‘West Wing’ moves to Capitol, talks West Wing

Photo: Carrie Devorah

The “West Wing” crew still gets the presidential treatment wherever they go, but their on-screen personas might not match so closely with their President Barack Obama administration counterparts.

Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford and Richard Schiff visited the Senate on Tuesday to stump for the union-backed Employee Free Choice Act.

The always politically active Sheen is no stranger to playing a president or a White House staffer — along with playing President Josiah Bartlett on the hit show, he has played the role of John F. Kennedy twice and has appeared as chief of staff in “The American President.” But when it comes to being a president in real life, Sheen could only laugh.

“At 19, I was elected as the president of the caddy union. I came to find out it was the first caddy union in America,” the again-new grandfather joked at the Russell Building. (Son Charlie Sheen and his wife just welcomed twin boys).

But it was a brash and witty Whitford who stole the show, playing off his character’s counterpart, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

“On behalf of the acting president of the United States, I thank you all for being here,” he said. “I’m his Rahm [Emanuel], except I swear less.”

Continuing to play off Emanuel’s dirty-mouth reputation, Whitford asked, “How do you ask Rahm Emanuel what time it is? ‘Excuse me, do you know what time it is or should I just go to hell?’ ”

Following their remarks, the staff met at the office of the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., where they continued to joke around.

When asked by a reporter for Politico if Whitford drew any similarities between his character and his real-life counterpart, Schiff, the show’s version of White House Communications Director Ellen Moran, spoke on Whitford’s behalf.

“[Whitford] is much nicer,” Schiff said.

The self-proclaimed “West Wing Reunion Tour” will continue Thursday night for two of the show’s stars. Schiff is set to appear with the fictional body man to Bartlett, Dulé Hill, at USA Network and Vanity Fair’s Character Project photography exhibit.

-Ryan Freeman contributed