For 2005-2009 The second Bush term
Let's start the ball rolling for the 2nd Bush term. Being an Optimist and a realist I think my predictions are odds on favorites.
#1 Social Security Change - Fundamental change will occur with personal investment accounts. This will be the beginning of the end to the longest running ponzy scheme in world history. It has been talked to death for years and I think president Bush will seize the moment and make it happen.
#2 Tax reform - I'm less optimistic about this because, I think most of the political capital will have been spent on changing Social Security. If this tax reform happens it will be piecemeal that goes on over all four years. The forces that want to maintain the status quo are actually more powerful than one might think despite the fact everyone hates the tax system we have.
#3 The war on terror - this will still be going on past the Bush presidency. The only predictions otherwise have come from the press and wacko left who see everything in MTV time. There will be a civil war in Iraq (it has actually already begun) , but this will be a good thing because it will be the victory needed by the Iraq populace to destroy the past. The bad thing is a lot more people are going to die. Good and decent people as well as the evil ones. After the elections in January the US military will begin to pull back and allow the civil war to play out. Our focus will be on trying to prevent to much intervention from other countries.
#4 The war on terror part 2 - Depending on how the civil war in Iraq is conducted I predict the war or maybe only the threat of war will continue into Syria or Iran. Iran will have fully developed a nuclear weapon that will not be tolerated by the US or Israel. Syria is the hiding place of the people, money and WMD's that escaped from Iraq. Both of these ruthless governments see there own demise forthcoming if Iraq becomes a free country. Therefore the more successful Iraq becomes the more desperate the thug countries of Iran and Syria become. The US military and the Bush administration are just waiting to for a good excuse to make a parking lot out of Tehran. There is also an equal chance that the people in Iran will rise up and defeat the religious nut bags running the country. This is less likely in Syria where the military has been more oppressive over its population. But Syria becomes less of a threat (like Libya) if it believes it cannot win and only wishes to hang on to its authoritarian government for as long as it can. Make no mistake, this war will go on as long as Iran and Syria remain the havens for fanatics that they are. When they change victory is at hand.
#5 The Bush presidency will have no major scandals throughout its two terms.
#6 The republican party will expand its majority if it can pass meaningful changes in the Social Security system and look like it is standing up to the president on Border security. The Democrats will still be trying to figure out what they stand for. They are in process of deciding if they want to live in the 1930's depression era mentality and manintain the nanny state PC outlook on the country. Or find and support ideas that are relevant in 2005 and beyond. In the democrats eyes everyone belongs to a group and that group has special needs that we must attend too. If they continue to think this way the Democrats are doomed.
#7 The President will not be able to pass his Guest worker program due to opposition from his own party. He may even find himself signing law that increases border security and a national ID card.
#8 The expansion of the US economy will continue. Historians will judge it as the greatest expansion in US history. This will be due partially to the successful passage of Social Security legislation that allows investment.
#9 The expansion of freedom in the world will continue under President Bush as opposed to when Jimmy (I'm such a wimp) Carter was at the helm. The more free people there are in the world the less enemies we have. Free countries do not attack each other. They may not like each other (Like the US and France) but they will not drop bombs on one and other either.
Well there they are. I know I did not mention subjects such as Afghanistan, Ukraine, Mexico. Where I believe there might be major events happening in the near future. I guess I don't have enough information at this time to make the calls.