Allison Janney: "I have a feeling Pres. Bush has never seen 'West Wing'"

Last Will and President
As 'West Wing' Leaves Office, a Last Chance to Debrief the Staff
By Jennifer Frey - Washington Post Staff Writer

C.J., Josh, Toby, Sam - the men and women of TV’s "West Wing" arrived in 1999, and Washington greeted them like rock stars. We tried to elbow into their entourage; we yearned to get inside their faux-D.C. bubble. We even managed to make it a bipartisan event.

Rep. Tom DeLay crowed about plans to add a House majority whip to the cast. Madeleine Albright made a late-night visit to a taping in Georgetown. Alan Greenspan professed his addiction to the program. And Mayor Anthony Williams managed to get his name linked to "The West Wing" by announcing that the show had "pumped $2.6 million into the local economy" in its first season.

Even the First Fan (then-President Bill Clinton) was compelled to summon series creator Aaron Sorkin to the White House.

Why such reactions? Because they made us look good. They made us feel incandescent instead of battery-operated. Theirs was a Washington where power brokers were deliciously Machiavellian instead of merely malevolent. Watching the show was like looking into the Reflecting Pool - only the reflection seemed more luminous.

And when the actors came to visit (only a few times per season, alas), we hoped some of that star power would rub off. The glow, though, has dimmed-actually, it had been fading for a while. Clinton left office and, as show stalwart Allison Janney puts it: "I have a feeling President Bush has never seen 'The West Wing.' " After 9/11, there was a distinct dialing-down of the humor, the pratfalls, the quirky repartee, because it just no longer seemed right. The ratings sagged. President Bartlet-and the show itself - became a lame duck....

(NOTE: "The West Wing" pilot airs tonight at 7 Eastern, followed by the series finale. This article ends with an interactive feature that includes the thoughts of several "West Wing" "power players.")

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/artsandliving/interactives/galleries/westwing/gallery.html

It'll be tough to say goodbye to a fake president who's a thousand times better than our "real" one (and I use the term "real" loosely...very loosely).

West Wing set with John Spencer and Martin Sheen.

insane time.