The White House, 1846

My heart soared when I learned the president decided to chuck moderation and steam-roll through some tough decisions. His staff cheered.

Good old President Jed Bartlett.

When there’s a break in my schedule I take in The West Wing, which I completely missed when it first aired on American television in 1999.

Last night marked a watershed moment (launching into season two) when the president decides to quit dilly-dallying and stick to his convictions.

How coincidental that the same night heralded what the New York Times referred to as a “Call for Progressive Values” stemming from the Obama administration.

Obama plans to use “the full powers of his office for progressive values,” says the Times.

In the scripted version of West Wing, season two opens with a shoot-out, tempting viewers with excuses to stay tuned. But the shooting also offers characters a reason to break their molds, the direct result a grave shake-up—literally and physically—in the Bartlett administration.

Similarly today’s political pundits note that Obama’s decision-making arrives in the wake of a Connecticut school shooting in December, allowing him to push for gun control.

Not sure if this is life imitating art or sheer coincidence.