Aaron Sorkin Writes Obama Fan-Fiction

I’m no stranger to fan-fiction. I’ve spent countless hours creating scenarios where television’s Mary Tyler Moore divorces Dick Van Dyke in order to follow her dream of working in a local TV news station and promptly finds herself in charmingly wacky situations. I am thinking of calling it Mary Tyler Moore Sex-ventures!

It’s good to hear a real television icon like Aaron Sorkin also dabbles in fan-fiction.  The New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd asked him to write a scenario wherein Obama meets with The West Wing’s President Bartlet. It’s surprisingly good (considering how surprisingly bad Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip was).

BARACK OBAMA knocks on the front door of a 300-year-old New Hampshire farmhouse while his Secret Service detail waits in the driveway. The door opens and OBAMA is standing face to face with former President JED BARTLET.

BARTLET Senator.

OBAMA Mr. President.

BARTLET You seem startled.

OBAMA I didn’t expect you to answer the door yourself.

BARTLET I didn’t expect you to be getting beat by John McCain and a Lancôme rep who thinks “The Flintstones” was based on a true story, so let’s call it even.

OBAMA Yes, sir.

BARTLET Come on in.

BARTLET leads OBAMA into his study.

BARTLET That was a hell of a convention.

OBAMA Thank you, I was proud of it.

BARTLET I meant the Republicans. The Us versus Them-a-thon. As a Democrat I was surprised to learn that I don’t like small towns, God, people with jobs or America. I’ve been a little out of touch but is there a mandate that the vice president be skilled at field dressing a moose —

OBAMA Look —

BARTLET — and selling Air Force Two on eBay?

OBAMA Joke all you want, Mr. President, but it worked.

BARTLET Imagine my surprise. What can I do for you, kid?

Read the rest of Aaron Sorkin’s Obama fan-fiction here.