by Tim Howard

Created on: June 07, 2008   Last Updated: June 09, 2008

What if? What if President George W. Bush had chosen a different strategy after the terrorist bombings on 9/11? Many DVDs now come with alternate endings which show different directions the director may have taken before releasing the final cut. I would like to present an alternate ending to the Bush presidency.

Even a lifelong Democrat such as me must admit that President Bush did a masterful job after the horrific events of 9/11. He let citizens have a long respectful time of mourning. He visited the site and praised the work of first responders. The President even reached out to Muslims and tried to build bridges and warned the country about the dangers of stereotyping.

After this period Bush next went to work tracking down the enemy. The government determined that Bin Laden was responsible and that he had assistance from the Taliban government of Afghanistan. The military was deployed and quickly defeated the Taliban. Al Qaeda was a little more difficult. Bin Laden and his men were chased into the mountains bordering Pakistan. At this point the President seemed to lose focus. America then chose a second enemy in Iraq based on some poorly gathered information. Bin Laden got away and we are now involved in a struggle that we may never fully recover from.

What if Bush had chosen not to invade Iraq and continued to pursue Bin Laden? I believe that today's world would be vastly different. The war in Iraq has had great ramifications, many of which we have yet to realize. An alternate ending may have gone something like this:

Since the invasion of Iraq, America and Americans have suffered a great deal. First and foremost we have lost several thousand men and women serving their country. Had our military continued to pursue Bin Laden and foregone the war in Iraq we would have had military casualties but maybe not as many. It is almost a certainty that the conflict would have been well over by now.

This brings up the next potential difference. The war in Iraq has cost many billions of dollars currently with no end in sight. Neutralizing Al Qaeda would certainly have cost less. Our large war tab is increasing our deficit to a level that will take generations to pay off. With domestic issues such as health care, eroding infrastructure, education, and a flawed energy policy, that money could be used to improve life for future generations rather than hampering them with a bill.

Energy is another area that has been affected by the war on terror. During the early days

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