The perfect palate cleanser after an exhausting political campaign: Beau Willimon's lively drama about a presidential candidate's crafty young press secretary, whose political gamesmanship goes one step too far, is as slick and skin-deep as a typical episode of The West Wing. But it rings truer, thanks to the author's ear for dialogue, and sure feel for the mix of cynicism and desperation in modern political campaigning. Next stop: Hollywood.