The sixth season of the American political drama television series The West Wing aired in the United States on NBC from October 20, 2004, to April 6, 2005, and consisted of 22 episodes.[1][2]
Plot
The sixth season opens with the Israeli and Palestinian delegations arriving at Camp David for peace talks. Despite problems at the summit, a deal is thrashed out by President Bartlet, but not before he fires Leo as chief of staff. Leo suffers a heart attack in the aftermath, leading to a re-shuffle of the White House staff. CJ Cregg becomes chief of staff but she finds it difficult to adapt, a fact not helped by the President's worsening multiple sclerosis and consequent interference from the First Lady in an effort to conserve his energy. Away from the White House, Josh convinces Texas Congressman Matt Santos to run for president, and after a shaky start, Santos finds himself in a three-way race for the Democratic nomination with Vice President Russell and former Vice President Hoynes. While the Republican primaries provide a clear winner in California Senator Arnold Vinick, a moderate, the Democratic ticket is not finalized until the Democratic National Convention, at which Santos is chosen as the presidential nominee, with Leo as his running mate. Meanwhile, someone at the White House has leaked national security information to reporter Greg Brock.
Cast
The sixth season had star billing for twelve major roles, with nine of these filled by returning main cast members from the fifth season. The main cast members are credited alphabetically except for Jimmy Smits and Martin Sheen, who receive the "with" and "and" credits, respectively. Smits, Alda and Channing are only credited for the episodes in which they appear.
The world watches the aftermath of the Gaza attack on U.S. officials. The President learns that 82% of the American people, almost all of Congress, the Vice President and Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs, and all of his staff aside from C.J. Cregg and Kate Harper want him to launch retaliatory military strikes immediately. Meanwhile, he tries to arrange peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians at Camp David. Finally, he strikes one of three suggested targets and readies for the peace talks. Meanwhile, in Germany, Josh anxiously waits for Donna's recovery, leading to his feelings about her being questioned by Colin.
Note: The episode title refers to the official military name of Camp David.
Josh returns to the US as Israeli-Palestinian peace talks at Camp David result in a momentous peace accord. President Bartlet fires White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, who was strongly against the talks. Moments later, Leo suffers a massive heart attack.
Note: The episode title refers to the warning given to Macbeth in the Shakespeare play of the same name, in which he is warned that "Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until / Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill / Shall come against him.") Submitted as Emmy Nominee for Outstanding Drama Series.[10]
The senior staff clash with Congressional leaders on how to fund US peacekeepers destined for the Middle East following the peace accord signed by Israel and the Palestinians. Donna returns to Washington as her injuries slowly heal. As Leo recovers from his heart attack, the Cabinet secretaries and senior staff members continually make missteps without a Chief of Staff. Bartlet eventually asks C.J. to become the new Chief of Staff.
Note: Stockard Channing submitted this episode as an Emmy nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.[10]
C.J. Cregg begins her tenure as White House Chief of Staff, as Toby and Donna begin searching for a new Press Secretary. The Republic of Georgia offers to give the United States its stockpile of weapons-grade uranium. Josh meets with Representative Matthew Santos of Texas, who is retiring from Congress despite having only recently been re-elected to his seat. Santos will become a recurring character this season, as he begins a campaign for the Presidency.
Note: Submitted as Emmy Nominee for Outstanding Drama Series.[10]
Josh crashes an SUV into a hybrid vehicle, causing a public relations disaster. He meets with environmental supporters who berate the White House for doing too little to beef up laws in this area, including raising fuel emissions standards; Josh points out that they have had seven years of a hostile Congress. Annabeth Schott decides she can coach Toby to do the White House's press briefings. Kate confronts Donna about her experiences in Gaza.
Note: The episode title refers to the Hubbert peak theory, one of the primary theories behind the concept of peak oil.
Santos gets friendly with Republicans over a Patients' Bill of Rights, and the first American soldier dies in the Gaza peacekeeping mission, upsetting Donna.
Note: The episode title refers to an informal test of public support for military action based on coverage of returning casualties.
While preparing for the upcoming China summit, the Chinese are insulted by President Bartlet's acceptance of a Taiwanese independence movement flag at a prayer breakfast. Charlie must try and return the flag, which proves difficult. Meanwhile, C.J. has to agree to stipulations the Chinese are making in order to mend fences. Eventually at a performance by James Taylor that evening paying tribute to Sam Cooke, Jed confides to Abby that he did not see the flag. He could not tie his bow tie, has not been able to focus for over a day, and has lost the sight in his right eye. Meanwhile, former Vice President John Hoynes asks Josh to run his presidential campaign.
At Zoey Bartlet's birthday party, magicians Penn and Teller appear to burn an American flag in the White House, prompting a publicity nightmare. Aboard Air Force One, Bartlet is stricken by a paralyzing MS episode, while Josh is approached to run Vice President Russell's presidential campaign. The Bartlet Administration offers Republican California Senator Arnold Vinick the position of US Ambassador to the UN, but he turns it down and announces his candidacy for the Presidency instead. Governor Baker drops out of the Democratic nomination race, making Russell the clear front-runner.
In China, an impaired Bartlet is having trouble sitting through meetings following his MS attack. In Washington, a NASA functionary warns that an asteroid could strike Earth, while Josh wonders who should be the next guy to occupy the Oval Office and puts off a talk with Donna about her future until she finally quits her job.
A senator attaches a rider to the federal budget bill that would ban gay marriage, almost daring the President to veto it. Josh struggles with his replacement assistant. The Internet is rampant with a story that questions C.J.'s sexual orientation, and it is only fueled further when the White House refuses to dignify the allegations by putting out a statement. Donna joins the Vice President's campaign staff and heads for New Hampshire, while Santos decides that he will run for president if Josh will run his campaign.
Santos starts up his presidential campaign in New Hampshire, where he and Josh immediately disagree on campaign philosophy, Santos is criticized by Doug Westin, and Josh has a reunion with Donna.
On the day after Bartlet has given his last State of the Union address, Leo returns to the West Wing. After the US ambassador to Bolivia makes a speech about the upcoming elections there, a Socialist candidate surges in the polls. His followers later kidnap several American contractors working on drug eradication efforts. The First Lady has to attend a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Martinsville. The President is sick and needs to take regular naps but, eventually, at the prodding of Leo, he calls together the White House Staff. With 364 days left in his term, he encourages his staff to use the term to make bold initiatives. One by one, C.J., Toby, Charlie, Annabeth, Will, and Kate all suggest pressing concerns, changes they would like to see made in the time they have left.
The presidential candidates journey to Iowa, where Democrats Russell and Santos, and Republican Vinick, are all told by their handlers that when they appear before the corn growers association they must support subsidies for ethanol as fuel, regardless of their true feelings. Vinick becomes the only candidate able to keep true to his convictions.
Note: The episode title refers to the phrase "corn is king," often used in Iowa to describe the state's dependence on the crop. Alan Alda submitted this episode as an Emmy nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Also submitted as Emmy nominee for Outstanding Drama.[10]
When a British passenger aircraft is accidentally shot down over Iran, causing an international crisis, C.J. battles with the First Lady over how much to let Bartlet's MS affect his schedule; Toby and constitutional scholar Lawrence Lessig (Christopher Lloyd) work with Belarusian diplomats on a new constitution.
Note: Stockard Channing submitted this episode as an Emmy nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.[10]
It is five days before the New Hampshire primary, and Josh is desperately trying to find a "silver bullet" that will get his candidate into the local debate between front-runners Russell and Hoynes. Then, Josh and Santos's disagreements over how to run the campaign come to a head when Santos hires Josh's ex-girlfriend Amy Gardner to help him prepare for the debate.
Note: The episode title refers to a fictional country popularized by the 1933 Marx Brothers film Duck Soup. Submitted as Emmy Nominee for Outstanding Drama Series.[10]
The loss of Josh to the Santos campaign has left the West Wing staff noticeably shorthanded. Meanwhile, a bill to combat drought conditions in the western U.S. presents problems for C.J., particularly in dealing with lobbyist Clifford Calley – whom Leo suggests as a replacement for Josh. Reporter Greg Brock investigates the possibility of the White House secretly supporting one of the presidential candidates. Senator Rafferty, a new contender, garners media attention with a ground-breaking speech, her words echoing President Bartlet's original health care plan known only to White House insiders. Asked about this, Toby, who since the recent death of his brother has been even more morose than usual, confronts Josh with his feelings of betrayal over Josh leaving. Their heated argument escalates into a short brawl. In the aftermath, Toby confesses to C.J. that his brother did not die of cancer, but committed suicide. Charlie attempts to play matchmaker for Kate.
Note: The episode title refers to the "Western Water Program" that Cliff Calley is pursuing in spite of droughts across the world.
Congressman Santos masterminds a plot to vote down Republican legislation in the House that would de-fund the President's program for stem cell research. A group of middle school children who are part of the Future Leaders for Democracy visits the White House and seeks out Toby to discuss the voting age. Kate has to deal with a ridiculous impending invasion of Canada.
As Super Tuesday approaches, the three Democratic candidates battle it out to win California as the state legislature passes a bill that would prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining driver's licenses.
Note: The episode title translates to "the word" in Spanish.
When speculations fly surrounding the nexus between communist Cuba and the United States, President Bartlet is propelled into a dubious conundrum: continue secret talks with Cuba's ailing dictator and lift the longstanding embargo or to yield to bipartisan political pressure and reaffirm decades-old sanctions. Meanwhile, Leo and Kate learn that they have more in common than politics when a distant memory of corrupted elections and bar-room antics reveal a more intimate connection.
Note: The episode title refers to the distance between Cuba and the United States quoted by Bartlet.
Senator Vinick wins the Republican nomination for presidency and begins working on his campaign. He gets political advice from Bruno about choosing a vice president and how to deal with the latest controversy of Vinick's church attendance, or lack thereof. Meanwhile, the Democrats are stuck in a three-way race for enough delegates to win the Democratic nominations; Russell barely leads Santos and Hoynes is a distant third. Bartlet tries to show unity in the party by wrangling the candidates.
Note: Alan Alda submitted this episode as an Emmy nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Also submitted as Emmy Nominee for Outstanding Drama Series.[10]
The well-organized Republican convention is making the Democrats look in disarray as the three candidates continue to battle for the nomination. Bartlet asks Leo to take control and organize the convention. Meanwhile, the International Space Station has a leak and is losing oxygen which jeopardizes the lives of the three astronauts aboard and morality and mortality are examined. And a super-secret space shuttle might help them but it is considered too sensitive to reveal, until someone has a different idea.
Despite the best efforts of the White House, there is still no presidential nominee at the Democratic National Convention. As convention chair, Leo sits down with representatives from the various campaigns, trying to organize proceedings despite in-fighting. Meanwhile, the lives of the three astronauts in the International Space Station are still hanging in the balance as their oxygen supply dwindles. The White House tries to deal with the aftermath of the leaked rumor of a military shuttle that can be used to save them. With voices on all sides furious, President Bartlet demands that the leaker's name be on his desk by Friday and has given the task to Toby and Kate Harper. Back at the convention, Josh is trying to work out where he can find the crucial votes needed to win Santos the nomination. With the belief that Hoynes' campaign is over, Josh asks his former boss to transfer his votes to Santos after the first ballot. Meanwhile, the Russell camp receives some bad news as Governor Baker suddenly becomes a viable candidate. At the White House, Kate and Toby meet the FBI agents in charge of interviewing people capable of leaking the shuttle information. The guilty party is facing ten years in a federal prison for releasing classified information. After being asked to drop out and support a candidate Santos gives a rallying speech to the delegates reminding them to vote with their hearts. Inspired by this, Barlett quietly intervenes and encourages holdout delegates to support Santos. Josh tells Leo they still need a vice president and that the choice for the candidate is Leo.
Note: The episode title refers to the number of votes needed to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination in-universe. Nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. Also submitted as Emmy Nominee for Outstanding Drama Series.[10]
The DVD release of season six was released by Warner Bros. first in the UK on September 26, 2005, and then in the US on May 9, 2006, after the season had completed broadcasting on television. As well as every episode from the season, the DVD release features bonus material including audio commentary on three episodes from directors and writers, and a documentary on Allison Janney's portrayal of C. J. Cregg.[45][46]
