KEVIN GREENE-ILLUSTRATOR

I was watching The West Wing last night, the live "debate" between the two men running for President, Democratic candidate Matt Santos( Jimmy Smits) and Republican candidate Arnold Vinick ( Alan Alda). It was excellent. Obviously, no debate would occur in the way that Alan Alda's character would suggest: He had the rules for the debate junked and had an open question and answer forum. Jimmy Smits agreed and off they went. Debating on health care, Africa, prescription drugs, jobs, immigrants and more, they said things that made you think. Both candidates said things that, truthfully, no candidate in reality would, but I think that was the point of the episode. It made us realize how much we may not know, how much more we should learn and how much two men that "has the best interests of the nation in mind", as Alan Alda put it, could do. Special interest obviously would handcuff even remotely all of the things they mentioned but it was amazing to think what could happen if government were unfettered and united to better this nation. They still held fast to their party labels, still slung a little mud, still made commentaries about what is really going on but they, though idealized, represented the best that we could have to run our nation. If only....Again, it was an excellent episode and I hope to get a transcript of it somewhere.