In another world

[Prophet 451]

Come with me now to another world. In this world, the chads fell, voters got to vote and the Long Night never came.

Al Gore is halfway through his second term. Growing disagreement between President Gore and Joe Lieberman, his VP, caused Lieberman to retire shortly after the 2004 election to be replaced with Wesley Clark. Perhaps it was those disagreements which created the grey in Al Gore's hair and the worry-lines on his brow, perhaps it was just the normal stress of being president.Who can say? The air is cleaner, the water bluer and a complex system of tax breaks make hybrid cars the more economical option for most. by 2012, the USA will be producing roughly 15% of it's energy from renewable sources. The president worries that this is not enough but it is, at least, a start.

The World Trade Centre still fell here. The north tower was destroyed when an airliner smashed into it in September of 2001. Structural damage made the demolition of the south tower necessary shortly thereafter and the president faced calls for his resignation but, buoyed by public support and the knowledge that it was his swift action which prevented the south tower and pentagon from being hit, Gore weathered the storm. Today, a rememberence garden sits where the WTC once soared, a quiet oasis of reflection in the midst of the harried city. In Somerset County, Pensylvania, a small granite slab in what was a field bears the inscription "HEROES" and a series of names, lit by an eternal flame. The subsequent war with Afghanistan routed the Taliban easily but the country, always the graveyard of empires, proved ungovernable. Today, the USA still supplies troops and funds to the UN peacekeeping force stationed in the country.

When Hurricane Katrina swept across the south, President Gore lost a lot of sleep. Although NOLA was still damaged, it survived. FEMA was on the scene by the end of the day and the aid offered by Hugo Chavez was accepted amidst much swallowing of pride but rebuilding is still ongoing and recollections of "the great storm of '05" have become a part of the city's identity. Even the president, never a man at home with frivoloity, showed up for Mardi Gras in 2006 and congratulated Ray Nagin (still a controversial figure).

Politically, things are becoming difficult for President Gore. While the 2002 elections gave Democrats control of both houses of Congress, a resurrgent religious right (never discredited by the Bush admin) regained control of the House of Representatives in 2004. Every move the president has made has been scrutinised and argued over, the majority of judicial apointments have been filibustered, leading the president to begin recess-appointing judges simply in an effort to get anything done. There have even been calls to impeach President Gore on several occasions but, wary of the backlash that followed from the lynching of Bill Clinton, the Republicans have never gone that far.

[RB TexLa]

1. No amount of differences would cause any VP to resign

Nor would a president care what a vice president thinks or says after they have won their second term.

[southerncrone]

2. Don't tease us this way!

We all fantasize about what things would be like, but unfortunately our reality is a lose of our way of life, our freedoms, our young soldiers, and soooo much more.
We can't look back & wish; we must look forward & try to reconstruct our nation. There is much work to do.