What would it have Been Like if Cheney was never VP

While reading and thinking about and discussing the Washington Post's 4 part expose on dick Cheney, one thought kept going through my mind. What about Bush.
He is a conservative republican. But, what kind of president and what kind of administration would it have been if Cheney never took the vp spot.
Would bush have called on his dad on September 11th. gotten sound experienced advise from a father who knew the middle east very well and what it was like there. Would they have went after and caught Bin Laden and never went into Iraq.
Would the neocons have been banished from the white house as his dad had done in the 90s.
Rumsfield would never have been on board.
Torture would probably still be such a forbidden thing that it was never a thought in their minds or ours.
would we have had a regular republican rule. Not something we liked but, tolerated.
Would Bush have turned out to have some compassion and feeling for the people. Would he have done something to help in New Orleans and it would now be well on it's way back.
Would global warming be something we were all participating in and controlling and the ice caps were not rapidly melting.
Would Bush have kept the country going on a regular course.
Would our country still be it's beloved old self?

options were back when Cheney chose himself. I seem to remember reading somewhere who some of the possibles were, but I don't recall any of them.