For Discussion’s Sake
By Mitch Berg
I’ve been pondering lately; what if John F. Kerry had won the 2004 election? Where would we be now? What’d be going on in the world?
If you smell one of my self-indulgent multi-part series – well, give your nose a cookie.
October 18th, 2009 at 7:54 am
Kerry wins the election and as promised, pulls US forces out of Iraq, where the civil war takes off in ferocity. Thousands die. The UN sends a peace keeping force, which is swiftly annihalated by both sides. Eventually Iran steps in and performs ethnic cleansing of the Sunnis and a sort of peace is restored.
Kerry then runs up the white flag in Afghanistan and within a year the Taliban are back in Kabul, executing non-believers and enforcing Sharia law.
On the domestic front, Hurricane Katrina demolishes New Oleans and the slow federal response is criticized by the news media and leading Republicans, led by John McCain.
In 2007 the housing bubble begins to burst, followed by the collapse of the banks and financial markets the following year. Kerry’s leadership is challenged by insurgents in his own party, led by former community organizer Barack Obama. On New Year’s Day, 2008 there is a devasting terrorist attack at the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasedena, killing 5000 people when two 747s crash into the crowd.
Barack Obama wins his party’s nomination and runs against John McCain, with McCain winning in a landslide.
The following year, after Iran refuses to allow inspections of its nuclear facilities, President McCain orders an airstrike against it, destroying the plant. A popular uprising occurs in Teheran, covertly supported by the US and Amadinejad is hung from a lamp post. Meanwhile, the former Baathist insurgents in Iraq begin an uprising against the Sadirists running the government and with the aid of US special forces complete a successful coup against the Iranian puppet government. As a coalition government takes control, peace slowly returns to Baghdad.
In Afghanistan, US warplanes drop herbicides on the annual poppy crop, eliminating the money source for the Taliban, who retreat to their caves as the rest of the world (finally) steps up to provide economic assistance to the country.
In the US, corruption charges are filed against a host of Illinois politicians, including Barack Obama.