Blue Florida - 2004 Interractive Election Game

[Goldeneye]

Plot
Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to an alternate history. The date is August 1, 2003. During the 2000 US presidential election, Vice-President Al Gore is elected as the 43rd president of the United States by narrowly winning Florida (with 171 votes ahead of George W. Bush) and the Sunshine State's 25 great electors, thus putting him at 292 great electors, defeating Texas Governor George W. Bush, the Republican presidential nominee, with 292 great electors, 48,5 % of the popular vote and 21 states + DC over Bush's 246 great electors, 47,7 % of the popular vote and 29 states.

Following George W. Bush's loss in 2000, the Republican Party must decide which way to turn. While Arizona Senator John McCain, former Secretary of Defense and 2000 GOP Vice-Presidential nominee Dick Cheney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are viewed as the likeliest potential contenders for the Republican presidential nomination in 2004, pundits are indicating that the Republican field for the nomination is very likely to be wide-open.

•   Al Gore/Joe Lieberman : 292 great electors, 48,5 % of the vote
•   George W. Bush/Dick Cheney : 246 great electors, 47,7 % of the vote



The Game
Post your campaign announcements here, that will constitute turn 1. After that, I will release polls and we will begin turn 2 that will be set from August 1 2003 to August 14 2003.

Rules of the Game
-For each political party, I put a list of likely contenders, but you can also select additional candidates
-Each round will last 72 hours, although a player may request an extension of 24 hours if they wish
-Usually, each round will cover 2 weeks in this game's timeline
-Each round will start with an updated poll summary and a list of the upcoming electoral contests. Periodically, news events will be introduced to elicit responses from the players that will impact the race
-Candidates will post schedules for the week of the turn, although they don't necessarily have to be incredibly specific. Schedules should summarize the week of the candidate.
-Players should PM me, the Game Moderator, for endorsements. The PM should contain the name of the person you'd like to be endorsed by, the most recent office or position they've held, and a brief reason why they would endorse you (for example : Gerald Ford, former President of the United States, should endorse Bob Dole because he was his running mate in 1976).
-Candidates can also make T.V. advertisements, which can help their performance
-Some events in this TL have occurred as they did in OTL while some other events will be alternated due to Al Gore's election as President of the United States in 2000.
-Independent/Third Party candidates will be accepted, but be warned that they will have to work very hard to make a national impression
-On Turn 1, players will sign up as their candidates, and post campaign announcement speeches if they so choose. Turn 2 will be the week of Friday August 1 2003 through Thursday August 14 2003

Current Candidates

Democratic Candidates for 2004

Declared Candidates
President Al Gore (JacksonHitchcock)
Governor Phil Bredesen (New Tennessean Politician)
Senator Russ Feingold (MycroftCZ)

Potential Candidates
Congressman Bernie Sanders
Businessman Donald Trump
General Wesley Clark

Republican Candidates for 2004:

Declared Candidates
Senator John McCain (UWS)
Governor Mike Huckabee (Grass00ts)
Secretary Jack Kemp (Jaguar4Life)
Governor Jeb Bush (Deplorables Unite!)
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani (Rep. wxtransit)
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Lumine)
Former Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney (R/H)

Potential Candidates
Senator Rick Santorum
Congressman Tom Tancredo
Senator Fred Thompson
Governor George Allen
Representative Ron Paul
Former Governor Tom Ridge

Independent Candidates for 2004 :

Potential Candidates
Congressman Bernie Sanders
Businessman Donald Trump
General Wesley Clark

All announcements must be done by the end of Friday, January 12th, 2018. Have fun!

[Goldeneye]

Timeline from December 2000 to April 2003, Part 1

2000
•   December 13 : After recount in Florida, including in invalidated voting offices, Vice President Al Gore is declared the winner with 171 more votes than Texas Governor George W. Bush in the Sunshine State, which means that Gore defeats Bush with 292 electoral votes over Bush's 246 electoral votes. During his concession speech in Austin, Texas, Bush wished Gore the best of luck.

2001
•   January 3 : After Joe Lieberman vacated his senate seat before becoming Vice-President of the United States due to Al Gore's victory, Republican Governor of Connecticut John G. Rowland appointed Republican congressman Chris Shays to replace Lieberman, which gives a slim majority for the Republicans at the U.S. Senate, precisely 51 seats for the Republicans and 49 seats for the Democrats.
•   January 20 : Al Gore is inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States. His running mate Joe Lieberman is inaugurated as Vice-President of the United States, thus becoming the first Jew occupying this office.
•   January 29 : President Gore announces new tax cuts for middle-class while increasing taxes for riches.
•   February 2 : February began with economic concerns. The economy, which had been in a slow decline since the end of 2000, was not getting any better. Many Americans wondered how long the economic slump would continue, especially after the "Dot-Com Bubble" had peaked in March 2000, with NASDAQ rolling in at 5132.52. Government officials assured people that the slow decline in the markets was the result of a "decent" from the high peak that the markets had experienced.
•   February 5 : The Gore administration expands programs and creates 20,000 new bureaucrats, which increases the size of government 3 times bigger than Bill Clinton's proposal eight years earlier.
•   February 19 : President Al Gore cuts the budget dedicated to FBI and Intelligence programs in order to balance the budget and reduce the national debt. These cuts are followed by cuts in defense budget.
•   March 4 : President Gore ratifies the Kyoto Protocol, an amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change which seeks to impose mandatory targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The treaty requires spending tens of billions of dollars per year for renewable energies. This procedure received praise from Canadian Prime minister Jean Chretien.
•   March 5 : Gore increases gas and oil taxes in order to encourage production of renewable energy rather than fossil energy production. The Republicans oppose this measure, stating that it will increase the United States much more dependent on foreign oil and will make the country unable to control and produce its own energy.
•   March 23 : Washington announces increasing funding in nuclear and wind energy development to create green jobs. In longer term, that contributed, in long-term, to the creation of 300,000 jobs.
•   April 1 : April opened with the Hainan Island Incident, in which a US spy plane that collided with a Chinese craft in air is forced to land in China. The US crew is detained by the Chinese. In a White House Press Conference, President Gore explained, "The actions of the Chinese are truly disturbing." The US Government eventually sent a letter of apology to the Chinese Government and after ten days of interrogation, the US crew was released.
•   April 8 : The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) declared in March that the United States had undergone a peak of business in March, signaling the end of business growth and the beginning of an economic depression.
•   April 22 : President Gore submitted the Education Reform Bill to Congress for approval. The Bill, if approved, would require all public schools to administer testing and, if the school fails the testing, students would be given the option to transfer to another regional public school. Additionally, the Bill would create more jobs for teachers and fund the renovation and improvement of schools in need, as well as the addition of programs that have been cut. Funding for the Bill would come from taxes and the surplus. Republicans criticized the bill which, according to them, is too wasteful and implicates too much government intrusion.
•   May : During a travel in Latin America, President Gore talks about accomplishing his predecessor's work (with the creation of NAFTA in 1994) by proposing free trade between NAFTA and Latin America in order to open new markets to "spur innovation, speed the growth of new industries, and make [American] businesses more competitive", but also stressed the need to "negotiate worker rights, human rights and environmental protections", stating: "we should use trade to lift up standards around the world not drag down standards here at home. However, these trade negotiations will later be scrapped by 9/11 attacks.
•   June 26 : For the first time as president, Gore meets Russian President Vladimir Putin. Together, they discuss how the United States and Russia can cooperate, including on how to maintain peace in the Balkans.
•   June 27 : The United States and Russia launch the objective of reducing their nuclear arsenal from 2200 to 1000 by 2012.
•   June 30 : Affirming his opposition to any anti-missile shield, President Gore plans to abolish Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), stating that it's unrealistic and too expensive. The Congress shared between Republicans and Democrats is divided on this issue, particularly in the Senate, which the half is controlled by the Republicans who oppose such a measure as well as a few Democratic Senators. Some hawkish senators like John McCain claim that such a measure would weaken America's defense against eventual enemies. The bill to abolish the SDI eventually failed in the Senate (44-56).
•   September 4 : The Electronic Bill of Rights put in place by the Gore administration is adopted by the Congress. This bill includes connection of every school to the Internet, protection of personal information, Internet self-regulation, privacy policy on all web sites and regulation of Internet privacy and child access, but not content.
•   September 9 : Afghan resistance leader against the Taliban regime Ahmad Shah Massoud is assassinated by two Algerian nationals, posing as Belgian journalists.
•   September 11 : The jihadist group of Al Qaïda led by Osama Bin Laden uses planes to orchestrate terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, in New York City, and on the Pentagon, in Washington D.C. A third plane controlled by terrorists crashed in Pennsylvania before hitting its target (apparently the White House). The 9/11 attacks killed approximately 3000 people. On the night of September 11 2001, President Gore declares war on terror.
•   The attacks had a significant economic impact on United States and world markets. The stock exchanges did not open on September 11 and remained closed until September 17. Reopening, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 684 points, or 7.1%, to 8921, a record-setting one-day point decline By the end of the week, the DJIA had fallen 1,369.7 points (14.3%), at the time its largest one-week point drop in history. In 2001 dollars, U.S. stocks lost $1.4 trillion in valuation for the week. In New York City, about 430,000 job-months and $2.8 billion dollars in wages were lost in the three months after the attacks. The economic effects were mainly on the economy's export sectors. North American air space was closed for several days after the attacks and air travel decreased upon its reopening, leading to a nearly 20% cutback in air travel capacity, and exacerbating financial problems in the struggling U.S. airline industry. Oil prices also spiked upwards. Gas prices in the United States also briefly shot up, though the spike in prices lasted only about one week. Closing borders post-9/11 dealt a crushing blow to trade and to the global economy.
•   September 17 : Gore speaks once again before a joint session of Congress, in which he receives the permission from both the Senate and House of Representatives to invade Afghanistan, in order to topple the Taliban regime and eliminate the terrorist organization al Qaeda. Gore also issues an ultimatum demanding that the Taliban government of Afghanistan deliver Al Qaeda leaders located in Afghanistan to the United States authorities, or else they would share their fate.
•   October 1 : Operation Enduring Liberty when U.S., NATO and Australian forces initiates bombing campaigns on Taliban and al Qaeda forces, while U.S special forces units begin slipping into Afghanistan, with the objective of convincing and bribing local chieftains to resist the Taliban regime. The main goals of the invasion is to defeat the Taliban, eradicate Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, and capture or kill key Al Qaeda leaders.
•   October 7 : U.S. and UK special forces supported by the Afghan Northern Alliance captures Mazār-e Sharīf, thus opening supply routes and providing an important airstrip for U.S. planes and helicopters.
•   October 10 : 100,000 U.S soldiers begin the ground campaign, most of them by the captured airport in Mazār-e Sharīf.
•   October 22: U.S. forces, supported by the Afghan Northern Alliance, secure the Afghan capital Kabul.
•   November 2 : Kunduz is freed by the Northern Alliance.
•   November 6: Jalalabad is captured by the U.S. forces and men of the Northern Alliance.
•   November 11 : Kandahar is captured by the U.S. forces and men of the Northern Alliance. The head of the Taliban regime, Mullah Omar, manages to escape, but the Taliban is severely crippled with over 60 % of its former combat strength reduced.
•   December 6-17 : The Coalition orchestrates a military offensive in Tora Bora to kill or capture Osama Bin Laden. But the coalition didn't have enough troops and arsenal to surround Tora Bora, which allowed Bin Laden to escape.
•   December 22 : A new government is established in Kabul, with Hamid Karzai as the interim-leader. On the same day, American Airlines Flight 63, enroute from Paris to Miami, is forced to land in Boston after a man attempts to blow up the plane with explosives in his shoe.

[Goldeneye]

Timeline from December 2000 to April 2003, Part 2

2002
•   January 2002: In the beginning week of January, several Republicans in Congress pressed President Gore to withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, in an effort to secure the protection of the United States. President Gore stated that he felt there was no reason for a withdrawal from the treaty, and did not feel it necessary. Republicans began exploiting the President's decision not to withdraw to ask Americans if the United States was truly safe from another attack.
•   January 15 : The Senate passes a bill known as the Afghan Reconstruction Act. The bill helps build modern infrastructure throughout Afghanistan and helps bulk up the Afghan military. The bill also invests billions in agriculture and education for the Afghan people.
•   January 21 : the UN Security Council announced the establishment of an arms embargo and freezes Taliban and Al-Qaeda assets. The move is widely praised by Americans, yet some wonder why such a move took so long. Fighting in Afghanistan raged on nonetheless, as United States soldiers attempted to further destabilize Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces.
•   January 31 : A bus in San Antonio, Texas, was hijacked by a terrorist who had explosives strapped to his chest. Police and federal agents quickly surrounded the stopped bus and attempted to negotiate with the terrorist. The terrorist called to Allah and detonated the explosives, however, killing himself and all fifty-six passengers. He was later identified as a member of Al-Qaeda. Only a few months after the September 11th attacks,  the United States had been hit again.
•   February : As Taliban forces regrouped in Afghanistan, the fighting decreased and the solidification of Coalition forces increased.
•   February 8 : the Winter Olympics, hosted in Salt Lake City, began. Under orders from President Gore, security there was extremely tight, with an article from the New York Times saying that Salt Lake City had become just as safe as Washington, D.C.
•   March : The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 co-sponsored by Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold passed both houses of the Congress and is signed into law by President Gore.
•   April : The success of Operation Anaconda drove many of the Al-Qaeda forces out of Afghanistan and into Pakistan. The Taliban, however, for the most part remained in Afghanistan and moved their operations to mountainous southern provinces. British Royal Marines were called in to chase Taliban forces throughout the mountains.
•   April 13 : Hugo Chavez takes power in Venezuela through a coup d'État.
•   May : Jacques Chirac is re-elected President of France with 82 % of the vote against over far-right leader of National Front Jean-Marie Le Pen
•   June 24 : Congressman Dick Armey (TX-R) introduced a bill aimed at establishing the Department of Homeland Security in order to reinforce America's national security in this context of growing terrorist threat.
•   July 4 : On Independence Day 2002, an Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya jihadist from Egypt called Heshman Mohamed Hadayet committed a terrorist attack at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, killing 2 people and injuring 4 others before being shot dead by a security officer.

July 26 : Dick Armey's bill aimed at establishing the Department of Homeland Security passed in the House of Representatives with 295 YEA votes and 132 NAY votes. The bill has yet to pass in the Senate and to be signed into law by President Gore to ensure the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.
•   August : A terror plot to destroy the US Bank Tower in Los Angeles is uncovered and five men with connections to Al-Qaeda are arrested in San Diego. President Gore in response praised the men and women of the FBI as well as the effects of the Advanced Intelligence Tools and Systems Act.
•   August 12 : US Airways declared bankruptcy.
•   September 6 : September started with chaos in Afghanistan. A car bomb killed 25 people in Kabul, with many more wounded. Seven hours later, an assassination attempt was made on interim-leader Hamid Karzai, but it failed. Both events are embodied by Al-Qaeda's declaration of a "new Jihad" against the United States and its allies.
•   September 14 : Following several bombing raids of the Helmand province, US Special Forces were deployed into the province in an attempt to drive Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces over into Zabul, which was mostly occupied by the United States. The offensive was quite successful, however Al-Qaeda and the Taliban retreated into a vast network of caves, some of which led across the border to Pakistan. Once again, the US Military was forced to give up its pursuit of the enemy since it could not cross the border.
•   September 15 : Back in the United States, several Republicans, including Senators John McCain, Fred Thompson, and Don Nickles began pushing for intervention in Pakistan. They even suggested that Pakistan housed more Al-Qaeda targets than Afghanistan, and CIA intelligence did not deny this either. They claimed that if the United States had military access through Pakistan, Al-Qaeda would have a tough time and it would be easier to combat the terrorist organization.
•   September 21 : After a speech declaring there was no reason to intervene in Pakistan, Al Gore was widely criticized for being « too weak » on foreign policy and on antiterrorism fight. Polls showed President Gore's approval rating steadily decreasing as the President attempted to determine the next step in the War in Afghanistan.
•   October 4 : Unemployment rate raises to 5.9 %. Many economic analysts affirmed that recent job losses are due to the US Airways' bankruptcy, to the delay of free trade negotiations with America's allies as well as to Al Gore's high taxes on the American people, on energy industry and on businesses.
•   November 5 : November was an eventful month between the 2002 Senate elections, growing pressure to take action in Pakistan, and developing problems in the nation of Iraq. Both the Senate and Gubernatorial elections happened on November 5th.

Senate Election Results, 2002 :
Alabama - Jeff Sessions (R) is re-elected over Susan Parker (D)
Alaska - Ted Stevens (R) is re-elected over Frank J. Vondersaar (D)
Arkansas - Mark Pryor (D) is elected over Tim Hutchinson (R) (Pickup)
Colorado - Wayne Allard (R) is re-elected over Tom Strickland (D)
Delaware - Joe Biden (D) is re-elected over Raymond J. Clatworthy (R)
Georgia - Saxby Chambliss (R) is elected over Max Cleland (D) (Pickup)
Idaho - Larry Craig (R) is re-elected over Alan Blinken (D)
Illinois - Dick Durbin (D) is re-elected over Jim Durkin (R)
Iowa - Tom Harkin (D) is re-elected over Greg Ganske (R)
Kansas - Pat Roberts (R) is re-elected over Steven Rosile (L)
Kentucky - Mitch McConnell (R) is re-elected over Lois Combs Weinberg (D)
Louisiana - Suzanne Haik Terrell (R) defeats Mary Landrieu (D) (Pickup)
Maine - Susan Collins (R) is re-elected over Chellie Pingree (D)
Massachusetts - John Kerry (D) is re-elected over Michael E. Cloud (L)
Michigan - Carl Levin (D) is re-elected over Andrew Raczkowski (R)
Minnesota - Norm Coleman (R) defeats Walter Mondale (D) (Pickup)
Mississippi - Thad Cochran (R) is re-elected over Shawn O'Hara (Re.)
Missouri - Jim Talent (R) defeats Jen Carnahan (D) (Pickup)
Montana - Max Baucus (D) is re-elected over Mike Taylor (R)
Nebraska - Chuck Hagel (R) is re-elected over Charlie Matulka (D)
New Hampshire - John Sununu (R) defeats Jeanne Shaheen (D)
New Jersey - Frank Lautenberg (D) defeats Doug Forrester (R)
New Mexico - Pete Domenici (R) is re-elected over Gloria Tristani (D)
North Carolina - Elizabeth Dole (R) defeats Erskine Bowles
Oklahoma - Jim Inhofe (R) is re-elected over David Walters (D)
Oregon - Gordon Smith (R) is re-elcted over Bill Bradbury (D)
Rhode Island - Jack Reed (D) is re-elected over Robert Tingle (R)
South Carolina - Lindsey Graham (R) defeats Alex Sanders (D)
South Dakota - John Thune (R) is defeats Tim Johnson (D) (Pickup)
Tennessee - Lamar Alexander (R) defeats Bob Clement (D)
Texas - John Cornyn (R) defeats Ron Kirk (D)
Virginia - John Warner (R) is re-elected over Nancy Spannaus (I)
West Virginia - Jay Rockefeller (D) is re-elected over Jay Wolfe (R)
Wyoming - Mike Enzi (R) is re-elected over Joyce Jansa Corcoran (D)

TOTAL SEATS
Republicans-54
Democrats- 46

Gubernatorial Election key results :
California - Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is elected over Cruz Bustamante (D)
Vermont - Jim Douglas (R) is elected over Doug Racine (D)

•   November 8 : The UN Security Council votes unanimously to allow arms inspectors into Iraq.
•   November 11 : Saddam Hussein issued a statement claiming that Iraq would not permit the entry to arms inspectors. The refusal of entry created a great amount of speculation that Iraq had the ability to obtain weapons of mass destruction, and could furthermore be harboring terrorists. Conservatives used the global opinion of Iraq in an attempt to once again question the safety of Americans.
•   November 19 : The Senate approves the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security with 90 YEA votes and 10 NAY votes, which would override a possible presidential veto.
•   November 25 : President Gore approves the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security and signs the bill into law, thus creating the Department of Homeland Security. Some lawmakers like Democratic Senator Russ Feingold and Independent Congressman Bernie Sanders criticized Gore on this decision to approve the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security instead of vetoing it, claiming that it will « diminish the individual freedoms in this country just like in 1984 (George Orwell's novel) ».
•   December 3 : On December 3rd, the UN passed a resolution that proclaimed the right of a team of UN weapons inspectors, led by Hans Blix, to enter Iraq in order to determine the status of Iraq's weapon development.

[Goldeneye]

Timeline from December 2000 to April 2003, Part 3

2003
•   February 1 : Trajedy as the Space Shuttle 'Columbia' disentigrated upon reentry into Earth's atmosphere on February 1st. The disaster killed all 7 of the crew and scattered debris across the Southwestern United States.
•   February 5 : The U.N. reports that Saddam Hussein gave sanctuary to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad terrorist who was involved in the millennium plot, a terrorist attempt to commit bombing attacks against tourist sites in Jordan as well as against the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and the USS The Sullivans in the context of millennium celebrations in addition of training jihadists in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Republicans started using it as an argument in favor of intervening militarily in Iraq, claiming that Saddam Hussein's Iraq is a safe haven for terrorism.
•   February 23 : The United States launched 2 U-2 spy planes over Iraq in an attempt to gain intelligence about the country's weapon programs. While the planes were unable to find any weapons of mass destruction,' several weapons and missile depots are located.
•   February 28 : Republican cries for increased intervention in the Middle East became louder. There was a lot of tension along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces were using Pakistan as a means of escape from US troops. President Gore, however, remained firm on his stance of no US intervention in the country, which angered the majority of Republicans.
•   March 7 : After intelligence operations claiming that Iraq developed its capacity of developing weapons of mass destruction, the United States and their allies decided to increase their diplomatic and economic sanctions against Iraq.
•   March 8 : In reaction to the increased international sanctions against Iraq, Saddam Hussein decided to impose an embargo on American oil, which hurts the U.S. Economy and increased America's dependence on foreign oil. The Iraqi embargo triggers a Third Oil Crisis.
•   March 10 : In response to the increased international sanctions against Iraq, Saddam Hussein decided to invade Kuwait in order to claim this small country's oil. These events increased pressure on the Gore administration to intervene militarily in Iraq, which President Gore remains reluctant about.
•   April 9 : Violence erupted in India as a Pakistani jihadist organization affiliated with Al-Qaeda attacks Connaught Place one of the largest financial, commercial and business centres in New Delhi, which killed 28 people.
•   April 23 : The terrible economic situation as well the Third Oil Crisis not only raised the unemployment rate at 6,8 % but considerably increased the debt. As a consequence, in order to balance the budget, the Gore administration cuts military and defense spending, which deprives the American troops in Afghanistan of additional reinforcements and arsenal. Most of the American people is worried about this decision due to the potential that terrorists would benefit from this measure to increase their forces and commit more terrorist attacks. This decision is widely criticized by the Republicans.

Al Gore's presidential job approval

•   Approve : 41 %
•   Disapprove : 47 %
•   Unsure : 12 %

U.S. unemployment rate : 6.8 %

[Goldeneye]

If Possible, I'll play as Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee

Okay.

[Goldeneye]

When is the first turn?

It will start at 10 pm or 11 pm on Thursday, that way we'll give enough time for more players to select their candidates and enter the game.

[Goldeneye]

JacksonHitchcock has told me his interest about playing Gore. So I think he's the one who will play Gore.

[Goldeneye]

Who is going to be Gore?

TBH, I don't think anyone should. Gore would've taken a lesson from George H.W. Bush and stay away from a Republican landslide.

Nah, we need Gore. His scenario right now is like a Obama 2012 scenario.
Besides, don't you want some competition?

Maybe Sanders. A Conservative v A Socialist, that's a war for the party there

Yes I want some competition so we have to make this game fair for all players of all parties in order to make this game interesting enough to make the 2004 presidential race wide-open and competitive.

So I'm looking not only for more progressive players but also for more Republican Atlas members in order to make the race for the 2004 Republican presidential nomination wide-open after 3 consecutive defeats.

[Goldeneye]

Can I sign on as Feingold?

Yes of course.

[Goldeneye]

Round 1 - August 1-August 14 2003

The 2004 presidential race started to get heating up in these times of uncertainty marked by high unemployment and strong terrorist threat.

On the Democratic side, President Gore's unpopularity has encouraged 2 of his fellow Democrats, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen and Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, to challenge him. As a result, Gore is challenged on his left by Feingold and on his right by Bredesen.

On the Republican side, the race for the Republican presidential nomination is wide open as expected since all of the candidates have high name recognition, especially Arizona Senator John McCain, a former POW and the runner-up of the 2000 Republican presidential primaries, Dick Cheney, former U.S. Secretary of State and 2000 Republican vice-presidential nominee, Rudy Giuliani who was Mayor of New York City during the terrorist attacks of September 11 2001, Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida and son of President George H. W. Bush and brother of 2000 GOP presidential nominee George W. Bush, Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House, Jack Kemp, former HUD Secretary and Bob Dole's running mate in 1996 and Mike Huckabee, Arkansas Governor who « defeated the Clinton-Gore machine ». While Senator McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Jeb Bush represent the moderate wing of Republican primary voters, Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich both considered themselves as the « conservative alternative ». McCain and Cheney are mostly focusing on their foreign policy experiences in order to win among the voters who selected foreign policy and terrorism as the most important issue, which is something that could also play in favor of Giuliani due to his his leadership on and after September 11.

[Goldeneye]

2004 Republican presidential primary schedule

Total number of delegates 2509 delegates

Number of delegates needed to win the nomination 1255 delegates

January 19 : Iowa (32 delegates) Proportional
January 27 : New Hampshire (32 delegates) 10 % threshold
February 1 : South Carolina (46 delegates) Winner-take-most
February 4 : North Carolina (67 delegates) Proportional
February 4 : Missouri (57 delegates) Winner-take-all
February 4 : North Dakota (26 delegates)   Proportional
February 4 : Oklahoma (41 delegates) 15 % threshold
February 4 : Wyoming (28 delegates) Proportional
February 7 : Hawaii (20 delegates) Winner-take-all
February 8 : Maine (21 delegates) 10 % threshold
February 10 : Washington D.C. (19 delegates) Winner-take-all
February 10 : Nevada (33 delegates) Proportional
February 10 : Tennessee (55 delegates) 20 % threshold/Winner-take-all if a candidate wins 50 %
February 17 : Wisconsin (40 delegates) Winner-take-most
February 21 : Alaska (29 delegates)    13 % threshold
February 21 : Guam (9 delegates) Winner-take-all
February 28 : American Samoa (9 delegates) Winner-take-all
February 28 : Virgin Islands (9 delegates) Winner-take-all
February 29 : Puerto Rico (23 delegates) Winner-take-all
March 1 : Kansas (39 delegates) 10 % threshold

March 2 (Super Tuesday)
California (173 delegates) Winner-take-all
Connecticut (30 delegates) Winner-take-all   
Georgia (69 delegates) Winner-take-most
Massachusetts (44 delegates) Winner-take-all
Maryland (39 delegates) Winner-take-all
Minnesota (41 delegates) 10 % threshold
New York (102 delegates) Winner-take-all
Ohio (91 delegates) Winner-take-all
Rhode Island (21 delegates) Winner-take-all
Vermont (18 delegates)   Winner-take-all

March 9 : Florida (112 delegates) Winner-take-all
March 9 : Louisiana (45 delegates) 20 % threshold
March 9 : Mississippi (38 delegates)   Winner-take-all
March 9 : Texas (138 delegates) 20 % threshold/Winner-take-all if a candidate wins 50 %
March 9 : Washington (41 delegates) 20 % threshold
March 16 : Illinois (73 delegates) Winner-take-most
March 23 : Utah (36 delegates) Winner-take-all
April 3 : Arizona (52 delegates) Winner-take-all
April 13 : Colorado (50 delegates) Proportional
April 27 : Pennsylvania (75 delegates) Winner-takes-most
May 4 : Indiana (55 delegates) Winner-take-all
May 7 : Virginia (64 delegates) Winner-take-all
May 11 : West Virginia (30 delegates) Winner-take-all
May 11 : Nebraska (35 delegates) Winner-take-all
May 14 : Delaware (18 delegates) Winner-take-all
May 18 : Kentucky (46 delegates) 5 % threshold
May 18 : Arkansas (35 delegates) 15 % threshold
May 18 : Oregon (31 delegates) Proportional
May 21 : Michigan (61 delegates) 15 % threshold
May 25 : Idaho (32 delegates) Winner-take-all
June 1 : Alabama (48 delegates) Winner-take-all
June 1 : New Mexico (24 delegates)    15 % threshold
June 1 : South Dakota (27 delegates) Proportional primary
June 8 : New Jersey (52 delegates)   Winner-take-all
June 8 : Montana (28 delegates) Winner-take-all

[Goldeneye]

2004 Democratic presidential primary schedule

Total number of delegates 4322 delegates

Number of delegates needed to win the nomination 2162 delegates

Note As usual, in every Democratic primary contest, a candidate needs to get at least 15 % of the vote to have his share of delegates in a given state.

January 19 : Iowa (57 delegates)
January 27 : New Hampshire (27 delegates)
February 3 : South Carolina (55 delegates)
February 3 : Arizona (64 delegates)
February 3 : Delaware (23 delegates)
February 3 : Missouri (88 delegates)
February 3 : New Mexico (37 delegates)
February 3 : North Dakota (22 delegates)
February 3 : Oklahoma (47 delegates)
February 7 : Michigan (155 delegates)
February 7 : Washington (95 delegates)
February 10 : Tennessee (85 delegates)
February 10 : Virginia (98 delegates)
February 14 : District of Columbia (39 delegates)
February 14 : Nevada (32 delegates)
February 17 : Wisconsin (87 delegates)
February 20 : Democrats Abroad (9 delegates)
February 24 : Hawaii (29 delegates)
February 24 : Idaho (37 delegates)
February 24 : Utah (29 delegates)

March 2 (Super Tuesday)
California (441 delegates)
Connecticut (62 delegates)
Georgia (101 delegates)
Maryland (99 delegates)
Massachusetts (121 delegates)
Minnesota (86 delegates)
New York (284 delegates)
Ohio (159 delegates)
Rhode Island (32 delegates)
Vermont (22 delegates)

March 8 : American Samoa (6 delegates)
March 9 : Florida (201 delegates)
March 9 : Texas (232 delegates)
March 9 : Louisiana (72 delegates)
March 9 : Mississippi (41 delegates)
March 13 : Kansas (41 delegates)
March 16 : Illinois (186 delegates)
March 20 : Alaska (18 delegates)
April 13 : Colorado (63 delegates)
April 17 : U.S. Virgin Islands (6 delegates)
April 17 : North Carolina (107 delegates)
April 24 : Guam (5 delegates)
April 27 : Pennsylvania (178 delegates)
May 4 : Indiana (81 delegates)
May 11 : Nebraska (31 delegates)
May 11 : West Virginia (39 delegates)
May 15 : Wyoming (19 delegates)
May 18 : Arkansas (47 delegates)
May 18 : Kentucky (57 delegates)
May 18 : Oregon (59 delegates)
May 22 : Maine (35 delegates)
June 1 : Alabama (62 delegates)
June 1 : South Dakota (22 delegates)
June 13 : Montana (21 delegates)
June 13 : New Jersey (128 delegates)

[Goldeneye]

First polls

Republicans

National polls
John McCain : 17 %
Dick Cheney : 15 %
Rudy Giuliani : 13 %
Jeb Bush : 11 %
Mike Huckabee : 11 %
Jack Kemp : 11 %
Newt Gingrich : 11 %
Undecided : 11 %


Iowa
Dick Cheney : 18 %
Mike Huckabee : 17 %
Jack Kemp : 14 %
Newt Gingrich : 12 %
John McCain : 11 %
Jeb Bush : 11 %
Rudy Giuliani : 10 %
Undecided : 7 %

New Hampshire
John McCain : 20 %
Rudy Giuliani : 16 %
Jeb Bush : 13 %
Dick Cheney : 13 %
Jack Kemp : 11 %
Mike Huckabee : 9 %
Newt Gingrich : 9 %
Undecided : 9 %

South Carolina
John McCain : 17 %
Dick Cheney : 15 %
Jeb Bush : 14 %
Mike Huckabee : 13 %
Rudy Giuliani : 13 %
Newt Gingrich : 12 %
Jack Kemp : 9 %
Undecided : 8 %

Missouri
Mike Huckabee : 15 %
John McCain : 12 %
Rudy Giuliani : 12 %
Dick Cheney : 11 %
Newt Gingrich : 10 %
Jack Kemp : 9 %
Jeb Bush : 8 %
Undecided : 23 %

Democrats

National polls
Al Gore : 60 %
Phil Bredesen : 15 %
Russ Feingold : 13 %
Undecided : 12 %

Iowa
Al Gore : 52 %
Russ Feingold : 17 %
Phil Bredesen : 15 %
Undecided : 16 %

New Hampshire
Al Gore : 43 %
Russ Feingold : 25 %
Phil Bredesen : 12 %
Undecided : 20 %

South Carolina
Al Gore : 57 %
Phil Bredesen : 21 %
Russ Feingold : 12 %
Undecided : 10 %

Arizona
Al Gore : 55 %
Russ Feingold : 15 %
Phil Bredesen : 14 %
Undecided : 16 %

[Goldeneye]

is the turn open now?

Yes it's opened.

[Goldeneye]

I am running as Tommy Thompson.

Okay

[Goldeneye]

Round 2 : August 15-August 28 2003

Summary : Some Republican presidential candidates saw a small decline in the polls due to their absence on the campaign trail. While John McCain campaigns mostly on his foreign policy credentials, Mike Huckabee does the same for his social conservatism and Jack Kemp for his fiscal conservatism. While McCain holds his lead in New Hampshire, a state he largely won during the 2000 Republican presidential primaries, Huckabee edged Dick Cheney for first place in Iowa where his appeal among social conservatives and evangelicals is strong.

Republicans

National polls
John McCain : 18 %
Dick Cheney : 14 %
Jack Kemp : 13 %
Rudy Giuliani : 12 %
Mike Huckabee : 12 %
Jeb Bush : 10 %
Newt Gingrich : 11 %
Undecided : 11 %

Iowa
Mike Huckabee : 19 %
Dick Cheney : 17 %
Jack Kemp : 15 %
Newt Gingrich : 11 %
John McCain : 10 %
Jeb Bush : 11 %
Rudy Giuliani : 10 %
Undecided : 7 %

New Hampshire
John McCain : 22 %
Rudy Giuliani : 15 %
Jeb Bush : 12 %
Dick Cheney : 12 %
Jack Kemp : 11 %
Mike Huckabee : 9 %
Newt Gingrich : 8 %
Undecided : 9 %

South Carolina
John McCain : 18 %
Dick Cheney : 14 %
Mike Huckabee : 14 %
Jeb Bush : 13 %
Rudy Giuliani : 13 %
Newt Gingrich : 12 %
Jack Kemp : 9 %
Undecided : 8 %

Missouri
Mike Huckabee : 15 %
John McCain : 13 %
Rudy Giuliani : 12 %
Dick Cheney : 11 %
Newt Gingrich : 10 %
Jack Kemp : 9 %
Jeb Bush : 8 %
Undecided : 22 %

Democrats

National polls
Al Gore : 58 %
Phil Bredesen : 17 %
Russ Feingold : 14 %
Undecided : 11 %

Iowa
Al Gore : 52 %
Russ Feingold : 17 %
Phil Bredesen : 15 %
Undecided : 16 %

New Hampshire
Al Gore : 42 %
Russ Feingold : 26 %
Phil Bredesen : 11 %
Undecided : 19 %

South Carolina
Al Gore : 57 %
Phil Bredesen : 21 %
Russ Feingold : 12 %
Undecided : 10 %

Arizona
Al Gore : 55 %
Russ Feingold : 15 %
Phil Bredesen : 14 %
Undecided : 16 %

Endorsements

John McCain

-John E. Sununu, Senator of New Hampshire

-Lindsey Graham, Senator of South Carolina

Mike Huckabee

-Orrin Hatch, Utah Senator

-John Hoeven, North Dakota Governor

Phil Bredesen

-Nick Lampson, Representative of Texas

-Blanche Lincoln, Senator of Arkansas

Note : The Breaking News for this turn will be coming tonight.

[Goldeneye]

Breaking News

North Korea Suspected of Attempt to Sale Nuclear Weapons to Iraq

Since the 1980s North Korea developped a weapons sales relationship with rogue nations like Iran, Syria and Iraq. Yesterday, in the Arabian Sea, 3 American warships intercepted a North Korean cargo that was in direction of Iraq, contained nuclear weapons and possibly attempted to orchestrate an arms sales to Saddam Hussein's Iraq, which reinforced concerns about Middle East's stability as well as the potential that Saddam Hussein is seeking to develop weapons of mass destruction.

[Goldeneye]

2004 Republican Presidential Primary Debate Schedule
September 4, 2003 - Cleveland, Ohio
September 25, 2003 - New York City, New York
October 26, 2003 – Detroit, Michigan
November 8, 2003 – Miami, Florida
November 24, 2003 – Dallas, Texas
December 19, 2003 – Las Vegas, Nevada
January 8, 2004 – Des Moines, Iowa
January 21, 2004 – Goffstown, New Hampshire
January 30, 2004 - Charleston, South Carolina
February 13, 2004 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
February 28, 2004 – Simi Valley, California

2004 Democratic Presidential Primary Debate Schedule
September 18, 2003 - Boston, Massachusetts
October 12, 2003 – Tampa, Florida
November 29, 2003 – Chicago, Illinois
December 15, 2003 – Albuquerque, New Mexico
January 5, 2004 – Des Moines, Iowa
January 20, 2004 – Goffstown, New Hampshire
January 28, 2004 - Charleston, South Carolina
February 1, 2004 - Phoenix, Arizona
February 25, 2004 – New York City, New York

[Goldeneye]

Round 3 : August 29-September 11 2003

Summary : As some of the Republican presidential candidates clashed each other on fiscal issues, John McCain, Mike Huckabee and Jack Kemp earned several major endorsements. Kemp received endorsements of former Vice-President Dan Quayle and of former Senator Bob Dole, the 1996 Republican presidential nominee. Governor Huckabee is now endorsed by Texas Governor Rick Perry. Meanwhile, Senator McCain is endorsed by none other than former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, 92 years old, and by his wife Nancy as well as by newly elected Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Republicans

National polls
John McCain : 19 %
Dick Cheney : 14 %
Mike Huckabee : 14 %
Jack Kemp : 13 %
Rudy Giuliani : 11 %
Jeb Bush : 10 %
Newt Gingrich : 9 %
Undecided : 10 %

Iowa
Mike Huckabee : 21 %
Dick Cheney : 18 %
Jack Kemp : 16 %
Newt Gingrich : 10 %
John McCain : 10 %
Jeb Bush : 9 %
Rudy Giuliani : 8 %
Undecided : 8 %

New Hampshire
John McCain : 24 %
Rudy Giuliani : 15 %
Jack Kemp : 13 %
Dick Cheney : 12 %
Jeb Bush : 11 %
Mike Huckabee : 10 %
Newt Gingrich : 6 %
Undecided : 9 %

South Carolina
John McCain : 19 %
Dick Cheney : 15 %
Mike Huckabee : 14 %
Jeb Bush : 13 %
Rudy Giuliani : 13 %
Newt Gingrich : 12 %
Jack Kemp : 9 %
Undecided : 5 %

Missouri
Mike Huckabee : 17 %
John McCain : 12 %
Dick Cheney : 11 %
Newt Gingrich : 10 %
Jack Kemp : 10 %
Rudy Giuliani : 9 %
Jeb Bush : 8 %
Undecided : 23 %

Democrats

National polls
Al Gore : 55 %
Phil Bredesen : 19 %
Russ Feingold : 16 %
Undecided : 10 %

Iowa
Al Gore : 51 %
Russ Feingold : 19 %
Phil Bredesen : 16 %
Undecided : 16 %

New Hampshire
Al Gore : 41 %
Russ Feingold : 27 %
Phil Bredesen : 11 %
Undecided : 19 %

South Carolina
Al Gore : 56 %
Phil Bredesen : 22 %
Russ Feingold : 12 %
Undecided : 10 %

Arizona
Al Gore : 55 %
Russ Feingold : 15 %
Phil Bredesen : 14 %
Undecided : 16 %

Endorsements

John McCain

- Former President of the United States Ronald Reagan

-Former First Lady of the United States Nancy Reagan

-Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney

-Former Texas Senator Phil Graam

-Virginia Senator John Warner

Mike Huckabee

-Bob Inglis (R-SC)

-Rick Perry, Texas Governor

-Jim Walsh (R-NY)

Jack Kemp

-Former Vice President Dan Quayle

-Former Senator Bob Dole, 1996 Republican presidential nominee

-Congressman Paul Ryan

-Steve Forbes

Russ Feingold

-Gov. Howard Dean (VT)

-Senator John Kerry (MA)

[Goldeneye]

Are you posting the debate?

I just PMed the debate questions to all of the players. The questions are now available and you'll have to PM me your debate answers.

[Goldeneye]

Sorry for the delay yesterday night. I fell asleep but now I will post the debate answers.

[Goldeneye]

First Republican Presidential Debate

Date : September 4 2003

Location : Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio

Host : CNN

Moderator : Anderson Cooper

CNN's America's Choice theme : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uvpd4myQXs

[Goldeneye]

Jack Kemp's debate answers

My name is Jack Kemp and I am a former congressman of Upstate New York and the Secretary Of Housing and Development under the George HW Bush administration. Recently I was the Vice Presidental nominee in 1996 under Bob Dole. And to a lesser extent quarterback for the Buffalo Billis.*Crowd and him laughs*

1.Well we learned that we shouldn’t leave states that we think are in the bag behind. Learned that the hard way last election.

We almost lost Tennessee and Arkansas whille we lost two states we should of haves those being Iowa and Florida.

We should of not have believed that just because Govenor Bush was the Governor of that state mean that the state should automatically go to us. What we need to do is get more into the internet age and try to get the vote online not just on foot. Thank you grandkids for that thought. *Crowd and him laughs*

2.We need to stop depending on energy especially oil in the Middle East. Eventually some country is gonna come along and try to take our fields in those areas and the next thing you know we are in another big conflict. What we need to do is start becoming energy independence and drill in our own grounds where there is no threat of starting a Third World War happening.  It will be better and cheaper to drill for oil in the United States over the Middle East.

3.I understand it may be unpopular to some people but unknown to them the reason why the Great Depression was prolonged was because President Roosevelt got rid of it and this is something that is true but they aren’t teaching it in schools which is a shame.

The state of the economy has made it very clear that the dollar is no longer the stable option it once was. This recent economic crisis, to an extent, were effects of a badly regulated economic order and have shown the U.S. Government to be ineffectual. That being the case, the ubiquity and strength of the U.S. dollar is not just suspect, but worrying. The Gold Standard is a lot safer and dependable in the short term, and will prevail for generations and centuries to come.

Once upon a time, our money was backed by gold. Our coins were made with silver. The metal value of a silver quarter could still buy you almost $6 worth of goods today, which is about the same items many decades ago. Taking the country off of the gold standard allowed our government and the central bank to print as much fiat currency as they desire. That's why prices have been going up in this country, and what it really means is that our money is losing purchasing power. The only way to stabilize our money is by backing it with a hard asset, such as gold. Gold always has value, unlike paper money, which was once redeemable for it's equivalent in gold. People run to gold (and silver) in hard times because they understand that it is real money, and it always has been

4.Senator McCain claims he will have background checks on who we deal arms with.  I see that Pinochioo nose go up Senator. You have been arming this extremist groups through out your career. Your record shows it. In 1998 McCain funded 40,000$ to a pro Palestinian extremist Rashid Khalidi who is anti Israel and pro Palestinian. Mind you he has said some very extreme anti Israel things.  As for me we shall be in Afghanistan and Iraq to rebuild the nation and we shall capture Mr Hussein and bring him to justice to bring a safer and more peaceful Iraq.

[Goldeneye]

John McCain's debate answers, Part 1

Let's start with opening statements through tradition of our past first presidential primary debates of every cycle to ask each candidate in one short sentence to introduce themselves to the voters of Ohio and the United States of America. Let me begin with an example. I'm Anderson Cooper with CNN. I am honored to be your moderator tonight and I am thrilled to be back on Red Sox nation.

I'm John McCain. I proudly served America for all my adult life whether it's in the U.S. Navy or in the U.S. Senate. Over the last three years, our nation is facing strong challenges on the economic front and on the foreign policy front, including strong terrorist threat. But thanks to my experience, we're going to get America back in the right direction and restore its status as the hope of the Earth.
   
To all the candidates. The Republican party has lost 3 consecutive presidential elections and almost won the last one but came short due to Al Gore's narrow victory in Florida. Which lessons should be taken from the 2000 presidential election?

Well, the lessons that should be taken from this defeat is that we have to stand with our principles, notably small government, fiscal responsibility, the right for the unborn to live.

It demonstrated that we need to give more efforts to win crucial states, including in big states where we haven't campaign for years, including the state of New York. When I ran in 2000, I was the Republican presidential candidate who had the best chance to win that Democratic stronghold on Election Day. According to Quinnipiac, I was trailing Al Gore in New York by only between 1 and 4 percentage points and I was beating Bill Bradley in New York by 5 percentage points.

It also includes Florida where Hispanics are now representing over 10 % of the local electorate. We should have given more efforts to attract these voters. Because free enterprise is the only economic system that made it possible for them to prosper is free enterprise and President Gore is dismantling free enterprise. That's why I pledge to fight for free enterprise values. That's why I take the pledge to reform our broken immigration system in order to give immigrants a path to citizenship. I am proud to represent a state in the U.S. Senate that has a very large Hispanic population and to have developed the relationship that I have with the Hispanic community in my state and in this country. I'm honored to have earned over 60 % of the Hispanic vote when I was re-elected last time. With such efforts, we would have won Florida, and possibly also New Mexico that was even closer than Florida, and we would have won the presidency. On this stage, I'm greatest defender of the American Dream and a great supporter of innovation and modernization. We need to be an inclusive party, a party for all Americans. I take the pledge of being President of the United States for all Americans whether or not they will vote for me. In this time of crisis, young people are struggling to find a job. We need to embrace school choice to give young people more opportunities and help them to find a job. That way, the Republican Party will be able to attract minorities and young people.

Senator McCain, during one of your foreign policy speeches, you declared that Iraq, Iran and North Korea were forming, I quote, the Axis of Evil. What did you mean?

Well Anderson, we have to understand that these three countries are the biggest state-sponsors of global terrorism the world has ever known and they are seeking to get nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction. They are sponsoring terrorist groups in order to undermine our efforts to fight and defeat terrorism in this time of growing terrorist threat. For a long time, Iran is funding and arming the Hezbollah in order to launch attacks against us and our allies, including Israel in addition of attempting to use its nuclear energy to build nuclear weapons. Saddam Hussein made Iraq a safe haven for terrorism by giving sanctuary to terrorists like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad terrorist who was involved in the millennium plot, a terrorist attempt to commit bombing attacks against tourist sites in Jordan as well as against the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and the USS The Sullivans in the context of millennium celebrations. After that, al-Zarqawi trained jihadists in Pakistan and Afghanistan. After 2001, he flew to Iraq and Saddam Hussein gave him sanctuary and even rejected requests from Jordan to hand over al-Zarqawi, which proved him to be a sponsor of terrorism and made Iraq a safe place for jihadists. And recently, North Korea's failed attempt to deliver nuclear weapons to Iraq clearly demonstrates that Hussein is trying to get WMDs and seeks to strike us and our allies.

That's why we have to reinforce diplomatic and economic sanctions against Iran, Iraq and North Korea in order to stop them from getting the capitals they need to build nuclear weapons and to sponsor terrorist groups. The military option must not be taken off the table, but it will be the last option. By sending all the necessary troops in Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein and to fight terrorism in Iraq, this country will no longer be a safe haven for terrorism and will also retrieve freedom, justice and stability. That's how we're going to defeat this Axis of Evil just like Ronald Reagan led us to victory against the Empire of Evil.

[Goldeneye]

John McCain's debate answers, Part 2

To all the candidates. As we all know, the entire world is suffering the effects of the Third Oil Crisis. How do you plan to solve this situation?

What we have to do to fight the effects of this crisis is to commit ourselves to America's energy independence. President Gore has declared the war on America's energy industry, which is something we need to reverse. When I'm President of the United States, we cut taxes and regulations on our coal industry as well as on our oil industry, which will boost our coal industry and promote clean coal technologies as well as offshore drilling. I will double permits and licenses on federal lands and federal water. We're going to build a pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico in order to facilitate oil transportation and we're going to authorize oil drilling in ANWR. That way, not only we will create good jobs for Americans but also get revenues, which a part will be invested into the development of renewable energies, thus further accelerating job creation and giving us a clean environment. By becoming energy independent, we'll be able to reduce foreign energy imports from unstable countries in throes of terrorism and thus deprive terrorist groups of the revenues from our energy dependence to finance and organize their terrorist activities. This is not only an economic issue, it's also a national security issue and that's why we have to take this issue seriously.

To all the candidates. What is your plan to defeat radical Islamic terrorism?

Al Gore has been proven to be weak when it comes to keep America safe and to fight Al Qaeda and global terrorism. He reduced the size of our military as well as our security measures. and that's why we suffered further radical Islamic terrorist attacks in national territory in the past year in Los Angeles and in San Antonio. What I will do as President in order to fight terrorism is to increase the FBI's counter-terrorism budget as well as our homeland security measures, to secure our borders, to increase our defense budget and reinforce our military and our troops' military readiness, to strengthen and expand our alliances (including with Pakistan), to take on Al Qaeda's oil refineries, to arm and train the right groups in the Middle East through background checks on them and to strike terrorists wherever they are through the use of military force. That way, we will find Osama Bin Laden and capture or kill him.
   
On this stage, I'm the candidate with the best foreign policy experience to keep America safe. I served in the U.S. military for two decades, including during the Vietnam War. I'm serving in the U.S. Senate Committee on Intelligence and in the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services. After the terrorist attacks of September 11 2001, I wrote the legislation that created the 9/11 Commission that was aimed at taking the necessary measures to prevent any further terrorist attacks against the United States. So I know what it takes to defeat radical Islamic terrorism and we will accomplish that objective when I'm President of the United States.

Closing statements

I want to thank the Case Western Reserve University for hosting this debate as well as all my colleagues for attending and Anderson for the moderation. This debate is a great moment of democracy during which the American people has to chose who is the best qualified and most prepared to be Commander-in-Chief in these times of uncertainty, economic crisis and growing terrorist threat. I trust the American people on their democratic choice because I'm running to put our country first before my own interests, because I'm not running for President to be somebody, but to serve the American people just like I had the chance to do for all my life, in the military and in the Congress. I know what it takes to lead our nation, to restore our economic prosperity, to keep our nation united, to make it fairer and to defeat terrorism. That's why I'm asking for your vote. Thank you.