Worst Case Scenario I: One Justice Missing
by J.T. Tate

2000

January - William Rhenquist, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, slips in his bathroom, breaks his hip, and suffers a concussion. On the advice of his doctors he resigns from the Court.

February - President Clinton nominates Justice Stephen Breyer, a moderate liberal, to succeed Rhenquist as Chief Justice, and nominates Florida Justice Barbara Pariente to fill in the empty spot on the Court, and both are confirmed by the Senate.

November - The US Presidential election results in a stalemate. The duel is over Florida, which will decide who wins the Presidency. Republican George Bush and Democrat Al Gore vie for the state's crucial 25 electoral votes. Allegations of vote fraud abound as demands are raised for recounts, counting of some votes and disqualification of others. Protests about across the nation, but especially in Southern Florida.

December - After weeks of legal wrangling, the US Supreme Court declines to intervene. By the end of December, Gore's lawyers are able to disqualify enough of Bush's votes and come up with some for Gore to push Gore to victory. Bush concedes and Gore begins his transition.

2001

January-September - Albert A. Gore, Jr. is inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States and promises to try to reunite the disaffected sides. Vice President Lieberman, Secretary of State Albright, and Attorney General Reno (staying over from the previous administration), and the rest of the new powers begin to promote their new agenda for the nation. The economy becomes a big issue; it continues its slide over the next few months, and President Gore fights hard against the Republican Congress on a budget bill. By the end of the summer, the government experiences another shutdown.

September - Terrorists hijack four planes and make attacks on New York, the Pentagon, and Washington. The World Trade centers fall, the Pentagon is severely damaged, and the fourth plane is downed before it can hit Washington DC. President Gore calls for a state of emergency and declares that he will find those responsible and bring them to justice. Republicans begin calling for a war on terrorism, but the administration is content with capturing Usama bin Laden and bringing him to justice. Over the next couple of months, government officials meet with Saudi, Pakistani, and Afghani leaders to push them for any info they have on UBL. Gore makes a deal with the Taliban government in Afghanistan to hand over bin Laden in exchange for diplomatic recognition and an aid package. By the end of October, UBL is captured and brought to trial in the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

November-December - Elation at UBL's capture brings Gore's popularity up, but his opponents counter that this is merely a symbolic victory and that Gore has allied himself with terrorist states and will not strike at the heart of the problem. The end of November sees a dramatic event; Pakistani President Gen. Musharraf is overthrown by Taliban-backed Islamic radicals and the Islamic Sultanate of Pakistan is established with Afghan leader Mullah Muhammad Omar as its head. The US administration recognizes the new government, as it did not care for the military-led government of Musharraf. Dissidents and those of other religions begin to be rounded up and summarily executed.

2002

January-March - The US Economy is still devastated by the recession which began over a year ago, and the September 11 attacks. Security has been tightened around the nation in the past few months, and numerous people have been arrested on suspicion of terrorist leanings. President Gore, however, refuses to declare any nations "rogue states" and will also not investigate people strictly due to their nationality. Terror attacks in Israel increase as the Taliban bloc begin sending more funds to Islamic radicals there. Saudi Arabia's government demands the removal of US troops from its territory, which President Gore does. Three weeks later, the Islamic Republic of Arabia is established as the House of Saud is massacred by radicals who take control of the new government and declare a moratorium on oil exports to the United States and other "infidel nations". Negotiators are sent in but get nowhere. In the US, hate crimes against Islamic Americans increase in number as the reports of radicals' massacres come out.

3-6 April - The Sultan of Pakistan annexes the region of Kashmir and launches an invasion of that territory. India sends its troops in as well, and Pakistan responds with a nuclear strike against India. India in turn nukes a Pakistani location. The Sultan proclaims a jihad against India and launches a full-scale invasion.

April-July - Several more nuclear strikes by both sides in the India-Pakistan war result in ghastly numbers of dead; though the exchange is limited, over 2 million are dead by the time the war is over. China, Russia, and the US force Pakistan to withdraw back to Kashmir, and India to relinquish its claim on that disputed province. Islamic radical nations rejoice, but say that there are still Muslims in India who should not be under an infidel government.

Meanwhile, the US economy has tanked. The terrorist attacks, the triumph of Islamic radicals, and the cutoff of oil severely damage an already tough situation. When all is said and done, the Dow Jones stabilizes at around 4500 and the Nasdaq at 700, while gasoline reaches $6 per gallon in some locations. Unemployment hits a staggering 22%. Republicans begin to push for the midterm elections as a referendum on the Gore administration's handling of the nation. Justices Ginsburg and O’Connor retire from the court and Gore is able to push his candidates in.

August-November - A tense peace settles over much of the world. UBL is tried and convicted of masterminding the 911 attacks and is sentenced to life imprisonment in the Hague. Most people, though, are beginning to feel that the US did not go far enough in its fight against global terrorism and extremism. The leaders of the Central Asian Republics and Azerbaijan ask Russian President Putin to send in forces to prevent a fundamentalist takeover of their lands, and he readily obliges while tightening his grip on Chechnya. Jordan and Syria become Islamic Republics. Iraq becomes the scene of civil war as Sunni fundamentalists from the west and Shiite fundamentalists from Iran clash over who will take over that government. Saddam Hussein is killed in trying to fight both sides off. Kurds, never being big on fundamentalism, seize the moment and declare an independent Republic of Kurdistan and ask for Turkish protection in return for taking as many Kurds as will leave Turkey. The US sees its midterm election come around. Tragically, Vice President Lieberman is killed in a plane crash while stumping for Democratic candidates. Gore chooses New York Senator Hillary Clinton as his new VP, and she is confirmed by a 51-49 vote. A landslide hits America as Republicans win 70% of the House and end election night with an unfathomable 68 seats in the Senate.

December - Taking a page from the playbook of the Gore campaign in 2000, numerous Democratic candidates file lawsuits in districts and states with close races. Recounts abound across the land as judges and lawyers try to determine who won the election. Republicans begin calling on Gore's resignation, and even threatening him with impeachment now that they apparently could have enough votes to be successful. Turkey and Kurdistan ally themselves with Russia to prevent fundamentalist takeovers in their nations as well; Russia gains control of Kurdish oil and, finally fulfilling the dream of numerous Czars, Istanbul and the Bosporus come under Russian protection. Some people already see this as the advent of a new Russian Empire.

2003

January - Despite the continuing court challenges, a heavily Republican Congress takes its seat in Washington. The first order of business is a drawing up of impeachment charges against President Gore. Gore is charged with abuse of power (for his security measures that they claim target his opponents) and obstruction of justice (for stopping the investigation into radical Islamic organizations.) Gore denies that this Congress even has the right to sit in judgment on him because it is illegitimate. On the other side of the world, a small nuclear device is set off in People's Liberation Army headquarters in Urumchi, Chinese Turkestan, signaling a new jihad against Chinese occupation. It is then learned that the North Koreans had sold the nukes months ago to the Taliban forces now attempting to break off Xinjiang and form it into another fundamentalist state. Many Chinese now voluntarily join the PLA to defend their country, and while the PLA is busy in the west, freedom is begun to be tasted in some of the eastern cities of China. Indonesia breaks apart into secular, fundamentalist, and nativist states (including Christian East Timor).

February-March -The House of Representatives passes the articles of impeachment with an strong majority. Vigorous debate rages in the Senate as they argue over whether Gore should be removed from office. Republicans declare him the worst president of America's history and "long for the days when we merely had a draft-dodging womanizer in the White House; at least he could do a decent job." The more liberal Democrats brand the impeachment leaders as "traitors who deserved to get a traitors punishment" and that they are using this time of disasters to promote their own political causes. In the end, however, the 68 Republicans vote for Gore's ouster and Hillary Clinton is declared the new President. The day after Gore is deposed, President Clinton announces that she will not accept this as legitimate and that she supports President Gore. She says that the Republicans stole the election and that an illegitimate Congress will not pass judgment on Gore. The next day, the House approves impeachment charges against Clinton; obstruction of justice and abuse of power again. The Senate debates for a mere five days before the verdict is about to be announced when a proclamation is announced from the Supreme Court; the verdict against Gore is dismissed and those Senators and Representatives from disputed districts and states are ordered to leave office. Republicans and not a few Democrats are outraged and some states begin talk of secession from the Union if this remains the case. Many sometimes violent protests erupt across the US over the next several days.

29 March - A stunned America watches as US troops begin to enter Washington DC and take positions around the Capitol, Supreme Court, and the White House. It is believed that President Gore has called them to protect him and the SC and to remove the "illegitimate" Congressmen. That afternoon, contact with Washington is lost. At 8:12 pm eastern time, wire reports leak that arrest warrants have been issued - for President Gore and VP Clinton. Five minutes later, US and many world networks go to an address by House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Declaring that they can no longer sit by and watch President Gore and the Supreme Court set up a dictatorship, Hastert says that Congress has enlisted the assistance of the military to restore order. Citing the 22nd amendment, Hastert declares himself President of the United States. He also orders the arrest of deposed Presidents Gore and Rodham-Clinton and five Supreme Court justices; he follows this by placing the District of Columbia under martial law and naming Centcom's General Tommy Franks as military governor. Hastert ends his announcement by stating that he will endeavor to restore democracy throughout the land, remove the judicial tyranny from America, and make sure America is protected from its enemies, both at home and abroad.

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