By a Fluke of the Gods: Cox Defeats Harding

[HappyWarrior]

Go Anderson '76!  I hope the next update will have the actual election.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Go Anderson '76!  I hope the next update will have the actual election.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I hope Ralph Nader does really badly in the 1976 Presidential Election PBrunsel, because if he does.....

[Хahar 🤔]

Reggie Jackson?

I wonder what'll happen with George Bush's son. Ownership of the Boston Red Sox?

[Robespierre's Jaw]

I wonder what'll happen with George Bush's son. Ownership of the Boston Red Sox?

Who will own the Texas Rangers from 1989 to 1993 then?

[MasterJedi]

Nice update, can't wait to see if Ashbrook manages to pull it out!

[The Hack Hater]

I hope Ashbrook doesn't. This is easily the best scenario on this forum, especailly since updates arent; forthcoming for the American Monarchy.

Another thing I like; it's nice to see certain OTL politicians keep what are probably old family political loyalties(like Byrd, Bentsen, and Bush). It adds variety and a dash of realism to this TL, since both parties even today have anachronism. Kepp up the good work!

[HappyWarrior]

What is going on with Sargent Shriver and Thomas Eagleton?

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 1-05-1976
Event Description: Secretary of State James Buckley meets with Lieutenant Colonel Powell in Bangor, Maine. The two men discuss the findings of the Iraq investigation. “Mr. Secretary,” Powell bluntly states, “Hussein is killing by the thousands. The Kurds in Northern Iraq are on the verge of being snuffed out.” “What can we do Colonel?” Secretary Buckley asks. “We have two options,” Powell tells Buckley, “We can invade or fund a revolution, it’s your choice.” “I wish that we could just ignore it,” Buckley sighs.

Event Date: 1-06-1976
Event Description: Representative Charlie Wilson (Democrat of Texas) runs into Secretary of State Buckley while waiting at a bus stop. “What’s wrong Jim?” Representative Wilson asks Buckley, “You look like a ton of fertilizer just fell on you.” “I need to find some guy in Congress to do something really dumb,” he sighs, “I just don’t know who. Might you know someone in Congress?” Somewhat offended, Wilson responds, “Well I do know one congressman who likes to take risks.” “Who?” Buckley responds. “Me!” Wilson yells. Secretary Buckley tells Wilson that he needs a man to help convince congress to funnel funds to anti-Hussein revolutionaries in Kurdistan and amongst Shiite militias. Representative Wilson agrees to take up the risky mission, and the unlikely alliance between he womanizing, hard drinking Texan Wilson and the intellectual, straight laced Yankee Buckley is forged.

Event Date: 1-19-1976
Event Description: Senator George Bush wins the Iowa Caucus, narrowly overtaking Governor John Love and Speaker of the House John Anderson. Despite endorsements from Governor Robert Ray and Lieutenant Governor Terry Branstad, Love falls short of overtaking the better known Senator Bush. Speaker Anderson offended many Iowans by opposing ethanol subsidies and even declaring ethanol as a fuel, “Which would be even more destructive than crude oil.” Senator Charles Percy finishes a distant fourth and ends his campaign. He endorses Senator Bush over fellow Illinoisan John Anderson.

Event Date: 1-26-1976
Event Description: President Ashbrook declares that America will not invade Iraq, despite calls from many in both parties to topple the Hussein Regime. “We can not risk the lives of American troops in a war that may never have an end,” President Ashbrook tells the nation in a televised address, “I can not risk the lives of American troops in a quagmire.”

Event Date: 1-27-1976
Event Description: Senator Bush blasts President Ashbrook at a rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. “President Ashbrook has shown that he has no spine when it comes to defending human rights,” Bush tells a cheering crowd, “He doesn’t have the guts to be commander-in-chief, but I do!” Vice-President Carter comments to Ronald Reagan on the Voice of the Nation, “Senator Bush is acting like a child with toy soldiers. It seems quite convenient for him to play soldier from behind a desk while young men have to go off and die in wars.” Bush will call Carter a, “wimp”, for this statement.

Event Date: 2-09-1976
Event Description: Russian President Vladimir Kryuchkov and French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing announce that they will not join the international boycott against Iraq, despite the human rights abuses that have been reported.

Event Date: 2-12-1976
Event Description: In a debate sponsored by the Manchester Union Leader, Senator Bush and Speaker Anderson go at each other over the issue of Iraq. “If you had it your way,” Anderson says, pointing at Bush, “We’d be involved in a prolonged conflict the Middle East. Worst of all, it would be over oil.” “That’s a slanderous lie, mister,” Bush snaps back, “I support actions against Iraq because President Hussein is a dictator who threatens human lives and peace in the Middle East.” “And all that oil in Iraq has nothing to do with it, huh?” sarcastically ask Anderson. “Well,” Bush retorts, “We may have to invade nations for oil once your gas taxes are enacted John, it would be the only way that average Americans could get fuel.” It goes on this way for several minutes, leaving Governor Love in the dust.   

Event Date: 2-24-1976
Event Description: Senator George Bush wins the New Hampshire Primary, despite Speaker Anderson attacking him for his belligerence toward Iraq. Bush takes first place with 44% of the vote, with Anderson bagging only 32%. Governor Love wins 20% of the vote while write-ins take the rest of the votes. “Its no wonder they call this the Granite State,” Anderson jokes in his concession address, “It’s quite hard to crack.”

Event Date: 3-02-1976
Event Description: Speaker Anderson upsets Senator Bush in the Massachusetts and Vermont Primaries. Bush, born in Massachusetts, laughs off the losses as, “A fluke of the gods.” Anderson’s more liberal, anti-war and pro-alternative fuel campaign had great appeal in two of the most progressive states in the union.

Event Date: 3-09-1976
Event Description: Running with the support of Senator Fidel Castro, Senator George Bush wins a large victory in Florida. Governor Love, running as a tax cutter, finishes second. 

Event Date: 3-10-1976
Event Description: President Ashbrook signs the School Aid Act of 1976, a bipartisan act proposed by Congressman Dan Quayle (Democrat of Indiana) and Senator George McGovern (Republican of South Dakota). This act increases the funds for the Federal Student Loan program, but also gives states the right to allocate funds for school vouchers. Many on both sides found either provision too much to swallow, but in the end Senator McGovern explains that, “The only way to ensure that more kids go to college is to give into the demands of the conservatives. Sometimes we need to compromise.”

Event Date: 3-16-1976
Event Description: Speaker Anderson wins the Illinois Primary by a wide margin, being that it is his home state. Senator Bush had tried to gain the votes of corn farmers in Western Illinois by declaring that Anderson’s anti-ethanol views would cost them money. Bush’s tactic succeeded somewhat, as he won several counties in Western Illinois and took 34% of the vote.

Event Date: 3-20-1976
Event Description: The State Department approves of the first arms shipment to Kurdish and Shiite militias, with funding insured by Congressman Charlie Wilson. Secretary of State Buckley had cleverly diverted the funds into a pork project for Wilson’s congressional district in Texas, so all Wilson had to do was get the earmark approved. “This is risky, Charlie,” Secretary Buckley had told him. “I know,” Wilson responds, “But I know what’s right, and sometimes it’s a risk to do the right thing.”

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 3-23-1976
Event Description: Governor Love wins his first primary victory in North Carolina. As the most conservative Republican in the race, this Southern state played well for him. However, Senator Bush finishes very narrowly behind Love, showing that he has clear appeal throughout the country.

Event Date: 3-25-1976
Event Description: Dr. Ron Paul files paper to run in the Democratic Primary for Congress in Texas’s 22nd District. He will oppose long time incumbent Congressman Robert Randolph Casey, known to his constituents as “Brusin’ Bob” for the rough and tumble politics he excels in. Dr. Paul will have his work cut out for him if he is to win the June 3rd primary.

Event Date: 3-20-1976
Event Description: Chinese President meets with European and Asian leaders in Peking to pitch her proposal for what she describes as "a second Silk Road", a series of communications networks that would help create easier roads of trade between the two continents. With many European nations opening trade agreements with China, such a proposal makes sense.

Event Date: 4-06-1976
Event Description: Speaker Anderson wins the Wisconsin Primary; partially due to the support of Governor Patrick Lucey (Republican of Wisconsin). The Republican nomination is still undecided.

Event Date: 4-12-1976
Event Description: Dr. Howard Dean, a Burlington, Vermont, physician and community leader, files papers to run for State Senate in Vermont. He feels like the government is ignoring the impending health care crisis.

Event Date: 4-19-1976
Event Description: Senators Hugh Scott and Richard Schweiker (Republicans of Pennsylvania) endorse Speaker Anderson in the upcoming Pennsylvania Primary. In response, Senator Bush unleashes several negative mailings which call Anderson’s proposed gas tax increases as, “Back door gas price hikes.”

Event Date: 4-27-1976
Event Description: In a hard fought victory, Senator Bush claims victory in the Pennsylvania Primary. Speaker Anderson finishes second, despite endorsements from the states two senators. “The people have spoken, the bastards,” Anderson quips. In seriousness, Anderson is enraged at Bush’s attacks on his gas tax policies, which he feels were misconstrued for political reasons.

Event Date: 4-01-1976
Event Description: Shiite militias armed by American weapons attack a Republican Army base outside of Tikrit. The pitched battle lasts for 16-hours and ends in victory for the Shiites. President Hussein responds to this attack by declaring, “Unconditional war on all who rebel against this government.”

Event Date: 5-04-1976
Event Description: The three primary contests held today produce three different victors. Speaker Anderson takes Washington, D.C., Governor Love wins Indiana and Senator Bush wins Georgia. Despite a clear cash advantage, Bush has been unable to land a knockout punch against his opponents.

Event Date: 5-09-1976
Event Description: Six regiments of Republican Army armored infantry arrive in Northern Iraq. Their purpose is to put down a brewing Kurdish rebellion against President Hussein. They will meet stiff resistance from the well armed rebels.

Event Date: 5-11-1976
Event Description: Governor Love wins the Nebraska Primary, defeating Senator Bush by a narrow margin. Bush takes the West Virginia Primary, however, keeping him in the lead in the delegate count.

Event Date: 5-15-1976
Event Description: In a meeting in Denver, Colorado, Senator Bush meets with Governor Love. “John,” Bush tells him, “You can’t win the nomination, its darn near impossible.” “I know that,” Love concedes. “So I’ve got a proposition for you, John,” Bush tells the governor. Bush offers Love the vice-presidency if he will drop out of the race and release his delegates to him. Love accepts the agreement. Speaker Anderson calls this arrangement, “A fine example of Bush league politics.”

Event Date: 6-01-1976
Event Description: Senator Bush nearly shuts Speaker Anderson out of any primaries wins today, taking big victories in Montana and South Dakota. Anderson wins Rhode Island narrowly, which is a state he should have carried with at least 60% of the vote.

Event Date: 6-03-1976
Event Description: In the Texas Primary, Senator Bush wins big cementing a nearly insurmountable lead in the Republican Primary. Dr. Ron Paul is defeated in the Democratic Primary for Congress in Texas’s 22nd District by a 56-44% margin. Congressman Robert Randolph Casey’s machine proved too much for the doctor to overcome. That night he promises his supporters that he will return to the political fray again.

Event Date: 6-04-1976
Event Description: Republican Army tanks and helicopters crush Kurdish rebels at the Battle of Arbil, the capitol of Kurdistan. The rebels were no match for the machine gun equipped helicopters. Secretary Buckley and Congressman Wilson decide that the rebels need rocket launchers, which will be a difficult task.

Event Date: 6-08-1976
Event Description: Senator Bush closes the deal with wins in the California and New Jersey Primaries. Speaker Anderson was able to carry Ohio, but this victory is too little too late for his campaign. The 1976 Election is to be Bush/Love vs. Ashbrook/Carter.

Event Date: 6-12-1976
Event Description: Lieutenant Colonel Colin Powell speaks before the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C. His speech calls for war against Iraq. “President Hussein threatens the peace and stability of the Middle East,” Powell tells the CFR, “It is in our strategic interest, as Americans and members of the free world, that we depose Saddam Hussein to the ash heap of history.” Protesting outside of the event is Ralph Nader, holding a massive sign reading, “No blood for oil.”

Event Date: 6-20-1976
Event Description: Feeling that the GOP is transforming into the party of war, Speaker of the House John Anderson resigns as Speaker. “I can not serve as leader to a party bent on throwing our nation into a bloody and meaningless war with a nation that is no threat to us,” Anderson announces from the Speaker’s Office. Senator Bush calls Anderson, “A sore loser, plain and simple. He’s acting like a wimp.”

Event Date: 6-25-1976
Event Description: In a party line vote in the House of Representatives, House Majority Leader John Rhodes (Republican of Arizona) is elected Speaker of the House. In the race for House Majority Leader, Congressmen Andrew Young (Republican of Georgia), Sinclair Burgener (Republican of California) and the bombastic Malcolm Little (Republican of Michigan) battle it out for the strategic post. After one roll call of votes, Representative Burgener is elected.

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 7-03-1976
Event Description: In Gregg v. Georgia, the Supreme Court upholds its ban on the death penalty.

Event Date: 7-04-1976
Event Date: The nation celebrates its bicentennial. “The dreams of some starry eyed patriots have really become something,” Ronald Reagan tells a star studded crowd at Philadelphia’s Bicentennial Banquet, “Tonight really shows what a group of dreamers can do if they never lose hope in their God, their families and their country.” The event ends with the New York Philharmonic performing, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

Event Date: 7-15-1976
Event Description: The Republican Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, nominates Senator George Herbert Walker Bush of Connecticut for President and Governor John Love of Colorado for Vice-President. “I see a country that is bankrupted in not just economic goods,” Senator Bush tells the cheering convention, “But in courage as well! President Ashbrook refuses to be commander-in-chief, so I think I should get the opportunity!” These clichéd statements have been used by Bush many times before, so his speech gets little media attention.

Event Date: 7-19-1976
Event Description: The USA beats the Germans to Mars as Viking 1 snaps photos of the Red Planet. Chancellor Heck refuses to acknowledge this loss, with the exception of referring to Viking 1 as, “A cute child’s play toy.”

Event Date: 7-30-1976
Event Description: A summer blockbuster premiers in Hollywood. It is a remake of Leonard Bernstein’s classic “West Side Story”. It stars many unheard of singers, including Jack Leyton, an Irish newcomer, as Tony. In a cameo role, Ronald Reagan plays Officer Krupke, a role which earns the new actor chuckles, but also some applause.

Event Date: 8-04-1976
Event Description: The House of Representatives passes a resolution to intervene in Iraq through military means. “The brutal, barbarous regime of Saddam Hussein must be put to an end!” booms Speaker Rhodes. President Ashbrook refuses to comply with the resolution. “I have said that invading Iraq is a bad idea and I stand by my decision,” he coolly tells the Associated Press. 

Event Date: 8-19-1976
Event Description: The Democratic Convention in New York City nominates President John Ashbrook and Vice-President James Carter for a second term in office. “No matter how strong the Congress pushes for a foolhardy, unneeded war with Iraq, I will say no,” President Ashbrook promises the cheering crowd, “If the Congress keeps on pushing, I’ll still say no. If they still keep on pushing I’ll tell them, ‘Read my lips, there will be no war on Iraq!” Ashbrook’s rousing address helps his campaign regain some ground on Senator Bush, who has been leading in recent polls.

Event Date: 9-10-1976
Event Description: With the latest Gallup Poll showing President Ashbrook leading Senator Bush by a 47-45% margin, the Bush campaign unveils several new negative television advertisements against the president. One of them shows a group of wealthy men walking into a limousine while discussing the Ashbrook Tax Cuts, ending with the announcer declaring, “So, who does President Ashbrook really look out for?” Another portrays Saddam Hussein casting an evil glare at the viewer as the announcer (who tries to sound a great deal like Rod Serling) listing off the crimes against humanity Hussein has committed in Iraq. These crimes scroll up the screen in sinister red and black lettering. The announcer ends the ad by asking the audience, “Do you feel safe while this man is in power?” President Ashbrook attacks these ads as, “Scare tactics that have nothing to do with real problems facing the nation.”

Event Date: 9-24-1976
Event Description: President Ashbrook and Senator Bush meet for the first televised presidential debate of the 1976 Election, moderated by NBC’s John Swayze. The debate is a mild one, with domestic issues being the major concern. “The price of gas is issue number one for me and my family,” Senator Bush tells the audience, “Which is why bringing it down will be issue number one for the Bush Administration.” “In all fairness Senator,” President Ashbrook interrupts, “You’re a millionaire, how are gas prices a problem for you? Furthermore, how do you intend on bringing prices down without major deals with OPEC?” “Mr. President, the attack on my wealth is right out of Deng Xiaoping’s playbook,” Bush snaps at Ashbrook. His response to the gas prices question is incoherent, but his slam on Ashbrook’s own millionaire attack is covered extensively by the news.

Event Date: 9-30-1976
Event Description: Father Rudolph Braun, just 26-years old, is awarded the Nobel peace Prize for his tireless work end the violence in Northern Ireland, and, against all odds, succeed in this fight. Rudolph Braun, the son of Eva Hitler-Braun, does not mention his notorious parents in his acceptance speech. In fact, all he does is quote an old Talmudic phrase, “"He who saves the life of one man, saves the world entire."

Event Date: 10-24-1976
Event Description: In the second presidential debate, the issue of Iraq dominates the candidate’s time. President Ashbrook is adamant about Iraq’s Saddam Hussein not being a threat to America or the world, while Senator Bush is just as convinced that Hussein is. Bush goes as far to call Ashbrook’s foreign policy, “The great demoralization to our military since the Battle of the Bull Run.” Ashbrook reminds Bush, “The military is not a plaything for someone to move about for any reason. We can not be the world’s police, Senator.” Ashbrook comes off as more presidential and calm during the debate, leading most viewers to declare him the winner. The election is a nearly a tie in the latest Gallup Poll, showing that President Ashbrook and Senator Bush are tied 48-48% with Ralph Nader taking 2% of the vote.

Event Date: 10-30-1976
Event Description: In what could not come at a worse time for President Ashbrook, it is revealed by the Iraq Human Rights Investigation Team that President Hussein may be secretly enriching uranium to build nuclear weapons, ones as powerful as U.S. bombs. “This is the Iraq I have warned of since the early 1970s,” Senator Bush tells a crowd in Chicago, Illinois, “Hussein and his cronies will stop at nothing until they control the future of the Middle East, even if that means using nuclear weapons.” President Ashbrook tells a rally in San Diego, California, “This is yet another report from a group hungry for war.” Despite Ashbrook downplaying the news, more people seem to trust Colin Powell than Secretary of State Buckley. With the election just three days away, Bush pulls ahead in the polls.

Event Date: 11-02-1976
Event Description: Senator George H.W. Bush of Connecticut is elected President of the United States over incumbent President John Ashbrook. The election is very close, coming down to the crucial swing state of Illinois. Bush narrowly carried the state, and with it the presidency.

George Bush/John Love (R): 281 EV; 49.2% of the PV
John Ashbrook/James Carter (D): 257 EV; 48.3% of the PV
Ralph Nader/Barry Commoner (Consumer): 0 EV; 2.3% of the PV
Others (Constitution, Libertarian, etc.): 0 EV; 0.2% of the PV

The new president’s narrow victory is not a mandate for his party. The Republicans fail to gain control of the Senate, but keep the House of Representatives. It appears that President Ashbrook’s small economic boom helped his party more than it helped him. In the end, the 1976 election was determined not by the economy, but by fears of foreign leaders and the future of peace in the world. 

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Great update; I hope this Bush presidency will be better than his real life version.

[Хahar 🤔]

This Bush is quite liberal enough for me, but too much of a warmonger.

DC going Democratic? I don't see it.

[MasterJedi]

And here comes a war in Iraq!

[PBrunsel]

DC going Democratic? I don't see it.

Just a fluke of the writer, Xahar. Thanks for telling me I had D.C. in Ashbrook's column, since that would make no sense. D.C. usually goes Republican in this timeline with 75-80% of the vote.

HappyWarrior,

Shriver is a Democratic Congressman from Maryland. Though he is quite liberal on many issues, his wife Eunice Kennedy keeps him the Democratic fold.

Eagleton was elected to the Senate in 1962, replacing Harry Truman. He is still there today, and no one knows about his depression and electroshock therapy except his family and his doctor.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

D.C. usually goes Republican in this timeline with 75-80% of the vote.

So it's a complete reversal of OTL?

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Great Update. What a close election that was indeed. I would fit so well into this Republican Party

[HappyWarrior]

This Republican party is probably the perfect party for me.  I would be so Republican in this TL, though I would have been a John Anderson supporter circa 1976.(Though I was'nt born yet lol)

[PBrunsel]

Simon,

I'm going to assume that Ralph Regula is your congressman.

Regula is still a Republican and was elected to Congress in 1972, just like in real life. He won his seat running on a platform of supporting more funding for alternative fuel sources. President Nixon was so impressed by the campaign he stopped by OH-16 to campaign for Regula, even though it is a very safe GOP district.

With a different GOP more open to progressive thought on energy policies, expect Regula to rise in power in the Republican Party.

[Captain Chaos]

Since Reggie Jackson never played baseball and is elected mayor of Philadelphia ITTL, how successful were the Oakland A's?

[PBrunsel]

GZ67,

The Oakland Athletics are not as good, as you'd expect. In 1971, The A's lose the Pennant to the Baltimore Orioles.

The Oakland Athletics will have a different history without Reggie Jackson on their side, as you would respect.
 

[PBrunsel]

The Presidency of George Herbert Walker Bush

Event Date: 1-20-1977
Event Description: George Herbert Walker Bush is inaugurated as President of the United States. “I want to take this country not left or right, but forward,” President Bush tells the nation in his Inaugural Address. He doesn’t seem to want a cabinet this way, since he fills the seats with strong Republicans. In the crucial roles of Secretary of State, Bush realizes he needs a hawk on Iraq. He appoints George P. Shultz, a higher up in the State Department who had been a member of the Iraq Investigation Team, to be Secretary of State and help lead a war against Iraq. In the role of Secretary of Defense, Bush appoints conservative Congressman Donald Rumsfeld (Democrat of Illinois). Rumsfeld, though being a Democrat, supported Bush in 1976 and is a hawk when it comes to foreign affairs.

Event Date: 1-31-1977
Event Description: President Bush meets with Congressman Charlie Wilson and former Secretary of State Buckley. They tell him that for the last year they’ve been secretly aiding anti-Hussein rebels in Iraq. President Bush is both pleased and appalled by this. “First of all I want to tell you two that you’ve really complicated matters in Iraq,” Bush scolds them, “On the bright side, you’ve put some needed motions into effect.”

Event Date: 2-02-1977
Event Description: President Bush gives his first State of the Union Address. He puts forth a vision of human rights in American oil policy. "By the year 1990," President Bush says, "this nation should no longer be dependent upon oil from nations that refuse to govern their people in a democratic fashion. Their dictators will not dictate to us what we will spend on the energy we want to use!" This shocks Chief of Staff Richard Cheney, a strong oilman, but he will stay on in the Bush White House anyway. President Bush also draws the line in the sand on Iraq. “This nation will not, I repeat, will not tolerate Saddam Hussein’s reign of terror in Iraq,” the president sternly tells the world, “He is the focus of evil in the modern world and represents the things all American hate: tyranny, murder and lack of respect for human life.”

Event Date: 2-22-1977
Event Description: In Palm Springs, Colorado, Dr. James Dobson, an evangelical preacher and a professor for 14-years at the University Of Southern California School Of Medicine, founds Focus on the Family, a pro-family, pro-Christian nonprofit group. Dobson will soon get his own radio show and espouse his traditionalist beliefs. Focus on the Family will one day grow into the largest Christian nonprofit group in the world,

Event Date: 3-01-1977
Event Description: British and French engineers begin construction work on the "Eurotunnel", an underwater road and rail link connecting the two sides of the English Channel. When completed, it is expected to be the longest tunnel of its kind in Europe.

Event Date: 3-06-1977
Event Description: President Hussein orders the Republican Guard to arrest several British diplomats, believing that they are conveying Iraqi military secrets to London. The world responds to this action with unified outcry against it. “The people of the United Kingdom stand against this most recent injustice by President Hussein,” Prime Minister James Callaghan tells the Parliament. President Bush, expecting war may be soon, send the U.S.S. Cordell Hull to Strait of Hormuz.

Event Date: 3-12-1977
Event Description: The Hilton Hotel and Suites-Peking opens with great fanfare. Conrad Hilton attends the opening, where former President Richard Nixon, in Peking for a business deal, will be the first guest at the multi-million dollar hotel.

Event Date: 4-09-1977
Event Description: A United Air Lines plane crashes into a field in western Pennsylvania, killing all passengers. Those responsible for the attack had little trouble taking control of the plane, despite resistance from passengers. The plane crashes due to the terrorists being unable to navigate with new airplane controls.

Event Date: 4-10-1977
Event Description: President Bush addresses the nation on yesterday’s terrorist attack. “The heroes aboard the United Air Lines plane fought to stop terrorists from carrying out their ultimate plan; using airplanes as missiles against Americans,” President Bush tells the nation. He outlines how CIA investigators have discovered who was responsible for the attack. “We have determined that a group of men, recruited by wealthy oil magnates in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, attacked the plane to avenge this nation’s determination to end our dependence on foreign oil.” One of the terrorists is a wealthy man himself, Osama bin Laden, dead at the age of 20. “Any more attempts at terrorist attacks, like the one attempted on April 9th, will be met with a force by the American armed forces. America will not tolerate such attacks from faceless cowards and their allies in Baghdad and elsewhere. We will not tolerate such attacks, no matter who they come from.”

Event Date: 4-12-1977
Event Description: President Hussein denies that he had anything to do with the terrorist attacks on April 9th. “We have never had any dealings with terrorists in the past,” Hussein tells the Iraqi Parliament, “The attacks from, the American president is unfounded.”

Event Date: 5-09-1977
Event Description: President Bush and Secretary of the Treasury W. Michael Blumenthal decide that it would be suicide to the economy to repeal the Ashbrook Tax Cuts, at least until they expire in 1980. The Ashford budget will not be touched for 1977-1978, except military funding will be increased due to fears in the Middle East.

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 5-21-1977
Event Description: Secretary of State Schultz meets with British Foreign Minister David Owen meet in Reykjavík, Iceland, to discuss foreign affairs. Foremost amongst them is Iraq and the reign of terror from Saddam Hussein. The two declare that the United States and the United Kingdom will stand against Iraq if that nation becomes a threat to the world or the world’s oil supply. Ralph Nader, a 1976 presidential candidate, calls the pact, “A blood treaty made for the sole reason of helping the multi-national oil interests.”

Event Date: 6-19-1977
Event Description: It is released by international investigators that the nations of Sudan and Syria may be hosting Iraqi uranium enrichment plants. Lieutenant Colonel Colin Powell, who led the investigation, releases that both of these nations, “Have facilities which can produce dangerous uranium which can be made to equip nuclear weapons.” The leaders of Sudan, Syria and Iraq immediately deny this charge, but the current world feelings toward Iraq are so cool that very few believe these denials. President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld begin formulating plans on how to most easily subdue Iraq and deal with the reconstruction of the nation.

Event Date: 6-20-1977
Event Description: Fearing that uranium could be smuggled into Iraq, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Kuwait and the United States deploy several ships to the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Iran mobilizes its army on the Iraq-Iran border.

Event Date: 6-21-1977
Event Description: President Hussein demands that Iran cease the mobilization of its armed forces on the Iraq border. “This belligerent activity will be met with appropriate force,” Hussein warns the Shah of Iran. He gives the Shah 48-hours to stop the mobilization and withdraw troops from the border, or face war with Iraq. The world holds its breath…

Event Date: 6-23-1977
Event Description: The Shah refuses to stop the mobilization of Iranian armed forces, and President Hussein responds in kind. He declares war on Iran, declaring he will wage, “The mother of all battles.” President Bush tells the Shah that, “Through thick and thin, we are with you until victory.”

Event Date: 7-01-1977
Event Description: 300,000 Iranian armored infantry divisions flood across the Iraq’s Northwestern border and attack the city of Mandall, a strategic air force base for the Republican Army. The Iranians fight a pitched battle against 500,000 Republican Guard members. The battle is an Iraqi victory, but the air base is destroyed. The Republican Army will now suffer from the loss of a base strategic for bombing Iran.

Event Date: 7-04-1977
Event Description: The Iraqi Air Force bombs the city of Llam, Iran. Though a small town, the raid is ordered by President Hussein to show the world that the destruction of the Mandall Air Base has not crippled his air force.

Event Date: 7-09-1977
Event Description: Former President Ashbrook draws criticism from the public when he tells the Cleveland Plain Dealer in an interview, “President Bush was really praying for an Iran-Iraq war.” White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater calls the statement, “Distasteful, ridiculous and below the dignity of a former president.” In all reality, the very anti-Hussein president does view the war as a chance to get rid of the dictator and secure the strategic oil reserves in Iraq.

Event Date: 7-12-1977
Event Description: Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, suspected by the world community of harboring Iraqi uranium enrichment facilities, signs a military alliance with President Saddam Hussein of Iraq and immediately sends 255,000 troops and 15 armored units into Northern Iran. In response to this, President Bush begins discussing further military aid with Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani and the Shah.

Event Date: 7-25-1977
Event Description: Iraqi airplanes attack the USS Cordell Hull in the Straight of Hormuz. The attack has no casualties and causes limited damage to the Cordell Hull. President Hussein says that the attack was a mistake, as the captain of the Iraqi squadron thought he was attacking an Iranian warship. The White House is in a panic over the attack. President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld see this attack as a reason to enter the Iran-Iraq War. “The dogs attacked our people,” President Bush tells his cabinet at an emergency meeting, “We’ll see if they can get away with that!” “Mr. President,” Secretary Schultz tells the enraged chief executive, “This is not a USS Arizona attack or something like that. No one was harmed and the ship was barely touched. The congress will never accept war because of this.” Chief of Staff Dick Cheney tells President Bush that Secretary Schultz is right. “We’d need to see a real threat to national security from Iraq to persuade the Congress to pass even a resolution to send troops to Iraq,” Cheney tells Bush.

Event Date: 7-29-1977
Event Description: Combined Iraqi and Syrian troops defeat the Iranian Army at the Battle of Mahabad. This victory begins a massive invasion of Northern Iran, which is a very underdeveloped and vulnerable area in Iran. Hussein hopes to win some quick victories in Iran, end the war and take oil fields from the defeated nation. He hopes to corner the Middle Eastern oil market by taking over a majority of the oil rich areas.   

[PBrunsel]

Event Date: 8-01-1977
Event Description: Looking to expand the war and begin his acquisition of oil rich areas in the Middle East, President Hussein orders the Iraqi Army to invade Kuwait, a small, oil rich nation located to the southeast of Iraq. Kuwait’s small army is no match for the mechanized Iraqi Army, and by the end of the day Kuwait City, the capitol, is threatened by Hussein’s tanks.

Event Date: 8-09-1977
Event Description: Iraqi medium-range ballistic missiles armed with high explosive warheads hit the Iranian towns of Dezful and Khorramabad. Adding more to the strike, President Hussein orders his ground troops to cross the border to capture the town of Dehloran.

Event Date: 8-15-1977
Event Description: After a bloody 5-hour struggle, Iraqi soldiers enter Kuwait City, taking the oil rich nation in just fourteen days.

Event Date: 8-16-1977
Event Description: The nations of Israel, Palestine and Egypt declare war on Iraq, fearing that their own national sovereignty may be the next target of President Hussein. Iran welcomes Egypt and Palestine (two Muslim nations) into the fight, but refuses to recognize Israel as an ally. “The Shah must not know the old saying, ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend,’” Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir tells the Associated Press, “He will see that Israelis can fight madmen, despite them having a different religion.”

Event Date: 8-19-1977
Event Description: Israeli missiles strike Iraqi air bases in Mosul and Kirkuk. These were strategic cites for Iraq’s air force, but now they lie in rubble. 

Event Date: 8-20-1977
Event Description: Citing the fall of Kuwait, President Bush declares that Iraq “Is a major threat to the world’s security, especially when it comes to protecting national sovereignty and resources.” UK Prime Minster James Callaghan agrees that Iraq is now too much of a threat to be ignored. “Hussein and his armies threaten the very peace of the world,” Prime Minister Callaghan tells Parliament. Within hours, both Congress and Parliament are voting on resolutions to unilaterally attack Iraq. In the Senate, Senate Majority Leader Byrd leads the fight against the resolution. “We do not need to get involved in a war in the Middle East for no reason,” he tells his colleagues, “Iraq is not a threat to the United States and never has been.” Senator Fidel Castro leads the call for war, telling the Congress, “We refused to act when Hitler was attacking his neighbors in Europe, do you recall what happened then? Do you really want another 20 million slaughtered innocents?” The debate is heated, but in the end the pro-war Republicans win out in both Houses of Congress. The resolution is passed and the United States will begin sending troops to the Middle East as soon as possible.

Event Date: 8-21-1977
Event Description: Turkey and the United Kingdom declare war on Iraq. The Iran-Iraq War has now exploded into a multi-national conflict. Despite many nations entering the war, two nations are keeping conspicuously neutral. Both Chancellor Heck in Germany and President Kryuchkov in Russia have refused to side either way in the war. “It’s not of Russian concern,” is the only response President Kryuchkov has given the world press.

Event Date: 9-15-1977
Event Description: The first U.S. troops, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Norman Schwarzkopf, arrive at Camp Mohan in Turkey. They will invade Iraq from the Turkish border on October 1st, and advance towards Baghdad. Lieutenant Colonel Colin Powell will lead U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf region, orchestrating “Operation Desert Strom” to liberate Kuwait and invade Iraq from the South. President Bush calls this two pronged attack, “Operation Shock and Awe.”

Event Date: 9-22-1977
Event Description: U.S. jet bombers attack the city of Ar Rutbah, a major air base in Western Iraq. The commander of the U.S. air force, Admiral Joseph Patrick Kennedy III, is hoping to take out all Iraqi air bases by December 1977, and cripple the impressive Iraqi air force.

Event Date: 10-01-1977
Event Description: 425,000 U.S. troops flood into Iraq from Turkey. They take the city of Ar Rutbah in a short, nearly bloodless skirmish. On the Persian Gulf, 15 U.S. transports release 215,000 U.S., U.K., Turkish and Canadian infantrymen. In the largest amphibious assault since the Japanese-American War, the coalition forces take the coastal city of As Salimiyah, a suburb of Kuwait City. Operation Desert Storm is rolling on in Kuwait.

Event Date: 10-03-1977
Event Description: Ronald Reagan breaks one of his own vows by attacking the President of the United States during war time. “I just want to know,” Reagan asks his audience on the Voice of the Nation, “Why did President Bush ask Congress to pass a resolution to intervene in Iraq, and not ask for a formal declaration of war? The reason is because there were not enough votes for a declaration of war! President Bush is waging an unconstitutional war, it’s that simple.” Many of his listeners declare that attacking the president during a time of war is unpatriotic, but Reagan refuses to apologize. “Just because troops are marching overseas,” Reagan explains to the Associated Press, “Doesn’t mean the First Amendment is suspended.”

Event Date: 10-21-1977
Event Description: The Battle of Kuwait City rages as Lieutenant Colonel Powell’s troops engage the occupying Iraqi forces. The superiority of the American air force gave Powell an upper hand in the battle. The Iraqis suffer over 80,000 casualties and surrender. Hussein has gained and lost Kuwait in less than a month.

Event Date: 11-09-1977
Event Description: Former Governor George Lincoln Rockwell is elected to his second term as Governor of Virginia. He had previously served as governor from 1970-1974. He defeats former Nixon Secretary of the Navy John Warner (Republican of Virginia) for the office. Secretary Warner had expected not to win, however, and was using this run for governor to increase his name recognition for a run for U.S. Senate in 1978. Governor Rockwell is intending to run for president in 1980.

Event Date: 11-24-1977
Event Description: President Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush spend Thanksgiving in Kuwait City with Powell and the soldiers of Operation Desert Storm. “You guys are fighting for freedom,” President Bush tells the troops, “It is because of you that all of Kuwait is free, and soon all of Iraq will be too.” The president also tells the soldiers that when they enter Baghdad, “You will be greeted as liberators and have flowers reigned on you. You are spreading peace and democracy, and the people of Iraq will love you for it.” President Bush also promotes Colin Powell to the rank of general today.

Event Date: 11-30-1977
Event Description: The city of Hidithah is taken by Schwarzkopf’s troops after a six hour gun fight with Iraqi soldiers. The march to Baghdad continues, but Hidithah will be a town where the Americans will not be greeted as liberators.

Event Date: 12-03-1977
Event Description: An Iraqi saboteur is found in the basement of the Empire State Building in New York City, New York. Security guards found the saboteur as he was wiring san explosive. New York Mayor Abraham Beame calls on the NYPD to step up anti-terror measures.

Event Date: 12-31-1977
Event Description:  On New Years Eve, President Bush sends an ultimatum to President Hussein. “You can either surrender to the coalition forces or resign from power,” Bush tells Hussein on live television, “Or face the year 1978, a year in which you will see your empire of evil crumble into nothing but fire and rubble. The choice is yours, Mr. President.” Hussein responds with a simple phrase, “Go to hell.” The Iraq War will continue into 1978.
 

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Another great update; keep it up.

[Хahar 🤔]

Big war in the Middle East. Could you post a map of what's going on there?