Lawrence O'Donnell as an actor on The West Wing

By Richard K. Barry

Here's a little diversion from our daily cares. I was watching Lawrence O'Donnell's show last night on MSNBC, as I frequently do. It is called, as you may know, The Last Word. I was well aware of the fact that he was closely associated with the television drama The West Wing, as a story editor, writer, and co-producer. I must say that I was very surprised when he said he also did a brief acting stint on the show.

I fancy myself quite familiar with every season and could not imagine what he was referring to. When he mentioned he played Josiah Bartlet's father in a flashback sequence on the episode "Two Cathedrals," I was amazed. I remembered it well, and remembered the character, but hadn't put it together.

I went to YouTube, found it, and there he was. He did not a bad job, actually. Judge for yourself. 

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)