‘West Wing’ reruns ring true

Bravo channel reruns of NBC’s “The West Wing” in recent days have had a surprisingly topical plot line: a bloody coup in Haiti, an elected president fears for his life, U.S. Marines sent to restore order, and the White House aswirl with military, diplomatic and political considerations.

“A shootout in the presidential palace is the worst possible alternative,” says the fictional national security advisor. Meanwhile, in real-life Haiti, Marines are surrounding the palace to prevent such an occurrence.

There does seem to be one difference between art and life: In the rerun, the Haitian president gets his job back with U.S. help and the rebel leader is taken by a U.S. plane into exile.

Tony Perry