Alternate History ðŸ“° EAGLE IS DOWN: November 23, 1996: The Clinton Assassination and Ramifications....

Do you want this timeline to have major ramifications?

  • A.) Yes

    Votes: 14 73.7%
  • B.) No

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • C.) Too Soon to tell

    Votes: 5 26.3%

  • Total voters
    19
Chapter 4: 1998 Midterm Elections: Governorships (Part III)

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
1998 MIDTERM ELECTION RESULTS FROM TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1998: US STATE/TERRITORY GOVERNORSHIPS (PART III):

*Colorado (Open):
REPUBLICAN GAIN

Bill Owens (R): 648,202 (49.1%)✔
Gail Schoettler (D): 639,905 (48.4%)

*Connecticut: REPUBLICAN HOLD
John G. Rowland (R-incumbent): 628,707 (62.9%)✔

Barbara Kennelly (D): 354,187 (35.4%)

*Florida (Open): REPUBLICAN GAIN
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (R): 2,191,105 (55.3%)✔

Buddy McKay (D): 1,773,054 (44.7%)

*Georgia (Open): DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Roy Barnes (D): 941,076 (52.5%)✔

Guy Millner (R): 790,201 (44.1%)

*Hawaii: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Benjamin Cayetano (D-incumbent): 204,206 (50.1%)✔

Linda Lingle (R): 198,952 (48.8%)

*Idaho (Open): REPUBLICAN HOLD
Dirk Kempthorne (R): 258,095 (67.7%)✔

Robert Huntley (D): 110,815 (29.1%)

*Illinois (Open): REPUBLICAN HOLD
George Ryan (R): 1,714,094 (51.0%)✔

Glenn Poshard (D): 1,594,191 (47.5%)

*Iowa (Open): DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Tom Vilsack (D): 500,882 (52.3%)✔

Jim Roos Lightfoot (R): 444,787 (46.5%)

*Kansas: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Bill Graves (R-incumbent): 544,882 (73.4%)✔

Tom Sawyer (D): 168,243 (22.7%)

*Maine: INDEPENDENT HOLD
Angus King (I-incumbent): 246,772 (58.61%)✔

Jim Langley (R): 79,716 (18.93%)

*Maryland: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Paris Glendenning (D-incumbent): 846,972 (55.20%)✔

Ellen Sauerbury (R): 688,357 (44.83%)

*Guam: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Carl Gutierrez (D-incumbent): 24,250 (51.88%)✔

Joseph Franklin Ada (R): 21,200 (48.35%)

*US Virgin Island: DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Charles Turnbull (D): 19,138 (58.93%)✔

Roy Schneider (I-incumbent): 13,334 (41.06%)

*Massachusetts: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Paul Cellucci (R-incumbent): 967,160 (49.98%)✔

Scott Harshburger (D): 901,843 (46.60%)

*Michigan: REPUBLICAN HOLD
John Engler (R-incumbent): 1,883,005 (62.25%)✔

Geoffrey Fieger (D): 1,143,574 (37.8%)

*Minnesota (Open): REFORM GAIN
Jesse Ventura (RFM): 773,713 (37.0%)

Norm Coleman (R): 717,330 (34.3%)✔
Skip Humphrey (D): 587,528 (28.1%)

*Nebraska (Open): REPUBLICAN GAIN
Mike Johanns (R): 293,910 (53.9%)✔

Bill Hoffner (D): 250,678 (46.0%)

*Nevada (Open): REPUBLICAN GAIN
Kenny Guinn (R): 223,892 (51.6%)✔

Jan Laverty Jones (D): 182,281 (42.0%)

*New Hampshire: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Jeanne Shaheen (D-incumbent): 210,769 (66.1%)✔

Jay Lucas (R): 98,473 (30.1%)

*New Mexico: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Gary Johnson (R-incumbent): 271,948 (54.5%)✔

Martin Chavez (D): 226,755 (45.5%)

*New York State: REPUBLICAN HOLD
George Pataki (R-incumbent): 2,571,991 (54.3%)✔

Peter Vallone, Sr., (D): 1,570,317 (33.2%)
Tom Golisano (I): 364,056 (7.7%)

*Ohio (Open): REPUBLICAN GAIN
Bob Taft (R): 1,678,721 (50.0%)✔

Lee Fisher (D): 1,498,956 (44.6%)
 
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Chapter 4: 1998 Midterm Elections: Governorships (Part IV)

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
1998 MIDTERM ELECTION RESULTS FROM TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1998: US STATE/TERRITORY GOVERNORSHIPS (PART IV)

*Oklahoma:
REPUBLICAN HOLD

Frank Keating (R-incumbent): 505,498 (57.9%)✔
Laura Boyd (D): 357,552 (40.9%)

*Oregon: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
John Kitzhaber (D-incumbent): 717,061 (64.4%)✔

Bill Sizemore (R): 334,001 (30.0%)

*Pennsylvania: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Tom Ridge (R-incumbent): 1,736,844 (57.4%)✔

Ivan Itkin (D): 938,745 (31.0%)
Peg Luksik (CONST): 315,761 (10.4%)

*Rhode Island: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Lincoln Almond (R): 156,180 (51.0%)✔

Myrth York (D): 129,105 (42.1%)
Robert J. Healey (Cool Moose): 19,250 (6.3%)

*South Carolina: DEMOCRATIC GAIN
Jim Hodges (D): 570,070 (53.2%)✔

David Beasley (R-incumbent): 484,088 (45.2%)

*South Dakota: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Bill Janklow (R-incumbent): 166,621 (64.0%)✔

Bernie Hunhoff (D): 85,473 (32.9%)

*Tennessee: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Don Sundquist (R-incumbent): 669,973 (68.6%)✔

John Jay Hooker (D): 287,750 (29.5%)

*Texas: REPUBLICAN HOLD
George W. Bush (R-incumbent): 2,550,821 (68.2%)✔

Garry Mauro (D): 1,165,592 (31.2%)

*Vermont: DEMOCRATIC HOLD
Howard Dean (D-incumbent): 121,425 (55.7%)✔

Ruth Dwyer (R): 89,726 (41.1%)

*Wisconsin: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Tommy Thompson (R-incumbent): 1,047,716 (59.7%)✔

Ed Garvey (D): 679,553 (38.7%)

*Wyoming: REPUBLICAN HOLD
Jim Geringer (R-incumbent): 97,235 (55.6%)✔

John Vinich (D): 70,754 (40.5%)

COMING UP IN EAGLE IS DOWN: Questions swirling around President White's political future.
 
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Chapter 5: The 2000 Presidential Campaign Kick-Off begins....

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
Chapter 5: The Announcement which shook American Politics!
4:27 PM CST, Friday, January 29, 1999
San Antonio, Texas

med_res

President Mark W. White, Jr., greeting well-wishers and longtime supporters before making the huge political bombshell announcement with ramifications......
Despite a mixed bag for the 1998 Midterms and his personal popularity with approval ratings was around 57% depending on whom you asked, among Americans preventing an full-fledged Republican wave, where both political parties gained and lost seats, President Mark Wells White, Jr., had been in somewhat of a grumpy mood. He was in the midst of his most tortuous budget negotiations with US House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and US Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS), who blocked some of White's judicial appointees to several key Federal District Court judgeships during the 1998 Midterms. And he only had made up his mind about his political future since ascending to the Presidency upon Gore's death on December 4, 1997 as the nation's 45th President. It was less than eight years ago during his third term as the Lone Star State's 43rd Governor on 30 May 1991 when he announced following the 72nd Texas Legislature's legislative session that he wouldn't seek reelection to a fourth term in 1994, though he served out his third term, eventually becoming the Lone Star State's longest-serving Governor with 12 years leaving office with 73% approval rating on January 17, 1995. Many assumed his political career was over, but events turned out quite different.

With the 1998 Midterms over, President White was facing questions of whether he would be seeking his first full four-year term in 2000, facing the possibility of going up against popular Texas Governor
George W. Bush, whom many Republicans viewed as their strongest and best overwhelming choice of winning back the White House. Polling surveys in potential head-to-head match-ups showed the popular Democratic President trailing badly from 25-37 percentage points.

Just when you thought things weren't bad enough for White, things escalated when Fox News had just published stories they thought might become the beginning of their own Whitewater Scandal. Deputy White House Chief of Staff
Lena Guerrero (the former Texas Railroad Commissioner, who lost her reelection bid for full four-year term in 1992), had been using a computer------making questionable complete list of political supporters and then converting the names into usable mailing list for political purposes with the questionable racket called: The Committee to Reelect the President. And Guerrero was using taxpayer dollars and government funds to do it. So when Fox News got the juiciest scoops, they published the story on the airwaves including the New York Post went public with the controversial racket ponzi scheme of what was going on. All of a sudden, Mark Wells White, Jr., the man, who promised honesty and character values upon ascending to the Presidency including establishing the Fair Political Practices Commission in the light of congressional scandals, soon found himself on the defensive and also under investigation as House and Senate Republicans were licking their chops.

Everything was just weighing on the 58-year-old's mind. The once-dominant Texas Democratic Party that gave him his start in Texas politics, was pretty much decimated in the 1998 elections as the Texas Republican Party swept all of the statewide offices from Governor all the way to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals including flipping control of the Texas State Senate for the first time since Reconstruction; although Democrats kept control of the Texas House of Representatives, their majority was shrinking fast and it was quite tenuous with Democrats holding a 78-72 majority in the lower chamber. Plus, to top it off, former Texas Lieutenant Governor
Bob Bullock (D) was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, knowing that Bullock, one of the most powerful and influential Democrats in the State of Texas, wasn't going to be around much longer, President White telephoned his one-time political rival, and spoke with him and his family. Bullock asked White when the time came, would he deliver a eulogy at his funeral, White said "Yes, I will Governor." And now, he was pacing inside a private room at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, before a scheduled news conference, he was already beginning to regret the announcement that he was about to make with huge political ramifications.

Polling surveys taken by everyone: Fox News, CBS News, NBC News, ABC News, CNN, Wall Street Journal, etc., all looked grim for White. The ongoing dragged-out budget debates with a hostile Republican-controlled Congress and the Fox News explosive bombshell investigation into the mailing lists had brought his approval ratings down to the lowest yet of his Presidency: 38%. Republicans such as New York State Governor
George Pataki (R) and Louisiana Governor Mike Foster (R) continued painting the White administration as weak on crime, and now more growing list of Republicans in the House and Senate began to aggressively up the ante: accusing him of mismanaging the federal budget surplus and blasted several key White administration officials for their misuse of public office and scandals; Polling surveys showed him facing a badly humiliating defeat against Governors Pataki and Bush in head-to-head match-ups respectively.

There was speculation that some Democrats were putting out potential campaign feelers such as California Governor
Gray Davis (D), Washington Governor Gary Locke (D), and of course, Vice President Dick Gephardt, who would be the first person to run if White didn't seek election to a full four-year term in 2000. No matter what the President did or tried to do on domestic policy, economic policy or foreign policy achievements, he'd go down hard in defeat badly in 2000------and his political career would be over for good.

So for Mark Wells White, Jr., he had one heck of a career of public service: Assistant Attorney General (1966-1969) Texas Secretary of State (1973-1977), winning statewide office as United States Senator in 1977, 1978 and Governor in 1982, 1986 and 1990: going (5-0) in statewide elections including an overall record of (10-0) including primary, runoff and general elections; including serving as the 48th Vice President of the United States and currently serving as the 45th President of the United States, totaling 35 years of public service. The path to a political future was winnowing very fast: his home state of Texas was now firmly a deep Republican State for the foreseeable future, but the promise of life outside of 24/7 grinding politics was much more alluring including the prospects of where to build his Presidential Library, either on the campus of Baylor University in Waco, Texas (his alma mater) or somewhere in the Hill Country.

When the time finally came, the President marched into the conference room of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, wearing a dark black suit with red tie including a light blue dress shirt------one reporter for the San Antonio Express News thought it was a bit odd for the President to call a press conference in the middle of the day------and marched into the room as bulbs flashed and reporters shoved microphones into his direction. "What's President White going to do?"

President White: "My fellow Americans. I would like to thank each of you for coming to this important press conference including those watching across this great nation of ours and around the world serving our country in the Armed Forces overseas. I'll be brief. I just would want to make an official announcement.

In the last recent days, I know, there's been questions, that some of you in the press have asked me what I intend to do in 2000. They've asked me if I'll seek election to a full four-year term to continue serving as President. I have listened to friends and my family when weighing what the next steps---the right step---is for me.

And so, after thoughts, prayers and reflection, I've decided in order to prevent the Presidency from being piggeon-hold into partisan political bashing, I want to you all to know that this was not an easy decision. I am announcing that the name, Mark Wells White, Jr., will not be appearing on the ballot in November 2000. Not for the Presidency. I'll be a private citizen, living a private life after my nearly three and a half years as your President come January 20, 2001."

The bulbs flashed again non-stop and White squinted as the President looked forward into their glares.

"I want to first thank the people of the great State of Texas for giving me the opportunity to serving as Assistant Attorney General, Texas Secretary of State, United States Senator and Governor. I also want to personally thank the American people for allowing me to serve you all as the 48th Vice President of the United States and the 45th President of the United States for the trust that they've put in me in over the last------uh-----------throughout my time here. Thank you very much for listening and God Bless the United States of America. And I will now take your questions right now."

The room quickly erupted in loud shouts: Mr. President! Mr. President! When did you decide you weren't going to be a candidate for a full four-year term? They whirred by him in a dizzying storm. The White House Press Corps wanted to know if it was because of the Savings and Loan Scandals. They wanted to know if he'd called any of the rumored Democratic Party presidential contenders of his decision. What was happening with the federal budget negotiations. What about the list of political supporters in the fundraising racket? Was he admitting wrongdoing?

White answered their questions for half an entire hour, drinking a glass of water. Then, he told them it was enough of the pestering questions. "I've got to go," he said and off he went------out of the room, down the hall accompanied by Secret Service agents and several key White administration officials as the President headed out the private back-way where the Presidential limousine was awaiting to take him to the Kelly Air Force Base, where Air Force One on the tarmac. Off went Mark Wells White Jr., into the tranquility of private life. It was only a matter of time now.

Within minutes of hearing the news, some 75 miles toward the Hill Country, the popular two-term Republican Governor of Texas was notified of President White's decision by chief political strategist
Karl Rove: "Governor, the White House is now ours. The Democrats don't have anyone to put up against us. 2000 could be your big landslide victory". Bush leaned back in his chair inside the 2nd floor office of the Texas State Capitol Building in downtown Austin as he began calling his phone speaking with campaign donors of the Republican Party. He had an upcoming presidential campaign to put together.
 
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Chapter 5: Personal PoV's (Spring 1999)

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
......"The Democrats were shocked when news of President White's political bombshell announcing his retirement for good had major ramifications ahead of the upcoming 2000 Presidential election.

Nobody saw it coming. I mean, Mark Wells White, Jr., the 45th President of the United States, had approval ratings between 57-69% throughout 1998 including during the 1998 Midterms, where hyped-up expectations of Republican wave never materialized and this resulted in Gingrich's resignation as Speaker of the House. However, there were some rumblings of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Lena Guerrero being involved in a scandal involving using campaign funds from computers which Republicans exploited for their own benefit.

All of a sudden, White's approval ratings imploded and the more the uglier allegations of cover-ups escalated, the more questions were hounding the White administration 24/7. Fairly or not, the controversial computer scheme pretty much all but ensured President White wouldn't win reelection in 2000.

Vice President Dick Gephardt had to bear the brunt of the backlash because it caused more Democrats to consider jumping into the Democratic Party presidential primaries. "
Excerpt from "Major Tests and Tribulations during the White Years, 1997-2000".
 
Chapter 5: Personal PoV's (Spring 1999: Part II)

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
......"Pope Louis V arrived at Andrews Air Force Base, where he was greeted by US Vice President Dick Gephardt and several dignitaries before heading into a heavily-armored limousine, which took him to the White House, where US President Mark W. White, Jr., and US First Lady Linda Gale White both personally greeted the Pontiff.

Following the Welcoming Honors festivities which included a 21 Cannon Salute, President White delivered opening remarks welcoming Pope Louis V to the White House and detailed the progress of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Holy See. Pope Louis V also delivered remarks thanking the White's for their hospitality and offered words of prayer in light of recent international events in the past few years.

For the Pontiff, who had been in office since 1988 and the first to hail from Portugal, Louis V remained quite popular among the faithful during good times and difficult times for the Roman Catholic Church. He was also among one of many staunch conservatives, who genuinely believed in traditional conservative family values including his hardworking efforts of reforming the Church."
Excerpt from "Pope Louis V: Autobiography of Portugal's first ever Pontiff"
 
Chapter 5: Personal PoV's (Spring 1999: Part III)

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
......"California Governor Gray Davis (D) had been thinking about putting together an exploration committee of potentially running for the Presidency in 2000. Having served as Gubernatorial Chief of Staff under then-Governor (now Mayor of Oakland) Jerry Brown from 1975 until 1981, Davis was known for being hard-charging aggressive, micro-managing state government in Sacramento, plus using potentially illegal manipulations to getting what he wanted from skeptical legislators.

His ambitions had grown massively following his years of holding elective offices: California State Assembly from the 52nd District (1983-1987); winning statewide office as California State Controller (1987-1995); Lieutenant Governor of California (1995-1999); and serving as the Golden State's 37th Governor since January 4, 1999. Plus serving in the United States Army as a commissioned officer with the rank of Captain during the height of the Vietnam War was a plus to voters who vauled military service as requirements to serving as President.

For the moment, Davis had to focus on Sacramento first with lots of things to smooth over from the dog-whistle politics of the Wilson years, which tore California apart on racial lines with race-baiting politics 24/7 due to Proposition 187 and Proposition 209."
Excerpt from "Micro-Managing from Sacramento"
The Campaign for the White House
Spring 2004
 
Upcoming Installments for Chapter 5

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
@Ibanez @Val the Moofia Boss @bintananth @Buba @Tiamat
AUTHOR'S NOTE FOR CHAPTER 5: Good Morning everyone. I hope you're enjoying the meet of Chapter 5 of Eagle is Down.

If you've got any ideas for Entertainment Installments and Sports Installments (I'll get back to those, just been busy), just let me know which Television Shows, Movies, Dramas, etc., you would like to have mentioned on here.

Regards @Sergeant Foley 😎
 
Chapter 5: Personal PoV's (Spring 1999: Part IV)

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
......"Former Indian President Winston Gutierrez was still in exile in Spain living out his so-called retirement with his beautiful young companion Suzana Sharma. They had been very, very close since the Fall of 1991 while he had slowly been moving on from the sad passing of his popular wife, then-Indian First Lady Yameesha Alejo, who died in July 1991 of ovarian cancer at the age of 31.

According to unnamed sources, Gutierrez had invited Suzana to stay with him at the presidential palace via underground secret tunnels which one of the palace butlers found unusual and suspicious, but didn't want to provoke nor anger the President, who was obviously still running the large South Asian country with nuclear weapons.

It had been secretly common knowledge that Gutierrez and Suzana had engaged in sexual intercourse non-stop which resulted in her pregnancy; she gave birth to triplet daughters: Rochelle; Camilla and Yasmien. This secret relationship continued during the later part of Gutierrez's second term as President where his administration had been engulfed from domestic, political and economic challenges including potential revolt attempts against the Gutierrez administration.

Due to the political violence and ongoing backlash against his administration, Gutierrez secretly had Suzana and their three triplet daughters flown to the outskirts of Madrid, Spain where they remained residing in a secluded villa. When it became apparent that he lost control of the Armed Forces including Parliament turning on him in revolt due to several political scandals, Gutierrez chose to resign as President and quietly leave the country on 30 May 1996, where he was exiled to Spain, where he's been ever since.

Leading the coup d'etat against Gutierrez was Army Lieutenant General Thomas Leummenz, who was originally hailed as the leader of the Liberation Movement. Upon taking office as the 10th President, Leummenz issued executive orders banning Gutierrezism and forbid anyone from mentioning the names of Winston Gutierrez and Yameesha Alejo.

Soon afterwards, the Junta leaders escalated things by having several key aides of the Gutierrez administration arrested, tortured and executed. Some instances were that several political opponents of the Leummenz government had gotten placed under house arrest; opposition lawmakers were kidnapped including several members of their family members were kidnapped by the Secret Police Force ,who had full authority and were given the green light by President Leummenz himself in his goal of eradicating India of all forms of Gutierrezism.

However, a counter coup was launched against Leummenz several months later on 13 December 1996 when members of the Gaulist 29th Regiment aggressively used counter-offensive operations which resulted in Leummenz's removal from office due to incompetence on domestic policies. Replacing him would be General Ved Prakaish Malik, who was inaugurated as the 11th President of India on 16 December 1996, who led the country during the tumultuous later years of the Military Junta's grip on power before eventually being ousted in peaceful revolution on 17 January 1998. Replacing him was Colonel Troy DelaNuze, who chose to open up India towards full democracy and decided to seek the presidency himself in the upcoming 1999 Presidential election, for an unexpired term until 25 July 2002 which would have a five-year term going forward; DelaNuze was one of the youngest Presidents India ever had and despite his military service in the Indian Army and involvement in the Liberation Movement Coup against Gutierrez, DelaNuze pledged to consider lifting the ban on Gutierrezism."
-Excerpt from the controversial autobiography "The Fall and Comeback of Winston Gutierrez: The Path Back to Rashtrapati Bhavan"
 
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Chapter 5: List of Pontiffs

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
List of Pontiffs of the Roman Catholic Church since 1963:
#262 Paul VI (Italy)🇮🇹: 1963-1978: Died in office.

#263 John Paul I (Italy)🇮🇹: 1978: Died in office after 33 days.

#264 John Paul II (Poland)🇵🇱: 1978-1982: Assassinated.

#265 Carlos I (Brazil)🇧🇷: 1982-1985: Died under mysterious circumstances.

#266 Leopold XVI (India)🇮🇳: 1985-1988: Died in office.

#267 Louis V (Portugal)🇵🇹: Since 1988.
 
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Chapter 5: Kickoff to the 2000 Presidential Election

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
BREAKING NEWS: CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GRAY DAVIS (D) FORMING EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE; OBSERVERS EXPECT AN OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENT THIS SUMMER
rawImage.jpg
*April 29, 1999: The Sacramento Bee is reporting that California Governor Gray Davis (D) has reportedly made plans on forming an exploratory committee with a likely campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 2000 with an official announcement expected sometime this Summer. With Vice President Dick Gephardt announcing his presidential campaign sometime either in late May or June, the Democrats could have a potential field of contenders jumping in; incumbent President Mark W. White, Jr., stunned the nation with his bombshell announcement of not seeking election to a full four-year term earlier this year during a press conference in San Antonio considering the Democrats' surprising showing during the 1998 Midterm elections of gaining seats down-ballot.
 
Chapter 5: Personal PoV's (Spring 1999: Part V)

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
......"President White was grappling with a huge political scandal in which many in the national media referred to as "ComputerGate" that had exploded during the tail-end of the 1998 Midterm elections.

His midpoint approval ratings which used to be around 57% during the Summer of 1998, suddenly nosedived once revelations of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Lena Guerrero was revealed to have participated in using mailing lists of political supporters into a computer by using taxpayers money doing it.

Once these revelations exploded, President White's reelection prospects of his first full four-year term in 2000 quickly evaporated. The Democratic Party presidential nomination was going to be quite intriguing with the usual suspects: Vice President Gephardt followed by United States Senator Bill Bradley (D-NJ) including Washington Governor Gary Locke (D), there was also the possibility of others considering jumping into the campaign trail as well.

United States Senators Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Bob Graham (D-FL) refused to jump into the 2000 Presidential campaign.

California Governor Gray Davis (D) slowly began his march to the Democratic Party presidential nomination by forming an exploratory committee in late April 1999. Many people on the know figured out Davis was likely to launch his campaign for the Presidency in the Summer once the 1999 legislative session of the California State Legislature ended. Davis had strong approval ratings for a first-term Democratic Governor and already ramping up massive loads of fundraising totaling over $73+ million and counting.

Of course, President White was going to be busy focusing on foreign policy priorities and economic policies as one of the main cornerstones of his legacy."
-Excerpt from Nation of the Future: Presidency of Mark Wells White, Jr., and the Times of a Changing World
 
Upcoming Installments for Chapter 5 (I)

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
Here's some of the outlined sketch of Chapter 5 of Eagle is Down which I'll be working on sometime during the weekend: it might take awhile:
*Summer 1999
*Foreign Policy objectives of the White administration
*2000 Presidential campaign jockeying for position
*Personal PoV's
*Sports Headlines
 
Headlines (Spring/Summer 1999: Part I)

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
*Can Gephardt balance being his own man while distancing himself from President White?
Saint Louis Post Dispatch: 14 May 1999.

*Republicans have intriguing primary showdown for 2000: Bush vs McCain
Arizona Republic: 17 May 1999.

*Locke: I am seeking reelection as Governor of Washington in 2000; Democratic Party presidential primaries getting more clearer.
Seattle Times: 17 May 1999.

*ComputerGate Scandal engulfing domestic policy priorities of the White administration as Republicans escalate aggressive investigations.
Washington Post: 18 May 1999.

*Bayh confirms he will NOT run for President; saying "This is not my time to take the plunge"
IndyStar: 18 May 1999.

*Gutierrezism still banned in India according to Indian President Troy DeNaluze
New Delhi Times: 19 May 1999.
 
BREAKING NEWS from the Lone Star State: Summer 1999

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
BREAKING NEWS ALERT: LEGENDARY FORMER TEXAS LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR BOB BULLOCK DIES FOLLOWING LONG ILLNESS AT THE AGE OF 69.
1801BullockB&JT.JPG
*Friday, June 18, 1999: Legendary former Texas Lieutenant Governor Robert Douglas "Bob" Bullock passed away at his west Austin residence following a long illness surrounded by his family. According to close aides of the former Lieutenant Governor, Bullock died of congestive heart failure.

Bullock's political career spanned over 40 years dating back to serving in the Texas House of Representatives representing his hometown of Hillsborough from District 54 from 8 January 1957 until his resignation on 18 October 1959 in order to pursue private law practice; He then served on the Texas Historical Commission from 1963 to 1965; Assistant Attorney General of Texas from 1967 to 1969; Assistant to then-Governor Preston Smith from 21 January 1969 to 1 September 1971; Bullock was appointed by Governor Smith to serve as the 72nd Secretary of State of Texas from 1 September 1971 to 2 January 1973. Bullock won statewide office first as the 34th Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts in 1974 and overwhelmingly won reelection in 1978, 1982 and again in 1986 serving from 21 January 1975 to 3 January 1991 and eventually winning the Lieutenant Governorship in 1990 and easily won reelection in 1994 before choosing not to seek reelection in 1998, serving as the 38th Lieutenant Governor of Texas from 15 January 1991 to 19 January 1999.

Condolences have come from across the political aisle such as President Mark W. White, Jr.,,, Texas Governor George W. Bush; Lieutenant Governor Rick Perry; former United States Senator and current US Ambassador to Canada Ann Richards; former Lieutenant Governors Ben Barnes and William P. Hobby, Jr.,including countless other politicos. According to ABC 24 KVUE-TV Austin, Bullock will be buried at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin following funeral services on Sunday, June 20, 1999 at the Central Christian Church where both President White and Governor Bush both will deliver eulogies.
 
Chapter 5: What's Next for the World?

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
Fallout of the Kerrey Commission's Report
Summer 1999

The main job of the United States Secret Service was protecting the President of the United States. Yet, two consecutive assassinations in 1996 and 1997 put all of that into question. Why in the hell did they fail at protecting Presidents Clinton and Gore respectively when both of these horrific incidents occurred? Someone needed to be held accountable. Many Americans were still asking plenty of questions because they weren't convinced of the original findings. Why did security fail horribly in Manila on the night of 23 November 1996 and really botched badly on 28 June 1997 in Ann Arbor (resulted in Gore succumbing from his wounds six months later)? With the stroke of executive orders, President Mark W. White, Jr., decided it was time to authorize a National Commission investigating the Assassinations of Presidents Clinton and Gore.

Known as "The Kerrey Commission", which was chaired by United States Senator
Bob Kerrey (D-NE) and former US Attorney General Dick Thornburgh, both of whom were appointed to co-chair this major national commission by the President during a closed door meeting at the White House. For Kerrey, the Vietnam War veteran (he served in the US Navy) turned Governor of Nebraska and eventually two-term United States Senator with three consecutive statewide election victories in 1982, 1988 and 1994, he had originally been on the Vice Presidential shortlist for President Gore before ultimately choosing White. Thornburgh had served as US Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania (1969-1975); Assistant Attorney General for the US Justice Department's Criminal Division (1975-1977) before winning the Pennsylvania Governorship in 1978 and reelected in 1982. He was appointed by then-President George HW Bush in 1988 to serve as US Attorney General serving until his resignation in 1991 to run unsuccessfully in the 1991 Pennsylvania US Senate special election that year.

The Kerrey Commission coordinating with the Philippine National Police and the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation, who was doing a joint task force with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation in the long-dragged out investigation into the Clinton assassination. Besides the long investigation, the Kerrey Commission had been scouring through thousands of documents as well as interviewing thousands of individuals including former Philippine President Fidel Valdez Ramos and the Director of the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation, Chief of the Philippine National Police; including interviewing the Directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Central Intelligence Agency; and the Secret Service.

Throughout 1998 and 1999, various testimonies of individuals called by the Kerrey Commission had dominated the news cycle not only around the United States, but across the world. While the long investigation was coming to a close, there was an obvious clear picture painted for everyone to know: strong lack of communication between the intelligence agencies.

During July 1999, Chairman Kerrey and Vice Chairman Thornburgh announced the Commission's final report as scheduled. Inside the long report which consisted of over 73,000+ pages: lining out several key factors which led to the respective assassinations, but Kerrey strongly issued a warning for potential incidents like the 11.23.96 Incident and the 06.28.97 Incident could happen again in the future (showing ominous warnings of another presidential assassination) if law enforcement were assuming everything go back to business as usual. The Commission's final report also strongly pointed the finger at one suspect: al-Qaeda, concluding that those who organized and carried out the assassinations were either members of al-Qaeda or members of affiliate groups like Abu Sayyaf.

Massive revaluating and reorganizing of the security detail of the Secret Service would result in several agents being either reassigned to small-scale divisions within the US Treasury Department or forced to resign due to their incompetence. Especially since the President's visits to different regions of the world caused increased security detail with larger coordination with foreign federal law enforcement agencies to preventing another 11.23.96 Incident. Ironically, the Secret Service had faced five chaotic security breakdowns which led to the assassinations of JFK (1963), Ford (1975), Reagan (1983), Clinton (1996) and Gore (1997), all within a 34 year period.

The strong obvious from the final report of the Kerrey Commission was going to have major shakeups inside the intelligence agencies. The world was no longer innocent and nothing else wasn't going to be the same ever again! Everyone was on alert.
 
Chapter 5: Hanging On..... Evaulating the 1998 Midterms

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
Moving Ahead Despite Tough Challenges
Summer 1999

As 1999 continued into the midpoint of the Summer, Americans began to look back on President White's two years in office. The President's approval ratings rebounded in recent months, and at this point, despite not seeking election to his first full four-year term, nothing else can change the image and methods of his administration. Of course, 1998 was quite intriguing with the Midterm elections as Democrats gained seats down-ballot yet Republicans kept their majorities in both the US House of Representatives and United States Senate. Speaker Gingrich, who at times, clashed with the White administration, had become somewhat of a liability for the House Republicans.

Challenging and trying to impeach a popular Democratic President was a losing proposition for the Republicans and they knew it. In fact, Gingrich had been engulfed in some minor scandals considering allegations of cheating on his wife, who was battling health problems. There were also embarrassing reminders of the Speaker's photo-ops with some foreign lobbyists were being played non-stop on the television right in the faces of the American people.

Realizing how their majorities got reduced in 1996 and again in 1998, several of Gingrich's fellow House Republican congressional colleagues decided it was time for the controversial Georgian to go away. Exploiting the disastrous results of the 1998 Midterms, some Republicans in the House upped the ante even further by taking advantage of a chaotic situation: US Rep.
Steve Largent (R-OK) was among those, who said that Gingrich's speakership was becoming more untenable and precarious. And despite some attempts to prevent further damage from coming out in the press, Gingrich realized that his days at the most powerful Speaker of the US House of Representatives was pretty much over. Gingrich announced he would be resigning both the Speakership and his House seat in Georgia's 6th Congressional District.

At first House Republicans wanted to elect the blunt-talking harsh-aggressive
Bob Livingston (R-LA) as the new Speaker, but allegations of womanizing resulted in him leaving Congress too. In a backup plan, they chose Dennis Hastert (R-IL) to become the new Speaker of the US House of Representatives. Could Hastert keep the Republican caucus happy? Nobody would know for sure.

Over in the United States Senate: Republicans picked up three seats: Kentucky, Ohio and Illinois. In Kentucky, US Rep.
Jim Bunning (R-KY) flipped the open Kentucky US Senate seat to the Republicans; State Senator Peter Fitzgerald defeated the flamboyant and controversial incumbent United States Senator Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL) getting the backing of the American Conservative Union as well as several Republican political icons such as 1996 Republican Party presidential nominee and former United States Senator Bob Dole (R-KS), it's said that Fitzgerald was carried over to victory due to the coattails of outgoing popular Illinois Governor Jim Edgar, whose sky-high approval ratings helped push Illinois Secretary of State George Ryan over the finish line in the Illinois gubernatorial election, keeping the Illinois Executive Mansion in Republican hands. In Ohio, popular Ohio Governor George Voinovich handily defeated former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Mary Boyle in the Ohio US Senate race.

The Democrats also had an outstanding night in the 1998 Midterms: In Indiana, former Indiana Governor
Evan Bayh, the son of former United States Senator Birch Bayh (D-IN), took his father's US Senate seat; new additions in the United States Senate included Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, John Edwards of North Carolina and Chuck Schumer of New York State, who defeated three-term incumbent United States Senator Al D'Amato (R-NY St) in what many called as one of the nastiest and brutally ugliest statewide campaigns in the Empire State. In the Badger State, incumbent United States Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) was narrowly reelected to a second six-year term by less than two percentage points, having survived the Thompson landslide onslaught, as Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson overwhelmingly won reelection to a fourth term in a massive landslide victory in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race.

On the Governorships: Democrats were celebrating in the Golden State as California Lieutenant Governor
Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis handily trounced California State Attorney General Dan Lungren in a landslide victory of nearly 20 percentage points: winning back the California Governor's Mansion for the first time since then-California Governor Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr., won reelection in 1978, ending 16 years of Republican control of the Governor's Mansion in Sacramento. Almost immediately, some national Democrats already begin hyping up Davis as a future contender for the Presidency.

However, the big night of 3 November 1998 went to Florida and Texas, where Republicans scored huge big victories respectively, with the sons of former President
George HW Bush. In the Sunshine State: John Ellis "Jeb" Bush handily won back the Florida Governorship by double digits, improving among many demographic groups. Meanwhile in the Lone Star State, incumbent Texas Governor George Walker Bush, who trounced then-United States Senator Dorothy Ann Willis Richards (D-TX) in 1994, overwhelmingly destroyed four-term Texas Commissioner of the General Land Office Garry Mauro by 37 percentage points and carried 239 out of 254 counties; Bush won 27% of African Americans and 49% of Latinos. Bush Jr's coattails also resulted in Republicans sweeping all of the down-ballot statewide offices including flipping control of the Texas State Senate for the first time since Reconstruction. Immediately, speculation soon converged upon George, whom many expect to launch a campaign for the Presidency in 2000, following in his father's footsteps.
 
Chapter 5: Pop Culture PoV's (I)

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
......"In one of the most controversial endings of the conspiracy thriller movie, "Snake Eyes", US Navy Commander Kevin Dunne (portrayed by Gary Sinise) gets angry at his best friend, corrupt Atlantic City Police Department detective Rick Santoro (Nicholas Cage), who refused to tell him where Julia Costello (Carla Gugino) is located. Santoro told Dunne, "You're a traitor to your country for killing your own boss, Secretary Kirkland and sooner or later, you and your conspirators are going to have to answer for all of the crimes you've committed."

"Damn it Rick, I don't want to kill you!", Dunne snaps and when Santoro again refuses to tell him where Costello is located. "I'm sorry Rick. You've given me no other choice," Dunne aims the gun with the silencer and shoots Santoro to death.

Of course, Costello tries to run away when Dunne finds out where her location is at, she tries to run away when Dunne shoots at her, the bullets miss. And she sees an Atlantic City Police Department van, when the two officers arrest Costello (after Dunne frames her for killing Santoro), many viewers were angry that there wasn't a happy ending on the movie. But Brian De Palma explained that a sequel is in the works: Snake Eyes II: The Fight for Justice as Costello tries to prove her innocence."
-Excerpt from Fox News Entertainment
Summer 1999
 
Chapter 5: Highlights of the Mark Wells White, Jr., Presidency (Spring/Summer 1999)

Sergeant Foley

Well-known member
Highlights of the White Presidency
(Spring/Summer 1999)

*Tuesday, January 19, 1999: President Mark W. White, Jr., delivers his second annual State of the Union Address before Joint Session of Congress. White discussed the economy, federal budget, budget surplus which was totaling $70 billion. He also discussed the future of Social Security and warned Congress and future Presidents "Leave Social Security alone!"; education reforms; foreign policy achievements and accomplishments including foreign policy hot-spots; solving the ongoing Y2K computer problems.

*Friday, January 29, 1999: President White announced a bombshell announcement at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas: announcing he will not be seeking election to a full four-year term in 2000.

*April 20, 1999: The Columbine High School massacre in Columbine, Colorado results in the deaths of 15 people (including the two perpetrators); injuring 24 others.

*May 7, 1999: Guinean President Joao Bernardo Vieira ousted from office in military coup d'etat.

*May 13, 1999: Carlo Azeglio Ciampi elected as the next President of Italy.

*May 17, 1999: Ehud Barak defeats incumbent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the 1999 election.

*May 26, 1999: The Indian Air Force launches full-scale attack on intruding Pakistani Army troops and mujahideen militants in the Kashmir Region.

*The 1999 UEFA Champions League Final takes place inside the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain where the Manchester United of the United Kingdom defeated Bayern Munich of Germany by a score of 2-1.

*May 29, 1999: Military rule is officially terminated in the Republic of Nigeria with the establishment of the Fourth Nigerian Republic with Olusegun Obasanjo as the President.

*June 1, 1999: Napster (downloading music service) is created; Napster's creation inspires other file-sharing sites such as The Pirate Bay, LimeWire, Gnutella, Kazaa, Morpheus, BearShare and uTorrent.

*June 2, 1999: King Jigme Singye Wangchuck of Bhutan allows television transmissions in commencing in the Kingdom for the first time in Bhutan's history, coinciding with the King's Silver Jubilee.

*June 9, 1999: The Kosovo War officially ends with a peace treaty being signed between Yugoslavia and NATO.

*June 12, 1999: Kosovo War: Operation Joint Guardian/Operation Agricola begins; NATO-led United Nations Peacekeeping forces KFOR entered Kosovo, Yugoslavia.

*June 16, 1999: In the first peaceful transfer of executive power in South Africa's post-democratization history, Thabo Mbeki was inaugurated as the 2nd President of the Republic of South Africa replacing the outgoing South African President Nelson Mandela, who chose not to seek reelection after one five-year term in office.

*June 19, 1999: Turin, Italy is awarded with hosting the 2006 Winter Olympics.

*June 24, 1999: Kosovo War Highlights: NATO Marines shoot three gunmen in Kosovo, Yugoslavia, after being attacked by the latter, killing one of them and injuring the other two assailants.

*June 25, 1999: Bosnia and Herzegovina officially gets a new national anthem for their country: "Intermeco".

*June 30, 1999: The Sealand Youth Training Center Fire in Hwaseong, Republic of Korea results in the deaths of 19 children and 4 adults. The dormitory, which housed 430 children including their teachers, was consumed by fire. Sealand owner Park Jae Chun and six Hwaseong council members were charged with violation of building laws, bribery charges including involuntary manslaughter.
 

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