What would President Bartlett do?

[grasswire]

It's kind of amusing to ponder how the West Wing writers would solve this situation. Surely they couldn't conjure up something this dramatic and have viewers believe it could really happen!

[Horse with no Name]

1. He would have triggered the 14th Amendment

and he would have never ever ever ever traded old peoples food and medicine for tax cuts for the rich.

[TheWraith]

2. Again: you are imagining cuts which don't exist.

You are also imagining that the 14th Amendment says something it doesn't.

[Joe the Revelator]

9. +1

[jwirr]

11. You may be right about what the 14th Amendment says but in a real

pinch it may be the only option in this storm. I think Bill Clinton was right when he said "I would use it and take what they can throw at me before I would let our country default." (paraphrased) And yes I know this whole damn scare is manufactured by the rethugs. If he lets them win it is going to be blamed on us. Better damned because we tried to do something than because we just gave up.

[BattyDem]

3. Exactly!

Damn ... I wish he was real, LOL!

[TheWraith]

4. Depends on which season it was.

The later seasons tended to be more realistic about the sausage-making and frustrations of governing.

[Armstead]

5. Pull out the incriminating photos

All for a good cause, of course

[elleng]

6. Lawrence O'Donnell mentioned this week

that he had written a debt ceiling West Wing episode. I don't recall it, but am re-watching all 7 years now. OFTEN, life imitates art.

[onehandle]

7. The situation would have never happened. Bartlett would have wielded his mandate like a sword.

And would not have lost the House by chasing 'bipartisanship.'

[grasswire]

10. I would vote for Martin Sheen for POTUS

Considering the fact that he has been arrested time, and time, and time again for protesting war -- I think he has proven his principles and his integrity.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Here, given that Lawrence O'Donnell wrote THAT episode

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/the-west-wing-explains-the-debt-ceiling-video/2011/07/29/gIQAzEexgI_blog.html