<P> According to series creator Aaron Sorkin, casting for C.J. Cregg was a problem . While everybody had "fallen in love" with Allison Janney, she, like every other actor who had been cast at the time, was white . The cast's lack of racial diversity was making the network nervous, and another "wonderfully talented" Afro - Guyanese actress (C.C.H. Pounder) was also reading very well for the role of C.J. "Still," says Sorkin, "When we closed our eyes at night we wanted Allison . So we cast Allison ." </P> <P> The character is loosely based on Dee Dee Myers, a show consultant and former press secretary to the Clinton administration . One particular storyline in the episode "Lord John Marbury", in which C.J. is left in the dark about troop movement on the Indo - Pakistani border, is taken directly from one of Myers' experiences in the White House . Myers was kept out - of - the - loop with regard to the 1993 assassination attempt on former President George H.W. Bush and subsequently, she assured the press that there would be no more news coming out of the White House hours before the United States bombed Baghdad . Myers was upset with the resolution of this episode's plot, in which Leo McGarry brushes off C.J.'s anger by saying, "Just tell them you spoke without being informed ." "This is like saying,' I'm an idiot; you can't trust me,"' says Myers . "I wanted to make her more angry . I wanted there to be some resolution, in order to preserve the strength of her character, where she calls' the boys' on the rug ." Sorkin admits that he "dropped the ball" in this instance . </P> <P> C.J.'s lip - synched performance of "The Jackal" by Ronny Jordan in the episode "Six Meetings Before Lunch" was written in after Sorkin witnessed Janney doing "some impromptu lip - synching" in her trailer on the set . Janney's performance was deemed too "good" by Sorkin during initial production, and she was advised to make it more "awkward" to fit the character for the final screen version . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> (hide) This section has multiple issues . Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in - universe style . Please help rewrite it to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective . (January 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed . Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise . (January 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table>

What episode of the west wing does cj sing the jackal