I would have liked to use a POD in 1976, with Carter not entering the primaries. However, they then become a confused mess since none of the other candidates actually concentrated on winning all of them, rather a select few akin to their strengths.
Therefore, I suggest that we have Donald Rumsfeld made Vice President under Ronald Reagan, as he almost was, according to other posters on the forum. He likely will in the end be swept up by Iran-Contra, being more involved, and thus lose his chance at succeeding Reagan for the Presidency. In 1988, Al Gore is the only notable "Southern Candidate" besides Dick Gephardt; Jesse Jackson, after a poorer performance in 1984, decides to forgo a second run for the nomination. Michael Dukakis, while running for the nomination, decides not to hire John Sasso as his campaign manager, and thus does, while not poorly, mediocre. Gore manages to sweep the South and West, and come out just ahead in the delegate count with Michael Dukakis. Gore becomes the Democratic nominee and then proceeds to defeat Senator Bob Dole in the General Election.
As 1991 rolls around, things have progressed largely as they have in OTL. The economy is in a slump, and Gore's approval ratings are dropping. Norman Schwarzkopf is recruited by the Republican Party to run for their nomination in the face of a weak field of candidates [including former Vice President Rumsfeld]. He goes on to defeat Gore in the General Election.
In 1996, Norman likely retires. Like Colin Powell, he never really was meant for nor enjoyed the privileges of the Executive Office. The United States was in a position of power, and the Soviet Union had collapsed; Terrorism, while apparent, had become only a minor nuisance after the World Trade Center bombing in 1993. His Vice President, George Voinivich became the front-runner for the Republican nomination.
Due to the popularity of President Schwarzkopf, the Democratic field of candidates was, for lack of a better word, dearth of anyone notable. Senator Tom Harkin and Senator Bob Kerrey were the main contenders after front-runner Bill Clinton's campaign collapsed among accusations of infidelity, and their haphazard attempts to soften the blow, as it were. Kerrey after some time would secure the nomination, despite the pressure from the Progressive Caucus lead by Senator Paul Wellstone.
When Kerrey's victory had been secured, Ross Perot jumped into the race campaigning against NAFTA, a proposed Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. What had originally been considered a comfortable victory for the Vice President had become a neck and neck race. The remainder of the camapign remained in this state, with Perot hovering just under thirty in the polls. After the second Tuesday in November, it had become clear Kerrey was to be the next President of the United States, with Perot's "Reform Party" having formed a new power bloc.
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Just since I don't have the time to remain very detailed; Bob Kerrey remains President from 1997 to 2005, leading the initial advances in the War on Terror. His successor, Senator John McCain, does enter Iraq, but with a much larger force and a clearer plan on Restructuring of the country and withdrawal. He would lose in 2008 due to the Economic Crash [I am assuming it happens either in 2007 or 2008], but to who I am uncertain. Unfortunately, it is very likely to NOT be a Vietnam Vet, as their group is now growing to be rather old. Therefore we have:
Al Gore; Norman Schwarzkopf; Bob Kerrey; John McCain (4)
V.S.
Dwight Eisenhower; John Kennedy; Lyndon Johnson; Richard Nixon; Gerald Ford (5)
So we come down to replacing Gerald Ford, since I really do not want to start killing people off, or remove Nixon. However, for Vice Presidents, we have:
Robert Finch: Nixon's first choice, but served in the Marines during WWII, so no.
John Connally: Nixon's favorite, but served in various roles during WWII, so no.
John Tower: Conservative Nixon Supporter, but served in the Pacific during WWII
George H. W. Bush: Appeared a Goldwaterlite at the time, but a WWII veteran
Rogers Morton: Nixon's Floor Manager at the Convention, but a WWII veteran
So, unfortunately, without upsetting my own continuum, there really is no choice for Vice President for Nixon that is both a Conservative and not a WWII Veteran.