George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 360

< Episode 359 >

***

Christmas had passed, and the New Year was fast approaching. This meant that 2008, the final year of his term, was finally upon him.

Even as the New Year’s sun crested the mountain ridges, the Middle East remained unchanged, still embroiled in conflicts over ideologies and rights, while Europe was struggling with the growing refugee crisis.

Of course, things weren’t entirely static; significant shifts were occurring within that overarching context.

The tension between citizens and refugees intensified daily. Citizens yearned for their old lives and wanted their tax money used for their own welfare, not for the refugees. The refugees, on the other hand, primarily desired the implementation of Islamic law. This single demand, however, shook the very foundations of the European countries that had accepted them.

It wasn’t simply a matter of refugees adhering to their own laws. The core issue was their attempt to impose these laws on European countries, even going so far as to demand autonomous territories.

Eventually, the Neo-Nazis, who had been lurking in the shadows of society, began to emerge. When riots erupted in Berlin, Germany had no choice but to acknowledge the complete failure of its refugee policy.

Once Germany made this admission, other countries followed suit like dominoes – or rather, they had been waiting for Germany to take the lead. This was merely a formality, an official acknowledgment to the EU member states that the existing lenient refugee policy had utterly failed.

Watching this situation unfold, Bush thought:

‘Hmm, they brought this on themselves.’

What was the root cause of the massive refugee influx in the first place? While war was the immediate trigger, the reason a localized civil war had escalated to engulf the entire Middle East was Europe’s reaction to the United States establishing its influence in Afghanistan and effectively annexing western Iraq.

In the original timeline, Middle Eastern refugees settling in Europe created significant social problems, but they didn’t threaten the fundamental systems of European countries. While the issue of autonomous territories caused friction, each country was still able to manage the situation.

But now, the situation had spiraled out of control. In Germany alone, an estimated 15 million refugees had gathered. While the government had officially accepted 3 million, more than double that number of starving refugees were scavenging throughout the country.

Even before the refugee crisis, authorities had struggled to manage vagrants in the cities. Now, with a massive influx of vagrants of various nationalities and ethnicities, they were overwhelmed by the demands on welfare and other social services.

In short, Europe was in deep trouble.

‘Wait a minute. In that case, am I not entirely to blame?’

“The Pentagon’s assessment is ‘perfect deployment.’ At least for now.”

“Is that so?”

“Deployment” here refers to the carrier strike groups stationed or patrolling around the globe. While the term “perfect” might be debatable, it was undeniable that carrier-based aircraft could reach any point on the planet within hours.

“But do we really need to go this far?”

“I’m fond of a particular saying: Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. Conversely, if nuclear fists are lurking everywhere, they can’t even begin to formulate a plan.”

“Mike Tyson. Hmm, not someone I particularly respect, but he certainly had a powerful punch. So, what kind of punch are we going to deliver?”

“Why are you asking me something new? It’s the most powerful punch in the world, unprecedented. Overall, it’s a punch that’s a generation ahead.”

The Land Warrior program, which he had initiated at the beginning of his term, hadn’t yet produced tangible results. However, it was slated to be integrated with the Future Warrior program soon. Furthermore, the Land Warrior, which had previously struggled with the weight of various equipment due to the gap between tactical requirements and underdeveloped technology, was now able to effectively implement network-centric warfare [a military theory that seeks to translate information superiority into a competitive advantage] thanks to the miniaturization of equipment resulting from advancements in battery and electronics technology.

The Department of Defense, which had been consuming the budget like a baleen whale, was achieving advancements of at least 0.5 to 1 generation in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. For instance, the F-22 and F-35 fighters, which had just entered mass production, were prime examples. Moreover, the United States possessed drones far more advanced than those of other countries and was the only nation using them in actual combat, not just for reconnaissance.

The missile battleship, a project Bush had personally favored and championed, was finally abandoned after lengthy deliberation. However, in its place, next-generation Aegis [a shipboard missile defense system] ships and Zumwalt-class destroyers were being mass-produced. The unit price of Tomahawk missiles also plummeted, thanks to their frequent use in conflicts.

A new airborne tank was also developed. The main battle tank focused on improving the protection of the existing M1 Abrams and further strengthening network-centric warfare based on lessons learned in the Middle East. In the case of self-propelled guns, a significant budget was allocated to develop models for both homeland defense and expeditionary use.

The army operating this equipment consisted of approximately 1 million professional soldiers, trained to the highest standards in the world and actively engaged in combat. In reality, this figure was an underestimate, as troop numbers had increased due to ongoing conflicts.

While corruption couldn’t be entirely eradicated, they had at least managed to curb the blatant acts of defense corruption that had previously occurred.

“Africa will remain quiet, at least while we’re flexing our muscles. The Middle East, however, is beyond our control.”

Africa had been relatively cooperative, and the governments were somewhat communicative. However, the Middle East had descended into complete chaos. The only option for the United States was to provide financial support to rebel groups that seemed likely to establish pro-American regimes.

So, what was the biggest concern of the powerful American president who could exert influence around the world?

“Tuna or chicken breast? Which one is better?”

This wasn’t about a sandwich; it was about cat snacks. The owner was always quietly observing while his head was pounding. Well, he doubted it was a cat in the first place, but he had to believe it because the genetic test said it was.

“Huh, what a blessed guy.”

He was definitely blessed in every way – physically and in his family environment. It was a pity that he couldn’t suppress his wild instincts, but Bush thought so because all the leading veterinarians and breeders had given up.

It wasn’t enough for him to declare the White House, the forefront of democracy and the culmination of capitalism, as his territory; he was also picking fights with all the animals that came near. Yet, he was remarkably docile around humans.

The reason he was having such trivial worries during ‘work hours’ was because there was nothing else to do. The Middle East was already spiraling out of control despite his relatively passive involvement, and Africa was quiet after the threat. China had just begun negotiations, and there was plenty of domestic work, but little of it required his immediate attention.

Even if something did come up, it would be resolved after a quick review and a signature. So, it was inevitable that he would be idle.

‘Maybe… maybe that guy is in a special situation like me.’

Everything he did was unlike a cat, and he was experiencing occult phenomena like reincarnation and possession, so it wasn’t such an absurd thought.

Anyway, thanks to these transcendental experiences, he found it difficult to dismiss conspiracy theories as mere gossip. If it weren’t for his position, which allowed him to know everything happening in the United States, he would have been in real trouble.

“By the way, isn’t it almost election season? Everyone will be busy.”

The talk of a third term was also tiresome. Some predicted that Bush would not only run for a third term but would remain in politics to exert influence, or that he would take a break and then run for president again. But Bush had no intention of doing so.

‘I’m really tired of everything now.’

He wanted to abandon it all and live as he pleased. He could do that now if he wanted to, but Bush himself would never allow it, even if others would. Moreover, the fact that the third-term rumors persisted, despite his implicit statements to the contrary, demonstrated the authority he had built up.

In fact, it wasn’t just for the reasons above, but also because power was a magical force that could make people contradict themselves repeatedly.

‘At this rate, there are more unresolved problems than resolved ones.’

This was Bush’s first thought upon entering the office. The future of the United States would depend more on the actions of the next president than on his own, but he could roughly predict how things would unfold.

‘By the way, the candidates are Barack Obama and John McCain again.’

Although the campaign hadn’t officially begun, he could tell from the way the Republican and Democratic parties were openly promoting their chosen candidates.

‘Of course, the competition isn’t rigged, so other candidates might emerge. But if they’re so blatant in their determination to win at any cost, I’ll know it, even if I don’t like it. By the way, the same candidates. At this point, it seems destiny is pushing those who are meant to succeed forward.’

Bush scoffed at the thought. That couldn’t be. If destiny existed, the world wouldn’t have changed as he had manipulated it.

‘At best, the Republican Party will win by a landslide in the current situation. That will be the case for at least the next presidential term. The voracious elephant [a reference to the Republican Party’s symbol] will devour everything.’

During the 2006 midterm elections, the Republican Party nearly monopolized the House of Representatives and went on a rampage. For the Democratic Party to regain power, they would need to inherit the blame for an economic crisis. That was the primary reason Barack Obama had risen to power in the first place.

The problem was that the underlying cause had disappeared, meaning anyone from the Republican Party could be elected, not just John McCain.

‘Obama would be better than McCain.’

This wasn’t because Bush had a personal liking for Obama; in fact, he harbored more animosity towards him.

It was simply that McCain was a notorious warmonger, both in personality and life history. It was too obvious how things would turn out if he took over the current United States. He would undoubtedly initiate war after war. McCain’s statements at the 25th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War in 2000 fully reflected his political tendencies.

‘Well, isn’t this outside my jurisdiction?’

In a democratic country, it’s inappropriate and truly terrible for the current president to try to interfere in the next presidential election.

The best course of action is to advise the next president, but even if he does, they will respect his opinion but not necessarily follow it. So, this wasn’t a problem to dwell on.

‘It’ll be alright somehow.’

Yes. It will be alright somehow. That’s because Bush had made the already powerful country even more so. Would someone really mess this up?