1.3 Episode aired Oct. 18

Not to speak of the obvious, but Commander in Chief lacks balls. But let's put the blame where it belongs, not with Geena Davis, but with the scriptwriters.

In his effort to discredit President Mackenzie Allen, House Speaker Nathan Templeton successfully got three cabinet members to resign and went after chief of staff Jim Gardner (Harry Lennix), who used to be now-dead Republican President Bridge's chief of staff, as well. In blunt, tactless language he urged Gardner to also resign and for that duty "you can be my vice president." Templeton tells the man - who is black - think of the history - the first black vice president. Don't just think of the office of the president; think of the the history of your people.

Well, being the first woman as president is arguably a greater fictional landmark and why wouldn't Gardner aspire to the presidency himself?

So there's that and the fact that Gardner in Episode 1 already wanted Allen to resign so Templeton could move in as president. But in this episode you can see his disgust at Templeton's massive grab for power.

So, bear with me here a moment.

West Wing at its best was both about the grand gestures and the subtleties; about a president unafraid. One of such stand-out moments was when President Bartlet humiliated a talk radio host, loosely based on Dr. Laura Schlessinger. (and "loose" and "Dr. Laura" have often appeared in the same room together. Except visually.).

In "The Midterms" episode which aired exactly five years ago - Oct. 18, 2000 - from when this third ever episode of CoC aired, Bartlet walks into a room of on-air talk radio "personalities" and sees a few people he really dislikes, including one Dr. Jenna Jacobs, daintily eating crab cakes, who has called homosexuality an "abomination"

"I like your show. I like how you call homosexuality an "abomination!"

"I don't say homosexuality is an abomination, Mr. President. The Bible does."

"Yes, it does. Leviticus!"

Which then causes Bartlet to rip through a few Leviticus and Exodus verses of what the Bible says - freely sell your sons and daughters into slavery, kill those who work on the Sabbath, don't touch pig skin. And Bartlet ends it with ::: "One last thing. While you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the Ignorant Tight-Ass Club, in this building when the president stands, nobody sits."

It's just a glorious smackdown. Even if it was heavily "cribbed". (Leviticus also says eating shellfish - like crab - is perhaps - a greater abomination, though this isn't referenced in the show)

Reel it back in to Commander In Chief, 2005. We're at the state dinner and Templeton's assistant, tells Gardner, "Now's the time."