What would if happen if HW Bush took out Saadam in 1991?

[Bootes Void]

Instead of his son doing it in 2003, how would the world change if Saadam Hussein was overthrown in 1991? Would Bush Sr. handle the war more competently? how would the world be different if he had done so?

[CEO Mindset]

A liberal like Cuomo wins in '92 due to the backlash of getting bogged down in iraq. Cuomo doesn't get the US out of Iraq, but we do get something on healthcare reform... well something bigger than OTL's Obamacare at minimum. Up to you if it's full on UHC.

Cuomo probably also has the CIA do a frantic wave of hits on various potential islamic terror ringleaders so probably no 9/11, even if we do still get an Iraq war that lasts 20+ years like OTL.

[(no subject)]

A President Quayle would definitely have continued on to Baghdad in 1991 because of who his chief of staff would likely have been.

[darklordoftech]

I wonder what Rumsfeld would have done had he been elected President in 1988.

[Samof94]

A liberal like Cuomo wins in '92 due to the backlash of getting bogged down in iraq. Cuomo doesn't get the US out of Iraq, but we do get something on healthcare reform... well something bigger than OTL's Obamacare at minimum. Up to you if it's full on UHC.

Cuomo probably also has the CIA do a frantic wave of hits on various potential islamic terror ringleaders so probably no 9/11, even if we do still get an Iraq war that lasts 20+ years like OTL.

What would make him change his mind?

[dw93]

Bush probably narrowly wins re election as Foreign Policy would be the dominant issue. Iraq in 1992 would likely resemble Iraq of 2004 in a sense that the situation is going sour, but not sour enough to damage Bush, there would be enough of a "let's not change horses midstream" mentality among enough people for Bush to narrowly hold on. That said, Iraq would likely see similar (though likely not as bad with a steadier hand at the helm) chaos through the mid 90s like it did from 2005-2007 OTL, and thus I think the Democrats would ride this to victory in 1994 and 1996.

[Bootes Void]

Bush probably narrowly wins re election as Foreign Policy would be the dominant issue. Iraq in 1992 would likely resemble Iraq of 2004 in a sense that the situation is going sour, but not sour enough to damage Bush, there would be enough of a "let's not change horses midstream" mentality among enough people for Bush to narrowly hold on. That said, Iraq would likely see similar (though likely not as bad with a steadier hand at the helm) chaos through the mid 90s like it did from 2005-2007 OTL, and thus I think the Democrats would ride this to victory in 1994 and 1996.

There was a recession in 92 and going past 12 years of republicans rule would be quite difficult to hold on. the 2004 scenario doesnt apply to 92 as there was no 9/11 to keep people continuing to support the war to fight terrorism or just become more conservative overall

[dw93]

Bush probably narrowly wins re election as Foreign Policy would be the dominant issue. Iraq in 1992 would likely resemble Iraq of 2004 in a sense that the situation is going sour, but not sour enough to damage Bush, there would be enough of a "let's not change horses midstream" mentality among enough people for Bush to narrowly hold on. That said, Iraq would likely see similar (though likely not as bad with a steadier hand at the helm) chaos through the mid 90s like it did from 2005-2007 OTL, and thus I think the Democrats would ride this to victory in 1994 and 1996.

There was a recession in 92 and going past 12 years of republicans rule would be quite difficult to hold on. the 2004 scenario doesnt apply to 92 as there was no 9/11 to keep people continuing to support the war to fight terrorism or just become more conservative overall

The recession was technically over by 1992 (it spanned from the fall of 1990 through Spring 1991) and given that it was one of the milder recessions, I don't think it would overshadow an ongoing war as the dominant issue of the campaign. One also mustn't forget how discredited the Democrats were on Foreign Policy at that time.  It took some successes in the later part of Clinton's administration as well as the debacle of a Foreign policy of the 2nd Bush Presidency for the Democrats to get credibility/traction on that issue.