My wive TIVOed it and I have to say , that WAS a pretty damn good episode and Alan Alda did a great job expressing the conservative view of limited government. At the end, I told my wife "Damn, I'd vote for anyone who would just get up and say that." I also though he owned Santos in that debate, something I was rather surprised to see considering the liberal slant of the show.
The show was scripted. Alan Alda's character did a good job, perhaps.