What would Al Gore have done?

[tabs]

This is the big what if question. What if Al Gore had become Presidnet instead of GW? What would he have done in the face of 911? You boyz are smart and I would like to hear some well thought out answers on this one. So just pretend you work for the Rand Corp. for a moment and present your scenario.

Al Gore is President.

The economy is roughly the same as it was for GW...boardering on recession.

911 takes place...remember the planning for 911 started in 1996, so it was going to take place no matter who was Prez.

What would have been the likely response and or ramifications to any actions taken by Prez Gore in the following three areas. These areas must be addressed in your scenario. In other words how would it have played out.

1. World reaction to Prez. Gore's action.

2. USA public and political reaction to Prez. Gores action.

3. USA and World financial & economic reaction to Prez. Gores action.

[speeder]

Any answers to those questions are extremely speculative; no one other than Bin Laden can say whether the attack would have taken place at precisely that time if Gore were President. It probably would have, IMO, but "IF" is a big word. And no American is more hated by Islamic extremists than George Bush Sr.

When history is altered by a bullet, (JFK would have been president from 1960-1968, and even after his assasination RFK would have ruled from '68-'76 if he was not assasinated), or by the Supreme Court, (stopping the ballot count in 2000), you can never truly know how it "might have been".

I for one, and many others in hindsight think that Gore would have handled the complex foreign policy challenges of the last two years better than Bush has, and the entire world would still be behind us as it was after 9/11/01.

But nobody can say for sure, except the right-wing geniuses of talk radio.

[turbo6bar]

Al Gore invented a lot of stuff, so we can be sure he would have invented a solution to today's problems.

[ronin]

let's just say that any positive reaction on his part would merely have been a figment of his imagination

Gore would have pee'd himself then hurled a couple missles, watch interest rates climb to double digitsand the economy crater and blame it all on the Repubs in Congress. Whiney, crybaby wuus.

[tabs]

Whether 911 happened on the 12th of September 2001 is not material. The fact remains that NO MATTER who the Prez was or is Al Oaeda would have attacked the WTC and Washington, they had been planning it for quiet some time before. Also Speeder knowing the character of Gore and the likely administration what would his course most likely have been. The choichs are relaitivily few. Also to say GW is paticularily hated....Bin Laden has said "Kill Americans" not Kill Repblicans.....baby your an American and if he can line up his sights on you he gona kill you. The Fundlementalist Muslims don't differenciate between Americans...we are all seen as being immoral, corrupt and weak. The very Liberal ideas you hold is the eptiome of what they HATE. Which is so totally ironic that Liberals are the ones who would feel their pain, as they blow up the plane you and your family are on. Oh i would say if the Fundlementalists would call off the war if we gave them Liberals for dinner then I say give em the Liberals, they would be doing the rest of us a favor.....

[Zeke]

Anyone notice the difference in tabs' writing from the first post at 12:42AM and the one above at 3:09PM? Something is wrong.

[ronin]

LOL! I wasn't going to say anything, but....

[tabs]

Oh my Gawd theres something wrong! Hmmm....maybe Ian Morton wrote one of the posts? What da ya think?

[widebody911]

WWJB? (Who would Jesus bomb)

[BlueSkyJaunte]

WWJB? (Who would Jesus bomb)

EVERYBODY. The human race is doomed; time to start over from scratch.

[ronin]

NOT AGAIN!

[BGCarrera32]

I for one, and many others in hindsight think that Gore would have handled the complex foreign policy challenges of the last two years better than Bush has

Explain that please...

[speeder]

My fingers could fall off from typing my differences with the current administration of "sissy hawks", ie. former draft dodgers who are now all too willing to wage wars and spill blood, (but not their children's, of course), to further their 'neoconservative' agenda. Lying to congress and the public about "evidence" that they have that Iraq is an imminent threat to the U.S. or tied to 9/11 somehow is not off-limits, the ends justify the means, right? And the ends have little or nothing to do with your best interests, Mr. Bush supporter, sorry to break that to you.

When I think of our soldiers or Iraqi children laying in the streets dead or dismembered, screaming in pain and screaming for their mothers, (that's the way it really goes down, John Wayne), juxtoposed w/ Bush posing on the flight deck in May, smiling with his underwear rolled in a ball and stuffed in his crotch, telling us "Mission Accomplished", I want to see him cry like the b!tch that he is. Al Gore at least has seen combat and been in a war zone in his life, plus he is one hell of a lot smarter. (Faint praise).

When neoconservative sissy hawks on talk radio talk about Democrats not "having the spine to use force", that should be translated as "not believing in expending our most valuable resource, the lives of our young people, unless all other options have been exhausted or for self defense". And no, I do not believe in the argument that we invaded Iraq as a "self defense", nor does anyone much else at this point.

The terrorist attacks on 9/11 were the best thing that ever happened for the neocons, a dream come true, now we can have an open-ended "war on terrorism", (never mind that terrorism cannot be fought w/ tanks or bombs, and they know this), and rule by fear, like I said, it's a fascist's dream come true. But it won't work on me.

[island911]

Originally posted by speeder
My fingers could fall off from typing my differences with the current administration of "sissy hawks", ie. former draft dodgers . ..

.. .Colin Powell being the biggest draft dodger of them all, of course!
Ah, if only we could have Bill Clinton back. He knew how to dodge the draft like a *real man*. . .and when it came to binladen or Hussien, Billey knew how to lob a cruise-missle or two. Such mannly decisive action, through and through

[speeder]

I don't include Powell in the "sissy hawk" club, but he has sold his soul to join them, IMO. Being a military man, loyalty to the team is everything to him, but he has seen war and has a different take on it, I believe. He would have made a good president.

[pwd72s]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by speeder . Al Gore at least has seen combat and been in a war zone in his life, plus he is one hell of a lot smarter. (Faint praise).

Well, he may have been in a "combat zone". "Seen combat"? As a Senator's son? Denis, gimme a break! Remember, I turn 60 in November. I was around back then. ALGORE was a "PR PUKE" when he was in 'Nam. Clear enough?

[surflvr911sc]

Draft dodging in the Air National Guard? Maybe, but it’s a hell of a lot more honorable place to dodge than Canada. As for Gore, he served, but he must have forgotten about it except for when it was on a cue card.

I don’t mind criticism of the current administration, things can always be handled better, the gift of hindsight. I really have a hard time understanding how anyone could believe that the former administration could have handled it better.

If Gore were still pres. we would still be spending >$2 million per DAY enforcing the “no fly zones” over Iraq. (EDIT: This does not include flying hours and everything that goes w/ it. This is what it cost if we don't fly. )

Do the math for the last 12 years, and then people complain about the cost of the war and rebuilding Iraq. How long would we have stayed in the status quo? It would have happened, w/ Bush sooner than later and 911 picked up the pace even more. W/ the former administration, it would have been status quo until they were gone.

It’s easy to look good when you do nothing, much harder to please everyone when you actually accomplish something.

[turbo6bar]

Originally posted by speeder
The terrorist attacks on 9/11 were the best thing that ever happened for the neocons, a dream come true, now we can have an open-ended "war on terrorism", (never mind that terrorism cannot be fought w/ tanks or bombs, and they know this), and rule by fear, like I said, it's a fascist's dream come true. But it won't work on me.

I don't think any Republican, radical or not, was happy about 9/11. I think some of the new laws are over-reactions, but politics has always been a swinging pendulum.

I don't agree with everything Bush has done, but I do credit him for staying the course. Of course, now he doesn't have much leeway. The Democrats will choose nitpicks to 'take a stand,' hoping that Bush falters, and the Democrats will pick up the scraps and more power. If the Democrats and Gore were so golden, they would stand up and challenge Bush and Co. Instead, they just sit back, occasionally stabbing with a plastic fork, and resort to licking wounds when their plastic spork plan backfires.

I wonder how North Korea is reacting to the war in Iraq.

Jürgen

[island911]

Originally posted by speeder
I don't include Powell in the "sissy hawk" club, . . .

BUt speeder, he (Powell) dodged the draft the same way GW did (he joined the military).

That BS aside; of all the names you could call GW, "sissy" just doesn't stick. Prior to 9/11 I may have given you the benifit of the doubt on that (I expected sissydom from the guy). Yet he has surprised us all by being very much his own man. . . a man that takes chances. (hardly "sissy" matterial)

But of course, we all understand the ways of the left; if you can't beat them, beat-up on them.

I keep waiting for some decent arguments from the left (to help keep this admin in check). Yet all I seem to read and hear is name-calling and tin-foil hat conspiracies. It's like there is a huge lag, from the left, in understanding it is a new day . . .no more politics as usual. The supposedly aulteristic "we do it for the children" slogan is a bit worn and out of place, when people are thinking in terms of "we do it for our survival."

Yeah, I know. . this has all been covered here before. It's just that it sure would be good if the Left started providing a smart balance to over zealous programs . . . but alas, the Left invented them.