President Lieberman -or- Why we dodged a bullet in 2000

[calmblueocean]

I was looking at one of the "Who would've made a better president, Gore or Kerry?" threads, and I realized that if Gore had been president, and 9/11 had occurred, Gore would very likely have been impeached and removed from office by the Republican wingnut Congress. This would have left us with President Lieberman in charge, and based on Lieberman's love of warmongering as evidenced by his rabid support of Bush, we might be in the same place we are today... or even worse.

Gore chose Lieberman because he wanted to show he could be a bipartisan president. But his endorsement of Dean over Lieberman in the 2004 primaries is just one example that shows how much Gore has really found himself, and chosen to support his convictions over mere electibility. The Gore that may run in 2008 is the Gore this country truly needs, and we may never have known him if it weren't for the Bush debacle. In the end, it's possible all paths from 2000 led to a neocon future, and if so, then a Gore in 2008 is much better than a Gore in 2000.

Of course, it's also possible that Gore wouldn't have run the dumbass SDI-obsessed administration that Bush did, and would have prevented 9/11 from happening in the first place, as well as every single atrocity that came after it. But that future is almost too painful to imagine.


Edited for Constitutional clarity (thanks, Bucky!)

[Kutjara]

1. Gore doesn't have Bush's Middle East connections...

...so he could never have pulled off 9/11. ;)

[Bucky]

2. The Senate doesn't impeach. The House impeaches.

The Senate vote to remove an impeached officer from office requires a 2/3 majority. If impeached, Gore would have stayed in office. And had such a tragedy occurred, Joementum would not have invaded Iraq. He's an enabler on his worst days, but he's not a neocon.

[calmblueocean]

4. You don't think the Rethugs would've demonized Gore out of office?

They sure as hell would've tried, and perhaps succeeded. That sort of thing is how the PATRIOT Act got passed in the first place. Scared Dems who thought they needed to sound tough in order to get re-elected. And I don't have anywhere near the faith in Smokin' Joe that you do. I take him at his word.

[Bucky]

9. You're right, they probly would've tried. Tried and failed.

Dems stuck fast by Clinton and more Republicans than Democrats crossed the aisle in both houses of COngress. THey would have looked for an excuse, but I'm pretty sure the move would've been politically disasterous. They got burned bad on the Lewisnky imbroglio.

[robbedvoter]

3. President Lieberman - still better than W!

It's quite an idiotic premise - and I am fully aware of who Joementum is. But to talk aboit "dodging a bullet in 2000" when we are in the present misery....

[IntravenousDemilo]

5. Except, I don't think 9/11 would even have happened under Gore.

I think it's quite possible the terrorist attacks were actually provoked by the accession of Bush to the presidency.

And if not, he certainly didn't do anything to prevent them when he could have.

[BrklynLiberal]

6. Bingo!!!!

[IntravenousDemilo]

7. Hey, you're fast!

I edited my post and added a little bit inside after you responded.

[BrklynLiberal]

13. Good timing has not always been my strong suit. I just lucked out this

time. But I agreed so strongly with what you said, I had to respond immediately.

[StellaBlue]

8. Ditto n/t

[AndyTiedye]

10. Gore Would Have Been JFK'ed

9/11 wouldn't have happened (A REAL President would have prevented it).

They would have JFK'ed Gore and blamed it on "terrorists".

President Lieberman would happily wage war on any country that ever said "boo" to Israel.

[neoblues]

11. Well, while it's true that...

Well, while it's true that even in a royal screwing, there may be the occasional silver lining--and not having Senor Lieberman as a VP at the head of the party and subsequently wanting to be 'the' candidate for President, certainly counts as one. Still, by comparison to what we've lost for having been unable to occupy the White House, it's a pretty small silver lining. Rest assured Gore would not have done the tiniest fraction of the imbecilically America-destructive things Bush did (including the not wasting resources on SDI, allowing/not preventing 9/11, insane tax-cuts/deficits/debt, Afghanistan/Iraq quagmires, etc., etc., etc., ad-infinitum).

[MrBenchley]

12. Yeah, it would have been horrible to have a pro-choice, pro-environment

pro-workers rights, liberal as President. You guys sure lucked out there (sarcasm).