CJ was nodding her head in the right places but she'd stopped listening about 20 minutes ago.

In theory, they were formulating a strategy to win over the Senate leadership so that the United States wouldn't, you know, go to war with the EU over a bunch of bananas. But from there it was just a quick skip and a jump to trade protectionism in general and then a bigger leap over to mercantilism and the American Revolution and listening to Jed Bartlet argue with Sam Seaborn about Thomas Hutchinson's role in the Stamp Act, CJ thought there was really something to be said for electing a commander-in-chief who was, well, less burdened in the brains department.

She could tell Josh wasn't listening, either. His eyes were glazed over and he'd lost his grip on his pen. It slipped out of his hand, and CJ watched it bounce on the Oval Office carpet.

Toby was leaning back, his hands folded in true Toby-wan style. His eyes were shuttered but she could tell he was following the conversation, ready to jump in if either one of them needed to be corrected.

Leo was blatantly ignoring them all, and she envied his ability to go over budget numbers while sitting two feet from the president. His glasses rested precariously on his nose and CJ itched to go over and push them back for him.

Right, she thought. And then you can straighten his tie, too. You're not his mother. Or Margaret.

She sighed, kicking her heel against what was probably a very expensive chair. The glamour of it all had long since worn off. You come to work every day and eventually you stop caring that the conference room table is older than your, you know, state.

You come to work every day, she thinks again, and it all starts to blur. There's a war in Africa, an economic feud with Europe, a devastating flood/hurricane/earthquake in Florida, a senator who won't say yes, a deputy who can't say no and Notre Dame is losing. Again.

They've moved from Thomas Hutchinson to Bernard Bailyn to, oh god, the influence of Cromwell on 1776. Sometimes CJ thinks Leo OK'd Josh bringing Sam on board just so the president would have someone to talk to while he, Leo, got on with running the country.

Toby raises his eyebrows at her from across the room. Sometimes CJ thinks Toby brought her on board just so he'd have someone to raise his eyebrows at.

She comes to work every day and she's not cynical, not really. It's important work she's doing. That they're all doing. And for every TV crew complaining about the lighting in the East Room, there's a group of schoolkids who will never forget the day they met President Bartlet.

There are moments when CJ feels that it's all been worth it -- that she's part of the grand sweep of American history.

She kicks the chair again. This isn't one of them.