DBWI: what if the grenade didn't go off?

In class today we got into a big fight over which effected America In the 21st century more 9/11 or the May 10th assassination of President George W. Bush and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. (for those who care I think we won't know till the fullness of time has had it's way) during the talks some one stated that he'd hear the hand grenade Vladimir Arutyunian used was a spotty Russian one and most likely wouldn't of gone off at all, so it was "luck" that it did and killed President Bush and President Saakashvili, I don't know if thats true but it's an odd What If, what would the world look like with the two Presidents alive today?
 
Actually, I'm not so sure. Cheney ordered the Iraq escalation and the incursions into Iran. This devastated the military and weakened support at home. (After the first loss of a naval warship since Korea, this can be expected...) Further, the weakening of the military led to the lack of response for Katrina. Cheney sent what he could in, but it wasn't enough...and he turned away all the foreign countries that offered help. It was only by the inertia of the Senate that he survived Sheehan's, Paul's and Jefferson's impeachment resolutions. His endorsement of Guliani was Guliani's death knell. EVERYONE trounced him, even in New York. (And, lest we forget, his endorsement of DADT was the main impetus behind Keyes's strong showing in 2008. Regardless of if you approve of it, it was a bad political move.) And, we can't forget his full-fledged endorsement of torture and the unitary executive...which became VERY undefendable... It was a foregone conclusion for Obama to win in 2008, though Landrieu got a strong sympathy vote.
As for Georgia, I'm not sure if Saakashvili would have granted more autonomy to South Ossetia and Abkhazia than his successor. (Of course, given Georgia's record, if he did, I'd eat my tie...)
 
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Iran was funding the Insurgents, and we may have been weakened, but Iran was Shattered...

what would Bush have done, i have no clue, but we are getting in a Stronger Possition Militarily due to the recent war in Iran
 
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