"By the time you read this", the Congressional directive said, "George Bush will be at his ranch in Paraguay. The Democratic leadership has offered the President a condition of exile, and he has accepted." Now normally that would be an outrageous suggestion, but the President's decision to resign, when it became evident that he could no longer govern effectively, helped set the stage for his exit from the country which he had served, in the highest office, for over six years. There were a number of legal challenges made to his administration. In the end a deal was made, similar to the pardon Gerald Ford granted Richard Nixon. The Speaker of the House assumed the role of leadership, which blunted most of the venom directed by those on the Left, who wanted the President's head on a platter.
Initially the stock market rallied a thousand points on the news. The worst President in history had resigned. When an ineffective CEO resigns from a company, that is usually considered good news. Then there was the matter of the peace dividend, how it would be spent.
Those first few months were like halycon days.
Then problems arose. Perhaps it had to do with the legacy of the bitter Cold War policies directed at Russia. Strutting about the Kremlin shirtless, President Putin, ordered his bombers to detonate a tactical nuclear weapon over the North Sea, at a high enough altitude to remove any confusion that it was meant as an act of war. The blast was felt and heard in London. It was like a major fireworks display, and a symbolic gesture. A statement was issued, through covert channels of course, Remove the missiles aimed at Moscow, which are deployed in the Eastern European NATO countries.
The political right in America screamed that this was nuclear blackmail.
Acting President Pelosi was inclined to agree with their assessment.
Analysts argued that the Russians were trying to influence the American elections, by suggesting a return to the hard line policies of Bush and Cheney. The logic in all this seemed flawed. Putin was by turns deemed a madman, and a genius.
The Russian President suggested that he would like to negotiate directly with Bush. Some talk of returning the President to power, were suggested, but nothing came of it.
A global recession was triggered, and oil prices fell, and along with it the oil exporting revenues which Russia earned. The Middle East was no longer on the front pages. U.S. troops in Iraq stood down, and while the violence did not change much, very little attention was being paid to that part of the world. Iran's nuclear ambitions suddenly seemed like a minor annoyance.
A colder than normal winter gripped much of Europe. The pipeline to Russia remained open, but occassional shutdowns kept Europe from getting all the energy it wanted. Little matter, there was a global recession. Russia promised to keep the lines open.
By Spring, the campaign for President in America got under way in earnest, but a new cautious tone was set. Only a few marginal candidates blustered about what they were going to do, and how America had to stand up to her enemies. Most candidates took a conciliatory tone. The discussion often turned to domestic spending programs.
Pundits in the Beltway were shocked. The Russians had made a bold threat toward Western interests, using nuclear weapons, and neither political party was answering their challenge. Most candidates, when pressed about the Russia issue, referred to guns and butter, as a workable economic policy. Analysts tended to support candidates who were not baited by what was happening in The Putin Circus, as showing confidence, and coolness under fire. Exiled President Bush made similar statements.
Others wondered how Iran could have been such a terrible threat, and Russia's dangerous provocation could be merely symbolic. The Neoconservative Authors who penned the Myth of U.S. hegemony were replaced by writers who advocated a policy of conciliation. We could all get along, especially if that meant pushing European leadership into accepting their Conservative platform on matters of economics and social programs. Europe would become less liberal, even as American was building a vast new safety net. Analysts imagined that the two would come closer into line, and that would be a good thing.
As the global economy grew dimmer, the Democratic candidates pressed on with plans for more New Deal domestic programs. This was not an isolationist policy, it sought to put America's home interests ahead of its international interests. The Democrats appeared to have a winning formula.
At the time of the elections in 2008, the economy was in recession, and gasoline was a bit over $2. The economy was working for many people, who had been struggling under the stealth inflation which was the result of speculative investment practises. A Democrat won the Presidency, but more people agreed it could have been a candidate from either party. Since the Democrats had put forward the domestic spending agenda, one of theirs should be in the White House to oversee these policies.
The Conservative ideal of smaller government, lower taxes, and fewer regulations, had been pushed from the political stage by the misguided stewardship of Bush, and his administration. Conservatives tried to pick up the America first message, and attempted to regroup.
The next eight years were relatively uneventful.