August 17, 1985: Osama bin Laden, a young Afghan soldier, is killed by Soviet forces during the Soviet-Afghan War.
December 12, 2000: The U.S. Supreme Court confirms that Texas Governor George W. Bush had defeated Vice-President Al Gore in the 2000 Presidential Election.
September 11, 2001: People all around the U.S. go about their days and do not notice anything out of the ordinary.
September 20, 2001: President Bush addresses a joint session of the U.S. Congress. President Bush chooses to focus his speech on the need for the U.S. to invade Iraq.
September 24, 2001: In the first poll released after Bush's address to Congress, support for the President's plan stands at only 30%, with many expressing skepticism with the proposed threat to national security.
2001-2002: President Bush embarks on a whistle-stop tour across the country campaigning for his proposed war against Iraq. In his stump speech the President continues to maintain that Saddam Hussein poses a grave threat to national security. Public support stays at around 40%. President Bush's approval rating falls to 46%, with many growing tired of the President's constant pushing for war.
September 12, 2002: President Bush addresses the U.N. about the proposed war in Iraq. The President makes it clear that, despite the lack of support in his own country, he will seek at U.N. Security Council resolution regarding the war.
November 5, 2002: The Democrats take both the House and Senate during the 2002 Midterm Elections. The Democrats won by playing off of Bush's insistence that the U.S. pursue a path of war. As a result of the election, Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota is elected Senate Majority Leader. House Minority Leader Richard "Dick" Gephardt announces on election night that he will step down from the office (many say this is a clue that he will run for President). Instead, he announces that he will throw his support behind Representative Nancy Pelosi of California. As a result, Representative Pelosi becomes the first female U.S. Speaker of the House.
November 8, 2002: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte announces to the U.N. Security Council that the U.S. will not pursue Resolution 1441 after it became clear that they did not have the votes for it to pass.
November 9, 2002: President Bush addresses the nation about the aborted U.N. vote, saying that he was disappointed in the outcome, while saying that U.S. policy objectives would not change. He announces that he will seek other methods of undermining Hussein that do not involve invasion. In the aftermath of the speech, the President's approval drops to 43%. The Republican Party grows uncomfortable with the President's chances for re-election in 2004.
2003-2004: Numerous candidates announce that they will seek the Democratic nomination for President:
- Senator Robert "Bob" Graham from Florida
- Governor Howard Dean from Vermont
- former Shadow Senator Jesse Jackson from Washington D.C.
- former Senator Gary Hart from Colorado
- Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts
- Senator John Edwards from North Carolina
- Representative Richard "Dick" Gephardt from Missouri
- former Governor Jerry Brown from California
- former Senator Carol Moseley Braun from Illinois
- Governor Tom Vilsack from Iowa
- Senator Evan Bayh from Indiana
Governor Dean and Senator Bayh are considered to be the primary front-runners for the nomination.
December 12, 2000: The U.S. Supreme Court confirms that Texas Governor George W. Bush had defeated Vice-President Al Gore in the 2000 Presidential Election.
September 11, 2001: People all around the U.S. go about their days and do not notice anything out of the ordinary.
September 20, 2001: President Bush addresses a joint session of the U.S. Congress. President Bush chooses to focus his speech on the need for the U.S. to invade Iraq.
September 24, 2001: In the first poll released after Bush's address to Congress, support for the President's plan stands at only 30%, with many expressing skepticism with the proposed threat to national security.
2001-2002: President Bush embarks on a whistle-stop tour across the country campaigning for his proposed war against Iraq. In his stump speech the President continues to maintain that Saddam Hussein poses a grave threat to national security. Public support stays at around 40%. President Bush's approval rating falls to 46%, with many growing tired of the President's constant pushing for war.
September 12, 2002: President Bush addresses the U.N. about the proposed war in Iraq. The President makes it clear that, despite the lack of support in his own country, he will seek at U.N. Security Council resolution regarding the war.
November 5, 2002: The Democrats take both the House and Senate during the 2002 Midterm Elections. The Democrats won by playing off of Bush's insistence that the U.S. pursue a path of war. As a result of the election, Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota is elected Senate Majority Leader. House Minority Leader Richard "Dick" Gephardt announces on election night that he will step down from the office (many say this is a clue that he will run for President). Instead, he announces that he will throw his support behind Representative Nancy Pelosi of California. As a result, Representative Pelosi becomes the first female U.S. Speaker of the House.
November 8, 2002: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte announces to the U.N. Security Council that the U.S. will not pursue Resolution 1441 after it became clear that they did not have the votes for it to pass.
November 9, 2002: President Bush addresses the nation about the aborted U.N. vote, saying that he was disappointed in the outcome, while saying that U.S. policy objectives would not change. He announces that he will seek other methods of undermining Hussein that do not involve invasion. In the aftermath of the speech, the President's approval drops to 43%. The Republican Party grows uncomfortable with the President's chances for re-election in 2004.
2003-2004: Numerous candidates announce that they will seek the Democratic nomination for President:
- Senator Robert "Bob" Graham from Florida
- Governor Howard Dean from Vermont
- former Shadow Senator Jesse Jackson from Washington D.C.
- former Senator Gary Hart from Colorado
- Senator John Kerry from Massachusetts
- Senator John Edwards from North Carolina
- Representative Richard "Dick" Gephardt from Missouri
- former Governor Jerry Brown from California
- former Senator Carol Moseley Braun from Illinois
- Governor Tom Vilsack from Iowa
- Senator Evan Bayh from Indiana
Governor Dean and Senator Bayh are considered to be the primary front-runners for the nomination.
