The year 2003, in real life, was relatively stable as far as world oil production. However, in an alternate universe, far, far away and not so long ago, the dreaded phenomenon Peak Oil is not only real, but occurs. This horrible occurrence began in late 2003, with suddenly the supplies of oil dropping. The price of oil soared, and this problem continued for the rest of the year and well into 2004. Due to the massive oil crisis which is destroying the economy, George W. Bush proposes using the military to seize more oil during his reelection campaign. This idea is popular among Americans, and leads to Bush being reelected in a landslide over Democratic challenger Howard Dean.