Archie The West Wing

In the pilot episode of the "West Wing," the President and his companions must abate many important political issues while dealing with their own personal problems. While the show seemed to focus on Josh's mishandling of the representative of the Christian fanatic group, I believe that the most pressing issue is the case of the Cuban immigrants. Though saving face with the American people is important to any president, I think rescuing the Cubans that risk their lives in a storm that kills half of their people in order to get to America is the far more pressing concern. Not only are more poeple's lives affected by the Cubans dying, but the international reprecusions could have been drastic. As Americans we are supposed to stand for justice and we have taken it upon ourselves to be the moral compass of the world as the most powerful nation of the world. To let the Cubans die without sending help could hurt alliances with other countries and make the U.S. seem hypocritical. Protecting people's basic human rights and the nation's image is far more important than the Cabinet looking bad for denouncing a fanatic religious group. Though others may say having a president with a negative image would damage America's image just as much. I will argue that letting thousands die just outside of our border without lifting a finger to help will send a larger negative message to the rest of the world than bad publicity for the President, thus helping the Cubans is what I believe to be the most pressing political issue that the President must face.