, and why most Kennedy's barring Ted have not tried for the Oval Office, especially after Ted won the office in 88 and in 92 for his own passion: Universal Healthcare.
Considering the amount of big things Reagan, Carter, and Kennedy pulled off - universal care, the Cold War ending without violence, successful military work, decreasing racism and eventually bringing crime down [1] - it's amazing Bush Sr
did get in by 1996. People knew he was a slick grifter back then and all.
But after five terms of Democrats and Nixon far in the past, I can see why America decided it was time for a change. (I know some people claim America 'wasn't ready' for a female president in 1996 and the Dems shouldn't have picked Albright, but that's just people wanting someone to blame.)
But his foreign policy tended to be pretty right
He certainly had to fight with his party to get the Lebanon War in [2] and keep it going as the bodies piled up. As with Vietnam, it eventually worked out better than the alternative but it wasn't going to be easy to stay the course when over a thousand Marines and airmen were dead so close to midterms.
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OOC:
[1] Assuming that crime falls fast in the West after 1991 as it did IOTL but here, Kennedy's getting the credit in the same way some people give Reagan the lion's share of credit for the Cold War ending (and here would give Carter it).
[2] Since Vietnam was a victory in this timeline, there's heavier involvement in Lebanon from the start and a higher threshold for American casualties. (Exactly how better "worked out better" is, is up to you!)