American Politics and Globalization Study Guide: George H.W. Bush to George

Political Satire and the Cliton Impeachment

• The transcript begins with a satirical portrayal of President Bill Clinton following a knee injury sustained at the Palm Beach condo of Australian golfer Greg "The Shark" Norman at $1:00 AM$.

• Satirical points regarding investigations:
      - Republicans are joked to have appointed an independent counsel to investigate the President's knee and the First Lady's knee.
      - Mentions of Hillary Clinton hiding files and accepting checks from Asian businessmen.

• The presidential line of succession in the skit includes:
      - Vice President Al Gore: Dismissed as "boring."
      - Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich: Critiqued for ethical problems and legal battles.
      - Senate President Strom Thurmond: Referred to as a true patriot, but the skit notes that "Strom Thurmond" is an anagram for "trust no mom r d h."
      - Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: Dismissed because she was not born in the United States.
      - Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin: Portrayed as a character obsessed with "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons" and wanting people to "eat it" at his old high school.

• The skit concludes with an appearance by Attorney General Janet Reno (played by Will Ferrell/guest), who demands to be made "next in line" for the presidency.

The Presidency of George H.W. Bush ($1989$–$1993$)

• George Herbert Walker Bush took office after serving as Ronald Reagan's Vice President.

• Foreign Policy Focus:
      - Met with Mikhail Gorbachev and signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty to improve relations with the Soviet Union.
      - Oversaw the end of the Cold War.

• Operation Just Cause (Panama):
      - Manual Noriega: A military dictator in Panama recruited by the CIA in $1970$ to fight communism.
      - Noriega's checkered past: Involved in drug trafficking ($1977$), removed from CIA payroll, then brought back in $1979$ due to Marxist threats.
      - In $1984$, Noriega committed fraud in favor of Nicolas Ardito Barletta.
      - By $1986$, allegations surfaced that Noriega was a money launderer and a double agent for Cuba.
      - Indictment: In $1988$, Noriega was indicted by federal grand juries in Tampa and Miami for smuggling and money laundering.
      - The Invasion: After a US Marine was killed on $12/16/1989$, Bush authorized "Operation Just Cause" on $12/17/1989$.
      - Approximately $9,000$ US troops joined $12,000$ already stationed in the Canal Zone.
      - Capture: Noriega took refuge in the Papal Nuncio (Vatican embassy). The US military used loudspeakers playing heavy rock music to drive him out.
      - Legal Outcome: Convicted in $1992$ on $8$ counts; sentenced to $40$ years. He died in Panama City on $05/29/2017$.

• The Persian Gulf War ($1991$):
      - Origin: Iraq and Iran had a long war ending in a $1988$ ceasefire. Saddam Hussein accused Kuwait of siphoning oil from the Rumaila oil fields and demanded they cancel $30,000,000,000$ of Iraq's debt.
      - Invasion: Saddam invaded Kuwait on $08/02/1990$.
      - International Response: The UN Security Council and the Arab League (two-thirds of members) condemned the aggression. King Fahd (Saudi Arabia) requested US assistance.
      - Operation Desert Shield: Military buildup to protect Saudi Arabia.
      - Operation Desert Storm (The War): Began $01/17/1991$. Featured "smart bombs" (laser-guided).
      - Operation Desert Sabre ($02/24/1991$): The ground offensive into Kuwait and Southern Iraq.
      - End of War: Ceasefire declared on $02/28/1991$. Terms included Iraq recognizing Kuwaiti sovereignty and destroying Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs).

The Presidency of Bill Clinton ($1993$–$2001$)

• Domestic and Foreign Policy:
      - Clinton won the $1992$ election with $370$ electoral votes ($43\%$ of the popular vote), defeating Bush and third-party candidate Ross Perot.
      - Mediated the $1993$ Oslo Accords between Israel and the PLO.
      - Economic Boom: Longest expansion in history; unemployment fell below $4\%$ by the year $2000$, and the deficit turned into a surplus.

• Human Rights and Kosovo:
      - Intervened in the Balkans to stop ethnic cleansing by Slobodan Milosevic (leader of Serbia).
      - Kosovo ($1998$–$1999$): Serbian forces moved against ethnic Albanians/Muslims. Kosovo had its autonomy stripped in $1989$.
      - Clinton speech details: Described the Balkans as a "powder keg" and justified NATO airstrikes as a "moral imperative" to prevent genocide similar to Bosnia ($1995$).
      - NATO allies ($19$ nations) acted to prevent wider regional instability involving Greece, Turkey, Macedonia, and Albania.

• The Monica Lewinsky Scandal and Impeachment:
      - Paula Jones filed a sexual harassment suit in $1994$ against Clinton (governor of Arkansas at the time).
      - Investigation: Special Counsel Kenneth Starr investigated the affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky ($25$ years old at the time).
      - Key Evidence: Linda Tripp taped phone calls; the "blue dress" contained DNA evidence.
      - Impeachment: The House voted to impeach on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice on $12/19/1998$.
      - Outcome: The Senate acquitted Clinton on both charges on $02/12/1999$.

• $1996$ Election Satire:
      - SNL skit features Bob Dole (depicted with a pen in his hand and falling off the podium) vs. Bill Clinton.
      - Joke that Clinton "inhaled" marijuana smoke via a scuba tank and swam the English Channel.

The Presidency of George W. Bush ($2001$–$2009$)

• The attacks of $09/11/2001$:
      - $08:45 AM$: Flight American Airlines Boeing $767$ hit the North Tower.
      - $18$ minutes later: Flight $175$ hit the South Tower.
      - $09:37 AM$: Flight $77$ hit the Pentagon; $125$ military/civilian personnel killed on the ground.
      - Flight $93$: Passengers Ted Beamer ("Let's roll") and others forced the plane to crash in Pennsylvania to save the White House.
      - Bush Address ($9:00 PM$): Called the acts "evil, despicable acts of terror" and quoted Psalm $23$.

• War on Terror:
      - Operation Enduring Freedom ($10/07/2001$): Invasion of Afghanistan to find Osama bin Laden and remove the Taliban.
      - Taliban fell in Kabul by $11/12/2001$. Al-Qaeda hid in the Tora Bora region.
      - Outcome: Hamid Karzai became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan in $2004$. The war lasted $20$ years.

• The Iraq War ($2003$):
      - Initiated based on intelligence (later found incorrect) regarding WMDs.
      - Invasion began $03/19/2003$. Saddam Hussein was found in a hole near Tikrit.
      - Saddam was found guilty of crimes against humanity and executed by hanging on $12/30/2006$.

The $2008$ Financial Crisis

• Causes defined by President George W. Bush in a televised address:
      - Over a decade of massive foreign capital inflow and low interest rates led to easy credit.
      - Improper mortgage lending (Subprime mortgages): Lenders approved loans without checking ability to pay.
      - Housing Bubble: Prices fell when supply exceeded demand; borrowers could not refinance or sell.
      - Mortgage-Backed Securities: Loans were packaged into complex products that lost value, causing losses for institutions like Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers.
      - Impact on Government-chartered entities: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

• The Rescue Plan:
      - Bush proposed a $700,000,000,000$ rescue package to purchase "troubled assets."
      - Aimed to thaw frozen credit markets and prevent a long recession.
      - Assured that FDIC-insured deposits up to $100,000$ remained safe.

Questions & Discussion (Post-Lecture Interaction)

• A casual conversation takes place between several individuals (identified as Faith, Willow, Lily, and others):

• Discussion of a party and social drama involving a character named Lily who was allegedly "on" every guy at the party.

• References to a baseball player named Dom who noticed Faith's mother at a meeting because her phone wallpaper featured Faith's meet day photos.

• Mention of a character named Will talking to Olivia about transferring schools.

• Discussion of Jonas, who was described as a "little bitch" for not wanting to ask a girl out first.

• Mentions of the nursing program practical study guide and plans to get soft pretzels and beer cheese after the discussion.