I don't know why I'm still watching this dreck. I suppose it's because I really want to see a compelling drama about a woman as POTUS. Unfortunately, this ain't it.

I noticed in the opening credits tonight that "Created by Rob Lurie" appears under the title. That's pretty damn self-absorbed. After all, "The West Wing" was never credited as "Created by Aaron Sorkin" at the beginning of every episode. And Sorkin is an incredible talent. Lurie, on the other hand...

According to Wikipedia:

Rod Lurie (born June 15, 1962) is an American director, screenwriter and former film critic. The son of internationally syndicated cartoonist Ranan Lurie, he was born in Israel but moved to America at a young age. Graduating from West Point military academy in 1984, he became an entertainment reporter and film critic. His irreverent style (he once described Danny DeVito as a "testicle with arms") often raised controversy and got him banned from screenings.

So what do we learn from this? First, he's military and from Israel, so he undoubtedly has a certain Zionist perspective. It explains a throwaway line in the second epsiode of CIC in which Donald Sutherland's character is told by his chief of staff that he's running late for an AIPAC meeting. AIPAC is the American-Israeli Political Action Committee, a right wing group that aggressively pursues a nationalist, conservative, anti-Palestinian Zionist agenda.

Second, we learn that he'll go for an easy, crude insult without caring whether or not it's funny. Third, we learn that he doesn't care who he offends, even if it hurts his career.

OK, so let's learn about Rod Lurie's prior credits. I mean, if he gets a "created by" credit at the start of every episode, surely he must be an accomplished artiste.

Well, he's worked on a couple of movies:

Lurie's first foray into filmmaking, as writer and director, was the low-budget political thriller Deterrence (1999). His second was the critically acclaimed The Contender (2000), written for Joan Allen and co-starring Gary Oldman and Jeff Bridges. His next effort, The Last Castle (2001), was a commercial failure. He is currently working on Resurrecting the Champ, a boxing drama.

OK. Not much there. Here's the wiki synopsis of Deterrence:

The movie opens with a series of historical clips of various United States Presidents making speeches before beginning the story. President Walter Emerson, newly elevated from the role of Vice-President by a sudden vacancy, is crossing the country on a campaign tour when a freak snowstorm traps him in remote Colorado diner with a bunch of ordinary citizens.

Suddenly, word arrives that Uday Hussein, leader of Iraq, has invaded Kuwait. With U.S. troops already committed to other countries, Emerson informs the world that unless Hussein orders an immediate retreat and surrenders himself, he will bomb Baghdad with a nuclear weapon, to the dismay of the customers in the diner. Hussein's diplomat refuses to back down and cuts off the telephone talks, citing the fact that Emerson is an unelected leader and a Jew, also threatening to fire their own, black-market atomic bombs at several world locations including Emerson's own. After that, it's solely a matter of who "blinks first."

Hmmm. A "newly elevated" Vice President due to a "sudden vacancy"...sounds a little familiar. Let's look at another one, the wiki synopsis of The Contender:

The Contender (2000) is a disturbing political thriller directed by Rod Lurie about a Democratic President who, in the wake of his Vice President's death, is seeking the confirmation of his replacement. President Evans considers nominating a loyal governor, Jack Hathaway, to the position. However, when Hathaway witnesses a car drive off a bridge, tries to save the driver and fails, the President drops him, claiming that his administration can't afford another Chappaquiddick. The President then taps a talented female Senator as his running mate, only to see her accused of sexual immorality by Republicans, possibly with the help of his first choice for VP. Refusing to dignify the ever-escalating attacks with a response, the Vice-Presidential nominee poses a tough question: would having adventuresome sex as a college student even be an issue at all if she were a man? This movie is in many ways a depiction of a modern-day witchhunt.

Another Vice President search. An unexpected death at the highest echelons of power. A Republican villain. Choosing a woman for Vice President. A sex scandal where the rights of women to enjoy sex is called into question. Why, that might as well be the pilot episode of "Commander in Chief!"

I'm a flaming, bleeding heart partisan liberal, but even I can't cotton to the over-the-top portrayals of members of either party in the new ABC drama. Combine that with the fact that Lurie keeps rehashing the same plots - poorly - and you start to see where this show is not long for this world.

There may be a drastic shift in the political ideology of "The West Wing" in November to one with which I drastically disagree. Even if this happens, I'll still thoroughly enjoy it and continue to watch because it's far better written (even with Sorkin's absence for more than a year). John Wells, while no Aaron Sorkin, can still write circles around Rod Lurie any day.

Now the show that comes on after CIC, "Boston Legal," is well-written, classic David E. Kelley (and Ithaca College alumnus Bill D'Elia is an executive producer...coincidence? I think not). I hope CIC gets no ratings boost because it leads into the far superior show.