What Might Have Been

If you haven't read it or seen it yet, I recommend reading Gore's speech on MLK Day about the Bush Administration's illegal wiretapping. It's quite good and right on point.

I've always wondered how different things might have been if Gore hadn't had the Presidency taken from him in 2000. It is my firm belief that, although obviously no one knows what might have happened, if Gore had been president in 2001, there's a chance 9/11 would not have happened. This is because Gore never would have demoted Richard Clarke to a non-cabinent level position and would have been more attuned to terrorism issues during his first months in office than Bush was. (The Republican spin, a la Rudy Giuliani, that they said "thank god Bush is President on 9/11" completely ignores this fact.) If someone (yeah, I'm looking right at you Condi) had listened to Clarke when he made his repeated, urgent pleas about an impending al Qaeda attack, then perhaps some dots could have been connected in time to avoid a terrorist attack, just as they had on Clinton's watch in 1999.

Gore has clearly found his voice on this issues, unrestrained from the constraints of worrying about running for office, something that caused him to become over-cautious during his time as a candidate. I've always thought that Gore would have been a very good president and, once in office, would have shaken loose the doubts and indecision that plagued his campaign. In nearly every book written about "the inside" of the Clinton Administration, Gore is presented as a strong leader, making bold decisions and taking decisive actions, often prodding Clinton to make stronger decisions. Yet no one ever knew about this. Gore understood what makes a good, strong leader and President, and would have been well-suited for the job.

What happened in 2000 was outrageous enough, but when you consider the consequences, which we are living with each day in Iraq, etc., it really takes an even greater significance.
- posted by Joshua @ 1:37 PM