Would Al Gore have attacked Iraq and Afghanistan?

[Smith_3]

What do you think?

[aquart]

1. No. Next question.

[izzie]

13. I am with you. It is a country that seems to eat up armies.

It is the thing about doing the same thing with the same results.

[Echo In Light]

2. The PNAC leaned on Clinton to attack Iraq, didn't happen

There's a few different ways one can look at it, respond to that, I s'pose.

[Cooley Hurd]

3. President Gore would've heeded the recommendations of the Hart-Rudman report...

...and 9/11 might not have ever happened. No 9/11, no reason to attack Afghanistan.

[MonkeyFunk]

5. Ya think?

If we had foiled the plot, the Taliban would STILL have been a state sponsor of terrorism.

Personally, I wish something had been done about the Taliban a long time ago - at least before they got to destroy the Bamiyan buddhas.

[Smith_3]

8. "All component things in the world are changeable. They are not lasting...."

Those were the last words of the Buddha.

A Buddhist would claim that those statues were only pieces of rocks. Certainly they were not worth starting a war over.

[MonkeyFunk]

15. no, I'm not claiming that

but the Taliban's record of human rights abuses should've spurred SOME action against them - not necessarily an invasion, but if the world had reacted more strongly to their offenses, those historic statues might've survived. Their destruction was a crime against history, against culture.

[Kahuna]

4. Afghanistan, yes. Iraq, no. He has states these things himself. nt

[Xipe Totec]

6. No, because 9-11 would not have happened. nt

[Echo In Light]

7. Agreed...which is why a Bush/Cheney regime had to be ensured

Again, read into that what you will.

[liberal N proud]

11. That is what I think

9/11 would not have happened if the bu$h regime was not in power

[stimbox]

25. Exactly. n/t

[lligrd]

9. Nope

No one with any sense would have.

[MiniMe]

10. Gore would have paid attention to a Predidential Daily Briefing that was titled

Bin Laden determined to strike in the US,

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

14. That did not prevent attacks on US Embassies or the Cole

Yes Gore would have paid more attention but at least one of those planes still would have hit. And Gore by his own admission would have gone into Afghanistan (I dont know why going into a nation sheltering the man responsible for so many attacks on the US is bad)

He would have had the good sense not to drag Iraq into it..

[Echo In Light]

18. The negative consequence is the U.S. ends up hurting/killing those already victimized by the Taliban

[Lorien]

20. Yep. The repugs would still be bitching about his political donations

from Buddhists right now, and we would still be greatly respected by the rest of the world had the office not been stolen by BushCo and the SCOTUS.

[malaise]

12. NO

[razors edge]

16. Attack, probably.

Invade, not likely.

[BigDaddy44]

17. I don't know, but...

The attached clip certainly leaves the question open

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JE48XHKG64

[KharmaTrain]

19. Through The Looking Glass...

First of all, a President Gore would have listened to Richard Clarke and had a far better intelligence plan and operation in place (such as foiled various plots in the 90's)...he would have gotten the intel about Ata and Mousarri and his "flying" lessons that were burried by the FBI.

But for shits and giggles, let's presume the 9/11 attack occured and Gore had to act. Yes, I believe he would have gone into Afghanistan...and rightly so...so both bolster the Northern Alliance in overthrowing the Taliban and then going after bin Laden. He also would have built a far stronger international consensus on how to act and follow up...economically and politically. Had this been done...bin Laden caught (like the first WTC bombers) and put on trial, it would have had a far different result. Also, we would have seen other mission and activities in the region to build peace...a far different approach to the Israeli/Palestinian situation (good chance Hamas would have not gained power).

Without a doubt, we wouldn't have seen a war for profit...which was the booosh regime's goal from day one...but a rapid deployment action. We wouldn't have seen the outsourcing and "contracting"...the wholescale looting and corruption of the treasury and wholescale corruption that has run rampant under this regime.

[rolleitreks]

21. Yep (and right) to Afghanistan. Nope (and right) to Iraq. n/t

[earth mom]

22. NO. Because Gore isn't an insane, evil, greedy, crazy, ignorant bastard. nt

[spanone]

23. youre kidding, right? NO ONE would have attacked iraq but bu$h*

[Dorian Gray]

24. I don't see how any president could have avoided

Afghanistan, after the Taliban provided shelter for Al-Queda. So, yes to Afghanistan.

Iraq, however, is a different story, and I would venture to guess that it would never have been if Gore were in office.