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Background…

Background…. 1946: Born in CT… Raised in TX 1968: Yale - History degree 1975: Harvard - MBA 1975- 88: Oil industry 1989: Invests in Texas Rangers 1994: Gov. of Texas (2 X) 2000: Elected President 2004 Re-elected. The 2000 Election “Highly controversial”. 537 vote difference in FL

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Background…

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  1. Background… • 1946: Born in CT… Raised in TX • 1968: Yale - History degree • 1975: Harvard - MBA • 1975- 88: Oil industry • 1989: Invests in Texas Rangers • 1994: Gov. of Texas (2 X) • 2000: Elected President • 2004 Re-elected

  2. The 2000 Election“Highly controversial” • 537 vote difference in FL • The electoral vote on election night:Bush: 246 Gore255 • Electoral votes in states to close to call… 25 FL, 5 NM & 7 OR • Gore lost his home state of TE

  3. The Election of 2000Why was it controversial?

  4. The 2000 Election • Additional controversy… • The Palm Beach “Butterfly ballot”… • Hanging chads…

  5. The 2000 Election- “Highly controversial” • Both parties legally challenge results • Undecided for 30 days • The U.S. Supreme Court voted… 7-2 vote ends the recount 5-4 no new recount • Gore disagreed, but conceded

  6. Same-sex marriage becomes a national controversy… • Bush opposes same-sex marriage & supports civil unions • Bush endorses the Federal Marriage Amendment …Defines marriage as a union between one man & one woman…. The amendment does not pass

  7. No Child Left Behind Act • A federal law designed to reform public education by establishing standards, accountability for performance & the threat of withholding federal funding. • Criticism of NCLB… • No federal funding to support the program • The value of “high stakes testing”

  8. Economic policies… To avoid a predicted recession & stimulate the economy Bush pushes for a $1.35 trillion tax cut…

  9. The economy under GWB (negative)… • National debt $5.75T to over $9T • Poverty has increased • Income for most American families has not increased The economy under GWB (positive)… • GDP averaging 2.5% growth • Dow Jones up 30% since 2001 • Unemployment 4.5%

  10. Protecting Children… • Amber Alert (2003) - Quickly alerts the public about child abductions

  11. Foreign Policies • The KP is an international treaty that sets limits on the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) by industrialized countries. The overall goal of the Kyoto Protocol is to stop human-induced climate change. • The agreement "recognizes that developed countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of GHG emissions in the atmosphere as a result of more than 150 years of industrial activity, and places a heavier burden on developed nations under the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities‘.” • The US signed, but did not ratify the Protocol • When G.W. Bush was elected President, he was asked about climate change & he said that he took the issue "very seriously.”Later Bush opposed the Kyoto treaty, because "it exempts 80% of the world, including major population centers such as China and India, from compliance, and would cause serious harm to the US economy". • Withdrew from the 1998 Kyoto Protocol…

  12. The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks… • The World Trade Center in NYC • The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia • A passenger airliner in Shanksville, PA • 3,000 PEOPLE DIED ON 9/11 A turning point in our national history

  13. In a speech before Congress Bush declares war on terrorism and the nations supporting terrorism.

  14. The War in AfghanistanOct. 2001 • The U.S. & NATO forces invade Afghanistan & overthrow the Taliban • Secret programs gather intelligence by monitoring bank accounts & telephone records • The Patriot Act is passed by Congress

  15. G.W. Bush and Civil Liberties

  16. Following 9/11 GWB orders the NSA to monitor communications between “suspected terrorists and parties within the United States” No FISA (Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act) Warrant . LEGAL????????

  17. Military Commissions Act of 2006 • Military trials for terrorists & other unlawful enemy combatants • Detains "enemy combatants" indefinitely in a military prison • No Habeas Corpus or lawyer • Constitutional????

  18. Guantanamo (Gitmo) Bay Detainment Camp • Military prison & interrogation • Holds suspected al-Qaeda & Taliban operatives • Criticism…

  19. USA PATRIOT ActOctober 26, 2001 - The Uniting & Strengthening of America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept & Obstruct Terrorism Act (2001) Renewed March of 2006

  20. Provisions of the Patriot Act • Amended immigration laws • Amended banking & money laundering laws • Defines… Domestic terrorism International terrorism Terrorist activity Terrorist organization Broadens surveillance • Critics warn that the Patriot Act threatens basic freedoms…Without “probable cause” the government can access… Medical, Tax, library & Internet records and conduct secret searches.

  21. Dramatically expands the authority of law enforcement in order to fight terrorism. Dept. of Homeland Security • DHS protects the US from terrorist attack & responds to natural disasters • The 3rd largest cabinet… 185,000 employees • Reorganized/ combined 22 existing agencies

  22. The Iraq War: "Operation Iraqi Freedom" • Saddam Hussein was believed to have WMDs… • WMDs could “potentially fall into the hands of terrorists” • Bush urges the UN to enforce disarmament mandates • UN weapons inspectors search for weapons… Iraqi is uncooperative • Bush wanted to defeat terrorism by promoting democracy... • The "coalition of the willing"…

  23. The Iraqi War death toll as of July, 2006… • The US: 3,753 deaths…27,186 wounded - Afghanistan 440 • Coalition Forces: 4,058 • Iraqi’s: 71,000 - 78,000 civilian deaths

  24. The 9/11 Commission • The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the US • Created to… • Report on the circumstances surrounding 9/11 attacks • Evaluate our readiness for and response • Provide recommendations designed to guard against future attacks • 9/11 Commission concluded that Iraq under Saddam Hussein was attempting to acquire WMD, but no stock piles existed • No nuclear threat existed

  25. The 9/11 Commission Report:Homeland Security Emergency Response Report Card • Communication for 1st responders- F • Incident Command System- C • Allocation of HS funds- F • Protection of infrastructure- D • Private sector preparedness C • Nat. Strat. for Transport. Security- C- • Air passenger pre-screening- F • Air passenger explosive screening- C • Bag/ cargo screening- D • Terrorist travel strategy I

  26. Results of the 2004 Election Pop Vote % States EV • Rep: Bush 62,040,610 50.7 31 286 • Dem: 59,028,111 48.3 19 251 • Other: Ralph Nader 463,653 .4% 0 0

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