<P> The Bartlet administration experiences a scandal during the second and third seasons that has been compared to the Monica Lewinsky affair . President Bartlet has known that he has relapsing - remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) since 1992 . The scandal centers around President Bartlet's nondisclosure of his illness to the electorate during the election . He is investigated by an opposition Congress for defrauding the public and eventually accepts Congressional censure . Multiple sclerosis advocacy groups praised the show for its accurate portrayal of the symptoms of MS and stressing that it is not fatal . The National MS Society commented: </P> <P> For the first time on national television or even in film, the public encountered a lead character with both an MS diagnosis and the hope for a continued productive life . Because (The) West Wing is a fictional drama and not a medical documentary, writers could have greatly distorted MS facts to further their story line (but did not). </P> <P> Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the start of the third season was postponed for a week, as were most American television premieres that year . A script for a special episode was quickly written and began filming on September 21 . The episode "Isaac and Ishmael" aired on October 3 and addresses the sobering reality of terrorism in America and the wider world, albeit with no specific reference to September 11 . While "Isaac and Ishmael" received mixed critical reviews, it illustrated the show's flexibility in addressing current events . The cast of the show state during the opening of the episode that it is not part of The West Wing continuity . </P> <P> While the September 11 attacks are not referenced in The West Wing continuity, the country enters into a variation of the War on Terrorism . Al Qaeda, mentioned briefly by Nancy McNally in the beginning of Season 2, plays no role in the longer terrorism story arcs of Seasons 3, 4 and 5 . It is only mentioned again in Seasons 6 and 7 . The stand - in used instead is the fictional Bahji terror group who first plots to blow up the Golden Gate Bridge . In response, the President orders the assassination of foreign leader Abdul ibn Shareef, one of Bahji's primary backers . This storyline has similarities to the real - world U.S. invasion of Afghanistan as well as U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia, as it brings the Middle East to the forefront of U.S. foreign relations and elevates terrorism as a serious threat . </P>

How many seasons of west wing are on netflix