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| - Once in office, President Gore followed through on his campaign promise to lift the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military. When heavy opposition from Conservative groups and Republicans in both the House and Senate blocked legislation to revoke the law, President Gore issued an Executive Order on April 1, 2001, rescinding the ban to take effect in 90 days. Two days later, he made a public apology to the Chinese government for "downing" their aircraft over Hainan, and begged them to release the air crew of the Navy EP-3. Domestically, law enforcement and intelligence agencies were directed by Attorney General Eric Holder to focus their efforts on hate crimes and right-wing militia groups, and this prevailing thought was emphasized by AG Holder when he stated “we have to pre
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| abstract
| - Once in office, President Gore followed through on his campaign promise to lift the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military. When heavy opposition from Conservative groups and Republicans in both the House and Senate blocked legislation to revoke the law, President Gore issued an Executive Order on April 1, 2001, rescinding the ban to take effect in 90 days. Two days later, he made a public apology to the Chinese government for "downing" their aircraft over Hainan, and begged them to release the air crew of the Navy EP-3. Domestically, law enforcement and intelligence agencies were directed by Attorney General Eric Holder to focus their efforts on hate crimes and right-wing militia groups, and this prevailing thought was emphasized by AG Holder when he stated “we have to prevent the next Oklahoma City.” National Security Adviser Richard Clarke and Secretary of Defense Sandy Berger concurred with this policy, as neither saw any major threat coming to United States soil. Under Secretary Berger, the Department of Defense used available military assets to monitor climate changes and used many active duty troops to participate in United Nation peacekeeping operations around the globe. These actions led many in the military to resign their commissions, or let their enlistments expire, and saw many seasoned professionals in both the FBI and CIA retire. To counter this wave, Gore placed more emphasis on diplomacy and in Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke. On the economic front, President Gore sought to push his environmental agenda, and initiated the first of his “Green America” campaign. Based on the advice of his Treasury Secretary Robert Reich, Gore lobbied Congress to enact a $0.25/gallon tax on gasoline to help finance Green America. At the time, oil was only $30/barrel. However, Vice President Lieberman’s speech in Tel Aviv supporting the existence of Israel angered many Arab nations (who were already upset with Gore selecting a Jew as his running mate and the prospect of decreased oil exports under the new Gore plan). In the summer of 2001, OPEC nations decided on to cut production of oil by 10%, and with high demand, the price of oil began to steadily climb. Gore, knowing that he would face considerable opposition in Congress, unilaterally declared that the United States would abide by the Kyoto Protocol. Though legislation had yet to be passed, many businesses feared the effect of Gore’s policy on their operating costs and profit margins. With the economy in a slowdown following the burst of the Internet bubble, many businesses began to cut back on their largest operating cost – labor. Al Gore inherited a 4.2% unemployment rate from President Clinton; by June 2001, the rate was at 5.1%. As another method to finance his Green America agenda, President Gore was able to convince Congressional Democrats (and several moderate Republicans) to make spending cuts in the government budget. This coalition unanimously agreed to cut the military and intelligence services budget to redirect funding to Gore’s program. The military was already strained from the cutbacks of the Clinton Administration, and operations in Bosnia, Kosovo and enforcing the no-fly zone over Iraq constituted the majority of the military’s training and operational budget. Additional funding was to be raised through a series of taxes on higher income earners, and Gore lowered the top income threshold to $95,000, forcing earners in this category to face a 39% tax rate. This was to be combined with a new 25% tax rate on capital gains on investments. Despite heavy conservative opposition, Gore pushed through with his proposal and barely passed in August of 2001, with Vice President Lieberman the tie breaking vote in the Senate. By September 1, 2001, a growing number of Americans were disturbed over the course the nation was heading. Even some former Gore supporters were suffering from “buyer’s remorse.” However, a majority of the media continued to paint a picture of success in the Gore Administration and whatever the country was suffering at the moment were only “slight growing pains.” At the close of business on September 10, 2001, the Dow Jones was at 8351.83, the US unemployment rate stood at 5.5%, and the price of oil was $38/barrel (with the average national price of gasoline $2.06/gallon).
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