WI: Bush picks McCain

What if, in 2001, George W Bush had chosen McCain as his Secretary of Defense? Would the response to 9/11 be better or worse? Could McCain have won the 2008 election?
 
Well, that assumes that the Bush Presidency is still a disaster. I guess my main question is, could McCain have done things differently as Sec of Defense?
 
Well, that assumes that the Bush Presidency is still a disaster. I guess my main question is, could McCain have done things differently as Sec of Defense?
What, like not joined in the rush to war?

That would be fun... don't know what McCain's OTL voting record is like.
 
Well, that assumes that the Bush Presidency is still a disaster. I guess my main question is, could McCain have done things differently as Sec of Defense?

Anyone who isn't Donald Rumsefeld would have probably had a much, much better chance of preventing the Iraq invasion / occupation from turning into an entire clusterfuck. Especially if they weren't wedded to the idea of keeping the force-commitment levels in Iraq as low as possible during the initial invasion / occupation phase.

The blitzkrieg into Iraq worked all fine and dandy. But that light fast blitzkrieg force Rumsfeld could see no wrong in, wasn't anywhere near enough large enough to be up to the tasks required on Fall of Baghdad Day +1

(Although ultimately, as long as the President's / Sec of Defense's office had a blind spot as to what to do after Saddam fell, and what might realistically happen there, there's going to be problems. And I'm not sure even a hypothetical perfect SoD would have been able to make the President's and Vice President's office of the day spend more than a nickle on such thoughts.)
 
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Did McCain point out the flaws of the plan before the war started (as opposed to act as a Monday morning quaterback)?
 
Did McCain point out the flaws of the plan before the war started (as opposed to act as a Monday morning quaterback)?

That's beside the point. McCain wasn't in on the planning in OTL. In this TL he is, and significantly, Dick Cheney is not. Rumsfeld might not be either for that matter.
 
I assume a senator would have some insight into the military planning and a guy like McCain who claim to have worked all his adult life on national security more so. Thus I expect a voice of disent if he tought everything was wrong.
 
That's beside the point. McCain wasn't in on the planning in OTL. In this TL he is, and significantly, Dick Cheney is not. Rumsfeld might not be either for that matter.

Actually, I think you might've mixed up the proposal. Dick Cheney is still Vice President...it's Rumsfeld who is out, replaced by John McCain.

I honestly don't know what McCain would've done differently...heck, maybe it would've been worse...but a few things have to be taken into consideration:

1) There was still a LOT of animosty between McCain and Bush, with 9/11 happening barely a year after the Bush campaign accused McCain of biologically fathering his adopted black daughter. Maybe this is partially butterflied away by getting the Secretary of Defense job, but there's at least going to be remnants.

2) McCain, in 2000, said he "hates war." Now, obviously, he still recognizes that there are times when you have to act, but war might not be his first choice.

3) McCain was still very much a "maverick", just as prone to taking on Republicans as he was Democrats. He also had the whole "Straight Talk Express" going on. If he disagrees with either Bush or Cheney on how to handle Iraq, he may very well go straight to the people/press and explain his side.

4) In the early days, inexperienced Bush relied much on his cabinet...and Cheney and Rumself were long-time friends, dating back to when they were both in the WH under...was it Reagan? I could be wrong. So whichever of them came up with the Iraq War, the other one backed him to the President. Somehow, I don't see 2000 Maverick McCain being chummy with Cheney.

So...for better or worse, I think the world is a significantly different place ITL's 2008.
 
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