State of the Union

I was watching this episode of The West Wing earlier - President Bartlet is on his way to give his State of the Union Address and has stopped to meet with the Cabinet member who has been chosen to stay behind in the Oval Office in case someone bombs the entire government at the speech.

The President apologized profusely to this guy, the Secretary of Agriculture, for having to stay behind. I started thinking...hell, wouldn't you RATHER be sitting in the Oval Office? Hell, everybody and their mother is at the speech. The entire world can watch it. And who knows how many other speeches you'll get to attend in the future? Yes, to ME going to a State of the Union would be a big deal; but I would think someone who has risen to such a high post has been to his share. Or close enough to not really care. Meanwhile, you get to kick it by yourself back in the Oval? Put your feet up, pretend you're calling Putin. Call up your high school girlfriend who dumped you, "how you like me now, beeyoooooooootch??!!?!??!!!!!!" And I haven't even STARTED with the funny candids you can take of yourself throughout the office! To me, it's no contest.


SIDE NOTE: also in the episode was this guy. Seriously, does he just sit around and wait for people to make movies about Edgar Allen Poe? Wow.