Bartlet for America
I can’t believe I didn’t remember this before. This is what I get for going so long without watching my beloved West Wing.
Do you remember, waaaaaay back in the first season, that President Bartlet had a Navy major as his personal physician? He died not too far into the series, but before he did, he and Bartlet had some excellent conversations. A lot of it was the non-soldier Bartlet trying to seem cool and tough before the military man, and one exchange in particular seems relevant right now, for reasons that might possibly suggest themselves to you:
Bartlet: It’s not like I’m totally without experience. You’re talking to a former governor. I was the Commander-in-Chief of the New Hampshire National Guard.
Morris Tolliver: You guys get into a lot of tough scrapes, did ya?
Bartlet: We didn’t have to. We’d just stand on the border and stare you down. Then we’d all go for pancakes.