If Al Gore was president would 9/11 have still happened???

Question

If so what would he have done differently than Bush??

Answer 1

Yes. The planning was in the works long before Bush became president.

Gore's reaction might have been less hawkish, obviously. The real question is what would other terrorists' have done differently afterwords, i.e., would there have been more attacks on US soil with Gore in the White House. I think so.

Answer 2

Likely to still have occurred -- but you never know. A Butterfly wings flapping can change the course of history. Gore's election might have stopped 9/11, even if purely by accident.

That said, Clinton had a plan on the table to retaliate against Afghanistan for the Cole incident (which Bush implemented after 9/11). He did not implement the plan because it was almost at the end of his term by the time they pinned the blame on Al Quida, and he figured that the choice of a war and an occupation was for the next President who would be responsible for administering the matter, not him. (On this issue, Clinton was absolutely right. We are still in Afganistan 6 years after 9/11 and we are going to be there for a lot longer. It would have been unfair for Clinton, 3 months before he was to leave office, to impose such a choice on his successor)

Also if you look at the 911 Commission testimony, the key players in the Clinton Administration, such as Reno, were all keenly aware of the terrorist threat, unlike Ashcroft and Rice who basically ignored the problem figuring the Cole incident and the embassy bombing were just part of the Clinton legacy.

It is possible that Gore would have followed the plans of the Clinton administration and it would have been sufficient to uncover the 9/11 gang. Alternatively, he might have taken action to strongly back the Northern Alliance which might have been enough to undermine the Taliban. (This is what I thought at the time Gore was going to do if elected). Any of these actions might have been enough, but that's just speculation.

As for how he would have acted after 9/11, I think if 9/11 happened on Gore's watch, he would have acted initially just like Bush and taken over Afghanistan. (Gore's not that liberal on national security matters not to seek vengence for the murder of 2500 US citizens). Maybe he would have caught Osama instead of letting him go the way Bush did. But that would have just been dumb luck and I don't blame Bush for that mistake.

I think that Gore would have acted more sensibly regarding keeping more troops in Afghanistan and putting more emphasis on nation-building. Afghanistan would probably be more stable than it is now.

And as we know, he would not have gone after Iraq. This would have put us in a much better situation internationally. Our reputation would have been better and our military more feared. It might have been enough to keep N. Korea from getting the bomb and Iran from trying to so.

Answer 3

Doubtful. The World just seems to hate George Bush. He has even been compared to Hitler which I feel is a little extreme. Al Gore would have gone into Afghanistan and looked for Osama Bin Laden until found. He would not have invaded Iraq because he knows that a Secularist such as Saddam would not support an extremist Islamic as their beliefs are so different. Another reason he would not have invaded Iraq is because no Iraqi had anything to do with 9/11 as Bush would have everyone believe. Al Qaeda wasn't even in Iraq until the US invaded them, so all Bush managed to do was set up another breeding ground for terrorists. Just what we needed. There would have been no problems with Iran and Syria if we hadn't invaded Iraq. In other words, Al Gore wouldn't have us in the mess we are in now. I feel sorry for the next President.

Answer 4

Sadly, I think 911 would still have happened. The big difference would have been in the reaction to 911. I doubt very much Gore would have invaded Iraq. I also think an administration with Gore as the leader would have done a better job after Katrina in the south. Had Bush lost, many of our family and friends in the military and Louisiana would still be alive today.

Answer 5

Unfortunately, yes! But that would have nothing to do with his worth as president. What would have happened differently was the aftermath. I do not believe that if Al Gore were in the White House we would have gone to war in Iraq...which had nothing to do with Osama Bin Laden and his ilk.

Answer 6

When Clinton left office he told Bush that Ben Laden was a major problem and should be watched. Bush ignored Clinton and all those markers that pointed to the attack were also ignored. So 9/11 may have happened if Gore were elected but I doubt it. He would have been much more vigilant where Ben Laden was concerned.

Answer 7

Yes, I think it may still have happened, as these were determined people. I do think though that it may have been handled quite differently, after the fact, and thus changed everything dramatically. I like Al Gore and I'm glad that he has finally had his time to shine. Funny how you can't keep a good man down...then there's bush :( D'n'D

Answer 8

Um... yeah.... duh.

Or would you rather have an answer that reads:
"NO, president Bush caused all of it! He directed the plans himself!"

Give it a rest, and Al Gore would have made a really rediculous president.

Answer 9

It probably would have happened. We might or might not have gone after Osama in Afghanistan but we never would have invaded Iraq.

Answer 10

ah...YEAH, the plan was already in the works and terrorists were training as pilots at that time...