Special episode dealing with the 9/11 terrorist attacks which does not take place in continuity and pre-empted the premiere of the third season on first airing.
Bartlet announces his plans for re-election and his staff steps up to the task. Sam reminds the President of his lack of apology revolving the non-disclosure of his illness to the public. Bartlet has to balance his defense against the multiple sclerosis backlash and the siege of the US Embassy in Haiti.
The staff, with the aid of a political strategist, prepare Bartlet's re-election announcement. CJ tries to make up for a press conference slip up. Bartlet tries to decide a course of action in Haiti. Babish's lawyer recommendation for Charlie takes him back.
A prosecutor subpoenas the White House staff to discern their involvement in the cover-up of his Multiple Sclerosis. CJ decides to try to remove the prosecutor through clever use of the press. Bartlet handles a Wyoming forest fire and the possible repeal of the estate tax. Donna dates a Republican.
Bartlet's veto of the death tax runs into a problem when it looks like the house will have enough votes to override it. Josh meets with a governor thinking of challenging Bartlet for the Presidency. CJ personally takes on a reporter. Charlie gets advice from the staff about his upcoming testimony.
Bartlet seeks his VP's help at an anti-gun rally following a shooting. Donna has to lie to her boyfriend in her interview over the President's illness. Leo and an Air Force Officer debate the United State's position on the War Crimes Tribunal. Toby's off the cuff remark is overheard by a reporter. Sam battles a Congressman over the penny.
An American spy Submarine disappears in hostile waters and Bartlet must choose his course of action carefully. Abigail's past law suits as a doctor may come back to haunt her husband. Toby meets with a Appropriations Committee representative over arts funding.
Indians stage a sit-in at the White House demanding better on-reservation health care even as Thanksgiving approaches. Josh tries to help justice take its course on a teenager who fled the country after murder. Toby has a cost-friendly idea to help the President poll better. Sam sees the dangerous fine print on a new poverty index in that it would drastically increase the number of people who fall under that description.
A UN bill proposes a ban on prostitution and Josh meets with a woman's caucus to discuss it. Bartlet learns of a possible Mad Cow disease outbreak. CJ is appalled by the possibility of selling guns to a Middle Eastern country in order to secure an military base because of the mistreatment of the country's women.
It's December 23 and as the FBI works to uncover a plot to firebomb black churches in the South, the presidential investigation intensifies. Bartlet recalls why he made the decision to hide his disease from the public.
Leo denies censure as an closing to the investigation of Bartlet's hidden illness. Josh tries hard to meet with a women's rights leader in a personal setting. Charlie's gift to the President brings about political debate among the staff.
As the staff prepares for the State of the Union, Sam is interviewed by his former girlfriend for a Vanity Fair profile.
It's the day of the Iowa Caucus and the President and his staff argue over whether Bartlet should make a stand on affirmative action. Josh's relationship with Amy heats up and the two try unsuccessfully to put their busy schedules aside to take a trip to Tahiti. Sam meets with a UFO believer... again.
Leo brings a psychiatrist to The White House to talk to President Bartlet about his insomnia. The White House press corp's most obnoxious reporter is taken hostage in the Congo. Despite their differences, C.J. does everything she can to lobby for his release.
President Bartlet uses chess to illustrate to Sam and Toby the tense political situation between China and Taiwan as Taiwan begins test-firing U.S. Patriot missiles. Josh worries about the outcome of the New Hampshire state primary.
The first lady isn't in the mood to celebrate when her birthday falls on the eve of a hearing that will likely result in the loss of her medical license. The British ambassador advises the president not to meet with an Irish terrorist. And Donna discovers that as the result of a border technicality, she's actually Canadian.
The new US poet laureate takes an active political stance and threatens to oppose the administration's policy on land mines.
A truck carrying uranium crashes in an Idaho tunnel. Meanwhile, election strategists measure the potential damage of dropping Vice President Hoynes from the Democratic ticket.
Real-life counterparts to the White House Staff Members portrayed on "The West Wing" speak of their work in Washington.
A US satellite captures photos of a nuclear-bomb facility in Iran with links to Russia. This threatens the progress of a summit between Bartlet and the Russian President.
A terrorist threat looms over The White House. Meanwhile, C.J. grows irritated by the constant Secret Service presence in her life.
Bartlet must decide about which is more important: a country's rights or the capture of known terrorists. Josh and his feminist girlfriend debate the issues.
Bartlet comes face to face with his enemy, the Republican candidate, in a public setting. New information reveals to the President that a Middle Eastern government has terrorist supporters. Josh and Amy's relationship comes to a head over the welfare reform bill.