I Wonder if They Have a Secret Plan to Fight Inflation

So, as an avid West Wing fan, I saw this on someone else's blog and had to share:

Parallels between the West Wing and Barack Obama's campaign
1. In the last two seasons of "The West Wing," a major character was Matt Santos, played by Jimmy Smits, who ran for President and won. This character, according to the writers, was based on Barack Obama.

2. On the show, to win the nomination, the young and charismatic up-and-comer in the party had to overcome the much greater experience of a more powerful rival and become the first non-white occupant of the Oval Office, which he did with a message of hope and change.

3. Once nominated, Santos squared off against a veteran senator from a Western state who had prided himself on being a maverick in the past.

4. That rival is forced to choose a far-right running mate to placate more fundamentalist interests in the party.

5. Barack Obama just chose Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff. Rahm Emanual was the real-life inspiration behind the character of Josh Lyman on "The West Wing."

- More info on the similarities can be found here in the New York Times (though note, this article ran before the election.)

This sure makes watching the 6th and 7th seasons a hell of a lot more interesting.