The West Wing: 10 Greatest Ever Moments

Season 5 of The West Wing wasn't the show’s strongest on the whole, but it did have a couple of standout moments involving the Bartlet administration clashing with Republican Speaker of the House, Jeff Haffley. Haffley was a classic boo-hiss political baddie whose decision to try and force the President to make significant budget cuts resulted in Jed shutting the entire US government down.

This quirk of the American system seemed far-fetched at the time and the type of thing that would only happen in West Wing world rather than reality. However, it then famously actually happened for real under the Obama administration several years later. West Wing fans the world over secretly longed for Obama to pull a Bartlet and take drastic action.

Frustrated with a lack of progress and desperate for resolution, President Bartlet decided to be proactive and head to the House in person. While on the way there, he shows his common touch by stopping to chat with some tourists, before taking Josh’s advice and walking the final stretch in a symbolic and emphatic show of determination.

The sight of Jed and his team striding down Pennsylvania Avenue towards Capitol Hill is stirring stuff, demonstrating both the President's commitment to the cause as well as Josh’s incisive political mind. Josh had been sidelined prioir to this due to a major mistake, so this also marked his return to the political frontlines. This was a definite victory for the good guys and a much needed feel-good moment after some difficult times for the administration.