P.S. It's also possible they are testing out a potential successor to Bartlett. They can only have Bartlett on the show for another 3 years; then they either have to hang up the show or find a new Prez.

A fictional liberal Presidency is fun to watch on TV when we have an ultra conservative one on the news. If a liberal democrat were elected in 2004, the West Wing might have to "elect" a conservative into office to keep the show interesting :)