So, I'm sitting watching all this unrest in Iran sympathizing with their people, trying to understand their complex system of government and theorizing about some things. "What are you theorizing (yeah I like that word) about?" you may ask. Well, of course, the liberal fall back answer to almost every question or controverersy the last 9 or so years - the Bush/Gore election.

I wonder how the US government - the beacon hope, the moral right, the leaders of the free world - would handle mobs taking to the street to protest an election. What would've happen if the millions of Gore supporters marched on Washington demanding a new vote? Granted the peaceful exchange of power is one the greatest things about our government/culture but what if Gore had decided not to concede? And not just one million person march but days of millions of people protesting. What would happen if those same protesters tried to confront the police/military (remember The Kent State Killings - eerily similar)?

Of course none of that happened and probably wouldn't happen unless someone tried to seize power but it is still interesting to think about.

What conculsions did I draw? Well, assuming that Gore did not concede and the public took the streets in protest of Bush's election, I feel we would have went through something similiar to Iran. There would be plenty of outrage on both sides. There would be intermittent violence on both sides. The government would try and suppress the rallies/marches once it reached that non-peaceful stage. Bush would have ended up still being president but probably would not have been elected to a second term because the unrest and resulting overreations would have been seen as dark spot in American history. Something that even 9/11 would not been able to save him from. Remember Kerry wasn't too far behind him. Interesting.

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