In article
<26668d3c-7729-4c1c-840b-bc0e027049a0@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
"Richard R. Hershberger" <rrhersh@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>On May 10, 5:08=A0pm, ctbis...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(Charles Bishop) wrote:
>> In article <4824f6aa$0$11192$6c5ee...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ra...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(Raven-Poe) wrote:
>> >Opus the Penguin <opusthepenguin+use...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>> >> Peter Boulding (p...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
) wrote:
>> ><snip>
>> >> > You're wasting your time, Rod. Opus will never be able to admit
>> >> > the terrible mistake he made in 2000, favouring Bush over Gore.
>>
>> >> I voted for neither. I did *very slightly* prefer Bush.
>>
>> >Leroy, tho I much more wanted to see a public refutation for the
Clinton
>> >Gore years and of course, I was incensed when Gore made his aborted
coup
>> >attempt.
>>
>> >> History has not vindicated me.
>>
>> >Not really, tho I know you've changed your views: you don't know how
much=
>
>> >worse Gore would have fvcked things up.
>>
>> Much as I agree with you on most things, I doubt that it would have
been
>> worse. While we can't know what didn't happen, we can guess. Mine is
that
>> Gore would not have invaded Iraq. We don't know yet whether this is a
good=
>
>> or bad idea, and won't for a long time, I expect. I'd vote for not
having
>> done it though, since from here it looks to be a mistake for the US.
>
>I find it quite telling how many people have been reduced to pointing
>out that they are willing to speculate that Gore would have been worse
>than Bush. Bully for them. I'm willing to speculate that Gore would
>have been the greatest leader in the history of the universe. What do
>these speculations tell us? Nothing useful or interesting.
>
If that were true, then there would be no value to what-if history. I
think it has some value, if you can postulate one change, not much beyond
that because of the butterfly effect. I think a sober, thoughtful look at
a possible Gore presidency would have to concede that he would have been
unlikely to have invaded Iraq. This is based, of course, on my own skimpy
knowledge of what led up to the invasion, but I see nothing in Gore's
previous policies or the people he would have had around him (here my
knowledge is approaching zero) that sup****t a claim that he would have.
This of course says nothing about policies he would have implemented. As
much as I think he would have been a Liberal president, and as much as I
don't want more Liberal government, I would trade this for a no-invasion
government.
--
charlesw
|
