Personal
Josh out-maneuvered First Lady Abbey Bartlet, not for the first time, in an appropriations battle. When Abbey complained, Josh told her that until she learned to play political hardball, he'd always beat her in negotiations. He recommended that she get herself a real Chief of Staff. She takes his advice, and hires Josh's ex-girlfriend and former director of the Women's Leadership Council, Amy Gardner.
Despite the apparent seriousness of Zoey's relationship with her new boyfriend Jean-Paul, Charlie refuses to give up on Zoey, and has taken every opportunity to remind her that he loves her.
Political
No background information needed.
Amy has a rough time as she starts her new job as the First Lady's Chief of Staff. Abbey is upset by an amendment that denies foreign aid to clinics which discuss abortion with their patients. Despite Amy's efforts, she's unable to get the gag rule amendment removed from the bill. Things go bad when Toby gets a visit from a former classmate who works for a major chemical company. The classmate confides that his company has violated Federal toxic waste laws — but Josh and Toby's attempts to help him may cause legal problems. Leo deals with a crisis after a glacier melts in Alaska and floods a small town. The West Wing staff also deals with a minor controversy when a newspaper reports that Abbey has a distant relative who was a privateer. Amy, CJ and Will intervene so that there won't be problems when Zoey is inducted into the Daughters of the American Revolution. Following Will's advice, Charlie "respectfully refuses" to stop pursuing Zoey romantically. Donna is assigned to tail a potential troublemaker at the DAR induction party.
