The second season of the American political drama television series The West Wing aired in the United States on NBC from October 4, 2000 to May 16, 2001 and consisted of 22 episodes.

Aaron Sorkin originally planned to have such flashbacks as a major part of the entire season, but budget and logistical demands prevented this.

It covers a wider legislative array than the first season does, and presents issues including the rights of hate groups and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

Bartlet, and then a completely-impressed Josh recruited Sam from a miserable, white-collar law job in NYC to join him and help elect "the real thing."

C.J., in flashback, recalls the time when Toby, on behalf of Leo, invited her to join the Bartlet presidential campaign after she was fired from a high-powered Hollywood PR job to appease an incompetent, arrogant studio executive; in the present, she has several problems with the press corps and with her own memory.

Ainsley meets her new boss, Lionel Tribbey (John Larroquette), the White House Counsel, who puts on quite a show.

Just before Thanksgiving Day a container ship arrives in San Diego, California, from the Far East; one container holds 83 surviving refugees from the People's Republic of China and the bodies of 13 who have died during the voyage; the survivors claim to be Christian evangelicals fleeing from persecution by the Communist government, and they request religious asylum.

Meanwhile, the Russian government covers up a missile silo fire, a report that the President does not like green beans poses an electoral problem in Oregon, and Josh investigates the consequences of honoring a man who called for Puerto Rican statehood.

promotes a staffer to Deputy Press Secretary but then faces a slew of disappointed interviewees at a Kennedy Center concert.

uncovers a Nazi-looted painting at the White House and Sam voices support for tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

discovers an invited guest to the State of the Union speech has a questionable background, while Capital Beat does a three-hour show live from the West Wing.

Josh, Joey Lucas (Marlee Matlin), and Donna run an important telephone survey that will influence a gun-control initiative the staff has been planning.

The staff participates in "Big Block of Cheese Day," Toby is assigned to speak with a group of unruly anarchists protesting the WTO, C.J.

meets with The Organization of Cartographers for Social Equality advocating for an inverted Peters projection, and a friend of Donna asks Sam to consider a pardon request for an alleged Cold War spy.

An evacuation operation turns deadly when U.S. soldiers shoot and kill several rebel Haitians who tried to stop a plane from taking off at the airport.

The staff considers how to deal with the bad news of a poll by Joey Lucas that reveals voters have hugely negative reactions to the possibility of a politician having a potentially fatal disease and covering it up.

Staffers must also fashion two responses to the question that is certain to be asked first at Bartlet's prime-time press conference: Will the President seek re-election?

The website's critical consensus reads, "President Bartlet is tested by his biggest scandal yet, but The West Wing's approval ratings are way up in a second season that is teeming with dramas on a national scale and burning with an idealistic fervor that will have viewers cheering.