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Now for the essay answers. These are opinion, mine and only mine, based upon my own reading and understanding of the political situation. Circumstances in your alternate reality may differ. 9.11 might have happened, but it would have been different - recall the Clinton administration knew something was up and it got lost in the shuffle over a dress, a cigar and a blow-job and a land deal that lost money. It could have happened, but I don't know how it would have been different. Or it could have happened the same way, and our response might have been different.
The Patriot act would probably not happened as fast (but since this is a congressional issue, it would depend on who was Att. Gen., who controlled the house and senate, and how ticky the FBI, CIA and NSA were being.) I also think the last minute changes that the repugs dropped in wouldn't have happened and the injunctions would have come a lot faster.
Going to war with Afghanistan is a possiblity, if nothing else for the human rights and drug problems they had there. It would not have been a scrag, shag and bag operation. We would still be there, it would have been with UN support (which we had to an extent in Afghanistan, but we needed more) and would have resembled Bosnia far more than this fiasco we're in.
I don't think Iraq was a possibility, or if it had happened, it would be a more "proportional response." We are way out of line in proportional response - I've been re-watching the first season of The West Wing and comparing the "fictional" proportional response to our responses.... And looking at Clinton's record on this. We would not have bombed the countries into the Old Stone Ages (Paleolithic for you archeologists) as we did with Afghanistan and Iraq.
Bin Laden is always the hm... depends on who we believe. If he really is the baddie, black-sheep that the BFEE and co. protray him as, then maybe. We probably could have persuaded someone in his family and within the Royal Saudi family to give us the key. But if he's not, then no. We're not going to catch him as long as his family and money and ties to the Royal Sauds are protecting him, and the president, who ever s/he may be, isn't going to be very effective that way.
Politicat (who is feeling a sudden need for a tin hat and her passport..... :tinfoilhat: )
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