Gore 2000, Bush 2004

What if McCain had beaten Bush in 2000 for the nomination, and Bush came back in 2004 to take it and beat Gore?

Bush with 4 additional years of executive experience could be impactful. I think Bush would pick Pataki as a running mate. Pataki was on Bush's 2000 VP list, would be well-received due to 9/11, and is another 2.5 term governor.
 
Bush with 4 additional years of executive experience could be impactful.

Not really. By 2000 Bush had already served five years as Governor of Texas, a position with little actual power. So I doubt an additional four years would make a big impact. And besides, if he loses to McCain in 2000 - a year in which he was heavily favored to win - that would damage his credibility enough to prevent him from becoming President down the road. Even then, if Bush could beat Gore in OTL I think McCain definitely beats Gore in this ATL - meaning Bush won't get another chance until 2008.
 
McCain wouldn't lose to Gore, he was absurdly popular in 2000 and would walk the election.

I don't really see why Bush is going to be as resilient in defeat as people on this board believe. And Pataki's too moderate as a running mate, certainly into the 2000s.
 
If 9/11 happened under a Gore Presidency, Bush would have to gain foreign policy experience if he wanted to run again in 2004 and get anywhere near the nomination.
 
What if McCain had beaten Bush in 2000 for the nomination, and Bush came back in 2004 to take it and beat Gore?

Bush with 4 additional years of executive experience could be impactful. I think Bush would pick Pataki as a running mate. Pataki was on Bush's 2000 VP list, would be well-received due to 9/11, and is another 2.5 term governor.
I could see Gore beating McCain, if he focuses on the economy (which McCain is weak in) and campaigns with Bill Clinton. I imagine that in this scenario, Bush wouldn't run for re-election in the Texas Gubernatorial Election of 2002, stepping aside for Rick Perry. I think Bush would select Former Governor Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania as his vice presidential nominee. Bush wanted a vice president that wouldn't run as his successor, so that Jeb would not have a rival for the nomination. Ridge did not have that ambition, but Pataki did.

I believe that Al Gore would have responded to 9/11 much differently than Bush, and wouldn't have invaded Afghanistan. So, the United States wouldn't be bogged down by the War in Afghanistan, but still invades Iraq in 2007 under Bush. If Bush wins re-election in 2008, he probably intervenes in next door Syria in 2011, instead of OTL's Libya.
 
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