U.S. History II
Lecture 16: George W. Bush, the Twenty-First Century

2000 Election

• George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, GOP, vs. Al Gore and Joe Lieberman, Democratic Party
• Gore: trouble escaping Clinton’s escapades
• Bush: lost New Hampshire primary but came bouncing back
• Election came down to Florida
  • Official results: Bush by 537 votes
  • Supreme Court, Bush v. Gore: stop the counts

George W. Bush, First Term

Cabinet:

• Colin Powell, Secretary of State
• Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
• John Ashcroft, Attorney General
• Condoleeza Rice, National Security Advisor

Legislation:

• Tax cut: $1.35 trillion
• January 2002: No Child Left Behind
• Medicare Act of 2003: Prescription drug coverage

September 11, 2001

• 8:46 a.m.: American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into north tower of World Trade Center
• 9:03 a.m.: United Flight 175 crashed into south tower
• 9:37 a.m.: American Flight 77 crashed into Pentagon
• 10:03 a.m.: United Flight 93 crashed into PA field
• Results: 2,986 people killed
• Al-Qaeda blamed for attacks
  • also for Tanzania, Kenya embassies; U.S.S. Cole
  • Al-Qaeda founder, Osama bin Laden, trained by U.S. in Afghanistan
  • Bush response: called for Taliban to surrender bin Laden
  • Result: overthrow of Taliban

Afghan War

• Attacked from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan
• Overthrew Taliban
• New President: Hamid Karzai

Iraqi War

• Bush: Hussein must comply with UN directives
• Hussein: fudged and bluffed
• Bush: Weapons of Mass Destruction
• Result: Invasion 20 March 2003
• Hussein overthrown
  • Problem: Ba’athists and Fedayeen bypassed on the drive to Baghdad
  • Problem: natural, historical Iraqi divisions
  • Problem: so far, no WMD’s found

Other Foreign Policy

• Refusal to abide by Kyoto Treaty (China and India are exempted from the Treaty, placing the U.S. at a disadvantage)
• Abrogation of ABM Treaty with Russia (defense of the nation from rogue states)
• Endorsed creation of a Palestinian state

2004 Elections

• Bush-Cheney vs. Democrats
• First frontrunner: Howard Dean
  • AAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHH!!!!!
• Nomination went to John Kerry and John Edwards
  • Kerry: Swift Boat Campaign ads
• Bush: Where was he in National Guard? (CBS fired a producer, Dan Rather retired)
• Result: decisive Bush victory (majority of electorate voted for him)

Bush Second Term

• Changes:
  • Condoleeza Rice, Secretary of State
  • Alberto Gonzales, Attorney General
• Social Security reform: Nope!
• Problems:
• Valerie Plame case (Cheney’s office implicated)
• NSA wiretapping of domestic phone calls
• warrantless wiretapping rather than obtaining subpoenas
  • Problem: violates 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
  • Gonzales: trumped by Authorization for Use of Military Force of 2001
• Hurricane Katrina

Supreme Court

Appointments to Supreme Court:

• John Roberts, Chief Justice
• Samuel Alito, Justice

The Future of the United States?

• Immigration: no nation or political entity has survived without enforcing its borders
• Terrorism: rise of Islam in Europe
• Entitlements: growth of Social Security/Medicare with the Baby Boomers' retirement
• Globalization: America's manufacturing sector faces deterioration
• China: growth of Chinese wealth and military power