Chapter 22

How did the passing of the $700 billion bailout affect the 2008 election?

In Oct, 2008, Bush/Congress passed a $700billion bailout for the nations financial institutions, intended to help the worsening crisis. Americans opposed it. Obama and Mccain promised change

How did Obama use technology and the media to build support for his candidacy?

Obama made good use of the internet and formed a strong grassroots network of young supporters

Why did congress have trouble controlling spending?

Republicans and Democrats had been adding an increasing number of special funding requests to spending bills

What was the USA PATRIOT Act?

- Antiterrorist bill; This law made it easier to wiretap suspects track internet communications, and seize voice mail. Authorities were permitted to conduct secret searches and were allowed to obtain a nationwide search warrant unable in any jurisdiction.

What issues and events attracted support for Obama's presidential campaign?

-2007 major financial crisis; americans unable to make payments on home mortgages -financial institutions failed -in Oct, 2008, Bush/Congress passed a $700billion bailout for the nations financial institutions, intended to help the worsening crisis. Americans opposed it. Obama promised change

What environmental disaster occurred in April 2010? How did Obama respond?

-A BP oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, sending nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the gulf. It was the worst marine oil spill in history. Commercial fishing/tourism suffered. -He required BP to create a $20 billion fund to assist people affected by the oil spill

How did the US help rebuild Afghanistan?

-After the Taliban fled, the US and its allies had the obligation of helping local Afghan leaders create a new government -US and allied troops arrived to act as peacekeepers, and in 2003 NATO took command of peacekeeping -US helped establish first functioning Iraqi government (Afghanistan held its first nationwide democratic election in Dec 2004, Hamid Karzai elected president) -US military remains in Afghanistan in an effort to help stabilize the country (violence continues)

What problems did the US face in Iraq as a result of the ongoing war?

-Americans expected the war to end quickly as the Iraqi democratic elections were successful, but between 2003 and 2006, insurgents (revolts) killed more than 3,000 US soldiers (hope for peace faded) -as fighting dragged on, support for the war began to decline -failure to find any WMD added to growing controversy as whether the war had been a mistake -rise in sectarian violence as Sunni and Shia militias turned against each other -suicide bombings, kidnappings, and attacks on US soldiers

How did the recession affect the average American?

-Americans lost their homes -large companies reported record losses -workers laid off (spike in unemployment) -fewer workers=less money into social security -global trade lessened

Why did some nations which supported the war on terror refuse to support the war in Iraq and back Bush's resolution?

-As the US and a coalition of 30 nations prepared for war with Iraq , others in the UN security council argued that the inspectors should be given more time to find evidence of Iraq's WMD programs. By march 2003, inspectors still had found nothing and the US began pressing the UN to authorize use of force -France and Russia, 2 UN security council members with veto power refused to back the resolution -world opinion divided as war approached quickly -Several nations that had supported US in its war on terror and had sent troops to Afghanistan (France, Germany, Canada) refused to join coalition against Iraq -Saudi Arabia and Turkey (US allies) refused to allow US to attack Iraq from their territories

Explain Bush's plan regarding a surge of troops to Iraq. How did General Petraeus involve himself and help?

-Bush announced a plan to send a surge of some 20,000 more troops to Iraq to restore order in Baghdad, where the violence was concentrated. -With the additional surge of troops, General David Petraeus began clearing and holding areas of Baghdad that had been plagued by crime and insurgent attacks. His forces also began reaching out to sunni groups in Western Iraq that had been opposed to American presence

How did the US become involved in Iraq's insurgents/ reconstruction process?

-Having aimed to overthrow a tyrant and eliminate the possibility of WMD being given to terrorists, the US found itself trying to suppress an insurgency (rising revolt), prevent a civil war, and establish a new Iraqi government. -The US spent $30bil to improve infrastructure (insurgent attacks slowed efforts)

How did President Bush fight/ respond to terrorism?

-He demanded that the Taliban regime turn over bin Laden and his supporters and shut down all terrorist camps in Afghanistan -He began to deploy troops to the Middle East -He issued an executive order freezing the financial assets of individuals and groups suspected of terrorism (soon 80 nations did the same in support of the US) -He created the Office of Homeland Security (became the Dept. of Homeland Security) to coordinate efforts to stop terrorism -He signed into law the antiterrorist bill called the USA PATRIOT Act

Explain Bush's social security reform program.

-He proposed that workers be allowed to put 4% of their income in private accounts rather than in Social security, he believed private accounts would grow rapidly and help cover the expected shortfall in Social security accounts -The plan failed (was never brought to vote in Congress) because Democrats were against plan and the public was unenthusiastic towards it -Although the plan failed, Bush convinced congress to enact a new prescription drug program for seniors. Provided by Medicare; people age 65+ can sign up for insurance that helps cover the cost of prescription drugs.

What ultimatum did the US give to Iraq?

-If Iraq's dictator, Saddam Hussein, wanted peace, he would have to 1. give up Iraq's WMD, 2. readmit the UN weapon inspectors, 3. stop supporting terrorism, and 4. stop oppressing his people. -Bush made it clear that the US would act with or without UN support of resolution; He asked congress to authorize the use of force against Iraq

What occurred at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba? Why did this cause controversy/how did Bush Administration respond?

-In 2004 Bush decided to hold captured members of al-Qaeda at the military base in Guantanamo Bay where they could be interrogated. -This decision was controversial. People argued that the prisoners should have right to a lawyer, formal charges, and a proper trial. The Bush administration insisted that the prisoners were enemy combatants and did not have the right to appeal their decisions to an American court. They also declared that the procedures regarding the treatment of prisoners did not apply to terrorists since they were not apart of any nations armed forces -The Supreme court disagreed

Who did House Democrats elect to be Speaker of the House of Representatives? Were the newly elected House Democrats able to satisfy the American people?

-Nancy Pelosi -Despite promises to end the war and change how Congress operated, Pelosi and other Democrats were unable to get enough votes to cut funding, set a deadline for pulling troops out of Iraq, or reduce spending. American economy was on a downturn.

Explain Obama's health care reform plan. Why was there opposition to the plan?

-Obama's health care reform plan aimed to lower health care costs, introduce better procedures for delivering care, and insure all Americans. It extended coverage to about 32 million more Americans who could previously afford it. It prevented insurers from denying insurance to people who had preexisting medical conditions. Gave tax credits to small businesses that provided health care to their employees. -Obama wanted to pay for the plan through higher taxes son the wealthy and by reducing wasteful spending. Americans opposed what they saw as another expensive government intrusion. Debate took place within Congress. No Republican voted for the bill.

How did the economic recession and housing crisis affect Obama's domestic goals?

-Obamas domestic agenda proposed to create jobs, relive suffering families, assist home owners and ease financial crisis. Yet as the economy worsened, Obama' specific plans to solve the nations problems drew criticism. -People argued that he wasn't doing enough/ that he was misusing government authority by doing too much

When did the invasion begin?

-On March 20, 2003, US-led coalition forces attacked Iraq (US, British, Australian, and Polish troops took part in invasion) -Iraqis were unable to slow the coalition advance

Who plotted the terrorist attacks? What groups of people carried out the attacks?

-Osama bin Laden and his organization, al-Qaeda -Middle Eastern groups

What was historic about the choice of candidates from both parties for the 2008 election?

-Senator John McCain (R): widely admired hero of the Vietnam War -Illinois Senator Barack Obama (D): delivered a keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. His speech impressed democrats and made him a national public figure.

How did Iraqi's respond to the coalition troops that took control of Afghanistan?

-Small groups of Iraqis began staging bombings, sniper attacks, and sporadic battles against coalition forces -those who carried out the attacks were former members of Hussein's military, others were affiliated with al-Qaeda, militias belonging to the different religious and ethnic Iraqi groups -Hostility again arose between sunni and shia muslim groups after the collapse of Hussein's dictatorship

What is the Northern Alliance? Explain there importantance to US troops.

-The Northern Alliance is a coalition of Afghan groups that had been fighting the Taliban for several years. -The US began sending military aid to the Northern Alliance as US warplanes bombed Taliban forces -Northern Alliance launched a massive attack

How did the Supreme Court rule in Bush v Gore?

-The US Supreme court ruled 7-2 that because identical ballots might be treated differently by different vote counters, the recount violated the US Constitutions equal protection clause; the recount did not treat all voters equally - The Court ruled 5-4 thats there was not enough time to conduct a manual recount that would pass constitutional standards

Explain the Supreme Courts decision in Rasul v Bush (2004) regarding prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay. How did the Bush administration respond?

-The court ruled that foreign prisoners who claimed that they were unlawfully imprisoned had the right to have their cases heard in court -In response, the Bush administration created military tribunals to hear detainee cases. -(The supreme court struck this plan down in 2006 Hamdan v Rumsfeld)

Why did the United States support of Israel anger many Middle Eastern groups? How did Middle eastern groups respond to US aid of Israel?

-UN proposed to divide Palestine into an Arab State and Jewish State; Jews accepted plan and Arabs responded by attacking Israel -In the 1950s, Palestinians began staging guerrilla raids and terrorist attacks against Israel - Middle eastern nations realized they could fight Israel and the US by providing terrorists with supplies, this is known as state-sponsored terrorism

Where and when was bin Laden located and killed?

-US intelligence agencies believed bin Laden had fled to Pakistan. Reports in the summer of 2010 suggested he was hiding in Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad. -May 2011: bin Laden's exact location was verified and President Obama ordered US troops to attack -bin Laden was killed after a brief fight

Why did Bush call Iraq, Iran and North Korea an "axis of evil"?

-each nation had been known to sponsor terrorism and was suspected of developing weapons of mass destruction -Bush warned that the US "will not permit the worlds most danger regimes to threaten us with the worlds most destructive weapons" -He believed Iraq to be the most dangerous of the 3 because it had used chemical weapons against the Kurds. After 1991 Gulf War, UN inspectors found evidence that Iraq had developed biological weapons and had been working on a nuclear bomb; 1998: Iraq appeared to be hiding WMD from UN Inspectors and intelligence agencies (Iraqi government expressed inspectors, and in response President Clinton ordered air strikes)

Both Bush and Gore agreed and promised several things in their campaigns. Explain the proposals they promised.

-election campaign revolved around what to do with surplus tax revenues -social security needed reform -promised tax cuts -improvements to public education -support plans to help senior citizens pay for prescription drugs

What resulted from the close amounts of votes between the two candidates in FL?

-state law required a recount of the ballots using vote counting machines, however, there were many ballots the machines could not read. Because of this, Gore asked for a recount of ballots in strongly democratic counties. -machine recount showed Bush was still ahead. Battle began over manual recounts -Voters required to cast a vote by punching their vote into a chad; this did not accurately cast votes again, and vote counters thus had to determine what the voter intended -result of recounts would not be ready by certain date, and Gore went to court to challenge the deadline.

What is the danger of state-sponsored terrorism and weapons of mass destruction (WMD)?

-terrorist attacks showed that groups such as al-Qaeda were determined to kill as many Americans as possible -Bush was deeply concerned that terrorists might acquire WMD, including nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, that could kill large numbers of people instantly -Rise of state sponsored terrorism created a new problem that surpassed the policy of deterrence that the US formerly relied upon: If a nation secretly gave weapons to terrorists who then used them against the US, the US military might not know who to attack in response to their use.

What was the Tea Party Movement?

A grassroots movement called the Tea Party sprang up t o protest the Obama administration. Most in the movement opposed what they called "big government"-including taxes, the health care program, and the economic stimulus plans of Bush and Obama.

What was the Military Commissions Act (MCA)?

Bush asked congress to establish new tribunals that met the Court's objections. Congress passed the Military Commissions Act, which stated that noncitizen captured as enemy combatants had no right to file writs of habeas corpus.

Name the presidential candidates of the Election of 2000.

Democrat- Al Gore Republican- George HW Bush Green Party- Ralph Nader

Why did Bush win reelection?

Despite the problems in Iraq, voters felt it safer to stay with the incumbent (Bush)

The outcome of the presidential election of 2000 hinged on the state of -----, since both candidates needed its 25 -----.

Florida; electoral college votes to win

Who was the certified winner of the 2000 election?

George HW Bush

Explain the economy's downturn in 2008. Why did a number of investment banking firms go bankrupt?

Housing prices began to fall. People could no longer borrow against their home values, and banks across the country that had relied on mortgage backed investment did not know what their investments were worth. Banks reduced the amounts they lent and businesses feared they could not borrow enough money to keep operating. This led to a long recession and caused a number of investment banking firms to face bankruptcy and collapse.

Who did Bush appoint to the Supreme Court?

In replacement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Bush nominated federal judge John G Roberts Jr, a conservative who was well regarded in the Senate. After Chief Justice William Rehnquist died, Bush named Roberts to replace him. Bush nominated federal judge Samuel Alito Jr, a well known conservative justice to fill Justice O Connors spot

What was the purpose of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009?

In response to the failing economy, Obama signed this act. The act aimed to stimulate the economy by providing tax cuts to working families and small business. It allocated federal funds for growth and investment as well as for education, health and other entitlement programs. The act set up a system to monitor how the recovery money was spent. -financial reform bill provided protection for consumers -it called for more government oversight of financial institutions and large companies.

What is al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI)? How did sunni groups work with US forces to fight AQI?

In the western province of Anbar, a militant group known as AQI was trying to impose a militant version of Islam through murder and intimidation. The actions of Sunni groups and US forces helped change the course of the war.

Why did Middle Eastern group target Americans?

Middle Eastern groups targeted Americans because the US invested in Middle East oil, which made ruling families rich. The rise of this industry led to the spread of terrorism. The US supported Israel

What occurred on September 11, 2001?

On 9/11 , two passenger jets slammed into the two towers of the World Trade Center in NYC. Soon afterward, a third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. A fourth plane was hijacked and probably targeted the Capitol, but crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.

Why were the 2010 midterm elections significant and what was the outcome?

Republicans gained a win in the midterm elections; they gained 60 seats in the House of Representatives and took back control of that House of Congress. Republicans captured six senate seats

What factors weakened Bush's approval ratings?

The ongoing war in Iraq and the failure of inspectors to find any weapons of mass destruction weakened his support, as did the scandal at the Iraqi prison of Abu Ghraib, where some prisoners were abused by Iraqi soldiers

How did the supreme court rule in Boumediene v Bush (2008)?

The supreme court ruled that the detainees had a right to habeas corpus and declared that section of the MCA unconstitutional

Why was wiretapping domestic telephone calls made to overseas locations controversial?

When the monitoring program became public in 2005, it created a controversy. Civil rights groups argued that the program violated the 4th amendment