****SPOILERS**** Senator Hays Stowe,Hal Holbrook, is caught between a rock-not Iraq-and a hard place in his attempt to get the highly qualified Joseph Bodine a vacated congressional seat. Bodine is needed to get help Senator Stowe pass a major educational bill slated to be voted on in the US Congress within the next three months. To Senator Stowe's shock & surprise he's told that the head of his party in the state George P. Mallon, Burgess Meredith, has plans of his own in picking millionaire Louis Masterson, Arthur Space, for the post despite him being totally unqualified, in being a lifelong good time party and playboy, for it.
As Senator Stowe locks horns with political kingpin or king maker Mallon he's shocked, like he's so many times in this episode, to find out that his squeaky clean old man former Senator for six terms Holden Stowe, Jon Lomer, also made deals with Mellon in order to get his support in passing bills in the congress. With his career in politics now on the line if he doesn't go along with Mallon's pick, Louis Masterson, for the vacated congressional seat Senator Stowe can either go along with his choice or ,in not getting any party support in upcoming elections, resign his seat and throw his support in with the local crazies, or longhair and unshaven set, who's support is a sure recipe for defeat at the polls.
****SPOILERS**** In a last attempt to get the far more qualified Joseph Bodine the party nomination Senator Stowe pulls a rabbit out of his hat that even the sneaky Mallon couldn't quite match. That's by leaving the decision up to who would get the vacated seat to the people who that person would represent not the power brokers, like George P. Mallon, behind the scenes but those who vote in his district. By not using any underhanded tactics or even blackmail Senator Stowe finally and grudgingly got Mallon to see things his way. That in having a free and open election and thus letting the chips, or votes, fall where they may without stealing or having any guarantee who's to win the election that's to be voted on. Instead of someone being hand picked by the party boss for the congressional seat without the people who he's to represent approval.