Dr Bartlet tells how it all began

[UncleMikeNJ]

NBC gave us "The West Wing." CBS gave us "NCIS." It's not that hard, and well worth it, to get it right. Fox gave us "24." They should have kept it. The people who have harmed Americans the most are those who claim to be the most American.

[WORLDARYANREVIVAL]

umm wrong! it started because the jews wouldnt accept Muhammad...read the koran ..nuff said liberals fail again...plus it dont explain what muslims did to India for 0ver 600 years! fucking dummies!

[IronChefWannabe]

@WORLDARYANREVIVAL

dumb shit

[ZeDingoBlag]

@WORLDARYANREVIVAL I love when racists show up and completely decimate the conservative position. It's the only time when liberals are actually lazy, since the work is already done.

[9claudiajenssen]

I've heard the story of Issac and Ishmael a million times at church, but when Stockard tells the story...it is so much better. She is so great.

[tmdpc]

2000 years of war and suffering because nobody could grasp the concept of 'step-brother'....

[tfn105]

@tmdpc Half brother

[roguebfl]

@tmdpc Half-brothers, Step-brothers don't share biological parents.

[jesusthroughmary]

@tmdpc Irony alert.

[lilly94white]

Islamic extremists are to Islam

as ??? is to Christianity

The best explanation I have ever heard about international terrorism on tv ever

♥ West Wing ♥

[IrishEyes1989]

Why can't everybody just shut up about religion and marvel at the brilliance of Stockard Channing's acting? There will always be disagreements about beliefs. Arguing about it on YouTube serves no purpose whatsoever. It does not change the views of those who disagree with each other and it sure as hell doesn't make anyone look very intelligent.

[faceprecious]

@IrishEyes1989 People have the right to have this discussion whether you like it or not. It is called freedom of speech. There is nothing wrong with this discussion from what I have read of it at this time. IMO.

[IrishEyes1989]

@faceprecious I agree with you 100% about freedom of speech. It's just that sometimes the arguments on YouTube veer a little too far off-track and people start personally attacking others. I think that the message in this episode of The West Wing was very important following 9/11. All I'm saying is that I chose to watch this clip for the acting, not the politics of it.

[jokr8790]

I'm not sure we should keep referring to groups like Al Quaeda as "Islamic" terrorists. We don't refer to the K.K.K. as "Christian" Terrorists. We don't refer to the break off sect of the Mormons as "Mormon" pedophiles. One of the other clips showed Josh Lyman explaining that these guys are about as

Islamic" as the KKK is to christianity.

[MentalSentinel]

"I cant quite remember how we got it into our heads that jihad was linked to violence. (Might it have had something to do with the actual history and teachings of Islam?) And how could we have been so foolish as to connect the apparently inexhaustible supply of martyrs in the Muslim world to the Islamic doctrine of martyrdom?" -Sam Harris

not enough space to post the whole thing but I think this still gets the point across.

[gagothesith]

Do the murderers of the KKK claim that they are doing it *because The Bible commands it* and are they doing it *for the glory of Christianity*?

[jokr8790]

Frequently.

[gagothesith]

Really?

And SPECIFICALLY which passages of the Bible did they quote to argue white supremacy--which passages did they quote to treat colored people as shit.

[svrhodes77]

@gagothesith ...Absolutely they do. They claim that they are doing what they do for the purity of the Christian church.

[kcroyalfanatic]

When Saladin took over Jerusalem, he let the Jews and Christians go about their business as it was the same in Moorish Spain until a time that radicals took over from North Africa and started attacking Muslims and non muslims alike. Islamic terrorists are attcacking everybody eith Christian, Jew or Muslim

[TheBlindAcorn]

Yes one of the best episodes. It was the post 9/11 episode. Love it. Very relevent.

[ryanwebbct]

This is the best episode because it is the dialogue the country needed. It went beyond anything TV is about, entertainment, Fun, escapism,etc...

It was the most important, relavant discussion of the topic of internatioanl terrorism the United States got to see after 9/11. It should be shown on TV more often just to educate more people about the conflict between the cultures.

[iberales]

@ryanwebbct "This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and even it can inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it's nothing but wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful." :)

[RJY4356]

This was an episode thrown together right after 9/11 with the device that the high school tourist kids were stuck in the White House restaurant because of a security lockdown going on that day, which is good cover for hurriedly coming up with some dialogue and only having to film in one room so it could be aired very quickly instead of the normal way an episode is filmed more slowly and aired months later

[xsilentxxseabreezex]

And yet for all that it is still one of the best episodes of The West Wing. Being a teenager myself I agree that this episode should be shown in schools; the dialogue between the students and the other characters is really intertesting and thought-provoking, and does not patronise or talk down to younger viewers. We can all learn a lot from it.

[tmdpc]

@xsilentxxseabreezex - Well said.

[Mary4579]

nice very nice. you should watch your language. this was my favorite episode you totally had to ruin it.

[jokr8790]

Don't let a racist moron ruin your enjoyment of thes episodes or this clip. That's what very underendowed guys like him are trying to do. I assume he left right after posting to vote in the Republican primary.

[Mary4579]

thanks for the comment and your right I should ignore him.

[Mary4579]

great. loved this epsidoe, very moving I thougt.

[psatm]

Why Doesn't YouTube filter out these complete redneck losers?

[psatm]

Really, I can thumbs down your message. I DID NOT KNOW THAT, YOU ARE A GENIUS. God what a loser.

[gagothesith]

NONIGGERS001

> Yes I am a genious.

Spot the irony.

[jadevoyager]

I agree to a certain extent. Some of the things said here, especially by this particular person, are completely offensive, but in the end ....it's all about the 1st Amendment. Freedom of speech. Take away this person's right to post and you take away everyone's right to post. Don't read what this person has to say. You know his name so skip his comments. Don't give him the satisfaction of knowing that he's upset you or even that you aknowledge him.

[InCupsOfCoffee821]

I totally agree. It should be mandatory not just for students, but for EVERYBODY to watch this.

[jokr8790]

It would be tempting to make it mandatory, but we live in a free society. I would not make this mandatory anymore than I would make reading the Bible mandatory or forcing people to watch "The Ten Commandments." However, we can cajole people and lobby the networks, particularly during the writer's strike to bring it back and political leaders can preface it by tyring to convince people to have a national discussion on the issues that are being raised.

[jokr8790]

I'm not sure that the entire West Wing series shouldn't be required in every high school in the United States. For that matter, I remember a short lived TV show with Richard Dreyfuss as a college teacher teaching American History. One of the profs ordered the kids to present a paper espousing the views of "the enemy" after 9/11. I think a similar project would be highly instructive.

[grumpytosnowwhite]

I think that at least in college, every poly sci student should be required to watch an episode of the West Wing every week. It makes the whole subject so un-theoretical and easier to understand.

[astinstudios]

I like Josh's comment about the events taking place "about 73 million years ago" :-)

[PeachGirlfan]

True students should see it. I saw it in my literature class once, it was great.

[Akrnboy]

I agree this episode should be required viewing for all highschool students. It's extremely educational.

[Akrnboy]

I agree this episode should be required viewing for all highschool students. It's extremely educational.

[debravs]

This entire episode, 'Isaac and Ishmael', was absolutely amazing. It was exactly what the country needed after 9-11, and should have been required viewing for everyone in the U.S. Perhaps there would be less misunderstanding now. Aaron Sorkin is a genius in his field.

[Emmausfan]

one of my favorite scenes