The crisis - a terrorist retaliation for an assassination secretly ordered by President Bartlet - does more than bring "West Wing" up to date with current international events.

"I take the train to work everyday, and now I have to fear not only being mugged but some kind of terrorist retaliation," Mr. Martinez said.

On Wednesday, according to a senior official who was present, Mr. Clinton wanted to know more about damage to civilians, possible terrorist retaliation and the expected response of other nations.

Justice Department officials also said today that they had begun planning for possible terrorist retaliation against Americans here and overseas after Mr. Hamadei's arrest.

Administration officials told Congress last week that some kind of terrorist retaliation against the United States was likely to follow any allied military action against the Taliban.

Americans seem to be the travelers most spooked by the threat of terrorist retaliation for the American-led war in the gulf.

Section 9 also discovers that the Siak refugees plan to release a micromachine virus in a terrorist retaliation for Ka Rum's death.

They fear that exposure of their cooperation could subject their citizens to terrorist retaliation.

Initially, it was suspected to be a terrorist retaliation for the downing of the airliner, but the investigation shifted away from this hypothesis.

If our local risk of terrorist retaliation is greater than average Americans' - and who doubts that it is?