In 1997, Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper visited the People’s Republic of China. Gore's visit to Beijing was designed to symbolize the administration's policy of engagement with China and to serve as a prelude to a likely exchange of visits by President Clinton and Chinese President Jiang Zemin later that year.
The Vice President and his wife, Tipper, had time for sightseeing. But most of the trip was been devoted to meetings with high-level Chinese government officials and other official business, including the signing of two major contracts between U.S. corporations and the Chinese government.
So what if Airforce Two on the way back home developed engine problems and crashed, killing Gore and the majority of it's passengers?
Who would Clinton choose as a replacement for Gore? Bob Kerrey? Would he win in 2000?