THE WINDS OF CHANGE ★^1121as their candidate John Kerry, a senator from Massachusetts and the first Cath-
olic to run for president since John F. Kennedy in 1960. A decorated combat
veteran in Vietnam, Kerry had joined the antiwar movement after leaving the
army. The party hoped that Kerry’s military experience would insulate him
from Republican charges that Democrats were too weak- willed to be trusted to
protect the United States from further terrorist attacks, while his antiwar cre-
dentials in Vietnam would appeal to voters opposed to the invasion of Iraq.
Kerry proved a surprisingly ineffective candidate. An aloof man who lacked
the common touch, he failed to generate the same degree of enthusiasm among
his supporters as Bush did among his. Bush won a narrow victory, with a margin of
2 percent of the popular vote and thirty- four electoral votes. The results revealed
a remarkable electoral stability. Both sides spent tens of millions of dollars in
advertising and mobilized new voters— nearly 20 million since 2000. But in the
end, only three states voted differently than four years earlier— New Hampshire,
which Kerry carried, and Iowa and New Mexico, which swung to Bush.
Bush’s Second Term
In his second inaugural address, in January 2005, Bush outlined a new Ameri-
can goal—“ending tyranny in the world.” Striking a more conciliatory tone than
during his first administration, he promised that the United States would not try
to impose “our style of government” on others and that it would in the future
seek the advice of allies. He said nothing specific about Iraq but tried to shore
up falling support for the war by invoking the ideal of freedom. In his first inau-
gural, in January 2001, Bush had used the words “freedom,” “free,” or “liberty”
seven times. In his second, they appeared forty- nine times. Again and again, Bush
insisted that the United States stands for the worldwide triumph of freedom.
But the ongoing chaos in Iraq, coupled with a spate of corruption scandals
surrounding Republicans in Congress and the White House, eroded Bush’s stand-
ing. Vice President Cheney’s chief of staff was convicted of perjury in connection
with an investigation of the illegal “leak” to the press of the name of a CIA oper-
ative whose husband had criticized the manipulation of intelligence before the
invasion of Iraq. He was the first White House official to be indicted while hold-
ing office since Orville Babcock, Grant’s chief of staff, in 1875. Bush’s popularity
continued to decline. At one point in 2006, his approval rating fell to 31 percent.
Hurricane Katrina
A further blow to the Bush administration’s standing came in August 2005,
when Hurricane Katrina slammed ashore near New Orleans. Situated below
sea level between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, New Orleans
has always been vulnerable to flooding. For years, scientists had predicted a
What events eroded support for President Bush’s policies during his second term?