Vice-President Clare Boothe Luce

How about a Robert Byrd/John Connally ticket in '68?
Beating Nixon/Rhodes?

Okay, here I go:

The 24-Hour War.

On 8 June, 1967, Israeli forces attack the USS Liberty, killing 34 and wounding 171. President Luce notifies Prime Minister Eshkol that she is sending US forces to occupy Tel Aviv and investigate the incident. She warns that apologies aren't enough, and that those responsible will hang for it. Eshkol resigns and is replaced by Golda Meir, counting on the fact that being American-born, she'll be able to extricate Israel from the mess with the most grace. After deliberating a few months, the Fulbright Commission reports that the responsibility lay with Eshkol (who had died of a heart attack by this time) and Defense Minister Dayan. The Israeli government extradites Dayan to the US to stand trial. There are consequent riots and attacks on US troops in Israel. Meir is assassinated by a Herut activist, and is succeeded by Yitzak Rabin.

In 1968, the Democratic party is pulled to the right, and nominates the conservative Democrat Robert Byrd of West Virginia to run against the Richard Nixon/John Rhodes ticket. Byrd picks John Connally, Governor of Texas, as his running mate, and they defeat the Republican nominees handily.

Moshe Dayan is found guilty of war crimes in April, 1969, and is pardoned by President Byrd. Dayan returns to Israel.

1972, Byrd and Connally are renominated. The Republicans pick James L. Buckley of New York, and Paul Laxalt of Nevada as his running mate. The Democratic ticket wins a narrow victory.

1976, the Republican party nominates Harrison Schmitt, Senator from New Mexico for President, and Congresswoman Phyllis Schlafly of Illinois is nominated for VP. The Democrats nominate VP Connally for the top spot, and he selects Birch Bayh of Indiana to run with him. Declaring that the Democratic party had "lost its soul" to its conservative wing, Senator John F. Kennedy makes another bid for the Presidency, this time as a nominee of the "Unity Party." He chooses Adlai Stevenson III of Illinois as his running mate. On election day, Kennedy carries only Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. The Democrats carry the deep South, plus Texas, Connecticut, Vermont, and New York state. The Republicans sweep all the other states and win in a landslide.

True, but this was 50 years ago and LBJ was the first president to kowtow to Israel. I'm thinking Luce might not have, and the provocation was outrageous.

Didn't know that, but he did his damnedest to minimize the event and bought into the "accident" version, which was ridiculous. I'm making Luce a more independent thinker.

That was a different time, of course, and the idea of unconditional support for Israel hadn't yet become central to American politics. Actually, I was thinking of Luce's reaction as an extension of Eisenhower's policies during the Suez Crisis. I doubt Ike would have put up with the Liberty incident the way LBJ did.

Like I said, I'm edging towards a utopia here, where the US is not so deeply involved in the Middle East rat's nest, and where none of the countries there can count on getting bailed out by US money and military support. This could result in a more prudent and accommodating Israeli policy towards Palestinians and other Arabs. And, as a result, better relations between the US and Israel.


Now then. What kind of President would Harrison Schmitt have been? Conservative, certainly, but that's about all I know about him. Could the Dems nominate John Glenn in 1980 to make it astronaut v. astronaut, or would that be too cute?

Let's say they do, and Glenn picks Jerry Brown for VP. Harrison goes on to win reelection, but is assassinated by Hinkley on March 30, 1981. Schlafly becomes President. As there is no Bayh Amendment in this TL, Tip O'Neill is first in line after Schlafly for the Presidency. But soon after these events, a very similar amendment is offered by Orrin Hatch and is ratified in September, 1982. As the Hatch Amendment is written explicitly to apply to the current President and Vice President, Schlafly appoints Wm Armstrong of Colorado as VP. Her choice is ratified by the Senate.

Also in 1982, President Schlafly invites Shevardnadze to visit the United States. He does so, and extends an invitation to Schlafly to visit the Soviet Union, which she does later that year.

Whew.

Would a majority of delagates in 1952 vote for a women? Even if she had been Vice President for eight years I have my doubts if a women could be elected President in 1960.