The Towers Still Stand: An Alternate take on early 21st Century America.

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August 20th, 1998. The U.S. launches Strikes in Afghanistan and Sudan:
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On the morning of August 20th, 1998, President Bill Clinton ordered American Armed Forces to target Terrorist facilities in Afghanistan and Sudan because of the imminent threat they presented to national security. The mission was to strike at the network of radical groups affiliated with, and funded by, Osama bin Laden, a pre-eminent organizer and financier of international terrorism. This was done in retaliation for the August 7th al Qaeda bombings of American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.


The missile strikes on the training camps in Afghanistan were successful in that they damaged the camps and inflicted a massive number of casualties on al Qaeda, including key leaders. The attack also killed Osama bin Laden himself. The strikes in Afghanistan were met with a mostly positive international response from American allies, particularly from Israel, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany. U.S. allies in the Middle East responded positively with respect to the killing of Bin Laden, but all of them agreed that the UN and the United States needed to develop new ways to address countries harboring terrorists. The strike in Afghanistan was however met with criticism from many U.S adversaries, particularly in the Middle East who called the Strike an act of terror and many militant groups, as well as the Taliban regime that ruled Afghanistan, threatened to retaliate.

While the Missile Strikes in Afghanistan were only met with criticism from enemies of the United States, the strikes in Sudan had at best mixed results from the international community. The United States struck the Al Shifa Pharmaceutical factory, claiming the factory was helping Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the attacks and leader of Al Qaeda, build Chemical Weapons. The United States met international scrutiny over the attack because the evidence that the Pharmaceutical factory was aiding Bin Laden was not solid nor was it confirmed. Many abroad feared that tens of thousands would die from a lack of shortages of medications. The plant provided over half of the country's medications including drugs for treating malaria, diabetes, hypertension, ulcers, rheumatism, gonorrhea, and tuberculosis. The plant employed 300 employees. International protests broke out the next day condemning the attacks and the Sudanese Government responded by saying that Sudan has every right to react to the U.S. attack by any means necessary.

President Clinton gave an Oval Office Address the night of the Strikes. In it, he said that "Our mission was clear -- to strike at the network of radical groups affiliated with, and funded by, Osama bin Laden, the pre-eminent organizer and financier of international terrorism in the world today…" (CNN) He also said that "The United States does not take this action lightly. Afghanistan and Sudan have been warned for years to stop harboring and supporting these terrorist groups," he said. "The countries that persistently host terrorists have no right to be safe havens." (CNN) Clinton made very clear however that "Our actions today were not aimed at Islam," he said. "No religion condones the murder of innocent men, women and children." The President also made clear that this action did not eliminate the problem of terror, and that the U.S. must do what it can to put a stop to it.

Mr. Clinton was also met with criticism at home for his actions in Afghanistan and Sudan. Republicans accused Clinton of using the attack as a diversion from the ongoing Lewinsky Scandal (The attack took place three days after Clinton testified under oath about the matter). Polls showed that close to half of the country believed that the one of the motivations of the attack was to divert the public’s attention from the scandal.

 

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December 19th, 1998. Bill Clinton is impeached by the House of Representatives:​

On December 19th, 1998, President Bill Clinton became the second President in American history to be impeached. Despite losing seats in the House of Representatives due to the notion of impeachment and despite Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich announcing his resignation from congress over the loses, the Republican controlled house voted to impeach the President for perjury to a grand jury by a vote of 228-206, and for obstruction of justice by a vote of 221-212. Two other articles were brought to a vote, but failed.

While Impeachment was taking place however, it was revealed that Speaker Designate Bob Livingston, whom Republicans chose to replace Gingrich as Speaker, was involved in an extra marital affair of his own. He ended his candidacy for Speaker of the House and announced his resignation from congress all together as well. In his Press Conference Livingston urged Clinton to resign as well, but Clinton did not. Many other House Republicans had infidelities exposed as well, including Henry Hyde of Illinois, who was the house manager of Clinton's trial in the Senate.

Despite Impeachment, President Clinton's job approval ratings were unharmed. In fact, they were at 73% the day the impeachment took place. The President's personal approval rating however, did take a hit. Congressional Republicans took a hit in the polls over impeachment, and many Americans, mainly Clinton supporters, were quick to point out the hypocrisy that many Republicans displayed.

February 12th, 1999: The Senate Acquits President Clinton:​

On February 12th, 1999, The Senate voted on the articles of impeachment. A two thirds vote (67 Senators) would have been needed to convict and remove the President, and on the charge of perjury, 55 senators voted against conviction and 45 voted for. On the charge of obstruction of justice, half of the senate voted to convict and 50 senators voted against conviction. Ten Republican Senators voted against convicting Clinton on the perjury and five of those ten Senators voted against convicting the President on obstruction of justice. Chief Justice William Rehnquist presided over the proceedings in the Senate.

With the acquittal, President Clinton will get to do what he vowed to do and finish his term.

 

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November 7th, 2000. Election Day:​

Polls going into Election Day 2000 showed that there was going to be a tight race, making the Presidency and Congress anyone's for the taking. In the House of Representatives, the Republicans lost seats for the third time in a row. However, just like in 1996 and 1998, the Democratic gains weren't strong enough for them to retake the majority in the house. They only took one seat. The GOP had a majority of 221 to 212, the slimmest majority held by a majority party since 1952. The Governors races also brought about little change as the Democrats only picked up one seat, shrinking the number of Governorships held by Republicans from 30 to 29.

The Senate however did see a significant change. The Democrats picked up 5 seats, giving them a 51 seat majority and marked the first time they controlled either house of Congress since 1994. The Senate race that would tip the scale was in Montana, where Republican incumbent Conrad Burns face a very tough challenge from rancher Brian Schweitzer. Schweitzer would narrowly defeat the two term incumbent.

The Presidential race on the other hand was a race that was going to rock everyone's world. Vice President Al Gore had a lead of a little over 500,000 votes in the National Popular Vote. It was because of the closeness and controversy in the deciding state, Florida that there was no winner in the electoral college. Americans went to bed that night and woke up the next morning not knowing who the 43rd President of the United States was going to be...

 

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November 23rd, 2000. Dick Cheney dies from 4th Heart Attack:​

On November 23rd, 2000, just one day after being rushed to the hospital due to chest and shoulder pains, Former Defense Secretary and current Republican Vice Presidential candidate Dick Cheney died from what Doctors say was his fourth heart attack. He had three others, his first in 1978, a second 1984, and a third in 1988. This happened as controversy over who won the state of Florida and the Presidency continued.

Governor George W. Bush said of Cheney that "America lost a great servant and a great man. I will always be grateful for all the work that he did for my campaign and for accepting to be my running mate. Laura and I send our condolences to his wife Lynne, his daughters Mary and Liz, and to the rest of the Cheney family." Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford, who Cheney served under, also offered their condolences as did President Clinton, Vice President Gore, and Senator Liebermann.

The passing of Dick Cheney, who had a history of heart troubles, did call the Bush campaign's vetting process into question. How much did they know about Mr. Cheney's medical history? It also made Americans think about how much of a toll the campaign for elected office can take on a candidate's health. What would this mean if Bush was certified the winner of the state of Florida and the Presidency?

 

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November 28th, 2000. Dick Cheney's Funeral takes place:​

On November 28th, 2000, Republican Vice Presidential nominee Dick Cheney's funeral took place. The funeral services were in Cheney's hometown in Wyoming. In attendance were Governor George W. Bush and his wife Laura, Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford, as well as their wives, Vice President and Mrs. Gore, President and Mrs. Clinton, as well as Senator and Mrs. Lieberman. Also in attendance were Colin Powell, the former chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff and his wife, Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, as well as current and former members of the House and Senate, including Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Powell, Former President Bush, and Former Secretary Rumsfeld spoke at the funeral.

December 12th, 2000. U.S. Supreme Court rules the State Wide Recount in Florida Unconstitutional:​

On December 12th, 2000 in a 7-2 decision, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Florida Supreme Court ruling requiring a state wide recount of ballots was unconstitutional. The Court also, by a 5-4 vote, ruled that the Florida recounts could not be completed before a December 12 "safe harbor" deadline, and should therefore cease and the previously certified total should hold.

December 13th, 2000. Bush wins Florida by 537 votes, Gore Concedes:​

On December 13th, 2000, Al Gore conceded the election to George W. Bush after the Supreme Court declared the recount unconstitutional, declaring Bush the winner. Gore, in his speech, said that while he, like his supporters, disagreed with the Court's decision, he accepted it. He urged Americans to unite behind the President Elect.

Shortly after Gore conceded, President Elect George W. Bush gave his acceptance speech from the Texas House of Representatives chamber. In his speech, Bush thanked Al Gore and Joe Lieberman for a spirited campaign. The President Elect also said that he knew how hard this must've been for the Gore and Lieberman families. Bush also thanked his family and paid tribute to his late running mate, who he said, played a key role in his victory. Bush also thanked his supporters and used the opportunity to reach out to those who supported the Vice President, saying that he was going to reach across party lines to bridge an America divided. He also said that "the President of the United States is the President of every single American, of every race, and every background."

This marked the beginning of Bush's transition into office. However, Bush not only had the task of transitioning into the Presidency. He also had to, as he did during the campaign, vet and select someone to be his Vice President.

 

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January 2nd, 2001. Bush announces his VP pick:​

On January 2nd, 2001, President Elect George W. Bush, in a Press Conference in Austin, announced his pick for Vice President of the United States. Bush said that "After weeks of vetting, I have finally made my decision as to who will be the next Vice President of the United States. I have chosen Congressman John Kasich to be the next Vice President, pending confirmation by the United States Senate. John is a man who brings a great amount of experience and qualifications to the table, serving 18 years in Congress, being on the House Armed Services Committee, serving as chairman of the Budget Committee for the last 6 years, making our balanced budgets a reality, and he also played a key role in the passage of Welfare reform. Congressman Kasich has what it takes to be Vice President and if necessary, President. I am honored to have him as part of my administration."

After Bush finished Speaking, Kasich spoke, thanking the President Elect for choosing him and said that he looks forward to working with the new President and congress, over the next four years to do the work that the American people want done.

Many sources around the President Elect's team say that Kasich's experience in congress as well as his age played a role. After the death of Former Secretary Cheney, Bush and his vetting team felt that they needed to pick someone young. John Danforth, the other VP finalist, was 64.

 

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January 18th, 2001. Bill Clinton says Farewell to the Nation:​

On the evening of January 18th, 2001 President Bill Clinton gave his Farewell Address to the nation from the Oval Office. In his address, he talked about the successes of his Presidency, and the future, particularly getting the Nation's finances in order. Clinton, at the end of his speech, said that it was an honor to serve as President and that he, his wife Senator Hillary Clinton, and Daughter Chelsea wished the President Elect and his family all the best over the next four years.

January 20th, 2001. George Walker Bush Sworn in as the 43rd President of the United States:​

On January 20th, 2001 Texas Governor George Walker Bush was sworn in as the 43rd President of the United States and the first President of the 21st Century. After taking the oath and after a 21 gun salute was given, President Bush gave his inaugural address. He started his speech by thanking President Clinton for his service to the nation and thanked Vice President Gore "for a contest conducted with spirit and ended with grace."

After the Inaugural Ceremonies wrapped up, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, in an interview with ABC News that the United States Senate was getting ready to hold a vote to confirm the Next Vice President, as the House held a vote and confirmed him a day earlier, and that the Next Vice President should be confirmed by the Senate early the next morning.

 

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End of the Year Review:​

2001 started off with George W. Bush being sworn in as the 43rd President of the United States and the confirmation of John Kasich as the Vice President of the United States by the United States Congress. It also saw the passage of a $1.3 trillion Dollar Tax Cut, something many pundits considered a great success considering how close and controversial the 2000 election was. The end of the Year also saw the passage of the by Partisan "No Child Left Behind Act" which the President would sign early in the next year.

It did however see controversy as well with President Bush withdrawing the United States from both the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 and the Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972, which the President was met with much criticism from Democrats over. It also saw Enron, an energy company and the biggest contributor to President Bush's 2000 Presidential campaign, go bankrupt due to fraudulent and deceptive accounting. It was also brought to the Public's attention that $2.3 trillion was unaccounted for in the Defense Department, and there was also the Hainan Island incident where a People's liberation Army Navy J-8II interceptor fighter jet and a United States Navy EP-3E ARIES II signals intelligence aircraft collided in a mid air collision.

Economically, the Unemployment rate, which was rising throughout the entire year, was at 5.7% by the end of December, the highest it had been in 5 years. With that and with negative to low GDP growth, it was clear the Country spent the majority of 2001 in Recession and it was unclear as to whether the recession ended or not. The Balanced Budget that the nation experienced when President Bush took office was also gone to. With all of this, President Bush ended 2001 with a 48% approval rating.

 

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November 5th, 2002. The House Goes Blue and the Senate Gets Bluer:
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The Midterm elections that took place on November 5th, 2002 proved to be good for the Democratic party. In the House, they saw a gain of 25 seats, giving them a majority of 237-197 (238 if you count Independent Congressman Bernie Sanders of Vermont). This would mark the first time in eight years that the Democrats controlled the House of Representatives. Despite speculations that he would step down from his position as the leading Democrat in the house for the sake of focusing on a potential Presidential campaign, Dick Gephardt said in his speech that night that "I look forward to working with the President and members of Congress of both parties as the next Speaker of the House to solve the problems that face America." Even before the elections, sources in Capitol hill suggested that if he were to seek the position as Speaker of the House, Gephardt would not face any challenges from members of his party.

The Democrats saw a gain of two seats in the Senate, one in Colorado where Tom Strickland defeated Republican incumbent Wayne Allard and in New Hampshire where Jeanne Shaheen defeated Republican Candidate John Sununu. Democratic incumbents Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, Max Cleland of Georgia, and Jean Carnahan of Missouri managed to fight off tough challengers and hold on to their seats as well. The Democrats now, with Independents Jim Jeffords and Lincoln Chafee caucusing with them, had 55 seats in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said that "with a bigger majority in the Senate and now a majority in the house, the work of the people can be done."

In the Governors race, the Democrats managed to narrowly keep the Governorships in Alabama and Vermont and also managed to gain the Governorships in Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Michigan, Arizona, Maine, and Kansas. Despite his brother's low approval ratings, Jeb Bush managed to get re elected in Florida. The Republicans also managed to pick up the governorships of Maryland, Georgia, Hawaii, Alaska, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

President Bush congratulated all those that were elected or re elected and said that he looked forward to meeting with Speaker Designate Gephardt and Senate Majority Leader Daschle at the White House in the coming days. The President's approval rating on election day was at 42%, just as it was throughout most of October.

Will President Bush be able to work with a fully Democratic Congress? Will he be willing to Compromise? Will the Newly elected Democratic majority work with the President and make some concessions? Stay tuned to find out?

Italics= Races that went the other way OTL.

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End of the Year Review for 2002:
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2002 began with President Bush signing his "No Child Left Behind Act" into law and with the Justice Department beginning a criminal investigation of Enron, the energy company that declared bankruptcy at the end of 2001. It was also the year that Bush and hardline Republicans failed to reform Social Security, resulting in the President losing much of his political capitol. WorldCom, the telecommunications company, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in July, making it the biggest bankruptcy filing in history. As a result of this and the result of the Enron Scandal, which also hurt President Bush politically, the Sarbanes Oxley Act which set expanded or new requirements for public accounting firms, boards, and management. Also signed was the bi partisan "McCain Feingold Act," (sorry I didn't create an update about this), which reformed campaign finance. President Bush reluctantly signed this after congress passed it.

The November midterms saw the Democrats retake the House of Representatives for the first time since 1994 after gaining 25 seats. Dick Gephardt would go on to be the next Speaker of the House. The elections also saw the Democrats gain 2 seats in the Senate and saw a net gain in Governorships as well.

Abroad, on August 20th, 2002, the four year anniversary of the U.S. Missile Strike on Afghanistan and Sudan, terrorists attacked the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, where U.S. troops were station since the 1991 Gulf War. 200 U.S. service men and women were killed in the attack. Despite the Bush administration's suspicions that Saddam Hussein's Iraq might've been involved in the attack, after capturing and interrogating one of the attackers involved, it was confirmed that the Taliban Regime in Afghanistan ordered the attack on the base. The U.S. would begin to gradually withdrawing its troops from Saudi Arabia. The Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty, which limited the number of Nuclear arsenal to between 1700 and 2,200 operationally deployed warheads for each country was also signed on May 24th. This treaty would replace the ABM treaty of 1972, which the US withdrew from earlier in the year and the START II treaty of 1993, which the Russians withdrew from as a result of the U.S. withdrawing from the ABM treaty.

The unemployment rate also, abet slowly, climbed throughout 2002, reaching 5.9% by the end of the year. The Dow Jones industrial Average also fell below 7200 points. President Bush ended 2002 with an approval rating of 42%, the lowest of his Presidency thus far. The deficit also saw a small increase due to a weak economy.

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End of the Year Review for 2003:​

2003 started out rough for the President, but ended well for him. In January, a newly elected Democratic majority took control of the House and Senate, and Congress and the international Community rejected the President Bush's call for military action against Iraq earlier in the year as well. The United Nations did however pass Resolution 1442, which re implemented limits on Oil Exports from Iraq, which were lifted in 1999 and called for greater inspection of the few imports that are allowed into Iraq. The United States also withdrew all troops from Saudi Arabia in response to the Prince Sultan Air Base Attack in August of 2002. In order to enforce the Sanctions on Iraq however, The US still needed to maintain a Military base near Iraq, so in late June, the US announced that it would establish a base in Qatar. Troops began arriving there in July. The President also had to make Cabinet changes early in the year, replacing a Cabinet Secretary that spoke out against the Administration and replacing a Defense Secretary that proved he wasn't up to the challenges of the 21st Century.

Midway through the year however, things changed and for the better. 2003 was the year that Immigration reform was passed and the year that a Prescription Drug plan to Medicare was passed. History was also made with the appointment of Emilio M. Garza as the first Hispanic Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The economy also began to steadily improve through the year. Unemployment, which was 5.9% in December of 2002, was now 5.5% at in December of 2003. President Bush ended the year with a 53% approval rating. Despite an improving economy, improving job approval ratings, and legislative success, the President will still have to deal with a primary challenger, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, as he runs for reelection in 2004.

The 2004 Democratic Primaries also got started in March of 2003 when Senator Paul Wellstone entered the race for the Democratic nomination. Former Vice President and 2000 Democratic nominee Al Gore threw his hat into the race for the 2004 nomination as well, as did Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, and Speaker of the House Dick Gephardt. Gore spent most of the Campaign Season as the Democratic Front Runner, but after a poor Debate performance in the first Primary Debate in Albuquerque, he lost that position to the Speaker of the House.


With all of this, let's see what's in store for 2004. Stay Tuned!!!!!

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November 2nd, 2004. Election Day:​

On election day 2004, many Americans entered the voting booths not knowing who would win the Presidency as polls in the days leading to the election showed the race dead even. The President's approval rating on election day was 50% and remained above 45% throughout the year. On the one hand, the international situation was for all intense and purposes stable, the economy was not in recession, and unemployment was at 5.1%. However, the economic recovery was weak and many throughout the country had not recovered from the recession of 2001, so the Democratic party had an opening to win the Presidency. The election was not decided until late in the night, but unlike 2000, voters woke up the next morning knowing who won the Presidency and that someone was George W. Bush:


President George W. Bush (R-TX) / Vice President John R. Kasich (R-OH): 272 EV, 50.1% PV

Congressman Richard A. "Dick" Gephardt (D-MO) / Governor Gary F. Locke (D-WA): 266 EV, 48.9% PV

Two states were decided by less than 1%. New Hampshire, which was the closest state of the election and was the tipping point state. New Mexico was the second state, a state Al Gore narrowly carried in 2000 was now narrowly won by President Bush. Many attribute his victory in that state, his winning 49% of the Latino vote, as well as his popular vote win, to his passage of Immigration reform. Vice President Kasich's home state of Ohio and Former Speaker Gephardt's home state of Missouri were the next closest states and both were decided by 2% and 2.1% respectively.

Dick Gephardt gave his Concession Speech at 1 am CST from his home state of Missouri with his family and his running mate and his family standing on stage with him. "I Just Called President Bush to congratulate him on his victory. I wish him, the First Lady, and their family all the best over the next four years. We fought a good fight, and the closeness of the race shows that. However, unfortunately, we still came short of winning. I want to thank all of you in this room and everyone who supported me across this country. I want to thank my running mate Governor Gary Locke and his family for all they have done on behalf of this campaign. I especially want to thank my wife Jane and our kids for their love and support. I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't have made it this far in my career if it weren't for them, I love you all. While this campaign ends tonight, I will not stop fighting for what I believe in and the working men and women of this country... It is time for us to unite behind the President and do the work that needs to be done. A lot of good can be done if we, Republicans and Democrats, work together and I plan to do what I can to make that a reality. Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America."

President Bush then gave his acceptance Speech at 3 am EST from Washington DC. "Thank you all. Tonight was a great night. The American people have spoken and have given us a victory. Earlier I received gracious a call from Congressman Gephardt offering his congratulations. He, his running mate Governor Locke, and their supporters ran a strong, spirited campaign. I wish the Gephardt family best wishes. I am humbled and honored to once again receive the trust of the American people. I want to thank all of you and everyone who supported us across this nation for your support. I especially want to thank my family, my Parents for all their support, my wife Laura and our daughters Barbara and Jenna for all they've done and for all their love. I also want to thank my Vice President John Kasich. He's been a great Vice President and the fact that he delivered the great state of Ohio for the Bush/Kasich ticket only makes him greater in my book. I also want to thank the RNC for its efforts and thank the architect Karl Rove. Over the last four years we've made progress. Our economy is back and are Country has witnessed sweeping reforms. The American people have voiced their support to build on that progress. We will free out job creators from burdensome regulations and taxes. We will work to protect life, and we will uphold our traditional values. We will also work to make the world a safer more peaceful place and we will work with Republicans and Democrats alike to achieve this....

Thank you, God Bless you, and may he Continue to Bless The United States of America."

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December 28th, 2004. Gephardt Announces he won't seek election to Speaker of the House. Says this will be his last term in Congress:
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On December 28th, at a Press Conference in his home state of Missouri, the 2004 Democratic Nominee for President and Former Speaker of the House Dick Gephardt, after weeks of speculation that he would run to retake the Speakership of the House, announced that he would not challenge Speaker Pelosi and endorsed her for the position. He also announced that this would be his last term in Congress. He said it was a honor of a lifetime to serve in Congress, but after much thought he concluded it was time to retire.

End of the Year Review for 2004:
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2004 was a year that was largely dominated by the Presidential Election cycle. The Democratic Party that narrowly lost in 2000, but came back strong in 2002, hoped it could land another victory in 2004 and had five candidates running for their party's nomination. Then Speaker of the House Dick Gephardt emerged as the nominee however, over runner up Former Vice President and 2000 Democratic nominee Al Gore, Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, and then North Carolina Senator John Edwards. President Bush, who had a mixed term in office, had a primary challenge in Libertarian leaning Republican Congressman Ron Paul, who challenged the President on the grounds that he wasn't a true conservative. Despite some strong support in the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire primary, Bush was able to fight off Paul rather early in the process.

The economy, which began to show signs of improvement in 2003, was continuing to grow, and Iraq, after a year of increased sanctions, finally allowed Weapons Inspections to take place, and the Inspectors revealed that there were no Weapons of mass Destruction in the Country. Sanctions would remain in place until the International Community could be assured that Iraq could not obtain these Weapons. Despite this, and despite legislative success throughout 2003, thanks to a strong campaign by an emboldened Democratic Party, the economic recovery not being felt in parts of the country, mainly the midwest, and poor debate performances, President Bush struggled in his bid for re election. In the end, the President was able to narrowly win a second term. His Republican Party also made slight gains in Congress. Despite this, the Democrats still maintained control of the House and Senate. After the election, two key cabinet members, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Defense Secretary James Baker announced their retirement. Bush would appoint Indiana Senator Richard Lugar to replace Powell, and Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska to replace Baker.

 

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January 20th, 2005. Bush and Kasich Sworn in for a Second Term. Lugar confirmed as Secretary of State:
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On January 20th, 2005, the 43rd President of the United States was sworn in for a Second term as President, with the Oath of Office being administered by Chief Justice Emilio Garza, who would administer his first Presidential Oath of Office. Vice President Kasich was sworn in as Vice President shortly before the President, with Associate Justice Antonin Scalia administering the Oath to him. After taking the oath, and after a 21 gun salute, President Bush gave his Inaugural Address. In his speech, the President said that half way through the first decade of the new Century, he felt confident that the 21st Century could be the next American Century, and called on all Americans of all backgrounds to come together and make this century the next American Century.

The President's Speech was well received and his Approval rating going into his Second term stood at 58%. That same day, the Senate confirmed Richard Lugar as Secretary of State. He would take the oath the following day.