacks during the 1969 investigation of the affair. CJ relishes the Majority Leader's flubbing of an interview in which he was asked why he wants to be President. When she finally asks President Bartlett for a response, he suggests she go easy on the Majority Leader. He can't think of a reason why he wants to be President, either. Toby and Sam debate a proposal to cut the funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. There is a detailed discussion of the appropriate use of soft money to fund the President's re-election campaign. White House counsel Babbish informs Abby that she is the weak link in the President's legal defense against his failing to disclose his MS to the American public. They revisit the instances in which she was sued for malpractice.