In my spare time, I like to time travel. Today I came across a history textbook, from the year 2050. Here's an excerpt:
In October of 2005, a series of indictments stretched across all levels of the Republican-led administration, prompted by the illegal outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame. The disclosure was revealed to be a petty, vindictive political response to an op-ed penned by her husband, Joe Wilson, regarding the falsifying of evidence leading to the Iraq War. [See Iraqi Civil War, lead-up to]
When Vice President Dick Cheney was forced to resign after his chief of staff "Scooter" Libby agreed to testify against him, George W. Bush nominated Secretary of State Condelezza Rice as his replacement. She quickly won Senate approval, although by this time several key Republicans had begun to openly question George Bush's ability to lead the country. [see Lugar, Richard, and McCain, John]
Disclosures during the trials of Karl Rove [see Bush, brain] and "Scooter" Libby eventually led to the impeachment of President Bush for high crimes and misdemeanors. Evidence that the White House Iraq Group fed disinformation to journalists in order to garner support for an illegal invasion of Iraq resulted in a further erosion of support for a once-popular president. Unable to return to his pre-war standing in public opinion polls following the federal government's poor response to Hurricane Katrina [see Global Warming, evidence of], George Bush was impeached by a House of Representatives eager to distance themselves from any connection with the administration in time for the 2006 elections.
Before his trial in the Senate could begin, however, President Bush unexpectedly resigned, and shortly thereafter entered a treatment center for alcoholism, the first U.S. president ever to do so.
As President Rice, the first female as well as African-American president, took the oath of office, African Americans and women's rights groups were cautiously optimistic. However, having never received a single vote for any office, she had little power over a congress that by then was determined to take back its constitutional rights and duties. Her presidency ended three years later when she was defeated by Sen. Russ Feingold, author of the Feingold Election Reform Act, known today as FERA.
Questions for in-depth study:
1. How did the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina affect the media coverage of the Bush presidency?
2. How did the Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers affect George Bush's popularity among once-loyal Republicans?
3. Did the indictments of Tom DeLay, former Republican majority leader known as "the Hammer", contribute to the public perception of the Republican party as corrupt?
4. How did the widespread availability of blogging technology contribute to the impeachment of President Bush?
5. What do you think the public can do to prevent the abuses of power evident in the early 21st century Bush administration?
