Would there have been an Iraq War if John McCain was president in 2001?

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Let's say McCain somehow beat Bush in the 2000 Primary. He still steals the election.

Does the Iraq War still happen? It's universally agreed that Gore wouldn't have done it, but would McCain?

Note: 2000 McCain is a different beast from 2008+ McCain.

[mencken]

Did not the 2000 McCain support intervention in Somalia and Kosovo and criticize Bush for advocating a humble foreign policy?

[President Johnson]

Honestly, I have my doubts. McCain has definitely a higher intellect on foreign policy than Dubya. Most important of all: I think he wouldn't have had guys like Cheney, Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz in his administration. These were the driving forces behind the war, not Dubya himself. He was just a puppet for them.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Yes but McCain does not dismiss the entire Iraqi army and goes in with enough troops to stop an insurgency from forming

[Famous Mortimer]

Interesting question. Hard to tell.

McCain was actually the neo-conservative's candidate against isolationist George Bush in the 2000 primaries.

It all depends on who ends up in his cabinet. McCain didn't have a lot of party backing, you could count the high ranking Republican officials who endorsed him on one hand. For that reason, I think it is likely he would have ended up with the same people, Cheney, Rumsfield, Wolfowitz, since they were all largely technocratic seat fillers and would have probably been more ideologically inclined towards McCain anyway.

On the other hand, the Iraq War was just such a uniquely stupid and unnecessary war. Anyone who didn't have a dad that Saddam tried to assassinate might have been more firm in resisting the neo-con push.

[Mayflower1978]

No, because there won't be Dick Cheney nor Donald Rumsfeld in his Cabinet

[Pericles]

Yes but McCain does not dismiss the entire Iraqi army and goes in with enough troops to stop an insurgency from forming

That's what I'm thinking he's pretty hawkish but he'd do it well. But there is a good argument he doesn't go in.

[Mr. Reactionary]

It's universally agreed that Gore wouldn't have done it

Huh?

http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/08/19/liberal-myths-would-al-gore-have-invaded-iraq/