What if Bush picked John Danforth as VP?

[TheSevenLeggedFallyDowner]

I've been reading former President Bush's memoirs and he devoted an entire chapter to personel decisions. One of those was his decisions to tap Dick Cheney as VP. In OTL it went basically like this: Bush asks Cheney if he's interested. Cheney says no. Bush asks him to head up the search committee instead, which he agrees to do. The search committee comes back with a short list of 9 people. Bush says that of the people on the list his favorite is John Danforth, but honestly he would still prefer Cheney to anybody on the list. Cheney reluctantly agrees that if Bush still prefers Cheney after interviewing Danforth, then he'll take the job. Bush goes through the motions, likes Danforth, but still likes Cheney more, and the rest is history.

So what if Cheney had refused the job again the second time? Or if he had refused more adamantly the first time so Bush doesn't even ask the second time? What would be the affects of John Danforth as VP? Does Bush keep him on the ticket for 2004? Is Danforth a viable candidate for 2008? He was kind of old (72), but actually a few days younger than McCain, so I don't think his age is absolutely prohibitive.

EDIT: Oh shoot, wrong forum. This should be in After 1900. How do I get it moved?

 

[MNP]

Move it by PM'ing Burton, Calbear or maverick and asking them to move it I would think. Have them use their mod powers for good.

Anyhow I guess it shows my age that I thought you were talking about Bush I (1988-1992). As for Bush II, TBH Cheney is the one who freaked completely out after 9/11. It was always Cheney who was determined to avoid that 1% chance of an attack and didn't much care how it happened or what collateral damage occurred on the way (or IMO even if it actually worked). Based on what I know of him, I'd say if Danforth had more of a guiding influence on Bush II even as much as Cheney, then you're going to avoid a lot of the more awful Foreign policy PR moves and maybe even some of the social issue PR moves though I doubt this. I'm still betting Rove will run the campaign on equally dissent with treason and the results that come with it.

So I think the us would be a little less poorer and little more liked during the Bush era. I think their anti-terrorism attempts would be as effective or maybe more effective. But the economic collapse as a consequence of right-wing economics is still going to happen.