Warning West Wing Spoiler What if Bush

[dsc]

had appointed Gore as Sec of State? After Bush's narrow win (or more accurately his narrow loss which was ruled a win) Bush could have really united the nation by naming Gore Sec of State. Just think of how different life today would have been. Instead he went the full partisan route and the rest is history. What did we do to deserve such horrible leaders instead of the good ones that denizens of West Wing land got?

[sam sarrha]

1. Bu$h is a wet brain alcoholic drug addict moron meglomaniac, why

would he do that?

[Spazito]

2. I thought it was the perfect choice re Vinnick

as opposed to the speculation that Vinnick would be Santos VP choice. Your question is an excellent one, imo. It would have taken a mature, caring bush to have made such a wise choice but, seeing as he is neither mature nor caring not to mention lacking wisdom such a choice as Gore would never have entered that pea-brain of his.

[JVS]

3. Do you really think that if that had happened Gore would have accepted...

the nomination? Even if he would have accepted the nomination, do you not think that he'd have resigned as Powell did?

[never_get_over_it]

4. You forget he appointed Powell

and didn't listen to a word he said - so how would it have been any different with Gore. Wouldn't be a bit different - and Gore wouldn't have lasted a month.

And as for what we did to deserve these freaks - we kept our sorry asses at home instead of storming the Supreme Court when they selected this freak.

[Hippo_Tron]

5. Gore would've resigned over the Iraq War

And personally if it were me, there would be very few circumstances in which I would appoint someone of the opposite party to a position like Secretary of State. Part of winning an election is that you get to throw the other party's people out of power and install your own people. It had been that way since Andrew Jackson. I would absolutely install strong partisan Democrats as head of the big four cabinet posts so that I could prevent career bureaucrats installed by other Presidents from circumventing my agenda.

If you watch earlier episodes of the show, you can kind of see this problem with the Defense Department. Most of the people there are Republicans who have no respect for President Bartlet because he is a Democrat and because he never served in the military. Miles Hutchinson (Bartlet's Secretary of Defense) runs his own agenda and Bartlet lets him get away with it because he feels that it is too important to not piss him off and keep him from resigning. If I were Bartlet I never would've hired someone like Hutchinson. It's not that I would want people who agree with me on everything (like Bush has). It's that part of the President's job is chief administrator of the Executive Branch and I would want to make sure that my agenda is carried out through the bureaucracy.

[dsc]

8. There may not have been a Gulf War

had Gore been in there. No way to know for sure but there may not have been.

[hlthe2b]

6. First of all.. after Gingrich and Delay, the level of nasty partisanship

has been at record levels. For a President-elect from the Repug party to pull that off would have required a level of independence, strength, and stature that Bush* the puppet, would neve have had. Bush* got the support he got because the "Delays" and PNACers of the world saw him as their "boy" that would do their bidding... They would never allow that to happen.

[heartofthesiskiyou]

7. He's a political psychopath

That's what worries me. Expect an attack on Iran, possibly nuke, June July or August, before November election. It's the only way he can whip up enough hysteria around National Security or the house goes democrat. The house with subpoena powers will open the whole can of worms and the repubs know it. Only a terrorist attack will generate sufficient NS hysteria to stop an attack on Iran.

[The Wielding Truth]

11. It is the obvious conclusion from the way things have gone .

From what I've seen on web postings, troops have their orders to Iran and the nuclear tests are set. Rummy and Condi seem to have set up their plans in the Iraq meeting and the timing is right to move before we start regaining power in the senate.

The fearful speculations you and I have, also have legs with many schooled and wise people who watch global politics and compare these swings to historical cataclysms. Pray we are wrong.

In the meantime we must voice, vote, and work against these pundits who see world domination as the only salvation. We all know that business of capitalism has no heart or soul. It must be restrained by imposed ethics or profit will be it's only goal.

We see how the BushCo's reign is bleeding our country and the world for profit and power and it is not right.

Welcome to DU. I am glad you are here to offer your voice to our mutual
deliverance from the power and effects of greed.

[Lisa]

9. neat way to critique the administration -- Alda's character was concerned

... that he might become a figurehead, ignored while the real foreign policy was made by the White House (sound familiar?).

[Nickster]

10. That's what I was thinking too. Also noticed the principled stand that

Vinnick said he'd take if the White House started to bypass him, unlike Colin Powell who just sat back and accepted it.

[Beaverhausen]

12. LOL!!! Bush just wouldn't do something like that

Santos is obviously an "ideal" who chooses the right thing for his country instead of the right thing for his party.

I'm going to miss this show.

only 3 more episodes. :cry: