I’ve recently started watching The West Wing again. At one time, I was a regular viewer - it was the one and only show I made an honest effort to catch each week - but, with time, I lost interest, especially following the departure of creator Adam Sorkin prior to the 2003 season.

But, for reasons I can’t quite explain, I once again find myself setting aside an hour each Wednesday night to catch the show. It’s the only (American) television I watch over the course of the week, in fact.

Still, the one thing that annoyed me most about the show in the past remains: the vertigo-inducing dialogue. The exchanges between characters are still too fast, too monotone, too scripted, and, ultimately, too unrealistic. Listening to West Wing dialogue is much like watching a shell game unfold: Concentrate enough, and you can stay on top of things. Blink, however, and it’s all over.

It’s not that I don’t have good listening comprehension skills. After all, consider all the Japanese television I watch on a daily basis, sometimes subtitled, sometimes not. In other words, I’m used to processing a lot of information on the fly whilst staring at the screen. So, no, I’m afraid the fault lies in the writing of the West Wing. Or the direction. Or the guy running the sound board.

Thankfully, the show’s most rapid fire exchanges often contain little to nothing of significance. More often than not, it’s just noise. I’m gradually learning to tune it out.

Oh, and my thoughts on the coming Presidential election? Clearly, Jimmy Smits’ Rep. Matthew Santos is being groomed for the job, but I have to admit I rather like the idea of Alan Alda’s Sen. Arnold Vinick winning in the end. I’m giving my vote to President Hawkeye.