Lawrence.com

Washington — A bunch of liberals had the run of the White House on Sunday when the cast of "The West Wing" got a tour of the real thing.

But President Bush wasn't around to greet them. And actor Martin Sheen, who plays a Democratic president on the hit NBC-TV show and called Bush a "moron" during an interview in February, also was a no-show.

Bradley Whitford, who plays a deputy chief of staff on the show, said Sheen was filming a movie.

And White House officials said Bush was busy entertaining other guests.

So while the real and television bosses were away, their underlings played � even staging a mock news briefing in the pressroom.

"They've been incredibly nice to us," said Whitford, who campaigned for Bush's presidential rival, Democrat Al Gore. "We are, after all, the fictional opposition."

Bush's chief of staff, Andrew Card, led the tour and his deputies, Josh Bolten and Joe Hagin, posed for photos with Whitford and Richard Schiff, who plays communications director Toby Ziegler.

Allison Janney, who plays press secretary C.J. Cregg, reveled in being a tourist. "Someone take a picture of me!" she said.

Another "West Wing" star, Rob Lowe, who also happens to be a Democratic activist, said he found no evidence of a GOP cover-up Sunday.

"It's just amazing, how open to the public it is," Lowe said.

The cast members were in town for the White House Correspondents' Assn.'s annual dinner Saturday night.