But the biggest lie of The West Wing, by far, was the walk-and-talk. In President Bartlet’s White House, staffers strolled side by side, trading barbs about policy while aides scurried in and out of the frame. In the actual West Wing, walking and talking was dangerous. One morning I left Favs’s office and, perhaps distracted by the sewagey smell, nearly tripped over a pair of black leather shoes. I looked up to see who they belonged to: it was a face I recognized but couldn’t quite place. I riffled through options. A new colleague? A B-list celebrity? A contestant on the latest season of Top
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