Jed Bartlet
Watching The West Wing in 2026 can feel like torture. Is it still the best? Yes. Has our modern political moment drifted so far south that this otherwise balanced take on the American presidency begun to feel like an absurdist fantasy land? Also yes.
Our absurdist fantasy POTUS Jed Bartlet is exceptional because he combines moral sincerity, intellectual range, emotional fluency, and institutional respect. He is never portrayed as a perfect man or president. In fact, our favorite lessons come directly from his flaws: secrecy, arrogance, indecision, and the occasional belief that being the smartest person in the room entitles him to bypass process. That being said, at his best, he represents an increasingly rare style of leadership that in essence high standards with deep humanity. Here are some more specific things we notice:
1. He treats leadership as stewardship. Bartlet does not see the presidency as a vehicle for personal brand, resentment, or victory laps. He knows that it's custodianship of something larger than himself and that people who will live with the consequences of his decision-making making after he is gone.
2. Bartlet’s intelligence is more than cleverness. He can move between economics, theology, law, military strategy, ethics, history, agriculture, and human psychology. He thinks in systems and understands that a policy decision is also a moral signal, a political tradeoff, an operational challenge, and a human consequence. He knows that leadership is more than having all the answers and is willing to be challenged by people who know more than he does in specific domains.
3. He surrounds himself with people who can 'No Men'. One of his greatest leadership moves is choosing staff who are independently formidable: Leo, C.J., Toby, Josh, Sam, Abbey, Nancy McNally and Fitzwallace all argue with him. They disappoint him. They push back. They tell him when he is wrong.
4. He knows that leaders communicate more through priorities, appointments, silences, pardons and punishments than they ever do via speeches.
5. He deftly balances compassion with strength. Bartlet notices signs of grief, fear, loyalty, humiliation, and burnout. He comforts. He quotes scripture. He visits hospital rooms. He can make brutal decisions without losing sight of the fact that his staff are human beings dealing with extraordinary pressure.
7. He has impressive command over the English language. Bartlet uses seemingly the perfect words to teach, console, persuade, rebuke, inspire, create moral clarity and reframe an otherwise chaotic situation.
8. He knows when and how to absorb blame. A good leader protects the institution and the team when necessary. No matter how prideful, he understands that the person at the top has to absorb pressure others cannot.
9. He can change his mind without abandoning his principles. In fact, most of his best decisions come after argument, grief, counsel, or confrontation.
Even his flaws are instructive
He can be arrogant.
He sometimes hides behind intellect.
He can humiliate people.
He can over-explain.
He can turn moral certainty into condescension.
He withholds information when he thinks he knows best.
He sometimes romanticizes the burden of leadership.
What's more important than his flaws is that he can be aware of them, learn from them and move in the right direction towards meaningful change.
If we were going to distill his leadership strategy into a practical framework:
1. Build a room that can and will tell you the truth.
2. Know the moral shape of the decision.
3. Use language to create clarity.
4. Protect your team's dignity.
5. Respect the institution.
6. Take responsibility publicly.
7. Let yourself be challenged.
